Every day communities are harmed by gang culture that thrives off of violence and the weak. A gang is an organized group of criminals that kill, rape and destroy these innocent communities. Murder is constantly happening due to gangsters with around 13% of all homicides being gang-related. Rape is a prevalent practice among gang members as well, and they are responsible for around 10-33% of rapes reported. That means for every 100 women, 33 have gotten raped because of organized groups of crime. Countries in South and Central America have seen surges in gang violence. Gangs run communities and strive to push fear and violence. Impoverished communities are most affected due to their lack of resources and many teenagers and families are scared for their lives.
As social media expands we see a surge of idolization of “gangsters.” The quotations are used because many rappers claim they experienced extreme gang violence when they lived in modern-day suburbia growing up. Rappers like Yeat, Lil Maubu, and Lil Tecca have been known to over-dramatize their run-ins with gangs and guns. Yeat is a newer upcoming rapper who grew up in Lake Oswego, one of the wealthiest suburbs in Oregon. While he lived in a non-violent neighborhood, he still sings about guns, money, sex, and drug use. In one of his songs “Poppin,” he raps about needing his drugs, and how he receives oral sex from women. Yeat is one of the largest rappers in the world right now. He has an immense impact on teenagers. He pushes the violent gangster agenda.
Lil Mabu is a rich, white male who grew up in uptown New York and attended private school. His music videos consist of him showing off his wealth and pointing guns, as well as having women do sexual acts for the camera. In several of his songs, he mentions how he is a “rich little white boy.” In one of his most popular songs ”Mathematical Disrespect,” he said, “I cap in my rap, I’m an innocent tweep.” Younger children look up to him and join him in his music videos.
In a Genius interview, rapper Lil Tecca admits to lying about owning guns and having many “hoes.” Lil Tecca is among the few rappers in the industry willing to be honest. The issue with these rapers is many of them come from well-off, and privileged families. They encourage children to idolize this violent, obscene lifestyle when they’ve never experienced it themselves.
Rap music has become a huge part of American culture; almost every teenager has listened to and enjoyed a rap song. As the rap industry continues to grow and expand, it continues to degrade women and promote violence, drugs, and a sense of entitlement. A study done by the National Library of Medicine said, “Gang members show inordinately high levels of childhood trauma and disadvantage, sexual and non-sexual violence, and psychiatric disorders, which are interrelated.” Many teenagers in American schools idolize this violence and crime. As American society decides to integrate this, we see a surge in people who idolize rap. Still, rappers paint gang life as something you should strive for and want when gang life is often deadly for many adolescents. The money, drugs, and girls aren’t as cool as they seem. The romanticization of poverty and sexual abuse has had a huge impact on the youth.
You walk into an American high school and see a surge of these “gangsters” pop up. Most of them walk, talk, and act the same. The issue is the people idolizing a life of struggle and drugs. Many live in the upper middle classes and are raised in stable, well-off families. They idolize struggle instead of success. While women are getting raped “When I was in school there was pretty much the same thing happening, ” said Max Delashmutt, a math teacher at Ida B. Wells High School. This has been an issue going on for years.
People in third-world countries and underprivileged communities suffer the most from gang violence. UNICEF interviewed 3,100 immigrants and 20% of these immigrants left their countries due to gang violence. These people work their whole lives to try to get out of these dangerous, gang-ruled neighborhoods. They have seen death and sexual assaults. People can’t imagine what some kids have gone through due to gangsters and violence. Here in America, we idolize it all. The privileged middle-class teenager seems to look up to this “hardcore” lifestyle. The privileged play “underprivileged” while the underprivileged are trying to survive.
