Rap Music as a Social Reflection: Exploring the Relationship Between Social Conditions and Lyrical Expressions in Rap Music

What social factors affect the content of rap music? Previous studies in this area have documented the differing themes present in rap, such as violence, sexual behavior, and materialism. Scholars have interpreted these themes as artistic reflections of social conditions, such as urban poverty and mass incarceration. The purpose of this study is to extend this basic analysis and test hypotheses derived from this “social reflection” theory of lyrical content. Using data from 27,445 underground and mainstream rap singles released in the United States from 1971 to 2016, we test the hypothesis that the content of rap lyrics is correlated with quantitative measurements of crime, sexual assaults, economic conditions, and substance abuse. We find a positive correlation of rap lyric content with the first three factors, but not substance abuse. These findings support and extend the social reflection hypothesis, but also indicate limitations and nuances in the theory.