"Rap: Beyond Beats and Rhymes" Response

Playing a huge role in the contemporary era, the music genre of rap - stemming from its formation in the 1980's - also, argued in the film "Rap: Beyond Beats and Rhymes", also perpetuates a bad influence on today's youth, especially young African Americans.

Filming young African Americans' responses to questions about the "rap" culture and presenting correlations for evidence, the film maker argues that "rap" only demonstrates and encourages sexism, killing, guns, and other criminal acts and paraphernalia, glorifying deliberate breaking of the law. Focusing on shootings, the "carpe diem" attitude, and the treatment of young women, the film maker mentions vivid examples, and responses from men and women interviewed to further support this evidence.

Considering the roots and origins of rap in rhythm and blues, other aspects of rap music, and the attitude and focus of "Rap: Beyond Beats and Rhymes" on solely the perceived negative aspect of rap music, I would instead argue that, while it presents drawbacks, rap music also exerts a positive influence on contemporary culture. Adding music to a form of either structured or free verse poetry, rap - through both the spark of inspiration and subsequent results of publishing - not only fosters spiritual, emotional, and educational growth, but a sense of wisdom, understanding, and community that draws listeners and composers alike together, marrying reason and emotion into a transparent bond.

While rap does present inevitable drawbacks, stimulating and beneficial attributes begin with the original idea for the music; creation and publication spur the creator to exercise and expand creativity, and ignite a further interest, comprehension, and knowledge in developing poetic authoring and English skills. Stemming from Rhythm and Blues - in addition to Gospel - music, rap music also not only explores emotions and enlightenment, but transcendence to a higher plane of understanding and wisdom; both singer and listener contemplate deeper meaning and purpose of life, its struggles, and salvation.

Bringing the African American community together into a common sense of connection, rap also stresses the interdependence of the African American, and world, community at large, and surviving and enduring to achieve peace and prosperity for contemporary generations and posterity. Sharing personal revelations - for example, mental and emotional achievement of maturity of the singer in T.I. and Justin Timberlake's "Dead and Gone" - guide listeners through advice, impart information through ethos, and contemplate on the true nature of good, evil, redemption, and mankind in whole.

Extending beyond the individual singer, rap music also inspires and instructs listeners to consider the content and meaning of the words, and, in turn, set off a "domino effect", duplicating the composer's transformation among many.