Rap Music: "The Peculiar Institution"
Frederick Douglass in his autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, skillfully illustrates the exploitation and cruelty of the institution of slavery. The degradation and mistreatment visited upon African-Americans continues to this day. The most shocking detail of the ongoing humiliation facing African- Americans is who the facilitators are. The insurgence of the "ghetto" rap music industry continues to uphold the values of the slaveowners to the tune of a billion-dollars a year.
The history of music in African culture is not new. Douglass describes the slaves in the field singing as, " A chorus, to words which to many would seem unmeaning jargon, but were full of meaning to themselves. The songs represent the sorrows of his heart; and he is relieved by them." (Douglass, Chpt 2) The similarities to today are striking. Many rap artists state that their songs are an outlet to let the world at large know about the pain experienced by African -- Americans. The...
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