Hip-hop has been under much scrutiny, because some feel that it has had a negative influence on our youth in America. This argument to me is ridiculous. The behaviors of the youth in America have changed over the years, but this cannot be blamed on hip-hop. I was always taught that art is a reflection of the society, the society is not the reflection of art. So, music is a form of poetry that often times depicts what is already being seen in the environment.  The environment a child grows up in is what really impacts a child’s life and that starts at home. Take for instance the common phrase, “You are going to be just like your dead beat dad,” or “You going to get pregnant at 15, because you fast like your mother,” in these situations  the child becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The child may become that way, because of being told that but also everything a parent does influences their child. The scripture from the greatest book ever comes to mind when this scenario is brought up, because in the bible it states in Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” This scripture to me is 100 percent correct, because to me a child can listen to a song all day long, but if it is not in their heart to do something then, they will not.

There are other outside influences as well, such as daycare, school and the neighborhood that I believe have a greater influence at an earlier age than music. Crime infested neighborhoods are often times poor neighborhoods. People tend to commit more crimes when they are hungrier than usual. Many children from low income families are forced to live in these neighborhoods or are place in one of these neighborhoods in low income housing. A third point is that society is set up now so that both parents are not around. Children now are being raised at day care and in the school system so, it is easier for a child to be influenced other children of a different background.

I believe problems with the youth stem from lack of parent involvement and the environment they are raised in. Sure, the crime has gone up in America over the years, but the cost of living has also gone up. A person may never know what they are capable of until they are hungry or they have a child and they can’t feed the child.

So if there is a great deal of poverty, there will be a great deal of crime. This will be reflected in music, poetry, and artwork. So, again music is a refection of society and expresses what is actually going on in America.