The Influence of Gangsta Rap

Since the 1960's, gang involvement throughout the nation has been a major problem in nearly every city, and John Hagedorn, gang expert, believes this could be attributed to the rising popularity of what he calls "gangsta rap" music, which is "offensive mixes of misogyny, materialism, and glorified violence."  He argues that because gangsta rap promotes violence, it encourages kids to join gangs, so when it became popular, it influenced a lot of kids into committing crimes and joining gangs.  But could this type of music and culture really have this much of a negative influence?

Looking at the history of gangs and comparing that to the times when gangsta rap was most mainstream, there is definitely a correlation between the two, but this correlation contradicts Hagedorn's viewpoint that the rise gangsta rap caused the rise of gang activity.  Instead, it suggests the exact opposite: that gangsta rap music must have stemmed from, not caused, high gang activity.

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, gangsta rap started in about 1985, during the height of gang violence, and became most prominent in the mid 1990's, after gang activity began to decline due to law enforcement changes in the early 1990's (according to Sudhir Venkatesh in Gang Leader for a Day).  Therefore, since gangsta rap's popularity peaked slightly after gang crime did, it must be a result of gang activity and not a cause.

An explanation for this is that rappers, who come primarily from inner-city poor neighborhoods, are exposed to a high level of violence, and then rap about it.  The time it takes for them to write and produce the songs and then have them circulate may take a few years, which explains why gangsta rap was still rising in popularity even as gang activity began to decline in the early 1990's.

Another problem I have with Hagedorn's (among others) viewpoint that gangsta rap music is a major cause of violence is that this type of music actually appeals just as much to suburban, upper class teens (who are drawn in by the rebellious nature of the music) than it does to inner-city, lower class teens who are actually exposed to this lifestyle.  So, given this information, according to Hagedorn's viewpoint, we would see a rise in crime and gang activity in the suburbs as well, which is just straight up not the case.

I do understand that this gangsta rap music doesn't promote the right ideals and it could have an effect on some people's behavior, but I doubt that it can be an accurate reason for gang activity.  Kids in these inner-city neighborhoods are exposed to so many other things, such as high unemployment rates, poor education, high crime rates, etc., that even without gangsta rap, gangs would still exist as prevalent as they are today.