There are a number of reasons for the ever growing popularity of hip hop music and one common reason could be the fact that it is a no-frills sort of music that helps youth to immediately connect with it and enjoy it. It is well and truly, a youthful form of music. However, there are some elderly people who speak about the negative influence of this music on the youth and many of them accuse this genre of music as being responsible for various ills such as drugs, prostitution, premature sex and the like. However, these are based more on opinions rather than facts. People who level such criticism would do well to have a look at the origins of hip hop music. In fact, the precursor to the modern day reggae could well be the old tribes of Africa. These tribes were well known for their discipline, family virtues and all the good things which today’s elders talk about. Hence blaming this form of music for drug addiction and other such vices would not be the right thing to do. If one goes by some of the wonderful words given by some of the greatest rap composers, you would certainly be impressed because it tries to depict life on the streets, as it happens. Hence, it hits an emotional cord instantly with youth who would associate it with their daily lives. Unlike other conventional and other forms of music, it tries to move away from the comfort zone, which often is what all conventional music all about.
The street lives are not a bed of roses, to say the least. The pain and suffering of street lives are best understood by the people who have been deprived of the basic necessities of life. Hence, it is quite natural that hip hop music appeals to youth, especially the people who are downtrodden and deprived. Street life is full of thorns and less of roses. Hence, the people who are successful in this form of music are generally from those sections of society who have had difficult times in their childhood. They have grown up from very ordinary backgrounds. You could find quite a few hip hop music composers who may even have served prison terms for committing some petty crimes, in their lives on the streets. When their whole experience is translated in this form of music, it certainly has a big appeal with the youths, particularly the people whose lives have been not very smooth, to say the least. While a few rappers could have made it big in their lives, there are many others who continue to struggle with their lives. Many of us are not very understanding, when we pass general comments about hip hop music. We try to talk about the negative things such as gang warfare, uninhibited use of drugs and alcohol and other such bad things and try to associate the same with this form of music. While this could be partially true, the fact of the matter is that it is a form of music that really brings in a refreshing change from the conventional music that we have all been used to.