Categories
In coming up with the categories I used for this content analysis, I began by writing down all the various types of violence I could come up with. I also included anything that would be associated with violence. Then I sifted through my list and group my ideas together and it left me with these 8 categories.
Verbal Violence
This category includes all verbal violence toward anyone. This category includes name calling and insulting.
Violence without a Weapon
This includes all acts of physical violence without the use of a weapon. This is limited to punching, fist fighting etc.
Violence with a Weapon
This includes any mention of a weapon in relation to a violent act. The weapon does not have to be a gun or knife, it can be any object used to harm someone.
Violence Against Women – Not Sexual
This includes any violence against a woman, which is not of a sexual nature.
Violence Against Women – Sexual
This includes any violence against a woman, which is of a sexual nature, this includes rape.
Punishment
This includes any mention of punishment for a violent crime. This includes the fear of that punishment.
Police
This includes all mentions of the police in general.
Death
This includes any mentions of death or dying.
Content
It was difficult to decide how to pick random music. So I decided to look at some of the most popular rap songs of all time, and I also looked at some of the more recent rap chart toppers. The songs I analyzed were:
· Ice T-Colors
· Dr. Dre- Nutin But a G Thang
· Ice Cube- Today was a Good Day
· Rakim-Lyrics of Fury
· Eminem- Lose Yourself
· Notorious BIG- Juicy
· NWA- Straight outta Compton
· Nas- One Mic
· Eminem- Love the way you Lie
· Flo Rida- Low
· Usher- OMG
· T.I.- Dead and Gone
· Young Money- Bedrock
· Kenye West- Stronger
· Flo Rida- Right Round
Analysis
For the actual content analysis I started by printing out a chart of my categories and all the lyrics to the songs I had chosen. Then I found a recording of each of the songs I had chosen. I listened to them one by one while reading the lyrics; this made it easy for me to catch every word. I placed a hash mark in the correct box on the chart every time I heard lyrics that fell into one of my categories.