Hip hop music emerged during the 1970s in New York. According to Rachel E. Sullivan in "Rap and Race: It's Got a Nice Beat, but What About the Message?" by the late 1980s, hip hop songs were no longer viewed as a fad; hip hop was viewed as a distinctive musical form. Even though there were increasing numbers of white hip hop fans, many people still viewed the music's consumers as predominantly black.
Examining the lyrics in hip hop songs offers a deeper understanding of the social, political and economic circumstances of everyday shared experiences for many African Americans. Through examining hip hop songs it is possible to see the cracks in the foundation of a predominately white patriarchal structure that still represses opportunities for people of color.
Institutional Racism and Hip Hop Songs
The lyrics of hip hop songs underscore the realities of institutional racism. According to Toby S. Jenkins in "Mr. Nigger: The Challenges of Educating Black Males Within American Society," in the late 1960s integration of black students into white suburbia created a disconnect among students, teachers and parents, and hip hop music served as a system of inclusion for black intellectual thought and expression. At the time of desegregation in schools when blacks were silenced and marginalized in the classrooms, they began to create an alternative form of cultural expression that welcomed the social and political commentary of shared experiences and rage against the power structures of America.