Changing images of violence, drugs and alcohol in rap music, 1979-1996

Violence, particularly among youth is a serious public health problem. In recent years, rap music has been at the center of concern about the potential harmful effects of violent lyrics on social behavior. This paper explores the role of changing images of violence in rap music from the 1970's to the 1990's. A sample of 341 rap music lyrics were coded for references to violent behaviors and contexts; violent metaphors; attitudes towards violence and consequences; and music genres. The results indicate that there has been a dramatic and sustained increase in the level of violence in rap music. The percentage of songs mentioning violence increased from 27% from 1979-1984 to 60% from 1994-1997. In addition, the social desirability of violence in rap music seems to have increased as evidenced by the increasingly positive evaluation of violence in the lyrics and their association with glamour, wealth , masculinity, and personal prowess. The analysis has also shown that the emergence of gangster rap and increase in drug related themes predict increases in violent lyrical content. The discussion suggests that violence in rap music has increased in response to the complex interplay of changing social conditions and increasing commodification of rap music.