Rap And Hip Hop Music - 1177 Words

Rap and hip hop music has evolved politically over the last decade; these genres have become major forces and influential factors for North American youth and young adults. Nas, a popular rap star, sold 1 million copies of his first album Illmatic by Dec. 2001, and by 2004 Nas released his 7th platinum album Street Disciple. The album street disciple contained a very political song titled American Way. The song showcases the negative outlook rap has against politics in its early stages as a genre. In addition, Lakeyta M Bonnet’s Book Pulse of the People: Political Rap Music and Black Politics, expresses the way hip hop music acts as a catalyst for the involvement of urban minorities in politics. While Paint the White House Black an†¦show more content†¦Although the government tries to regulate it, they simply cannot and the two disciplines continue to clash. When Nas begins he talks about the black vote and how the black community does not take voting seriously. As a result the upper class automatically has the advantage in the poles because they are more likely to vote. He makes the argument that regardless of who votes the choices are only â€Å"Satan or Satan† (Nas 2004). He links the American government to Satan which brings the listener back to his view of the nation from the poverty stricken ghetto he grew up in. The reason people relate to Nas is because his music is real and describes real life situations from the shoes of African Americans, and minorities. However, his view is only negative toward the government. Nas continues on to say that his voice and his opinions would have been silenced ten years ago so the community must continue to push for their rights, take control of who’s in control. Nas speaks on how the government cannot handle the hood and does not know how to improve the situation so they over use the police. The police enforce the law which is broken daily in these â€Å"hoods† using violence and brutality to solve issues. Nas ends this verse by hoping for a true representative from his community in the government he wants â€Å"hood councilmen† (Nas 2004). Nas dives into race at the beginning of the second verse. He addresses women and how