Music is universal, there are parts of the rainforest without basic amenities

form which the call of drums can be heard, it is safe to say that in examining all the
various types of music that everyone is in some way affected by music. Adolescents
are more so affected than all others because of their constant exposure to music,
and their readiness in accepting a direction or channel for their passion- John
Dryden St. Cecilia’s Day said “What passion cannot Music raise and quell.” There
are many articles and studies which further examine the negative and positive
effects of music, two of the most effective research papers on this topic are The
Relationship between heavy metal and rap music on adolescent’s turmoil: real or
artifact? Adolescence, fall, 1994 by James J. Took and David Weiss; and A
Prospective Study of Exposure to Rap Music Videos and African American Female
Adolescents’ Health by Gina M. Wingwood Scd, MPH Ralph J. Di Clemente PhD and
others. It is often amazing to see the extent to which music can move and generate
change in adolescents, music to adolescents can be debated as the strongest force
known to generate mass appeal. However, as Hitler united many German youths
through the National Socialist German Worker’s Party in the time of German
economic downfall unto the killing of thousands of Jews, it is clear that unification
and influence is not always unto a good cause. The music of today largely has a
negative effect on teenagers, which leads them to doing a greater proportion of
immoral and criminal activities than those which express a brighter future for them.

The research paper A Prospective Study of Exposure to Rap Music Videos and
African American Female Adolescents’ Health, notes that rap or gangsta rap music,
being the most popular with 95% of participants in this study viewing rap music
videos, and of that 95%, 73% viewing gangsta rap videos specifically, that a large
percentage of adolescents are thereby encouraged to engage in all manner of risky
behaviours. This music promotes explicit lyrics about sex and violence, the long
term effect of which is modeling the youth in unhealthy practices, such as not using
contraception, using and abusing drugs and alcohol. It must be understood that
during adolescence one is at a transitional period in their life, which is characterized
by a number of cognitive, emotional, physical and attitudinal changes,
psychologists go on to state that those who have a good relationship with their
parents are less likely to engage in risk behaviours, such as smoking, drinking,
fighting and sexual intercourse. Dr. Jacqueline Sharp, the International Planned
Parenthood President/Chairperson of Governing Council in 2008, Chairperson of the
Board of Western Hemisphere Region and current President of the Family
Planning Association of Trinidad and Tobago, consultant child and adolescent
psychiatrist with the Ministry of Health of Trinidad and Tobago and associate
lecturer in Psychiatry with the Faculty of Medicine of the University of the West
Indies, noted that “ To say that African Caribbean fathers and other men are
fundamental to the socialization of children and to an understanding of African
Caribbean family life is putting it mildly. That Caribbean men care for their family
and provide for them economically has been demonstrated….. However, their
emotional availability and their social ties to their children are unclear.” A study
conducted with students from the University of the West Indies suggested that
Caribbean men have poor relationships with their children. Therefore it can be said
that adolescents in the Caribbean society are predisposition to engaginging in risky
behaviours. With a large percentage of adolescents who are already at a
disadvantage, listening to music which promotes risky behaviours can only have a
damaging effect.

In addition to this below average grades and difficulties in school are reported
as an effect caused by the music adolescents listen to since they no longer see the
need to work to earn prosperity, this is largely because the underlying theme in
many modern songs across the wide spectrum of musical genres is that of the
“hustle.” “All the lessons to a young teen baby was cold Then my pimpin-ass Uncle
put me up on the game It really ain't no love it's 'bout this, paper mayne Put me in a
position, got me out on a missionCollectin from the hoes turned on to my pimpin A
nigga from Memphis dealin with life as a struggleThis is the gift I was given so I just
live by my hustle.”Terrence Howard and Teraji P. Henson actors in the movie Hustle
and Flow. There is often no encouragement in the these musical genres, as we can
clearly see, to focus on and appreciate the opportunities created by education, this
is emphasized in Sam Adams song I hate College, “I hate college but love all the
parties finishing kegs and crushing bottles of Bacardi, king of the class, id rather lay
up with a hottie single doesnt mean im looking for somebody some say a drink
blaze up a hardly so invite your friends to come play gave you the invite if you miss
it dont complain.” these songs may be of two different genres, however they both
have the same message, the life of a hustler is better, partying even and enjoying
one’s life without thought or planning is the best way to live, no attention to or
mention of utilizing education to achieve a respectable career and thereby a secure
future is made. Therefore adolescents who recognize these artistes to be their role
models, however poor they are in fulfilling such a capacity, adhere to their
messages and find no value in the education system and therefore make no effort
in succeeding at academics. In the study The Relationship between heavy metal
and rap music on adolescent’s turmoil: real or artifact? Adolescence, fall, 1994 it is
reported that there was one significant variable in their statistics and that is below
average grades, in this study 46% of those listening to both Heavy Metal and Rap
music had below average grades.

Also, young females often identify with the images of women seen in music
videos, they emulate them wanting to be like them, thereby allowing themselves to
become degraded by the elusive male artiste, to whom women are simply a
commodity. These adolescent female are usually attracted to the seemingly
luxurious lifestyle they associate with these video girls, and more so with the
women male artistes sing about. They therefore suffer from self esteem issues,
which reinforce the risky behaviours they fall prey to. Since adolescence is a time of
gaining more autonomy and independence they use this to become not more self-
assured or responsible, but more dependent they only shift this dependence from
their parents unto a man, especially in lower socio- economic status
neighbourhoods. This results often in prostitution and engaging in unprotected
sexual acts, which leads to more cases of sexually transmitted diseases and
unwanted pregnancies. During the time of the study, A Prospective Study of
Exposure to Rap Music Videos and African American Female Adolescents’ Health,
girls between the ages of fourteen and eighteen had been sexually active in the
past six months, 19.3% of which had multiple sex partners, 14.8% of which had
never used a condom, and an alarming 41.8% of which had acquired an STD.

Aggressive and destructive behaviours resulting in the suspension and

expulsion of many students, an overwhelming amount of which were male, had
been noted as an effect of listening to music. Lyrics often speak of violence and
breed racial tension and animosity. Also psychiatric problems have been noted to
occur because of the influence of music on adolescents, which generates a history
of arrests and mental treatments. In comparison to this there are few positive
effects of music, with reference to current music genres, that of significant acclaim.
Teenagers often gain a sense of belonging and allows them to better socialize since
they now have something in common with several of their peers. Some say that
they find an outlet for their negative emotions in these songs, even allowing them
to express it through other channels such as dance. However this clearly cannot
compensate for the grave damage caused solely by the persistence of artistes to
encourage and endorse negative behaviours. :”Bad news sells, good news is no
news,” this is clearly true because there is a general attraction to the rebellious and
destructive lyrics in the songs of today, but it also brings the reality that there is
little good to be sought from it.

The studies,The Relationship between heavy metal and rap music on

adolescent’s turmoil: real or artifact? Adolescence, fall, 1994 by James J. Took and
David Weiss; and A Prospective Study of Exposure to Rap Music Videos and African
American Female Adolescents’ Health by Gina M. Wingwood Scd, MPH Ralph J. Di
Clemente PhD and others, effectively appraise the issue of the effect of music, with
respect to current musical genres. Both are conducted by psychologists and
doctors, with respect to A Prospective Study of Exposure to Rap Music Videos and
African American Female Adolescents’ Health, not only were psychologists and
psychiatrists part of the team, but also doctors in the field of pediatrics and
representatives from the department of behavioural sciences and health education.
The persons were thereby professionally and academically well equipped to carry
out a study which included taking blood samples and testing them, and evaluating
behaviours. The study took a large sample size randomly to ensure no bias and
conducted long term studies over a period of four years for accuracy, well written
summaries of the measures used, outcomes and data analysis as well as statistics
were made readily available. The study is backed by support from and was
approved by the University of Alabama, Birmingham’s committee on human
research.the other article, The Relationship between heavy metal and rap music on
adolescent’s turmoil: real or artifact?, also conducted by psychologists provided a
great amount of statistics generated from their own primary studies, and deduced
its conclusions from them giving it a sense of scientific accuracy. Also they noted no
statistically significant racial differences, this ensured a more all round view of the
topic.The research paper provided insight into the historical context of the issue as
well, and clearly identified its methods of collecting data. The study did not
separate the effects of the two different genres of music, instead it examined them
wholistically, with specific reference to negative effects portrayed by the lyrics in
these musical genres.

In conclusion it is unfortunate to declare that what is considered the most

influencial factor in the life of the adolescent which is music has a siginificantly
more negative effect on these adolescents than a positive one. Listening to music,
specifically the current genres, has allowed the youth of today to be more likely to
engage in risky behaviours, Poussaint noted that the glorification of drugs, violence,
and sex in films and music is particularly dangerous to young African Americans
who are not exposed to many positive role models in the media. Below average
grades, a lack of appreciation for education, and aggressive behaviours which leads
to expulsion and suspension are also negative effects caused by listening to the
explicit lyrics of certain musical genres. This is in contrast to the few positive
effects of music being a sense of belonging, better socialization, and a release from
negative emotions. Needless to say that the adolescents of today are aiming to
succeed in a tumultuous society with forces which pull in various directions, the
worst of these is sadly the most popular among youths that is music.