good thesis statement for rap music

Chapter 5: African American English and the communities it influences

5.4.2 Hip hop’s influence on African American youth (prospectus)

Amiri Austin

English 102, October 2020

For my final research essay, I will be continuing from my topic of essay 2 which was how rap or hip hop has helped influence African American youth. In my essay I will be talking about articles that help support my thesis of “Rap music’s significant impact in various ways in African American communities, whether it be through programs used in schools or independent studies on certain songs.”. Music in general has helped change so many lives for the better and has truly become one of the greatest arts for people to express themselves in. Rap music especially has helped many people in tough situations escape their reality and has helped them progress as a person. Rap or Hip-Hop music has also helped influence generations view on certain topics and has helped create opportunities young black kids otherwise wouldn’t have had the chance to experience.

I will now tell you how I plan to layout my research paper. I will start with an introduction that leads into my thesis statement about rap music and I’ll try to tie in connecting themes to relate to my readers, but like it was stated in the YouTube video Prof. Townsend put out I think it would be easier to start off by writing a paragraph on my main topic or answering a research question rather than taking too long trying to think of an introduction. I believe I will try to divide my paper by answering research questions and then perhaps talk about why I believe it is such an important topic for today’s climate in the United States and show my readers just how much of a difference Rap music has made and will continue to make in impacting African-American youth around the country. I will start off by truly going into depth about the articles I researched and explain the facts about music helping African American people. After this I will answer questions like “How can music help African American communities?” and “How can rap lyrics be used to promote understanding of young people in the African American community?”. I will do this by explaining the various lyrics that certain artists have said while also trying to maintain somewhat relevant with my choice of songs so that they aren’t outdated. I will also answer questions like “How can counselors use rap lyrics to better understand their clients’ struggles.” I will do this by explaining the techniques that a study found were helpful to relate to clients of color.

My main point I think will be centered around explaining struggles of young people of color and how music has helped and could help find their identities if they’re struggling in school or at home. After all, music has brought many of the top rappers today from rags to riches and I think just understanding someone’s story and seeing where they came from would be inspiring to a lot of people today. Whether it be the prejudice that some of them have faced or just lack of a feeling of fitting in a school environment. In my second essay I explained a little of the background of rap music as well but I think for this one I’ll just stick to studies involving youth and their experience with rap music whether it be from school and a program like Foundation of Music or an experience in their household. I want to be able to paint a picture in my readers minds of just how powerful a 3 minute song can be in someone’s life, whether it be the meaningful lyrics said in the song or the beat and the chorus making someone feel as if they’re on top of the world. I want people to understand that music really is an escape for some people and that it really helps people get through big events in their life. Hip-hop has encouraged many to increase their efforts and maximize their ability in all aspects of life. I’d also like to answer questions like “How rap has helped built a strong culture around the black community.” In one of my new scholarly articles I get another look at how rap music has been used in schools and it leads me to ask questions like “How effective are these literacy practices involving rap music” and “How do African-Americans benefit as a whole from literacy teaching practices involving rap or hip-hop music.” I’ll do this by explaining the studies used in the article titled  Literacy development among urban youth.  This article will help me provide another example similar to the foundations of music example in which there was a program implemented in a school in an urban community that involved music and bettering kids experience in school. I will than try using one of the paragraph writing techniques like the spatial concept perhaps used to describe an artist tattoos on his body and how they relate to his struggles used in a song. I think the most important part of my research essay will be the explanation of studies used in finding out how rap music is used to help out African American youth and I think I will use paragraph techniques like specific to general or general to specific to answer research questions and just explain the topic to my readers. I will conclude my paper with how I think studies on this topic could be continued and my overall thought on literacy and communication used in rap music and how it impacts African American youth.

Academic fields interested in my topic I think would be primarily those of education, performing arts, and possibly to some extent a healthcare field with the clinical counseling of students of color. Communication and literacy are used in multiple ways in music obviously, but I don’t think people realize how big of an impact they are as to influencing the youth. This year especially there hasn’t been a generation of kids persuaded or convinced more to vote than this group. Voter turnout has long been a bad mark within the African American community whether kids don’t believe that their vote will matter or possibly they just don’t know how to vote. Young adults have been pushed more than ever to make their voice heard this year and to go vote for the change they want to see in the world. I believe that ties in with rap music in African American communities because as you look into studies dissecting lyrics you see artists continually talking about struggles and poverty and these things can change with who’s in office not just as president but especially local elections and I believe the youth in poverty stricken areas don’t know that local elections can really change the way you live and be a huge help to a better upbringing for future youth. Besides voting I believe there are other side topics that could be discussed like how some artists choose to use their platforms to talk about racial injustice or other serious political topics and how some artists just choose to talk about drugs or violence and how different fanbases interact with one another. I’m really interested in finishing out this semester strong with this research paper and I hope my readers will enjoy my topic just as much as I do.

Annotated Bibliography

Brooks, Michael. “Using Rap Music to Better Understand African American Experiences.”  Taylor & Francis , 26 Feb. 2020, www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15401383.2020.1732251.

Brooks’ article was used to help counselors better understand their clients of color. He explained various techniques and conclusions after studying the lyrics of 10 popular rap songs. He found that the lyrics expressed microaggressions towards fighting social inequality and overall oppression of people of color. This advancement of  understanding the lyrics and usage of certain verbiage in songs helped counselors become more culturally competent and helped them institute encouraging activities and helped bring out locked up stories from clients of color and helped them understand their social identity more and made them feel more wanted even in a world of privilege and oppression.

D’Amico, Francesca. “Welcome to the Terrordome: Race, Power and the Rise of American Rap Music, 1979-1995.”  YorkSpace Home , 11 May 2020, yorkspace.library.yorku.ca/xmlui/handle/10315/37409.

This article is more on the progression of rap and how rap is used in multiple settings and how it has changed African American lives, even though it is briefly discussed. The point of this article is to discuss how rap was and is used as a cry out for help among black artists and how they spread their messages and struggles through their music. This article also shows how rap is everchanging with Black Culture and how it rapidly urbanized and became popular with its audience.

Evans, Jabari. “Connecting Black Youth to Critical Media Literacy through Hip Hop Making in the Music Classroom.”  Latest TOC RSS , Intellect, 1 July 2020, www.ingentaconnect.com/content/intellect/jpme/pre-prints/content-intellect_jpme_00020.

This article was about an organization called Foundation of Music. The Foundations of Music non-profit organization goes to low-income communities to teach their curriculum to students in elementary and middle school. Foundation of Music’s program introduces students to both the process of writing lyrics of a rap song and the technology used to produce rap songs in a classroom setting. Evans recorded things such as different concepts the kids learned each day, reactions from student-to-student and student-to-teacher, along with informal conversations between the students.

Morrell, Ernest. “Toward a Critical Pedagogy of Popular Culture: Literacy Development among Urban Youth.”  Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy , vol. 46, no. 1, 2002, pp. 72–77.  JSTOR , www.jstor.org/stable/40017507. Accessed 4 Nov. 2020.

The main point of this article is to explain new approaches and new strategies for teaching literacy to the urban youth. They did this by teaching certain portions of literature by involving the urban culture of hip-hop music and television shows. They also connected some popular artists to important figures in history. This article is relevant to my main point because there were multiple examples in this article about rap and hip-hop helping communities and increasing not only the ability to read and write, but also to assess texts in order to understand the relationships between power and domination that underlie those texts.

Richardson, Elaine. “`She Was Workin like Foreal’: Critical Literacy and Discourse Practices of African American Females in the Age of Hip Hop.” Discourse & Society, vol. 18, no. 6, Nov. 2007, pp. 789–809, doi:10.1177/0957926507082197.

The main point of this article is to discuss what teenage African American male and females think about stereotypical representations of black men and women in rap videos. It’s also to point out literature discourse between black women and demonstrate the complex language that exists among youth hip-hop culture. This is a scholarly article and it is relevant to my argument because it will just help me further my topic of the impact rap or hip-hop has on African American youth and their literacy and discourse.

Powell, Catherine Tabb. “Rap Music: An Education with a Beat from the Street.”  The Journal of Negro Education , vol. 60, no. 3, 1991, pp. 245–259.  JSTOR ,  www.jstor.org/stable/2295480. Accessed 4 Nov. 2020 .

The main point of this article is to explain the uprising of rap and how far it’s come and how it’s changing by the decade along with the issues it combats. This article singles out certain artists and their contributions to rap and also talks about groups of people in rap like women in rap. This is a scholarly article and is relevant to my argument as it discusses the different times of rap and how what it did for certain generations varies, it also brings up a negative side with violence in rap and talks about the different types of rappers.

Wilson, Natalie, “Rap Music as a Positive Influence on Black Youth and American Politics” (2018).  Pop Culture Intersections . 21. https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/engl_176/21

The main point of this article is to examine the impact of rap music on Black American youth as well as American politics with an emphasis on police brutality. This is an article that would probably be considered a scholarly article. This article is relevant to my topic because it brings up a different topic on how police brutality affects the African American youth and how it is spoken about in multiple rap songs.

McWhorter, John H., et al. “How Hip-Hop Holds Blacks Back.”  City Journal , City Journal, 18 June 2019, www.city-journal.org/html/how-hip-hop-holds-blacks-back-12442.html.

The main point of this article is a counter argument to the good influences rap and hip-hop have had on African American youth and this article does this by writing about an anecdote of a situation that the author witnessed and then relating other points to this anecdote. This is an excerpt from a magazine, and it is by John McWhorter. This article is relevant to my topic because it gives negative side of rap and hip-hop music and how it can influence some teenagers to make bad decisions or have incorrect morals.

Lewis, Steven. “Musical Crossroads: African American Influence on American Music.”  Smithsonian Music , Smithsonian, 15 Dec. 2018, music.si.edu/story/musical-crossroads.

The main point of this article is to give a historical insight on the influence that rap and hip-hop genre has had on African American youth. In this article the Smithsonian does a good job linking sounds and artists to certain times throughout history along with the effect they left on African Americans during this time. This article is relevant to my research paper because it provides another spoke to the wheel in that it will help supplement additional information about rap and hip-hop in my paper.

Crooke Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Music Therapy, Alexander, and Raphael Travis Jr. Associate Professor of Social Work. “The Healing Power of Hip Hop.”  The Conversation , 18 May 2019, theconversation.com/the-healing-power-of-hip-hop-81556.

The main point of this article is to show the many positive impacts rap and hip-hop music have on the African American youth. The true healing powers that music has on a young teen’s mind are described in this article and help with my argument of how rap and hip-hop have positively influenced African American youth. This is just an article found on a website called the conversation, I don’t think I would consider it a scholarly article.

“Positive Impacts.”  Impacts of Rap Music on Youths , impactofrapmusiconyouths.weebly.com/positive-impacts.html.

The main point of this article is to explain how rap music has been somewhat wrongly interpreted by some as negatively influencing and how some artists focus on certain undesirable

Topics like drugs or violence. This article is not a scholarly article but has quite a lot of information on effects or the Rap and Hip-Hop genre. This article is relevant to my topic because it talks about rap music in general and explains why it’s so prominent in African American communities and their youth.

Morgan, Marcyliena, and Dionne Bennett. “Hip-Hop & the Global Imprint of a Black Cultural Form.”  Daedalus , vol. 140, no. 2, 2011, pp. 176–196.  JSTOR , www.jstor.org/stable/23047460. Accessed 5 Nov. 2020.

The main point of this article is to talk about the global imprint of Hip-Hop which is slightly off topic from my thesis, but I really enjoyed this scholarly article and I do believe it will benefit my research paper. This article states that hip-hop is one of the most popular genres’ in America and that it is really becoming the lingua franca for popular and political youth culture around the world. I’m not sure how much I’ll use this article in my research paper but I do think it has some good information that will help get my point across.

Understanding Literacy in Our Lives by Amiri Austin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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133 Hip Hop Topics & Essay Examples

Looking for exciting hip hop topics to write about? This music genre is still very popular and definitely worth exploring!

• 🏆 Best Essay Examples & Topic Ideas

🎧 Interesting Rap Topics for Essays & Research Papers

• 📌 Most Interesting Topics to Write about
• 👍 Good Essay Topics

❓ Questions About Hip Hop

In your hip-hop essay, you might want to make an overview of the genre or talk about its history. Another option for your rap essay is to compare the old school and the new school of hip-hop. One more idea is to discuss the consequences of the genre’s commercialization.

Want more title ideas? Continue reading! We’ve prepared for you a collection of rap topics and questions for essays and research papers. Hip hop essay examples are added for your inspiration!

🏆 Best Hip Hop Essay Examples & Topic Ideas

• Hip-Hop Music Other creations of hip-hop are the components of the hip-hop lifestyle. A number of unacceptable behaviors in the society have been encouraged by hip-hop leading to a conflict between the ambassadors of hip-hop and the […]
• Jazz and Hip Hop: Similarities and Differences Both hip hop and jazz are closely linked and for that matter there are a number of similarities they share prompting some individuals to pronounce that hip hop is ‘the jazz of young individuals in […]
• Hip Hop Dance The TV shows such as the Wild style, Soul Train and Breakin, Beat Street also contributed in showcasing hip hop dance styles during the early periods of hip hop hype.
• Similarities between Ballet and Hip Hop Dance is and always shall be a form of expression where the movements performed speak volumes of the emotions and feelings that the dancer is trying to impart to the audience.
• Jeffrey O.G. Ogbar, Hip-Hop Revolution: The Culture and Politics of Rap This will be addressed in this book review as we look at how the author represents his views, interpretations and research about the hip-hop culture2 In this book, Ogbar explores the lyrical world of rap […]
• Hip-Hop and the Japanese Culture The prevalence of soul dancing in Japan in the earlier years also formed the basis for the wide acceptance of the hip-hop culture into the Japanese culture because soul dancing was common in the streets […]
• Hip-Hop and Rap Impact on Social Inequality For instance, Beyonce is one of the most famous artists in the world who have stated her opinion regarding misogyny related to artists and other black women.
• Jay-Z’s Contribution to Hip-Hop and Fight for Social Justice One should admit that the crime rate among black people in some poor areas is really quite high, and that is another problem Jay-Z covers in his music.
• Old School Hip Hop Versus New Hip Hop Music However, although today’s hip hop music does share some similarities with old school hip hop, it is much more superficial and generic, compared to the timeless music of the old school hip hop.
• Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation The book Ca not Stop Wo not Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation brings out the history of the United States from the eyes of a person who would have been considered a loser […]
• Hip Hop Infiltrates Asian Music Industry Therefore, if American hip hop music genre infiltrated Asian music industry and an Asian hip hop music variety was invented then hurdles in Asian hip hop can be conquered.
• Hip Hop Influence on Youth: Statistics and Effects Hip hop music is also said to perpetuate the rise in criminal activities among the youth. It is therefore recommendable for the youth to shun away from the vice brought about by hip hop music.
• Hip-Hop: News From a Ghetto’s Point of View Youths living in the ghettos have had Hip Hop as one of the most effectual means to voice the social injustice that they experience.
• The Impact of Hip-Hop Music Education in Elementary School The theoretical justification of the article is the importance of music, in particular the style of hip-hop, in the formation of the system of interests and career goals of schoolchildren.
• 50 Cent: Hip-Hop Violence in Modern Media At first, society might negatively react to this example because it is associated with the disorder and the desire to break something to deliver the message.
• History of Hip-Hop: Identifying the Organizational Learning Issues The samplers of the 1980s were also more technically limited compared to the artist equipment of the 1990s, which produced a richer and more authentic sound.
• The Hip-Hop Phenomenon of Hyper-Masculinity Sociological Research Question: What lies behind the dominant hyper-masculine paradigm in Hip Hop and Black culture and its various manifestations in lyrics and music videos?
• Hip Hop: Common’s Song “Black America Again” His rap is underground and can be said to be street, as many of the poems cover the theme of the streets and what is happening on them.
• Hip-Hop Culture Breaking Down Racial Barriers The hip-hop culture going mainstream was the event reflecting the societal concerns of the ethnic minorities. It presents an example of sports and the arts breaking down racial barriers as their participants efficiently cooperate.
• Relationship of Hip-Hop With Race and Identity The beefing between the two hip-hop artists, Iggy Azalea and Azealia Banks, indicates a misapprehension existing on hip-hop’s history. Due to the competitive nature of the market, artists try to survive by beefing with their […]
• Hip-Hop Music and Its History in the 80s-90s Hip-hop music was on the rise in the late 80s, and influential rap collectives such as Run DMC and the Beastie Boys provided an outlet for the hip-hop culture to acquire national recognition.
• Hip-Hop and Marijuana Use in College Students It has been estimated that over half of the college student population regularly use marijuana, while over 25% used it during past month.
• Hip Hop Evolution and Racial & Political Conditions A significant influence on the emergence of political and conscious hip hop can be attributed to the Civil-Rights Movements and the Black Power Movements of the 60s and 70s in the United States.
• Hip-Hop as a Vehicle for Unification in Beat Street This resistance to the vilification and stigmatization of their neighborhoods as spaces of crime, chaos, and evil is one of the factors that strengthen community bonds and communal identity in the neighborhoods in question. The […]
• Understanding Hip Hop Made by Jay-Z The story of a hustler is a story of the struggle to make a living. I think the “story of a hustler” is like the stories of the Wild West outlaws.
• Seattle Hip-Hop Scene: Michael “The Wanz” Wansley He was born in 1961 and has been a part of the hip-hop and pop scene of Seattle for the most of his life.
• Hip Hop Music and the Protest Tradition of the 1960’s The aim of this essay is to study current forms of Hip Hop music while comparing and contrasting them to the Civil Rights era of the 1960’s/70’s.
• Seattle Hip Hop From an Underground Genre Into Mainstream Music: Songs Examples In the song “Home” by Jake one there is a lot of sentimental waxing which is a recent hip hop feature that was absent in the eighties.
• The History of Hip-Hop Culture in the United States The discography which is represented in the 3rd disc gives a scope of understanding of the main things which worried rappers at the time.
• Analysis of Rap and Hip-Hop Culture: Audience of the Songs and the Purposes of the Singers The same is with the analysis of the songs and music, the critics should be aware of the lived realities of the authors and demographic characteristics of the aimed audience.
• Formation of Non-White Hip-Hop Women Movement Hip-hop culture is one of the music genres which appeared in America in the 1970s. The hip-hop culture increases all the time and the part of women does not reduce, moreover, it increases.
• Hip Hop Culture and Music Scratching is a technique which in hip hop culture is used to gauge the expertise of a DJ, as he is expected to produce new sounds simply by moving a record back and forth while […]
• Gay Culture’s Influence on Hip Hop Fashion Gay men have the influence of female fashion design due to the fact that most of the designers of female clothes are men and most of them are homosexual.
• Poverty and Hip-Hop: Notorious B.I.G.’s “Juicy” Notorious B.I.G.’s music video for the song “Juicy” was chosen for the analysis because the rapper explored the theme of poverty that deeply affected his life.
• Jazz and Hip Hop Concerts in Comparison Two pieces in the second performance, In Germany Before the War and Mysterious Barricades, were well performed during the concert. There was a deejay on the deck and background dancers to back up the performance […]
• Social Inequality: Hip-Hop Culture and Movement When it comes to defining the term ‘social movement’, it is important to understand that the process of a particular group of people striving to have their voice heard in the public sphere, must be […]
• Social Constructions and Hip Hop Music This process involved the description of the things that I saw at the concert. I described the tone, tempo, and style of music that they sang.
• Pan-Ethnic Hip-Hop in Afro-American History 1 In the introduction, the author makes a profound comparison and contrast between the treatment of colored people in different historical periods, which helps the audience to realize the importance of the subject.
• Hip-Hop Theory and Culture in the Discography G explains the changes in day-to-day living within the ghettos between the artist’s childhood and the present. Most of the lines from the song praise the person that the song is dedicated to.
• Literature Study on the Hip-Hop Concept: A Social Movement and Part of the Industry Hip-hop is a genre that does not obey the taboos but creates new stereotypes, allowing itself to use risky language to convey the text of the songs in a much recognizable and provocative manner.
• Hip Hop Culture in “The Otherside” Documentary Regardless numerous discussions about Hip Hop, this culture remains to be a considerable part of human life that helps to understand that such issue as racial profiling is not only something that is required by […]
• Hip Hop Duo: Kung Foo Grip Though the history of this duo is neither too complicated nor full of some unpredictable and fatal decisions events, it can be used to explain how the lives of two fans of Hip Hop can […]
• Planet B-Girl: Community Building and Feminism in Hip-Hop The main idea of the article under analysis is the intentions of female hip-hop artists to prove their choices and demonstrate their abilities by using the same rights male hip-hop artists have already got.
• The Documentary “Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes” Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes is a documentary movie that helps not only to understand the nature of hip hop but to connect a single style of music with the necessity of such crucial issues […]
• Hip Hop Definition In fact, many authors underline the fact that commercialization of hip-hop has changed its essence considerably and deprived modern people of the possibility to understand the essence of hip-hop and true reasons for its appearance. […]
• Hip-Hop and Politics Correlation in the USA The author outlines the life and the creative process of Clive Campbell or otherwise known as DJ Kook Herc, one of the most influential figures in the early history of the hip-hop genre.
• Blacks’ Prison Experiences in Hip Hop Culture Though considering the controversy that has been the “elephant in the room” for quite a time, Dyson clearly takes his argument to an admittedly high level of convincingness, it is not only the consideration of […]
• Hip-Hop Subculture as Answer to Social Inequality One of the most notable aspects of a contemporary living in America is the fact that, as of today, the sub-culture of Hip-Hop had ceased being considered in terms of a largely marginalized socio-cultural phenomenon.
• “Reflections on Hip Hop” by Eric Dyson In the first place, it is necessary to note that prison is seen as the most important factor affecting development of black males’ identity and three types of experiences are singled out.
• Hip Hop Music as Media Influence on the Youth Personally, I love listening to rap music, which many people claim that it has led to the spread of violence among young people.
• Hip-Hop Music and the Role of Women in It: Fight for Women’s Rights in Society While looking at the various roles of women in hip hop and rap, it is also important to note that the way women are presented has various effects on society.
• Women in Hip-Hop Music: A Provocative and Objectified Gender Roles It is one thing that men want women to be in music videos and play a particular role, but women are willing to participate in the videos.
• R&B and Hip-Hop Effect Western Music The music that Michael Jackson released was not based on gender but was based on truth and hope to the people and this gave him a lot of influence in the community reason being that […]
• “Hip Hop“ Subculture: Music, Vocabulary, and Roots Based on an interview with a member of the subculture, the paper will discuss some of the terms used in the subculture, how its members dress and look, as well as how they act.
• Fashion Controversies about Hip Hop Garments The paper will look into controversy that arose over hip hop garment design with the aim of identifying the source of the controversy, key players in the controversy as well as political, social and economic […]
• The Beginnings of Hip-Hop Within the course of three decades, hip-hop has become a part of the mainstream culture. This is one of the details that should be considered.
• The Hip-Hop Genre Origin and Influence Hess, in addition, notes that from 1970s, the development of Hip-hop as a culture has been very complex due to immigrants from different parts of the world, who in one way or another equally contributed […]
• Hip Hop Dancing: The Remarkable Black Beat Because the drum beats was the most danceable segment of the hip hop music, the hip hop musicians increased their focus on the quality of drum beat sequence.
• Socio-Political Foundations of Hip-Hop This presentation is connected to a state of exploitation that continues in the world that has deprived people so much, yet the struggle continues.’The sociology and history of African American’ brings out the theme of […]
• Hip-Hop in Japan However, this was not the case, most of the artists focused on refining their music in the Japanese languages to give it a Japanese flavor.

📌 Most Interesting Hip Hop Topics to Write about

• Copula Variation Across Two Decades Of Hip Hop Nation Language
• How Hip Hop Affect The Way People Think About Politics
• An Overview of the Talk by Tupac Shakur, an American Hip Hop Artist
• Bad Influence Of Hip Hop On Youth
• African American Hip Hop and its Influence
• Hip Hop Music is More Than a Couple of Words
• Codes and Abstraction in Hip Hop Culture
• Black Women’s Role in Popular Culture: An Analysis of The Venus Hip Hop
• Argumentative Essay On Hip Hop Culture
• A Comparison of Classical Ballet and Modern Dance – Hip Hop and Jazz Style
• Should We Accept The Hip Hop Industry Negative Images
• Hip Hop And Politics: Attacking The Political Powers Of Government
• Comparison Of Yorkville Crossing : White Teens, Hip Hop
• Effects Of Hip Hop And Country Music On Society
• A Description of the Image of Hip Hop/Rap Music
• Racial Stereotypes Associated With Rap And Hip Hop Music
• Does Hip Hop Influence Other Parts of the World
• Music Videos Involving Women And The Hip Hop Industry
• Hip Hop : The Commodification Of African American Women
• Hip Hop Culture And Its Impact On The American Society
• The Assault Of Women In The Hip Hop Community

👍 Good Hip Hop Essay Topics

• An Analysis of the Performance of American Hip Hop Group, Travis Porter
• Hip Hop : Beyond Beats And Rhymes By Byron Hurt
• Gender In Black Media Hip Hop Culture
• Positive Women in Hip Hop: Feminism in a Patriarchal Society
• Hip Hop And Rap Has Been The Mainstay For Youth
• Influences of Hip Hop on Today’s Generation: Rising Deviance
• Hip Hop’s Influence on Popular Culture: Expression or Oppression
• An Analysis of Hip Hop and Its Influence on Listeners
• Essay Hip Hop Music and Music Technology
• Existentialism Case – Tupac Shakur: Existentialist Hip Hop Artist
• An Overview of the Rapping and the Hip Hop Culture in the Music of the United States
• Harlem Renaissance & the Hip Hop Movement
• An Analysis of the Elements of Hip Hop Culture
• Contemporary Urban Music: Controversial Messages in Hip Hop and Rap Lyrics
• Compare and Contrast the Subcultures of Hip Hop
• Differing Mentalities In Hip Hop And Rock
• An Analysis of the Music of Talib Kweli, a Hip Hop Artist
• Hip Hop And Its Effects On African Society
• Black Films and Hip Hop Music Videos: Race Representation
• Does Hip Hop Influence Violent Behavior
• Hip Hop And The Birth Of African American Poetry
• American History of Hip Hop Culture
• Does Hip Hop Culture Influence Youth Gangs?
• Who Does Hip Hop Belong?
• Does Hip Hop Harm Black Americans?
• Does Hip Hop Have a Place in the Church?
• What Is the Hip Hop Style of Music?
• Does Hip Hop Influence Other Parts of the World?
• Does Hip Hop Provoke Drug Use and Misogyny?
• How Does Hip Hop Effect Teenagers?
• How Does Hip Hop Affects Society?
• How Does Hip Hop Affect the Way People Think About Politics?
• How Does Hip Hop Connect With Many Different Real-World Problems?
• Is Hip Hop Black Culture?
• How Did Hip Hop Culture Develop During the Seventies?
• How Hip Hop Culture Remains Superfluous With Overspending?
• How Hip Hop Music Is a Culture of Resistance?
• Who Invented Hip Hop?
• How Hip Hop Negatively Affects Society?
• How Hip Hop Negatively Influences Today’s Teen?
• Does Hip Hop Influence Violent Behavior?
• How Does Hip Hop Promotes Violence?
• How Does Hip Hop Start?
• What Has Hip Hop Ever Done?
• How Have Race and Gender Shown Within the Genres of Hip Hop and Rap?
• How Did the Backout 1977 Affect Hip Hop?
• How Are Women Represented in Hip Hop Videos?
• What Are Different Styles of Hip Hop?
• Why Do White Kids Love Hip Hop?
• What Does Hip Hop Stand For?
• How Has Technology Influenced Hip Hop?
• Are Hip Hop and Rap the Same?
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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Collins Memorial Library

Music 222: music of the world's peoples.

• Getting Started
• Research Questions
• Developing a Thesis
• Writing & Citing

Argumentative Paper Thesis

• Proposed answer to a research question
• Should make a claim and argue it
• Thesis = Topic + a claim (attitude or opinion) + major points (specifics about the points you will use to explain your claim)
• A good thesis has a definable, debatable claim
• Your thesis statement should be specific—it should cover only what you will discuss in your paper and should be supported with specific evidence.
• Your topic may change as you write, so you may need to revise your thesis statement to reflect exactly what you have discussed in the paper.

How to Write a Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is not a statement of fact. It is an assertive statement that states your claims and that you can prove with evidence. It should be the product of research and your own critical thinking. There are different ways and different approaches to write a thesis statement. Here are some steps you can try to create a thesis statement:

1. Start out with the main topic and focus of your essay.

Example:  youth gangs + prevention and intervention programs

2. Make a claim or argument in one sentence.

Example:  Prevention and intervention programs can stop youth gang activities.

3. Revise the sentence by using specific terms.

Example:  Early prevention programs in schools are the most effective way to prevent youth gang involvement.

4. Further revise the sentence to cover the scope of your essay and make a strong statement.

Example:  Among various prevention and intervention efforts that have been made to deal with the rapid growth of youth gangs, early school-based prevention programs are the most effective way to prevent youth gang involvement.

Thesis Examples from Published Research

Take a look at the following articles and identify the thesis statement. Why is it an effective or not effective thesis?

1. White, Theresa Renee. “Missy ‘Misdemeanor’ Elliott and Nicki Minaj: Fashionistin' Black Female Sexuality in Hip-Hop Culture—Girl Power or Overpowered?”  Journal of Black Studies , vol. 44, no. 6, 2013, pp. 607–626.  JSTOR ,  http://ezproxy.ups.edu/login?url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24572858 . Accessed 30 Nov. 2020.

2.  McNally, James. "Azealia Banks's "212": Black Female Identity and the White Gaze in Contemporary Hip-Hop."  Journal of the Society for American Music  10.1 (2016): 54-81.  ProQuest,  http://ezproxy.ups.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.ezproxy.ups.edu:2443/docview/1882381971?accountid=1627 . Accessed 30 Nov. 2020.

Thesis Statement Tutorial

Good Thesis Tips

• Ensure your thesis is provable.  Do not come up with your thesis and then look it up later. The thesis is the end point of your research, not the beginning. You need to use a thesis you can actually back up with evidence.
• First, analyze your primary sources . Look for tension, interest, ambiguity, controversy, and/or complication. Ask questions about the sources.
• Anticipate the counterarguments.  Every argument has a counterargument; if yours doesn't, it's not an argument (may be a fact or an opinion). If there are too many arguments against it, find another thesis.
• Communicate a  single, overarching point  rather than multiple points that may be too difficult or broad to support

Examples of Non-Debatable and Debatable Thesis Statements

Example of a non-debatable thesis statement:

Pollution is bad for the environment.

Example of a debatable thesis statement:

At least 25 percent of the federal budget should be spent on limiting pollution.

The North and South fought the Civil War for many reasons, some of which were the same and some different.

While both Northerners and Southerners believed they fought against tyranny and oppression, Northerners focused on the oppression of slaves while Southerners defended their own right to self-government.

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• Last Updated: Mar 15, 2024 11:06 AM
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