I grew up in a smaller Wisconsin city with very little diversity so hip-hop was not something I was constantly aware of as a young girl. However, growing up in the 90's it was almost impossible to not be exposed to hip-hop in some shape or form. I saw it in movies and on TV but was never able to analyze the reality behind it. I listened to groups like Destiny's Child and TLC but probably did not understand the meaning behind the lyrics they were singing. I was always aware of rappers like Slim Shady and Snoop Dogg but it was not until middle school when I began hanging out with more guy friends that I was introduced to hip-hop icons like Dr. Dre. and Wu Tang Clan. My first hip-hop show was M.I.A. and I have continued to see several hip-hop shows since for example, El-P and Killer Mike. As I grew older I began to research hip-hop on my own and reading books like "Can't Stop, Won't Stop" in order to learn about the history of hip-hop and where its roots generated from. Hip-hop has a much deeper meaning than people associating it to rapping about sex, drugs and violence. I have learned that hip-hop has been used as a platform for political activism and that there are groups like The Roots that are able to produce aesthetically pleasing music while conveying a meaningful message. I enjoy hip-hop and think that it is really beneficial to our history and our society, I look forward to increasing my understanding of hip-hop throughout the semester.
Coming from a town that isn't really diversified, I understand where you are coming from with not really knowing to much about hip hop. As I got older I also started to research and listen to hip hop music and found it to be a lot different than what people were making it out to be(sex, drugs, and violence). I listen to more hip hop now than any other music. It tells a story and has a lot more meaning behind the words than other genres. I think that if people just take the time to research and actually listen to the words they will have a different opinion about hip hop.
I am also like you in the sense that i was surrounded by hip hop at an early age but didn't have the knowledge to fully understand it. I feel it's important for youth to be aware of and educated in the aspects of hip hop. If I had listened to my parents and didn't listen to hip hop because of the racy lyrics, I would've never fully understood the genre and would've missed out on a part of American history and culture.