8 Mile Analysis

Music and the Impact on Youth in America
Film: 8 Mile
Florida International University

Synopsis 8-Mile Film

The film begins in the rugged streets of the 8-mile section of Detroit, Michigan. A young man by the name of Jimmy aspires to become a rapper. The odds are stacked against him because of the complexion of his skin as well as the fact that he is a product of his own environment. Jimmy, realizing that his life has not really changed much since high school shows signs of frustration and as such blames others for his setbacks in life. Set against Detroit 's Hip-Hop scene in 1995, Jimmy struggles to find his voice. The people of Detroit know 8-mile Road as the city
Over time, Hip-Hop’s become immensely popular, not just in America, but also worldwide. Hip-Hop has expanded itself into music, fashion, advertisement, movies, and more. It’s given rappers, and those associated with Hip-Hop the chance to branch out into other ventures and create their own brands, for example Bad-Boy Records and Sean John. Also, it has allowed them to bring Hip-Hop to other communities through organizations and fundraisers as well. As of today, Hip-Hop has become an international phenomenon that ranges from music to a lifestyle. Hip-Hop has gone through many evolutions that some people do not agree or identify with. It has impacted a lot of things in the world from fashion to politics. Hip-Hop music has been used as a means to create songs that deliver somewhat negatives messages such as sex, drugs, violence, and the degradation of women (“The Message” by Grandmaster Flash), police brutality (“F**k the Police” by NWA), poverty in America (“Heard Em’ Say” by Kanye West), and the degradation of women (“Wonder Why They Call You B*tch” by 2Pac) etc. (Chang & Kool Herc, 2005) But Hip-Hop has also been used to advocate more positive messages about “being whatever you want to be” (“I Can” by Nas), a father son relationship (“Just the Two of Us” by Will Smith), HIV/AIDS awareness (“Let’s Talk About Sex” by Salt-n-Pepa), poverty and how women should be treated (“Keep Ya Head Up” by 2Pac) etc. Overall,
This makes me understand that the stance that rappers take with regards to their lyrics and their bragging of what they have, what they can buy, the women they can get and sleep with, drinking, and drug abuse distorts certain realities for these young minds in America. Much like the movie we saw in class "Regeneration," as much as these students enjoy Hip-Hop music they have become apathetic towards that lifestyle because of the fact that they see it as something that might be unattainable. Another point a student made is that Hip-Hop in its purest form is not what Hip-Hop is today. The student called it Bragonomics. All these rappers do on these songs is brag about the things they have, buy, attain, and do. He stated that when Hip-Hop started it had more substance in the sense that they spoke about things that were important in the community. However, little by little, this form of rhyming found its way into the rap game and that 's the music that’s being delivered to America’s youth. Very few lyricists today within their lyrics talk about societal issues. The young ladies in my class came up with the next negative influence that Hip-Hop has had with regards to women. They were hesitant at first to share, but I made it an open forum, and soon they began sharing their views on Hip-Hop and young women. The young ladies stated that certain