Hip Hop Culture, the Messages and the Media” is an inside look at the impact of media on
drug use/attitudes towards drug use and other high risk behaviors among today’s hip hop
culture/media consumers. This 60-minute in-dept look will chronicle the lives of teens as they
engage in candid discussions and testimonials regarding the variety of ways pro-drug and other
risk-related messages reach teens.
Four urban centers will be selected as recruitment sites (New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and
Washington D.C.). Each city will provide 12 low – middle income youth between the ages of 12
– 17 for a total of 48 participants.
Each participating youth will be provided and trained in the use of a diary. These diaries will be
used to note the variety of risk-related and non-risk-related references they encounter on a daily
basis for 2 weeks (e.g. TV, magazines, online, MP3 players, friends, family members, radio,
videos, on the street, etc.). Teens will be asked to provide 5 categories of information per entry:
1) the nature of the message; 2) source of the message; 3) direction of the message (positive or
negative); 4) their reaction to the message; and 5) their thoughts on the message.
After 2 weeks we will film discussions and testimonials from the participating youth on the
contents of their diaries and their experiences. The various stories and revelations from the
youth will be combined with other footage and edited to create a broadcast quality documentary.
This documentary promises to have broad audience appeal for both youth and adults as we
provide invaluable insights into hip hop culture, the messages and the media.
Follow-up Show #1: Media personalities (Hip Hop artists, TV and music producers, TV
performers, etc.) reacting to the statements and testimonies of the youth.
“Hip Hop Artist Against Drugs” (H.H.A.A.D.) truly believes in the power of this
documentary to make one of the most prolific statements regarding the impact of hip
hop on today’s youth. We are confident this project will provide much needed insight
into the lives and influences of today’s urban youth as they tell their stories as seen
through their eyes. The various testimonials and revelations promise to transform and
stimulate dialogue on a national level as we: 1) reveal the various types of risk-related
messages urban kids are exposed to within their environment; 2) gain insight into the
role hip hop music and other forms of media play in how kids encountered risk-related
messages; and 3) understand the impact these messages have on attitudes towards
and decisions to participate in high risk behaviors.