Perhaps the greatest graph I have ever seen.
I'm sure the mothers and families of dead rappers wouldn't like it (good luck whitesplaining your amusement to them).
But let's take this a little further.
The War on Poverty (under LBJ) started in 1965 -- we've spent at least 15 trillion (
some estimates are at 22 trillion) on taxpayer-funded anti-poverty programs since 1965.
Look at what happened to percentage black children raised out of wedlock beginning in 1965, when the War on Poverty began. (right chart below)
On a society-wide scale, children raised by single parents (especially a single mother), have significantly lower educational attainment, and higher chances of criminal behavior.
Source 1:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3396748
Source 2:
https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/publications/abstract.aspx?ID=167327
We have decades of sociological studies showing that children (especially boys) have far better outcomes when raised by two parents living together, than 1 parent + government programs. (of course, there are individual exceptions)
In this context, the first NWA music album was released in 1988 -- it's widely credited with introducing Gangsta Rap (and glamorizing gangster behavior) to mainstream American youth in an extremely exciting fashion.
Almost everyone who was aged 12 to 25 in 1989 will remember the time period when the first NWA album came out, and its effect on people. (Unbelievably powerful cultural force)
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/n-w-a/biography
Very interesting quote from Rolling Stone article above:
"In 1986, O'Shea "Ice Cube" Jackson, born and raised in a two-parent, middle-class home in South Central—and always more interested in music and books than in gangs"
Before the NWA album dropped in 1988, mainstream hip hop images and lyrics was generally lighter, and more entertainment based (there were some exceptions).
After the NWA album in the 1990s, mainstream hip hop became *much* darker, glamorizing behaviors that don't lead to good outcomes.
Considering there were a lot less fathers in homes to help prevent their children (esp adolescent boys) from engaging in destructive behaviors (and to tell teach their children that most hip hop was glamorizing bad behaviors) --- the effects of gangster rap (from the early 90s on) on culture were not hard to predict.
This is coming from someone who has always enjoyed hip hop (not my favorite music, but I like some of it)
With all of that said, some of you will be able to better understand some of these old school rappers talking about their experiences with the music industry -- and the subject matter of rap music lyrics. (On selling their souls etc)
