Considering Music Lyrics and Imagery in the Sexual Health

Question: Describe about the Essay for Considering Music Lyrics and Imagery in the Sexual Health. Answer: Hip hop music, otherwise known as rap music, is a music genre that has assumed unprecedented popularity among the masses, since its inception in USA, long back in the year of 1970. Among the various hip hop artists, Lil Waynes commercial success speaks for itself. Born on September 27, 1982 in New Orleans, Wayne had an inherent love for rap music. He joined the American record label, at a very young age, and since then he had been enjoying a long musical journey in the US music industry. Gradually, Wayne formed his own hip hop group consisting of the former members of Cash Money Records group (Dougherty and Terri). After releasing several studio albums such as Get it How U Live, 400 Degreez, Bling Bling that were instant success, came the very famous, Guerilla warfare in the year 1999, that was not only an instant hit, but got sold more than 1 Million copies. Gradually, the aspiring rapper that Wayne was, started gaining quick recognition among the masses, and he was already on his way to stardom. In the year of 2004, the release of his The Cater further helped him in cementing his reputation in the music industry. In the following years, the release of Dedication, Like Father Like Son, not only hit the top of the pop charts, but also earned huge critical appraisal. However, Waynes biggest achievement came in the year 2009, when his talent was critically adored, by awarding him the Grammy Award for best rap song, best solo performance and best rap performance group (Phillips and Jason). Beyond the fast verse, and the rhythmic beats, of Waynes songs, there is always an inner, profound meaning for which he has been critically panned over the past years (Johnson). One of the most meaningful, touching, deeply lyrical songs by Wayne was Dear Lord. The song reveals the deep rooted frustration of the rapper, as he goes on describing the meaninglessness of his existence, and his inability to cope up with things as they are. He candidly confesses before God, that he is in the dark, devoid of any ray of hope showing where Im going. Although the sing reflects his strong desire to survive the odds of life, and to emerge a winner, yet he is skeptical of his choice. He sings in utter frustration, Im dying to get overall my dramas over. Waynes drug addiction, his separation with ex-wife, Toya Carter, the financial loss borne by his charity organization, added to his frustration and mental agony that finds a powerful expression in his songs. In fact, almost in each song of Lil Wayn e, one can trace an element of pain, melancholy, depression, despondence and meaningless of existence. In his song, No Love, one can trace the conflict between hopelessness and yet strong urges to overcome the challenges and fear of life. Although, the boy succeeds in defeating his bullies, yet the strong sense of pessimism pervades the tone of the poem. There is a constant reference to the parental conflict and consequent indifference of the parents towards the well-being of the child. Since his childhood, Wayne had never experienced a good relation with his father, and it is worth mentioning that he always had a strong disliking for his biological father. In an interview with GQ magazine, he bluntly asserted that he hates his father, and that he had always been hurt by his stark indifference towards him. In this way, several songs of Lil Wayne are directly inspired from the tragic horror of his life (Please refer to Appendix 2). One of the most poignant songs of Wayne, was How To Love that depicts the horror of a pregnant woman, who was being abused by her boyfriend, followed by her daughter being the victim of child molestation. Here, it is worth noting, that Wayne, in an interview stated that he was being raped and molested at the age of 11 years, by a young lady. In his own documentary, named Carter, Lil Wayne said that I got raped when I was eleven Ill never forget that day I was scared. Thus, abuse, sexual molestation and prostitution have been the recurrent theme in the songs of Lil Wayne (Robinson and Leamon). The most important quality in Wayne that sets him apart from many of his contemporary musicians is his frank use of explicit contents, and debatable issues in many of his songs (Giroux and Henry). It is needless to say, that some of his most romantic songs, such as Marvins Room, contain explicitly sexual imagery, where he treats love in a very sensual way, rather than dwelling on the emotional appeal of the same. His Lollypop is another instance where he treats too much adult imagery, and surely takes it to another level (Lewis and Heidi). As a result of the explicit content, he has also earned a considerable amount of negative reputation. However, when asked in an interview the reason behind his use of explicit contents, Wayne asked, What do you want me to talk about, the worldI am a musician. He refused to differentiate between good and bad, while composing his songs (Please refer to Appendix 1). Although Wayne stated that he is not here to lecture people about the moral values or principles of life, yet he was always being one of the most controversial figures in the world of rap music (Chandler and Rasheeta). The rap songs composed by Wayne has always been accused of having set a bad example for the youths. No matter how much most of the rap songs are blamed to be morally degrading and politically demeaning, many of the rap songs express the age-old disappointment and utter frustration of the black singers. Waynes songs though not are always racist, yet his remix version of the song Karate Chop, makes a racist comment by making jest of Emmett Till. Lil Wayne is one of the most talented American rapper, and no matter what he has a huge impact on a huge mass of people. While on the one hand, he can manipulate words, on the other hand he has a free, rhythmic flow; his sense of good beats and his screams, and his lyricism has contributed to the huge popularity he has been enjoying over the years. Reference List: Chandler, Rasheeta, et al. "Considering Music Lyrics and Imagery in the Sexual Health of Black College Students A Pilot Study."Journal of Black Studies46.6 (2015): 564-586. Dougherty, Terri.The Story of Cash Money Records. Mason Crest, 2014. Giroux, Henry A. "Racism, popular culture and public memory."Arena Magazine (Fitzroy, Vic)125 (2013): 31. Johnson, F. Geoffrey. "A note to hip hop."African American Review46.1 (2013): 167-169. Kaufman, Gil. "Lil Wayne, TI, Future Teaming Up For'America's Most Wanted'TourMusic, Celebrity, Artist News."MTV.com. Retrieved March26 (2013). Lewis, Heidi R. "Let Me Just Taste You: Lil Wayne and Rap's Politics of Cunnilingus."The Journal of Popular Culture49.2 (2016): 289-305. Phillips, Jason. "Early life."The Lil Wayne Handbook-Everything you need to know about Lil Wayne(2013): 135. Robinson, Reginald Leamon. "Gangsta Rap Lyrics and Early Childhood Cruelties: are These Artists Searching for Enlightened Witnesses and Seeking to Reveal the Real Truth of Black Mother-Son Love."Journal of Research in Gender Studies5.1 (2015): 73-92.