Title: Systemic Racism of the Music Industry, its Negative Impacts on Black and Urban Youth, and Beyond

Author: Breeze Walker

DBA: senojfromtheroc

Written: April, 2024

Introduction

Since the dawn of civilization music has been immeasurably influential in shaping society. It molds and reflects culture and religions, inspires social movements and community building, and even shapes identity. In the modern era, the power of music is not lost, and some may even say it has grown more influential with time. This is reflected by the prominence and dominance of the contemporary music industry and its parent, the media industry as a whole. In this current moment of the media and (more importantly) social media era, music is a constant. Many consume hundreds of short videos per day across social media platforms based on snippets of songs and popular dances. Shopping centers incessantly play various genres of music as background noise for shoppers. Commercials on television are often highlighted by current popular songs or distinct ‘jingles.’ One would be hard pressed to find an educational campus of any academic level absent of students roaming with headphones on or earbuds in. Our constant consumption of music has created one of the most powerful industries in the world, and the actions, implications, and targeted effects of this industry should not be ignored. In this article, I will be discussing the power of the music industry, what it does and is capable of, implications of systemic racism in the music industry, the music industry’s impact on Black and urban youth and the implications of systemic racism as a result of these impacts, and Black media representation as a whole. Much of my stance is based on anecdotal evidence, however, my experiences and the conclusions I draw from them are backed with a great deal of scholarly research on the topics I will be discussing. I will also address some critiques of my stances that I have encountered.

Power, Influence, Control

The music industry is a blanket term for numerous sub industries that all contribute to the larger whole. This includes media production companies, social media platforms, record labels, music distribution companies, and the music artists themselves. For the sake of simplicity and time, my critique will be focussing on social media platforms, the music artists themselves, and the record labels, as these three entities are the main driving force working hand in hand to create the problems we see. I will briefly explain the role of each before discussing their relevance to the topic at hand.

Social media platforms act as the connection point between these three entities. Popular social media outlets such as Instagram, Tik Tok and Youtube all provide a direct access point for people of all ages to engage with the content and music of their favorite artists, while also providing a space for artists and labels alike to put out content for their fans and followers. These platforms operate using artificial intelligence that is programmed to expose specific content to targeted groups depending on a number of factors. These factors include categories such as consumer age, race, viewership tendencies, geographic location, and gender. The result of such targeted exposure is multifaceted, and we will return to this specific point later, but the broader issue is that social media platforms systemically target consumers and expose them to content. This is a facet of control. We will return to this.

Artists occupy a different space entirely as without them, neither labels nor social media platforms see high levels of consumer engagement. And yet somehow, artists are still on the bottom of the totem pole when discussing power and control. Artists create the music consumers listen to and make content with. Artists’ faces are used to advertise products and tours and lifestyles. Artists embody idealized living and standards of beauty and sexuality. But in many cases, artists lack control over their own image and how it is used. In many cases, artists cannot release their creations on a schedule of their own choosing, if at all. In many cases artists are made to rebrand themselves, changing their names and images to fit the narratives and agendas of the next entity I will address. In many cases, the talented, beautiful people we idolize and whose facade lifestyle we envy are actually in great financial debt, or not nearly as affluent as their public personas appear to be. And this is all because of record labels. 

Record labels are the true wielders of power in the music industry. These labels have the contractual, financial, and media-scape altering power to control artists lives, incomes, images (both in media representation and physical appearance), what music does and doesn’t get released, what songs are played and heard on streaming services, what songs get T.V., movie, brand, and political placements, and even what non-label-signed artists gain recognition. All of these things are accomplished through the different avenues of power labels enact. Control over artists is accomplished through predatory contracts that labels push artists to sign, which often strip artists of rights to and ownership of their own creations and allow a label to take a majority percentage of an artist’s earnings while simultaneously putting artists in massive debt through what is called an ‘advance.’ An advance is a loan paid directly to an artist by a label upon signing with said label, in exchange for the rights to their music, a large percentage of all music streams, sales, and viewership income going to the label, usually a specified number of songs/albums (produced under said label), and control over releases. But this advance is in fact just a massive loan, and the sales of all music produced by that artist under said label is meant to pay that money back. This gives the illusion of significant wealth for new artists, but the reality is that they signed a contract that stripped them of their rights and put them potentially millions of dollars in debt. Labels control what is heard on streaming services by paying these services for what is called ‘playlisting.’ This involves payment to streaming services and entities in the streaming industry to promote certain songs and have them put in popular playlists consumers listen to. This can be done through ‘paying for streams (where shady entities run up the numbers on a songs total streams through ‘stream bots,’artificially and disingenuously increasing the popularity of a song),’ paying playlist makers directly to include songs the label has released, and labels generating playlists themselves and then funneling money into the promotion of said playlists to increase the listenership and popularity of the included songs. This, in combination with labels being the actual owners of the rights to music and the middlemen between the artists and those who want to use their music is how labels control what music is heard and used in other forms of media.

  Truthfully, I could go on endlessly about the ways labels enact power and control but for the sake of time, I’ll  share the point of all of this: The music industry has the power to control the image, sound, representation and visibility of people and culture through music. Remember, all three of these entities work hand in hand, but the result of this ‘collaboration’ is that the industry ultimately controls whose music releases, what music and associated media is released, what becomes popular, who isn’t heard and the representations of who is; and therein lies the implications of systemic racism. And its angle is two fold. 

There is a long history of record labels exploiting Black music artists via extremely predatory contracts and misleading fine print. In the era before social media, Black artists were constantly convinced by label executives to sign the rights away to their work for pennies compared to what the labels made off of their music. Many examples of this are found in jazz, where Black composers and performers trekked to white-owened record labels to present their new, locally popular music, only to be told by White executives, “it’s not worth much, no one will buy this…but I’ll buy it from you out of pity,” only to then go and sell the very same music to the masses and enrich themselves. Additionally, there is a long history of Black artists lamenting about labels preventing them from releasing music because the songs in contention didn’t fit the label’s current agenda or plan for that artist. This long history has transcended into the current era, and points to the willingness and even desire of labels to exploit talented, vulnerable Black artists looking for opportunity. This is materialized in the constant signing of designated ‘gangster rappers’ signing advances and becoming ‘hood rich,’ but who are then only free to release the music, sound and image of Blackness the label deems fit. This materializes in Black female rappers being pushed to release music and music videos focused solely on the hypersexuality of the Black female body and objectification of Black women for the sake of popularity and financial gain. I’ll touch on this again when I discuss youth impacts. But I say all this to say that this model of Black exploitation has systematically disenfranchised countless Black artists while using the Black body, voice, and experience to enrich White power structures and convey specific narratives about the Black community. 

The social media era has made it harder for the industry to do its dirt in the shadows, but the current powers and impacts of the industry may be even more insidious. In modern times, the music industry’s connection to the media industry has made many Black creators into cultural icons, but what is the cost of iconography if it is only granted at the will of those who control your body image? What is the worth of fame if one is forced to become something they were not, and relinquish control of their own representation? What good is money when they pay placatory amounts to you in exchange for your perpetuation of the narratives that keep others that look like you disenfranchised, all while taking money from them? This is the nature of the current music industry. 

The Culture

Narratives and representation are the obelisks of any group's social advancement. But with the power of the music industry to construct and convey narratives about and upon groups, we have witnessed the means of narrative control be stripped from communities and placed into the hands of industry. And with that we’ve seen the emergence of what many call ‘the culture.’ The culture colloquially can represent a number of different things, but for the sake of the case I am presenting I define it as a culmination of Black and urban stereotypes, some based in real, historic cultural practices and principles, and some fabricated and hyperbolized. The culture serves to represent Black culture as a whole and is often used colloquially as the blanket term to represent it. But there are many sects and layers to the culture, because as we know, Blackness is not a monolith. A major part of the culture is what many refer to as ‘hood’ or ‘urban’ culture. Sociologically, we know these words are often code words for ‘Black’ and this is the specific area of the culture that applies to my critique of the music industry. 

It is this urban culture that glorifies the struggles of impoverished and disenfranchised peoples. It hyperbolizes (often violently) sexuality, drug use, criminality, and the Black experience. And a major reflection of this culture is the music, artists, and genre it generates and in turn the narratives, representations and genre the industry perpetuates. You’d be hard-pressed to find popular music within this subculture whose lyrics don’t refer to women as “bitches,” or aren’t filled with hypersexual themes, or the glorification of drug use, or themes of extreme inter-community violence (and this is not a nod towards the racist, nonsensical ‘Black-on-Black crime’ rhetoric; more so an acknowledgement that the violence lyrically expressed in these songs is often carried out on other community members and women). This matters. There is a thematic point of unification in this music, and that is often the idea of ‘rags to riches,’ or what is currently referred to as ‘getting it out the mud.’ This simply refers to impoverished peoples clawing their way up the socioeconomic ladder through any means necessary, whether it be traditional, illegal, violent, sexual, or any other means of gaining financial agency. But the industry has essentially capitalized on this mentality of desperation, and in doing so it has funneled self-destructive narratives, images, and themes back into this urban culture. The results of this are far reaching. 

Sociologically, we can observe how media representation shapes society and in turn, how society shapes culture. This is seen throughout history, especially as it pertains to the Black community. Think about how media depictions of Blackness in the eras before the Civil Rights Movement shaped how Black people were treated in society (ie. menstrual shows, racist toys and cartoons, Blackface in early film media). Consider how that representation and the resulting treatment shaped the Black identity. Consider how media over-representation of Black men as criminals in the later half of the 1900’s shaped how Black men are viewed by the masses. Look at the impact it had on communities both in terms of the physical (disproportionate influxes of Black men being arrested and taken away from their communities, leading to an absence of fathers, misguided youth, struggling single mothers, etc.) and the emotional (induction of respectability politics and assimilation tactics by some Black people in order to try to escape mistreatment, internalized racism, embodiment of imposed stereotypes in Black men and women, the mental anguish of constant poverty, etc.). And this is reflected in the music produced by Black voices throughout these times. But in the modern era, it seems the roots of R&B and rap, which once stood as an outlet for voicing the frustrations of communities, has been replaced with an era that glorifies and perpetuates the self-destructive actions and narratives that are the result of  such poverty, misrepresentation, and the subculture that has been established by it. 

Again, I ascribe a great deal of responsibility in this to the music industry’s influence. In this example, the industry is shaping culture through perpetuation of stereotypes and hyperbolized sentiments via music, and this culture then directly shapes the people and the music that is produced by those who come from this subculture. This can even be as direct as the artists who come from these circumstances that often sign the predatory recording contracts that exploit them. It is the example of the farmer’s son who was raised to be a farmer, and then him going on to become one due to the cultures and values instilled. It is the example of the child left without a father figure due to imprisonment being more likely to engage in behaviors that may lead to their own imprisonment. It is the social reproduction of culture and circumstance; and the culmination of everything I have discussed thus far are the negative impacts on the next generation: our youth.

Perspectives on Youth Development

It has long been said that the mind of a child is like a sponge, absorbing all which surrounds them and shaping their very nature. That is why such care goes into who a child is surrounded by and what media content a child consumes from birth through their adolescent years. Due to their information-consuming nature, youth are the most impressionable and influenceable demographic; and people, images, depictions, language, mannerisms, physical objects and even smells all shape a child's disposition and can imply future actions. Additionally, children learn and become self aware via mimicry, imitating the actions, language, and mannerisms of prominent figures whom they regularly see or interact with. Consider how the family unit acts as a powerful agent of socialization in this process, and how the characteristics of any given family can predictably shape the characteristics of the child. These behaviors continue into and beyond adolescence, constructing the dispositions and sentiments teens take with them into adulthood. 

This kind of development is present across all classes and ethnicities of children, and even adults. But external influences seem to have an increased effect on youth who grow up in disenfranchised communities or in poverty, both positive and negative. Take for example the given importance of mentors and role models in the lives of children. These figures are touted as examples for children to emulate, and often exhibit traits that inspire awe and desire among the children that look up to them. Mentorship is a proven method in shaping youth behaviors and sentiments, whether that shaping be for the betterment of the child or not. The impact of a child being taken under the wing of an older community member who said child relates to is well documented (think of this in terms of representation and why it matters). Mentors have a means of direct access to a child in shaping their behaviors through intervention and connection other areas of life may not be affording said child. Currently, I am describing this as neutral, as I am stating that the impact is just that; impact; the ability to influence and change. Role models are equally as important in the lives of children. Similar to mentors, role models provide a point of fixation for a child and give them someone to look up to. But unlike mentors, role models often lack the same means of direct interaction with a child a mentor may have. The result of which is the same, however, which is being seen and emulated by the child. Again, this is neutral, as a role model, while the word may have positive connotations, can be good or bad in practice. 

Both mentors and role models and their potential impact offer us a glimpse into the mind of a child. These figures can sometimes be almost deified, occupying roles and embodiments the child can picture themselves as in the future; occupying status (both social and economic) the child can see themselves occupying if they emulate the same values as the figure; employing special skills and talents the child may desire to learn and use in their life; radiating a standard of beauty the child finds attractive and wants to become. Now consider the heightened importance of mentorship to at-risk youth who grow up in impoverished areas. It is no secret the reason many mentorship programs exist in poor, urban areas. These programs offer youth access to direct, positive influences that can shape or change the path said youth may be on. Again, the roles connection, community, guidance, and self-envisionment play in mentorship cannot be understated. This is well-documented. When dealing with youth who are already at higher risk of engaging in self-destructive behaviors due to the environment they live in and/or the dangerous people and things they have access to due to the environment they occupy and/or the socioeconomic status they are born into, mentorship and role modeling offers youth a looking glass into which they view what they themselves could become, the values they can internalize and the life they can lead, for better or for worse. But now we’ve passed the penultimate moment of discussion, and thus have reached the breadth of what this is all about: How does the music industry impact Black and urban youth?

Industry Impacts on Youth

To approach this discussion in a manner that suggests I can target and explain each and every way the music industry impacts Black and urban youth would be arrogant and naive. This issue is systemic and painfully complex. Instead I will focus on a few of the main ways we see this impact play out, calling upon the previous sections I’ve discussed to aid in my explanation. The main ways we see the music industry negatively impacting Black and urban youth are: 

1. Through the perpetuation of self-destructive imagery and lyrics that specifically target and impact impoverished environments many Black and urban youth inhabit

2. Through youths’ formation of identity through narratively charged music and artists, and the role the music industry plays in shaping that self-destructive identity

3.  Through the pigeonholed representation of Black bodies and Blackness as a whole via media representations and not-so-subtle agendas.

Each of these methods offer a unique angle on youth impact, and more often than not these methods exhibit symbiotic relationships, compounding the effects of their influence.

1. Target Acquired

Black and urban youth are a unique, prime target audience for the music industry. These youths, often united by culture, location, and socioeconomic status (and all of the experiences and risk factors associated with these aspects), are an elite demographic in terms of the money the industry knows it can generate through it, whose numbers are many. Recall the section where I mention the industry’s desire to capitalize on the real, lived experiences of the disenfranchised via music artists and pushed narratives about targeted communities, for better or for worse. We know impoverished areas are more likely to exhibit greater risk factors for youth. For example, consider how poverty impacts rates of drug use, exposure to criminality, and violence. This is often the shared experience of Black and urban youth (not participation, but exposure/access to these things); it is a point of unification among them, and this is what the industry latches on to in the narratives it pushes. If overarching themes of drugs, sex, money, and murder are a point of relation to an impressionable, young demographic, then that’s exactly what the industry is going to produce and perpetuate. And be very aware that this is targeted directly at impoverished youth. These self-destructive themes are hyper-present in impoverished communities, making the narratives driven a clear indicator of what the industry is trying to do. Remember, we don’t see themes such as indulgence in the using and distribution of drugs, the glorification of prostitution, hyper-masculinity and sexual violence against women, and the discrediting of education to this heightened level in music made for and targeted towards affluent, often White, youth. Music targeted towards more affluent demographics often are completely void of these themes and often include themes of rebellion against the status quo, dealing with emotional trauma, and positive aspects of regular life instead. We mainly see these self-destructive themes present in the music targeted towards Black and urban youth. The impacts of this are the creation of the image of Black and urban people as a cultural/societal monolith, young people who hear and see the glorification of these self-destructive themes that may directly relate to them and view them as a good means of acquiring social and economic capital, as well as the industry providing what I’d deem negative role models for Black and urban youth to emulate. This perpetuation also impacts youths’ self image, which I’ll discuss next and in the section on representation.

2. The Self

People form identity through music. Music is not just a sound or just a genre or just an artist. With music comes culture, lineage, language, social movements, implications of class, race, gender, sexuality, etc. And it is because of this that music has the power to shape and relate to an individual’s identity. Children are a prime example of this. How this happens in children is similar to the process of role modeling and iconography. Youth hear a piece of or type of music that they are attracted to for whatever reason, and through listenership they purposefully or inadvertently engage with all the subtext that comes with said music (culture, language, gender, etc.). In doing so, children often seek to emulate the characteristics of some of this subtext because, similar to role modeling, they find it attractive and therefore want to embody it. This process also happens directly through artist iconography and role modeling. Kids often look up to their favorite artists of a genre and adopt the way they speak, act, and dress. Take for example how many view middle-school age children. Youth from ages 8 to around 14 are often described as “figuring themselves out” as they confront issues of the self and their own identities and bodies through the onset of puberty. A major influence on what/who youth in this age range shape their identities around is the music they enjoy and its subtext. Consider the dark style of dress of the stereotypical “goth girl” and the implications of musical taste associated with it, or the learned vernacular used by many children that is taught through consumed music and isn’t native to their geographic location, culture, or familial influences. The role music plays in shaping a child’s identity cannot be dismissed as insignificant, and the implications of such identity forming become extremely concerning when we look at the identities being formed as a result of the self-destructive narratives the industry pushes on Black and urban youth. 

What is the impact of Black and urban youth forming identity around the imposed narratives of glorified hyper-sexuality, criminality, violence, drug use, and the demonization of education? It is the formation of generations hell-bent on living self-destructive lives. It is the cyclical continuation of systemic issues that keep targeted communities impoverished and viewed as less than by other communities. It is the perpetuation of stereotypes that negatively impact all people of said community in all aspects of life. And it is the purposeful crumbling of education systems once meant to uplift and change life outcomes. Again, this identity forming occurs through iconography and the embracing of music’s subtext. When Black and urban youth hear music they enjoy and see artist who look like them exhibiting what appears to be financial, social, sexual freedom doing (or more often just making music about doing) these self-destructive things, they seek to embody the values, language, style of dress, sexuality, etc. they are consuming. This occuring in such formative years of childrens’ lives can shape how they view themselves and put restrictions on what they think they can become. I’ll touch on this in the next section as well. This is why in my line of work, it is mainly in urban and impoverished areas that I have seen youth embodying these self-destructive tendencies to the levels I have. It’s targeted. I’ve encountered countless Black and urban youth who shape their identities around genres of music and music artists that encourage them to hate education, engage in hypersexual acts from extremely young ages, glorify physical violence through the body itself or through weaponry, especially as a means of asserting one’s masculinity, and engaging in recreational drug use at extremely young ages. And it’s not their fault. Identity forming through music is a natural process that transcends race, class, sex, etc. It is the fault of  industry for pushing these themes directly towards Black and urban youth because of the shared or environmental experiences they seek to profit off of and then perpetuate to keep profiting off of.  

3. Representation Without Representation

As I have previously mentioned, Black representation matters, especially as it pertains to youth development. The images and depictions of Blackness consumed by Black and urban youth shape how they view themselves and what they aspire to become, and the depictions consumed by non-Black consumers and those not a part of the culture shape how these groups view Blackness and Black bodies. Blackness is not a monolith. Black culture is not one dimensional. The term ‘urban culture’ is not representative of every individual occupying an urban environment. And yet the music industry often conveys imagery and music that suggests the opposite is true of all these things. The music industry (and for a long time the media industry as a whole) has pushed a very specific depiction of Blackness and urban culture on consumers. This depiction, as I’ve discussed throughout this entire entry, centers around a type of urban culture that glorifies criminality, hypermasculinity, hypersexuality, and drug use. The effects of this are incredibly layered and go beyond youth impact.

There is a type of mental and social conditioning that happens when a child consumes specific, inaccurate depictions of people who look like them. What does this misrepresentation do? What doesn’t it do? I’d argue that in the case of many Black and urban youth, music industry depictions of Blackness and urban culture often don’t represent them at all, but through this constant exposure and the pressures of assimilation to societal standards imparted on these youth by said industry and their environment, many of these youth are socialized into trying to embody the exact depictions imparted on them. The overwhelming majority of Black and urban youth are not drug dealers, prostitutes, or gang affiliates, but their bodies are represented as such in media in such a way that these youth begin to take on these identities; essentially, representing the misrepresentation. Consider the previous section where I touched on identity formation through music and musical subtext. The effect of this is great. In many cases, Black and urban youth are not even aware that they are being misrepresented and that they can reject this misrepresentation and choose to be whatever they want to be in their lives. Many of our youths’ perspectives of themselves are so warped that they perpetuate the shaming of community members their own age who divert from the stereotyped way of dress, speak, and living pushed on Black Americans. This culminates in the form of youth being treated as outcasts for embracing education or interests that are supposedly outside of the stereotypical interests of Black and urban youth (for example, a Black adolescent being shamed for being interested in geology as opposed to being uplifted for being interested in sports and fashion due to the misrepresentation of Black and urban culture in media/music). And this is not to say that the industry’s depictions of Blackness is entirely monolithic, but it seems that in popular music and music artists, these are the messages that are ever present and this is what our youth are consuming. 

Representation: An Aside

Briefly, I want to touch on more specific effects of this representation from the perspectives of gender, class, and race. It dawned on me while in conversation with a university professor that the impact of representation went far beyond self viewership. For example, the impacts music-industry-representation of Black women has on Black youth. I thought about the depiction of Black women in the music industry as only hypersexual objects, often exhibiting bodily modifications to accentuate their sexuality and femininity (breast implants, nose jobs, BBL’s, lip fillers, etc.). I thought about songs like “Wet Ass Pussy” by Cardi B and “Selling Coochie'' by Sukihana, whose lyrics and visuals both send a clear message that a woman’s value is determined and or enhanced via her own sexual objectification, and that Black womens’ bodies are objects for pleasure. What messages does this representation of Black femininity impart on young Black girls and boys?  Does this not teach young Black women that their value to men and to their own self-esteem comes solely from their sexuality and appearance? Does this not impose impossible beauty standards on young impressionable Black girls? Doesn’t this encourage little Black boys to view the female body as an object, free of autonomy, while simultaneously perpetuating Black hypermasculinity and all it entails? Won’t this representation negatively impact the sexual expectations both of and on young men and women and encourage them to engage in unsafe sexual practices they aren’t ready for? Doesn’t this representation perpetuate the racist historical stereotype of Black people being dangerously hypersexual ‘by nature?’ Again, my point is that Black representation matters, and when it seems like the industry only frames the Black female body as a sex object there is clearly an agenda at work.

And we can see the effect of said agenda in how society responds to those who try to step outside of this framing. Take for example how many react to Lizzo, an artist whose figure has caused quite a stir due to her being a natural-bodied Black woman of larger size. She is unashamed of her body and often posts content on social media showing off her natural curves. Many people and media outlets constantly shame and belittle Lizzo, going as far as calling for her to commit suicide and discrediting her award-winning discography due to her refusal to yield to societal standards of beauty and representation as a Black woman in music. This torment has gone on to affect her mental health, with her making it known on several occasions how she has felt on social media. Cardi B experienced a different form of sanction rooted in the same issues. Cardi B, who was a known stripper prior to her illustrious music career, faced backlash when she began speaking on political issues in recent times. People used her past occupation and class status, her position of ‘Black woman creating highly explicit music’ and her representation in media as a delegitimizing factor against the real, educated stances she was taking, essentially limiting her to only being capable of occupying the role of ‘sex’ object and not ‘educated, outspoken, intelligent Black woman.’ Ultimately, we can see how this representation shapes views of Blackness and how these views shape how Black people are treated by a society where we are not the majority. 

Beyond gender, Black misrepresentation in the music and media industries shapes and perpetuates racist views of Black people by groups that aren’t Black. Again, I’ll refer to the ‘Black people as hypersexual, criminal, drug users’ narrative. The evidence of this narrative being well established is everywhere. Consider how a Black person who doesn’t fit into this stereotyping (A.K.A. most Black people) may be labeled “one of the good ones” and be told “Gee, I like you, you’re different” by those that occupy privileged positions within the White power structure, implying that these occupants view the rest of the Black population as ‘the bad ones.’ Take heed to the social media comment sections that over the years have gotten increasingly flooded with not-so-closeted racist comments and the expressed sentiments of those not a part of the Black community. Comments like “the usual suspects” being left under every post that involves crime and degeneracy, and the use of the racist terms “basketball people” and “watermelon people” to describe any person who appears to be of African descent in social media content. Contemplate on the classist implications many make about Blackness, Black culture and individual Black people in society, and how that lens shapes expectations of that group, culture or individual. These all stem from and are impacted by media misrepresentation, and again this misrepresentation shapes how Blackness is viewed and therefore how Black people are treated and even how we are socialized to view ourselves.

Addressing Critiques

I wanted to acknowledge some valid critiques I’ve encountered of the stances I’ve taken prior to concluding, as I realize the topics discussed are very nuanced and open to interpretation, as well as the fact that my viewpoints are not necessarily shared by everyone. I will simply be listing off the critiques and then giving my direct responses to them.

1. On the music industry’s treatment of artists:

“You make it seem as though the music industry treats all artists this way but that’s not true. Many artists are signed to different kinds of deals that don’t exploit them in all the ways you mentioned.”

This is somewhat true. Many artists sign different kinds of deals when entering the industry, such as distribution deals, and not all deals come with predatory advances and practices. However, this does not diminish my point, as historically and presently the music industry still uses these predatory practices on many vulnerable Black artists entering the industry. Additionally, the nature of the relationship that exists between artist and label has always exhibited a problematic power dynamic that is exploitative of the artist by nature. And we cannot ignore the fact that the dominance of labels in the present era demonstrates a clear hierarchy in power, one which by nature puts artists at the bottom and exploits fandom. 

2. On the music industry’s impact on artist representation:

“Artists have a choice in what they do with their bodies. A label can’t force anyone to do something they don’t choose to do.”

False. This critique is blatantly incorrect as coercion and pressure via financial opportunity is no different than physical forcing in my mind. You wouldn’t blame the victim of a sexual assault who was groomed or coerced into said assault no matter what the circumstances were. It is no different here. Artists do in fact have the free will to choose what they do and don’t do, but when they are pushed to do so from the societal or monetary or career goal pressures imparted on them the choice is not genuine or valid. This ‘choice’ is coercion and steering masquerading as free will.

3. On Hood Culture and variation:

“You say Blackness and Black culture are not monolithic, but then describe an aspect of it as such, as well the representation of said culture. Isn’t that hypocritical?

I can understand why someone might say this, however I’d disagree with this critique. If I am describing a specific subculture of Black culture as a whole, then I am both acknowledging Black culture as multilayered and acknowledging this specific subculture not as monolithic but as specific. And largely, the representation of this genre is specific and highly one-note. I don’t believe this implies hypocrisy, but instead affirms my sentiments that there is a specific representation being pushed.

4. On identity formation via music:

“Kids listen to all types of things and don’t just magically become them. Why are you acting like this type of music will automatically make a kid form an identity from it?’

I think this is a fair point to make, as this is true, not all kids will form an identity around any and every genre they hear. But again I believe my point remains valid. A big part of identity formation is relatability and self-envisionment which I mentioned. This is well studied and proven. This music disproportionately and negatively affects Black and urban youth because of these very things, as these youths themselves often share cultural, social, economic, and environmental experiences with the artists and/or the subject matter present in the music itself. That is why I believe the likelihood of identity formation is higher and that this is a facet of systemic racism, as the effect is targeted and often negative. 

5. On outcomes of listenership:

“I listen to that genre of music all the time and I’ve never felt like I needed to replicate the subject matter present in the lyrics. Most kids wouldn’t either.”

This critique is somewhat true as well, but fails to consider the other factors that may lead a child to act out these lyrics . As I mentioned, the overwhelming majority of Black and urban youth are not criminals, drug users or hypersexual, but this doesn’t diminish the effects and real-life impacts of this overexposure to such themes and their glorification, especially when such risk factors are ever present in urban or impoverished environments. Nor does this acknowledge the role music does play in shaping behavior. In my personal, professional experience, I’ve encountered countless youth who claim to have learned about sex, drug use, and violence through music and engaged in some or all of these things because they thought it seemed ‘cool.’ As I’ve explained, the evidence is not hard to find. There is even a subgenre of music that’s been created as a result of the infamous ‘Kia Boyz,’ and youth listen to and play these songs while they record themselves stealing cars and joyriding them with friends (music shaping behavior and thus behaviors shaping music). 

6. On White listenership and outcomes:

“White kids listen to this music too and enjoy it, but they don’t seem to exhibit the same embodiment tendencies Black and urban youth do. Are you implying that Black and urban youth are more prone to criminality and self-destructive behaviors inherently?”

To the first half, correct, and the final half, no. This goes back to the discussion of how children shape identity around music subtext as well as representation, and the presence of environmental risk factors. White and affluent children engage with this music but don’t relate to it in the same way because it often doesn’t represent them and isn’t applicable. It’s popular. It’s cool. It sounds good. But it doesn’t speak to/on the environments and experiences affluent and often White children share in their upbringings occupying higher social class and/or a suburban or rural environment. The artists being popularized also rarely look like them, sound like them, dress like them, and are from the same geographic area of upbringing, making the likeness of self-envisionment and identity formation low. Additionally, affluent children have access to significantly more resources that would dissuade them from engaging in some of the self-destructive behaviors mentioned in this music, as well as significantly less direct environmental risk factors that are the direct result of purposeful impoverishment as they occupy a higher SES and different geographic locations than said targeted risk factors.

7. On labeling and implications:

“Black youth aren’t always urban and urban youth aren’t always Black. It seems like you’re associating Blackness with urbanism and poverty.”

I chose to use the labeling of Black and urban youth as the systematic disenfranchisement of Black people has also often disenfranchised the impoverished and made Black people a part of this group and vice versa, while simultaneously shaping our urban centers. Thus, for the sake of simplicity and the acknowledgement of a common point of intersectionality, I grouped Black and urban youth together. This does not, however, imply I believe all Black and urban youth are impoverished, but instead recognizes that I acknowledge the likelihood of potential overlap of all three of these descriptive figures and how this overlap applies to the broader discussions I present.

8. On Black womens’ representation and sexuality:

“You speak on the sexual freedom of Black women in their art like it’s a bad thing. Are you implying that Black women shouldn't express sexual liberation in their music and representation?”

No. My implications are from a different angle entirely. Black womens’ sexual liberation is to be celebrated. My critique is that it is problematic when this sexually liberated and hypersexual image is the only representation given to and popularized by Black womens’ bodies. Black women are more than sexually liberated objects. Their value lies in things other than their sexuality, sexual performance, and physical attributes. When this is the only representation given, blatant objectification ensues. And when it comes to youth interpretations, I believe this shapes a pigeonholed perspective of what young Black girls think they can or should be, which is wrong. Not to mention how it forms unrealistic and even dangerous sexual expectations of Black women and girls in boys/men and themselves. I want more and more accurate representations of Black women popularized in music.

9. On the solution:

“You only bring up issues, but what are the actual solutions? This has been a topic of discussion for years, yet artists continue to make this music. Should we just stop listening to it? Should artists be barred from creating art about their struggles? What’s the answer?”

Just like the subject matter, the solution is multifaceted and complex. And I’ll admit that I’m not sure there is a set solution or a set number of solutions. I believe as long as the current powers of the music industry are maintained, and it can continue to use exploitative tactics to profit off of artists and listeners alike, nothing will change. Until self-destructive, racist narratives are violently restricted from being pumped into and about Black and urban culture, nothing will change. Until partakers in this subculture recognize the extent of their disenfranchisement at the hands of industry and reject the culture entirely, nothing will change (and that’s not to individualize a systemic issue, but instead to acknowledge that issues of representation and consumerism can be addressed on an individual level). Until the risk factors present in many impoverished and often urban areas are eliminated via systemic change that focuses on empowering the impoverished and social equity, nothing will change. This is a complex, systemic problem, and therefore it will require complex, systemic change in order to correct that which is out of order.  

Conclusion

The fight for our youth is one that is ongoing and I’m sure it always will be. It is a fight that transcends geographic locations and seeks to demolish the systems of disenfranchisement present seemingly across all aspects of American life. The music industry is a large cog in the even larger machine of systemic racism and inequality that is our modern society, but neither of these entities are immovable. Black and urban youth are targets, and it is our job to shield them from all risk factors, people, and industries that may seek to take advantage of them through any means, systemic or not, so that we may one day see a better, more equitable future for all of us. 

References 

Kirsh, Steven J. (2010). Media and Youth: A Developmental Perspective. John Whiley & Sons.

Council on Communications and Media Executive Committee. (2008–2009). Impact of Music, Music Lyrics, and Music Videos on Children and Youth. Pediatrics (2009) 124 (5): pp. 1488–1494.

MacDonald, Raymond A. R.. Hargreaves, David J.. Miell, Dorothy. (2002). Musical Identities. OUP Oxford.

Tarrant, Mark. North, Adrian C.. Hargreaves, David J. (2002) Youth Identity and Music. Musical Identities (2002). Pp. 134-146. OUP Oxford. 

Laughey, David. (2006). Music and Youth Culture. Edinburgh University Press.

Negru-Subtirica, Oana. Elisabetta, Crocetti. (2021). How Poverty Affects Youth Development: From Social Inequalities to Social Inclusion. Building Inclusive Societies by Promoting Social

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T.I. Herrenkohl, E. Maguin, K.G. Hill, J. David Hawkins, R.D. Abbott, R.F. Catalano. (2000). Developmental risk factors for youth violence. Journal of Adolescent Health, 26 (3) (2000), pp. 176-186. 

Barton, W. H., Watkins, M., & Jarjoura, R. (1997). Youths and Communities: Toward Comprehensive Strategies for Youth Development. Social Work, 42(5), pp. 483-493.

Assibey-Mensah, G. O. (1997). Role Models and Youth Development: Evidence and Lessons from the Perceptions of African-American Male Youth. The Western Journal of Black Studies, 21(4), pp. 242.