Are Rap Videos More Violent? Style Difference And The Prevalence Of Sex And Violence In The Age Of MTV

This study of 203 music videos discusses the elements of sex and violence.  In the 1980s, the music video emerged as a new medium for musicians to express the themes of their videos. With the introduction of MTV, these short ‘minifilms’ could be projected into the homes of anyone with a cable box. While the introduction of MTV helped the visibility of many different types of music, it also became a source of skepticism creating a need for many different studies on its effects. The most stressed area of concern are the elements of sex and violence transmitted through the videos.

George Gerber’s theory that is discussed in this study is that “mass media, particularly television, forster a cultural mind-set consistent with the notion that social relationships, power and violence in television drama help develop patterns of unequal risk among social groups… Television viewers appear to be more susceptible to this cultivation and [they] see reality differently on the basis of increased media exposure.”  If his theory proves to be true, then this would mean that violence would need to be regulated in its appearance in videos.

In the early 1990s, Black leaders began to address the potential threat of violence through rap and hip hop. Sex and violence were, in a study of the prevalence and appeal of characteristics in music videos, were second and fourth (respectively) most prominent themes in music videos. Also, interestingly African American rap artists were more likely to engage in prosocial behavior than whites. The major hypothesis of this study was that “the differences in music styles were based on the occurrence of sex in their music videos.” Four ‘coders’ analyzed 203 music videos in the rap, hip-hop, rock, rhythm and blues genres for their sexual and violence content.  Rap music hand the highest percentage of violent behavior, although heavy violence was not prominent in any of the genres. The differences between the genres were mostly marked by the occurrence of violence in their videos. Hip-hop had the most prominence of sexual themes. The hypothesis was upheld.

The occurrence of violence and violent language, according to the study, should remain a focus of concern. The themes are overwhelmingly violent. The study says that the videos can create “negative social effects resulting from exposure to the music videos.” When the videos were played in a mental hospital, people reflected the characteristics of the videos. There were also correlations between teenager’s negative behavior and their liking of violent music.