The Bad Effects of Rap Music on Teenagers

Drug Use and Rap Music

• A 2008 article on sciencedaily.com found that drug references in rap songs had increased sixfold since 1979. The same study also found that drug references had evolved from cautionary tales to stories that glamorized illegal drug use.

Multiple Negative Effects of Rap Music on Teens

• According to a study conducted by the American Journal of Public Health from 1996-99 on African-American teenage girls, participants who were exposed to rap music videos were "3 times more likely to have hit a teacher; more than 2.5 times as likely to have been arrested; 2 times as likely to have had multiple sexual partners; and more than 1.5 times as likely to have acquired a new sexually transmitted disease, used drugs, and used alcohol over the 12-month follow-up period."

Violence, Alcohol Abuse and Rap Music

• According to an article on NPR's website, a 2006 study by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation suggested that "young people who listen to rap and hip-hop are more likely to abuse alcohol and commit violent acts."

Sexist Attitudes in Teens and Rap Music

• A 2008 study at North Carolina State University found that latent sexist attitudes were revealed in study participants regardless of whether they listened to rap music with sexist lyrics, or rap music with no sexist language.

Sexual Behavior in Teens and Rap Music

• A study by RAND Corp., a health care research organization, polled 1,461 teens and discovered that those who listened to music with lyrics that "objectified and limited characterizations of sexuality" reported a faster progression in their own sexual behavior.