The broader lesson extends beyond music. When outcomes worsen, we are tempted to regulate expression rather than confront underlying issues. School bans, censorship campaigns and moral lectures target what is easiest to see. But culture, more often than not, is a lagging indicator—not a driver—of economic life.
If hip hop had never existed, the trajectory of the communities most exposed to it would have remained the same. Silencing the music wouldn’t have created jobs, stabilized families or reduced violence. If we want gentler lyrics, we should solve the problems they describe.
Every generation thinks the music The Kids listen to is corrupting society. Of course, it never is. And usually it’s doing the opposite.