Intersection between Gang Membership and Music

Gang Member and Music
Student’s Name
Institutional affiliation
Date
Gang Member and Music
The existence of gang membership is a sophisticated phenomenon. It spans many realms, including socio-economic and political spheres. Gang membership form part of subcultures that has its set of conventions, norms, practices, and expectation. There are many instances where the art of music has percolated into the gang cultures and practices. Rap as part of the hip-hop culture was linked to various gang groups such as Curtis Blow. The approach to such music and the method of presentation could be described as ‘Gangster Rappers’. It is not surprising to remember how often some music was seen to glorify violence, which referenced the notion of gangster music. Most prominently, gangster rap music and gang environment have a strong correlation. The music could have defined the social forces that influence the gang members and the violent and destructive nature of gang members. According to Pinkney & Robinson-Edwards (2018), Music videos have remained a powerful form of expression for decades, but over recent times or decades, music videos and audios have been significantly deployed as a tool to send threats, nurture gang subcultures and flaunt illegal and illicit products. However, music is not the sole reason to explain a rise in violence.
Hip-hop is a genre of music that has lasted more than three decades and has been linked to gang cultures. This genre has a rich sense of history where its background was overwhelming ‘street life.’ As “identity art,” rap music has unified groups with a shared interest (Marshal, 2015). Legitimacy and authenticity of music such as rap and hip have been at the center of debates for decades. Authenticity is a subjective concept because it is primarily understood by the degree to which the music performance conforms to or varies from audience expectations. If rappers are promoting violence through music, should fans such as young people be motivated to engage in violent behaviors? At which point does the intention of artists such as rappers and hop ho singers intersect with the interest of listeners in the context of art? In the local communities constructing the boundaries between legitimate and illegitimate products is challenging (Lauger & Densley, 2018). The street hub is “the center of hip-hop cultural activity and creativity, but it is not simply a physical space (Lauger & Densley, 2018). Thus, street may confer space for cultural expression, creativity, cognition, which means that people such as, rappers, gangs, in such a place will embrace local allegiances and territorial identities. However, the criminal nature of some activities in the cities may be exposed in streetwise identity” thought musical expression.
The urban street corner creates a hub for social activities that serve as routine and diverse interaction between residents, such as the marginalized and impoverished urban neighborhoods (Lauger & Densley, 2018). Thus, the urban stree...