As the music and society developed all through the decades, the music genre developed more oppositional in nature; obvious types of expression that included stories of political resistance, financial portability through ghetto strife and battle, and unambiguous sexual endeavors, had accumulated in both success and heavy criticism. As with every topic that comes up in our democratic society, there is more than just one opinion to an issue. Today, hip hop culture is abundantly incorporated into American culture. The music, fashion, film, art, politics, and society as a whole are all influenced by the genre that not everyone sees eye to eye on. This cultural opposition that hip hop embodies, makes the genre a target for social critics of all political interests, races and youth upbringing. Especially since music has always had the power to influence adolescents’ attitudes about school, material success, appreciation of themselves and …show more content…
From the early 90s and even today, the music and lives of Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace became subjects of books, college courses television documentaries and conference discussions (Kitwana). The voices of perhaps the two most notorious hip hop artists of all time were able to spark hope for a community and influence the minds of current positive artists like Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole. The former sponsors a mentorship program for underprivileged youth backed by President Obama and the latter allows a single mother to live in his childhood home, free of charge. The effect of hip hop’s influence on young adults is more prevalent in social acceptance. Participants in a study conducted by Wessel and Wallaert, focused on student perceptions of hip hop culture 's influence on the undergraduate experience felt the hip hop culture enables cultural appreciation and bringing people together. By incorporating this societal norm, a common ground is found based upon respect of various cultural experiences. Finding ways to connect with multiple backgrounds is how many progressive teachers are using the influence of hip hop music even in grade school classrooms. Teachers from northern California found that the people who were talking about youth culture in a way that made sense to the students happened to be hip hop artists. Morell and Duncan-Andrade realized they could utilize hip hop music and culture to