Do you think the evolution of hip hop and R&B music has changed peoples accent?

[robb_k]

And once again, soulster, you're missing my point. If I remember correctly you live out in the midwest, don't you?
Well, you may have grown up in the same time as I have but not the same place. Everybody and their mommas know
black people still make up a small percentage of the total American population, so what? That doesn't discount the fact
that in every major city in this country there is a more or less marginalised black population that in a number of ways has influenced not only their own subsequent generations but those of the surrounding populations. Whether they be white,
the majority, Chinese, Puerto Rican, Japanese, Mexican or immigrants from Dakar, Senegal. Most American popular music
forms wouldn't even exist without an influence from this " small percentage of the population". Funk, blues, jazz, R&B, soul...
these are black inventions. As is hip hop. But today in popular music belongs to the young and in those places I mentioned
they, black, spanish and white are listening to Jay Z, Kanye, Snoop, 50 pennies and Lil Wayne. I know tons of people of various ethnic backgrounds who don't listen to hip hop who adore varieties of those other black created musical forms. Some
too, who listen to music outside of the US chart focus like Reggae, Zouk, Soukous and Ethio-jazz...People who cannot see how much of a negative influence on our young people by so much of our "popular culture" are folks who to me live in denial...

No one is arguing that Afro-American music hasn't had major influences on American music and its enjoyment by all Americans [[and lots of people World-wide, for that matter).

I have almost NO contact with Americans [[other than a handful of people who were born in other countries, and are so old that their speech patterns and vocabulary were formed long before Rap music existed. So, I can't speak about Rap music's impact on American speech. So, I'll leave it to you to tell us what you think is happening now. I can say thjat it is clear that African-American [[or Black American music certainly added vocabulary words to general American speech from the 1880s through the 1970s. So, I suspect there are a few words creeping into general American speech, even now. For example, "The Hood" for neighbourhood or local area, or for "The Ghetto" in general, came into general use years ago.

But, are you saying that a large portion of young Americans are using a LOT of Rapper words, and phrases in their everyday speech. I'm guessing that a good portion of The Caucasians that use that type of speech to appear "cool", turn that off when they have a job interview. So, I consider that as "feigning an accent", or putting on an act, rather than having their normal speech patterns altered by influence from listening to Rap Music.

Maybe you can tell us whether or not there are large amounts of African-American youth whose normal speech has been strongly affected by listening to Rap Music. I assume that there is some of that effect occurring.