Rap music is a popular scapegoat for conservative political pundits like Bill O’Reilly to blame for the ills that plague black society. However, I would guess that most scholars who study anthropology, sociology or criminology would contend that rap music does not have the pervasive impact on the decisions of individuals like O’Reilly would suggest.
I strongly doubt that concordance exists between the amount of rap music listened to and the number of crimes, or children out of wedlock, one has. It is simply a weak argument in my opinion. However, if concordance were to exist between rap music and subsequent activities, I would hope they would reflect the lyrics of the song “Read a Book” by D’Mite.
I have heard plenty of rap songs that objectify women and glorify dealing drugs, but this song by D’Mite promotes literacy, financial literacy and proper hygiene, among other positive aspects of life we should all strive for. Though the song is thoroughly laced with profanity, which limits young children’s accessibility to it, the adults who listen to it should adhere to the principles D’Mite advocates (and teach them to their children). I will examine the lyrics and illustrate how they are applicable to Mississippi.
The chorus of the song simply says, “Read a book, read a book, read a muh’(expletive) book.” Later it says, “Not a sports page, not a magazine, but a book.” Let’s see how this is useful to Mississippians.
According to 2011 data from Kids Count, a project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, 78 percent of fourth graders in Mississippi scored below proficient on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading exam. It seems to me that our children are simply not reading enough. However, I would hypothesize that this is the case because of the immense poverty that our children face.
An article from the Hechinger Report states, “Children living in poverty hear fewer words and typically have less access to books and educational experiences.” Though the access to books is highly contingent on the socioeconomic status of the student (which is an atrocity in itself), the profound impact of reading books cannot be undermined.
The next few bars of the song speak about raising your children, drinking water, purchasing land (instead of rims or other unnecessary luxuries) and dental hygiene. I will quickly examine how a couple of these can be applicable to Mississippians. For example, according to a recent article from U.S. News, Mississippi had an out-of-wedlock birth rate of 48.1 percent in 2011. Nearly half of the children born in Mississippi that year were born to single mothers. There is a great deal of research that sheds light on the importance of having two parents in the home and the long-term effects of having both parents in the home.
Further, many of us are cognizant of the fact that Mississippi perennially ranks as one of the most obese states in the union. What’s one way obesity can be combated? Drinking water. According to a 2010 article in The Economist, “A team led by Brenda Davy of Virginia Tech has run the first randomized controlled trial studying the link between water consumption and weight loss. A report on the 12-week trial, published earlier this year, suggested that drinking water before meals does lead to weight loss.” Obviously being overweight and obese are different, but the overriding importance of drinking water remains prevalent.
In closing, I would like to mention that I am not suggesting that by simply listening to this song, all of our problems will suddenly disappear. But rather to prove two points. One, concordance does not exist between rap music and group activities (as Bill O’Reilly insinuated). Two, rap music, as well as other forms of music, has negative and positive components.
Our problems in Mississippi, as well as society at large, should not be written off as simply by-products of the music we listen to. In my opinion, this oversimplifies the complex problems we face and leads individuals to regurgitate untrue rhetoric, instead of engaging in critical dialogue to address our problems.
Tim Abram is a senior public policy leadership major from Horn Lake.
