rap has one of the biggest influences on teens these days most of the music is based on drugs robbing places shooting people being with prostitutes and about having sex what message do you honestly think it is sending to teens well let me tell you the wrong one when kids listen to that kind of music they sit and think it is cool and they should do it just cause there role model is singing bout it teen violence is based on media based on the things kids see and hear everyday you honestly can't sit there and think that the media is not playing a major role in teens life. to me the people that sit there and try to justify the things heard or seen are just making up excuses cause they know that were right and saying teens are mature enough to make there own decision is not true ya you all might think that you can decide weather to act on violence well were did you think you got the trigger for that urge of violence? every one should look back at the past things you have listened to and read or seen on t.v. and take a close look at how big of a role it plays in your daily life.

I think that any music can have an effect on people, whether it be positive or negative if you let it. It's not as simple as saying rap music makes people do bad things, because what about those who listen to it don't do bad things, or those who don't listen to it and still do. I think that there are a lot of contributing factors besides just the music you listen to. It also has to do with the people you associate with, and the way you were brought up, which in its self can determine what music you listen to. You can't classify one genre is bad, without also examining the others, although I must say that rap can have an effect on people. But so can rock, so can RnB, so can a lot of other genres.

I'm 13 and have been listening to gangsta rap since i was 10......kinda makes me wanna be a gangsta.....it brainwashes me. the song than brainwashed me and motivated me to be a gnagsta the most is 'damn it feels good to be a gangsta'. it speaks out for itself

am I allowed to quote myself from when I was a newbie???

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i think people just look for things to blame their kid's behavior on. i think the real problem has to to do with families in general. its way easier to write an article on how rap make you do drugs and have sex then that it is to write that its the the failure of our family structures that are driving kids to find acceptance in other places. with the amount of divorces and falling apart of families its hard to grow up and develope healthy relationships. drugs are sought be ppl who are trying to fill their lives with something they're missing. Sex sometimes is the used for the same thing. i listen to rap. and yeah the lyrics are not the greatest. but think of it, if us as teens didn't WANT to listen to it, they wouldn't sell albums, it has to do with the teens already. not the other way around.

ok i think the magizne is wrong because i listen to rap and im smart and have a little good gurl reputation (i hate that) and lots of people in my school are like that i think it has to do more where you come from, your belifes, and your parents influnce on you.

but, that's not entirely true, because when Too $hort was younger, he came out with this song "Blow the Whistle" and it was a great song and it was a part of the music genre and, i think a) he was just tryin' to make a livin' and b) that's what all the rappers did but, the song's about like pimpin', girls, drugs, sex, "poppin' pills" for "been up for days". BUT, now he's helping deprived youth at a center in Oakland, I think he's totally different and definitely giving back to his community that has deteriorated over the years.

Look i think the article is right im doin a report on how music affects teens and kids today its for school and when i present my paper i think their lives r goin to change and ya i think rap is a bad influece there is thousands of ppl today killing ppl because that is what the rappers do

It all depends on the song and rapper. If you give someone a rap song that encourages drugs, sex, and such things like that and then have another person listen to a song similar in rock music, they will get the same message and it'll be their choice in weather to do exactly as the message. Rap music does seem to encourage topics that aren't really the best topics, but if you look closely you will realize about EVERY single band encourages something that is a 'bad influence'.

The poing is...the magazine shouldn't have just attacked rap music, they should have done a bit more research and basically explain that rap music and other songs/music that sends the same message is wrong. But, also the person who listens to it does need to know that all of what is encouraged is wrong.

I think it all depends on whether the person listening is easily influenced.

i do believe that some rap is bad but in every style of music there is some that is bad it just depends on who u listen to

I think it depends on the kid first, because if you listen to rap and live in a bad environment, then you could easily get into drugs, alcohol, and gangs and such but if you live in a nice neighborhood but do listen to rap then you don't really have access to any of that stuff and you might have parents who care about you and keep you outta that stuff.

It depends. A lot of the rap that is around me here in America...sucks. Most of it is about sex, drugs, alcohal, or money to get all of those things, but there is good rap that isn't about that stuff.

No, rap is a bad influence on those with a low wisdom. And since most teens don't have much wisdom, most of them it is a bad influence on. (but we mustn't forget the others!)

If parents properly raise their kids it won't matter what they listen to or see on TV.The only way that rap or any other kind of music can influence a child is if their parents didn't teach them wrong from right.

the music itself isn't bad, but rappers should be held responsible for their negative influence on the millions of kids that look up to them. If they used their wide mediatic exposure to encourage studying, healthy life, etc... people would probably respond to it to some extent. Instead, what they all do is encourage a self destructive lifestyle wich happens to be easy to follow when one is not a resourcefull person.
One's influence over society should be directly proportional to his degree of matureness and responsibility, and none of the music industry's stars has proven to be worthy of the level of potential influence they can enjoy .

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Music has a way of affecting our thought patterns and emotions without our even knowing it.

I listened to Queen almost nonstop when I was younger, yet it never made me want to become British, gay, or a rock star.

You make good points. I guess if you do anything to much, than you will become what that thing is.
I also think if you're strong enough of will, these things will not affect you're like.
It's also a good reason to have variety in your life, too much of one thing usually has negative effects!

you can't really say that big dave, there's really no telling that he ever would have thought about drug use if it weren't for bad music. It also doesn't take into account the peer pressure put on the person by other weaker charactered ppl who think being a "pimp" is cool and that getting high wil get you a record label. Fact is poor Rap will influence you no matter if you let it or not. Music has a way of affecting our thought patterns and emotions without our even knowing it. Look at how music affects ppl in stadiums and concerts, there's something about music that affects us no matter what. Ultimately if you listen to "bad" rap music long enough you will lower your standards and might almost begin to accept the "thug" life, thinking it's "cool" or whatever. You might even begin to speak like them or even think like them. It's the truth, i won't deny it.

It depends on the character of a person. Millions listen to rap and don't change at all. If a person is weak, or gives in to peer pressure, they will end up trying drugs or toher bad things eventually, it's not rap musics fault.
Rap happens to include themes on drugs and other such bad things, but really, the kid would have done it without it anyway.
You can't blame a child's weak will on music, games or any other such form of media.

I think your all wack, arguing over this.
Let's all just set down and settle on the fact that any music is a bad influence if it encourages wrong behaviour. Could that work? Because the truth is any genre of music can be good or bad, it's what it's used to share. So let's take all the poor examples, all the bad influences and kick the crap out of them. Show them we won't stand for it anymore.