Positive Hip Hop

Hip hop music has evolved and changed since the 1970s and has encountered controversy along the way. Many people object to what they believe is the promotion of violence and misogyny in hip hop; however, that is only a small part of hip hop, and there are many positive effects hip hop provides to its listeners

Role Models
Hip hop artists serve as role models to youth from a diverse array of backgrounds. Many hip hop artists did not come from privileged backgrounds but showcase to youth that they can achieve their goals. There are many successful artists who are creative wordsmiths, but hip hop also creates a venue for musicians, fashion designers, publicists, club owners and producers.


History
Hip hop history begins in the early 1970s in New York City. This means that today's children have parents and even grandparents that grew up on hip hop. Hip hop evolves like any other art form, and this changing art form connects modern hip hop to older roots, which establishes a sense of community and artistic history. This is a positive effect for today's youth who can turn to older hip hop to see what issues previous generations have dealt with and then think about what has change, what has not and their own role in social change.

Some Positive Hip Hop Artists

KRS One (Social/Political/Spiritual/Economic)
De La Soul (Positive/Social)
Mos Def (Spiritual/Political/Social)
Dead Prez (Political/Social/Economic)
The Roots (Positive/Social)
Lauren Hill (Positive/Social)
Wyclef (Positive/Social)
Common (Spiritual/Social)
Paris (Political/Economic/Social)
Kam (Political/Economic/Social/Spiritual)
Talib Kweli (Positive/Social)
Afu-Ra (Spiritual/Social)
A Tribe Called Quest (Positive/Economic/Retro)