“Follow the Leader: How Does Hip Hop Influence the Sexual Behavior of Urban Black Men?”

Background: HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted disease are leading contributors of morbidity and mortality for Black men in the United States. In 2000, AIDS was the leading cause of death among Black men 35-44 years of age and the third leading cause of death for all Black men 25-44 years of age. Understanding the influences on sexual behavior in Black men may help to elicit culturally and gender specific interventions to decrease the number of HIV/AIDS cases in this cohort. Hip-Hop music has become one of the most powerful influences in the world. The evolution of Hip-Hop has transformed this genre of music from a socially conscious ground for expression to gangster rap and now to the proliferation of sex, drugs, and the objectification of women.

Hypothesis: Hip Hop has a significant influence on the sexual behavior of Urban Black Men.

Methods: In 1998, the Woodlawn Health Center in Chicago, Illinois, developed a weekly multi-disciplinary medical and social services center called Project Brotherhood (PB) to address the barriers to healthcare for African-American males. The goal of PB is to provide a holistic approach to health and wellness that addresses physical as well as mental, social, vocational and spiritual needs of black men. PB will conduct (3) focus groups to obtain qualitative data exploring how black men perceive hip-hop's role in their own sexual behavior. We will survey 100 black men to assess their views on hip-hop and sexually transmitted disease.

Conclusions: Analysis both quantitative and qualitative focus group data will be presented in order to understand how Hip Hop influences the sexual behavior of black men.