A New Wave of Political Awareness in America Due to Music.

Within the past decade or so, America's youth has been taking part in current polictial discussions and issues seemingly more than ever before. With this shift in interest in activisim there has also been a spike in hip hop's popularity. Some critics of hip hop classify it as aggressive and a bad influence for youth, however these blanket statements overlook the origin of the genre and the strength that it gives its culture. Hip Hop gives a platform for individuals to express their pride:

This trend shows the correlation between searches of pride and hip hop music. Often times when this chart shows a spike in searches for pride there is also a spike in hip hop music searches.

This trend shows the correlation between searches of pride and hip hop music specifically in California. Oakland, California is very associated with the Hip Hop culture so it makes sense that Hip Hop music is searched a lot in this state. The searches for pride and hip hop music overlap pretty frequently as well.

This trend shows the correlation between searches of happiness and hip hop music. They both are searched very frequently and have some matching spikes.

Many hip hop artists are using their popularity to spread social awareness about the turmoil in our country today. Kendrick Lamar and Childish Gambino have actively spoken out about the changes that need to be made in America. They encourage unity and love over hate. This is the exact kind of message we need in our country.