A Prospective Study of Exposure to Rap Music Videos and African American Female Adolescents’ Health

Abstract

Rap music videos are a media genre that is attracting considerable attention. Rap music has evolved from African American music forms, with influences from rhythm and blues, fusion, contemporary gospel, and bebop.1–3 Although there is considerable concern regarding the themes and images expressed in rap music videos, limited empirical research has examined the effect of rap music videos on adolescents’ behavior.4 This investigation sought to determine whether exposure to rap music videos at baseline could predict the occurrence of health risk behaviors and sexually transmitted diseases among African American adolescent females over a 12-month follow-up period.