Open to Interpretation Exhibition

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Hip Hop Psychotherapy

Popular perception often holds that Hip Hop merely concerns swearing, derogatory comments towards women, guns and violence. While this may be true to an extent for a sub genre of hip hop often referred to as  “gagster rap” the bleak vision being communicated is ultimately derived from a place of pain as much of hip-hop comes from areas of great socioeconomic deprivation which is why it which resonates with people who have suffered trauma in social life in multiple forms. Lyrics that speak of overcoming hardships and struggles offer a refuge for the desperate. Much of hip hop however is about conscious lyricism, which contains raw, unfiltered narration describing the harsh realities and coping mechanisms used to combat these detrimental circumstances, yet it still remains stigmatised.  In society, mental health issues are also stigmatised because we have been conditioned in the way we’ve learned to deal with and speak about trauma. Where I’m from you look at mental issues as a weakness so you avoid talking about them. Hip Hop music is rich with mental health references and this project aims to demonstrate that it is breaking through previous barriers to communicating mental illness and breaking stereotypes of masculinity to reveal it as profoundly concerned with the well being of the mind. Direct speech about depression is not only not avoided in Hip Hop but rather actively and frequently engaged as one of its main themes. Surveying the lyrics of Hip Hop music furnishes ample evidence to show how the medium is used as a kind of musical psychotherapy. These lyrics present a way of dealing with personal issues publicly. Hip Hop is already extremely popular, especially with young people and those living in deprived areas. Hip-hop therapy, then, has the power to reach and engage people who might otherwise not seek or have access to help. In this case therefore, the delivery mechanism (the music), which can offer assistance, is already widely embraced. The point now is simply to shine a light on the most beneficial elements within the genre as Hip Hop psychotherapy is an ever-present aspect in my life and has benefitted me greatly.