White Americans have in their heads about black men: as savage, violent, amazingly strong and not caring about right and wrong. “Black men kill for no reason.” This is called the brute stereotype. Today, Black people are supporting the brute stereotype through their music more than they’re protecting themselves against the it. We act as if we are Little Red Riding Hood, and White people are the fox, but that's not completely true.
Most African Americans listen to rap music, and the lyrics in the music promotes the brute stereotype. This music influences a majority of the people who listen to it, who just happens to be black. Which causes more of our people to fall into the brute stereotype. In a song by rapper Chief Keef, he says “Guns for my armor, nigga **** security. Out the cut like Barbers, got niggas Forest Gumping.” Some people might not know what he means by that, but being that I’m black I understand the type of slang he’s using. Basically he means that even though he is a celebrity, he doesn't have security guards following him around and protecting him, that's what his gun is for. The next sentence means that when he “pops out” or comes out of his hiding spot and people see him with the gun they begin to run like Forest off of the movie Forest Gump. Its kind of hard to explain, but you get the point. This isn't the only type of brute behavior rappers display in their music, and its not only against whites, but blacks too!
All in all, this kind of music is the music that most African Americans enjoy. Personally, I listen to it all the time and it is my favorite kind of music. That doesn't mean that because I'm black and listen to rap music I’m automatically a brute. Other races may use our music as a piece of evidence to back up the theory of all blacks being out of control and violent, but we’re not. However, listening to this kind of music and letting it influence us isn't helping us break that stereotype, its promoting it.
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