Critique 1: Chapter 1 of The Hip Hop Wars

In chapter 1 of Tricia Rose's The Hip Hop Wars she discusses hip hop's relation to violence and how it stereotypes African Americans. Rose notes a fact in this chapter that is important since it is a fact I feel many critics and listeners of rap (those who did not grow up in a ghetto) fail to realize; rappers are frequently telling exaggerated tales in order to get a point across about social problems. It's a fact I myself was not aware of before reading and after also reading about how middle class white people (my demographic) where the primary consumers of rap I realized how important this point was. It shows how many people, critics who blame rap and consumers who enjoy, don't understand the point many gangsta rappers are trying to make and also explains why many of them stereotype black people they way they do. At times I found her views somewhat alarmist and she was often quick to pour all the blame on a broken system (and Ronald Reagan) , which can not be the only accountable factor for social problems. The community is partially to blame. Newer mainstream rappers who capitalize on violence instead of trying to send a message represent this. This chapter has caused me to gain concern over the direction rap has gone in and is going, now for a new reason. It has caused me to gain a higher awareness of the message certain rappers are trying to send about social problems and more awareness for how some rappers capitalize on it in a negative way. The chapter was insightful as it made me realize how better education about rap would mean better understanding of social problems in the black ghettos most gangsta rappers come from.