Addressing Global Youth Issues

The question posed is one of a very general nature. As someone stated earlier, no two teens have the same lived experiences so it's difficult to find one overarching issue that all global youth face. However when thinking about global youth in the context of hip-hop, one theme that tends to emerge is one of where youth are reclaiming voices regardless of consequences. Hip-hop tends to be the genre or community where those fighting oppression have the opportunity to speak out against oppressors. Most notably in the Middle East and Northern Africa where many people have been silenced by their government use hip-hop as a medium to speak out. People are finding their voices in places where it is sometimes dangerous to do so. Thinking back to the article that disclosed how Tunisian artist El General was imprisoned for his music that directly addressed the Tunisian president and the current state of the country, one can find a story of a revolutionary. El General's song Rais Lebled sparked a revolution that wasn't too different than those happening in neighboring countries. Global youth was and is rising to the occasion of speaking their minds even if jail time is a possible outcome.