Baton Rouge rap artists like NBA YoungBoy, Boosie Badazz and Kevin Gates are among the most influential social revolutionaries in Louisiana. While their lyrics are jarring at times, the violence they rap and sing about is necessary for bringing about social change.
If lyrics about gun violence offend you, so should the idea of a 14-year-old growing up around it. Awareness is the first step in solving a problem. Local rap artists shed light on the everyday lives of people growing up and living in poverty in our own community.
Generally, people speak fondly of the city they grew up in or of their childhood, but NBA YoungBoy says the part of him made by Baton Rouge is the part he no longer wants in his song “Untouchable.” He talks of his dreams of moving out of the city to a place where he doesn’t have to struggle anymore.
NBA YoungBoy is a 17-year-old wanting nothing more than to be able to feel safe in the city he grew up in without carrying a gun. The crime and violence he has experienced and been a part of seems like a movie, yet I grew up fewer than 15 minutes away from him.
“Ain’t no hiding from gun violence; ain’t no hiding from violence period, NBA YoungBoy said in an interview with OpenSpace. “It’s either jail or death, like, literally. Ain’t no living out there.”
When I reflect on my time growing up in Baton Rouge, I can’t remember an occurrence of even seeing a gun. Without exposure to music by artists like NBA YoungBoy, Kevin Gates and Boosie, I never would have known about the harsh realities many Baton Rouge residents face on a daily basis.
Poverty, racism and inequality are ills of the entire country, but these artists shed light on specific problems within the state like mass incarceration, poor academic education and nonexistent sexual and mental health education.
These ills are festering wounds in our country’s social landscape, and these artists are providing a diagnosis. As their songs reach the tops of charts and their criminal cases gain notoriety, the struggles of many come to light and are forced into the arena for discussion.
Progressive and meaningful discussions are occurring in classrooms and at dinner tables all over the nation, but we are only as strong as our weakest link. As long as there are people who believe the playing field is equal for everyone in America, we need violent rap music to prove that it is not.
“It’s all about staying alive,” NBA YoungBoy said about growing up on Chippewa Street in the OpenSpace interview.
When the goal of each day is to stay alive, it doesn’t leave much wiggle room to strive for success. Until everyone is afforded the same opportunities for education and advancement, we need local artists to continue speaking up and detailing life where the playing field isn’t level.
Awareness of a problem is important, but actions will always speak louder than words. I look forward to seeing more philanthropy from local artists of all kinds in the Baton Rouge community, specifically for educating and keeping youth in poverty safe.
Breanna Smith is a 21-year-old mass communication senior from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
