Crime may be viewed by some as an intrinsic aspect of American culture, particularly when it comes to music. Many kinds of music explicitly or implicitly laud or allude to crime in their lyrics. “The Bowl” by Rush and “Survival of the Fittest” by Mobb Deep. Criminological ideas can be applied to further understand the crimes addressed in the song. Crimes and their perpetrators are described and understood by criminologists as a part of their practice (Lordot, 2020). Crimes and the motivations of the perpetrators are frequently the subjects of popular songs heard in the media (Jay-z, 2021). To demonstrate how two criminological theories, rational choice theory and social learning theory, apply to music, I will use Jay-“Never Z’s Change.” The song is all about growing up impoverished, selling drugs, and then becoming rich and famous; hence it is a powerful message for young people today.
The rational choice theory is perfectly illustrated here, suggesting that an individual will examine the pros and cons of a decision before committing an activity, especially criminal conduct, and then determine that the advantages outweigh the risks. An excellent illustration of this idea can be found in the line “Still Fuckin’ with Crime/’Cause Crime Pays”. Even though selling crack is illegal, Jay-Z claims that he sold it because the money he made outweighed the risk of being arrested (Lordot, 2020). The social learning theory can also be applied to this song in criminal justice. According to the principle of social learning, criminal behaviour can be learned similarly tony others (Jay-z, 2021).
According to Jay-Z, the criminal skills he had acquired, including as owning a pistol and dealing drugs (particularly crack), were skills that would help him succeed in his music career. According to this statement, learned behaviours can be evaluated to see if they are useful to the person engaging in them; through the lyrics of this song, Jay-Z encourages people to share their knowledge of the positive aspects of crime with others (Jay-z, 2021). His song also talks about how older individuals, especially men, taught him that crime might be good, especially in an area like the inner city where there are employment and few resources to turn to.
References
Jay-Z. (2021). Jay-Z – Never Change (Feat. Kanye West).
Lordot, S. (2020). Social problems: continuity and change.