Depths in the Cadence

Abstract

Music is a cultural object. Lyrics have depth, as they tell stories. Hip-Hop brought a new element of culture to the music industry. While countless music artists sing about love and relationships, renowned Hip-Hop artists tend to discuss the current state of affairs in the U.S. in terms of group disparities. In this thesis, I analyze how the lyrics and personal experiences of Hip-Hop artists, XXXTentacion and Kendrick Lamar reflect social relationships and society as a whole. I also examine Hip-Hop songs as cultural objects and I place them in Griswold’s cultural diamonds to help the reader understand music as a social phenomenon.