The Mixtape of the Revolution

Since 1970’s, hip-hop/rap had been a very popular music style and has become today a highly commercial and capitalistic enterprise raising billions of dollars in the United States where hip-hop music videos are filled with scantily clad women who dance provocatively to obscene and derogatory lyrics.

Contrary to the style of Hip Hop and Rap in United States, in other countries, rap artist use their music to express their views, opinions, and how they are feelings on behalf of resistance toward political corruption and injustices in their songs. Hip-hop/rap seems to be a great mobilizing force of its audience. A New York Times article points out that in protests in some African and Arabs countries, “rap music has played a critical role in articulating citizen discontent over poverty, rising food prices, blackouts, unemployment, police repression and political corruption.” This suggests that the rap music not only motivates its listeners to take action, but also is another outlet for the views of the collective. The fact that music in one part of the world can be listened to by others thousands of miles from the source via Internet is of great advantage to the people who have enclosed a message within the song. Everyone can hear their troubles and goals, become enlightened to the situation, and congregate for the good of everyone.

In my opinion, rap music addresses in a creative way public yet rebellious issues and as social and political protest is a better choice rather than graffiti or “Pinchao” as is the case of Brazil, because this detracts from the streets. Whether it is by calling out repression and corruption, sustaining the popular energy of the movements or, in some cases, even helping promote community development and political alternatives, hip-hop has been instrumental in the ousting of repressive regimes and dictatorial control.