Deviant hip hop?

In the last seventy years music has evolved to become a major part of American culture. Some may agree that the genre of hip hop music has had a large impact on different cultures around the world. Hip hop is not only about music, but it is also about culture (urbandictionary.com). This has changed the way many people view this genre of music. In America, people may listen to and view hip hop music as corrupt, delinquent, violent, drug abusing, defiant, womanizing, greedy and deviant. But there are different styles within hip hop music that are still considered to be hip hop (about.com). In these styles there are some hip hop songs that can be considered "deviant" or "normal". This depends on what the artist’s character, song, and videos portray. One of the issues that will be focused on will be about what songs tend to be considered deviant or normal in this genre of music and why, as well as the consequences in being deviant.

In hip hop, who is considered deviant? Hip hop music has different styles that come from various artists (about.com). The considered deviant hip hop artist creates song lyrics and videos about money, women, cars, hustling, violence, the streets, drugs and partying. It seems as if the artists strive to be different from eachother and society. As a consequence, artists considered deviant may automatically be viewed as a menace to society because of what they do is opposite to society’s norms. For example, the hip hop artist’s style of dress may consist of sagging pants, baseball caps, tattoos, jewelry, new sneakers or boots, and fitted or loose t-shirts. These things the along with what is talked about in the music may categorize the artist as deviant. This is similar to Domenick Scuderas article called My Gay Lifestyle where he explains how everything is gay in the lifestyle he lives.

In relation to music and the lifestyle of the hip hop artist, it can be considered deviant in the eyes of society to dress how you want, live how you want and talk how you want. The style of dress hip hop artist’s wear and how they use music may be considered deviant to society, but the style is not the typical dress in all of the hip hop culture. In the article called Privilege, Power, Difference, and Us by Allan Johnson it says “In other words, if you’re not going along with the system, it won’t be long before people notice and let you know it” (Johnson, 85). The dress, styles, use of speech, are different to the norms of society which is something that hip hop culture is about regardless of what the norms are and what people say.






Other hip hop artists create songs and videos that deal with current world events, corrupt political and governmental systems and the everyday struggles people face to raise the consciousness. This can be considered "normal" because the music and the artist’s presentation and content the music focuses’ are issues that people can relate to. The videos and songs might be considered more tolerable to viewers; however they may also contain some aspects of what is considered deviant behavior, but not as extreme. To focus more on what is considered normal in hip hop may not be considered normal to certain people in society, even though the artist may not be deviant or portray deviant behavior.





The consequences of being deviant in hip hop music can be an issue. If you are a hip hop artist and are acting against the norms of society, then the consequences can sometimes result in penalty. In the book Deviant Behavior by Alex Thio, Thomas Calhoun and Addrain Conyers it says “The answer…is that labeled deviance are viewed as such because they threaten the control of people who have enough power to shape the way society imagines the boundary between good and bad, normal and pathological, acceptable and deviant” (Pfohl, 14). Does deviant behavior in relation to music have this kind of power to shape society? If so, the cultures arond the world would be diffrent.


Work Cited/References
Calhoun, Conyers, and Thio. Readings in Deviant Behavior. 6th ed. Boston, MA.

http://rap.about.com/od/genresstyles/tp/HipHopGenreGuide.htm

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hip-hop

Scudera, Domenick. 2011. "My Gay Lifestyle," Huffpost Gay Voices, November, 1, pp. 1.

Johnson, Allan. "Privilege, Power, Difference, and Us." Pp. 78-86. Previlege, A Reader, edited by M.S. Kimmel and A.L. Ferber.