Did you know that you could have psychopathic traits if you prefer rap music?

SONGS CAN HAVE SOME INFLUENCE

It would be unfair to generalise that all people who listen to rap are likely to have psychopathic behaviour. Mansi Hasan, Clinical psychologist and psychotherapist, explains, “There are different kinds of rap songs, some are brutal and some are not. So, it depends on what kind of a rap song a person prefers. But there is a possibility that people with psychopathic behaviour may be more inclined to such music as they may relate to it. Music at times, works like a mirror to our state of mind. People who are psychopaths lack empathy and emotional connection, hence, their choice of music may be rap where the words used are more aggression-oriented. Rap and psychopathic behaviour are mainly associated because of the common link of aggression.” Music is part of our environment and we are products of environment, so constant exposure to certain tracks can influence our thinking and behaviour. “If we expose our mind to something which is positive or something that is negative, constant exposure of it will make us tune towards that direction. Aggressive songs will make you feel more aggression,” adds Mansi, who says psychopathic personality traits include manipulation, cunningness, a lack of empathy, lack of remorse, selfishness, anti-social behaviour such as stealing, lying, gambling, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, aggressive outbursts etc. 

STUDY NOT LOGICAL

But isn’t it too simplistic a view to assume all people who enjoy rap music, may have psychopathic personality? Varkha Chulani, clinical psychologist and psychotherapist says she disagrees with this study. “One cannot categorise someone as a psychopath or sociopath based on their musical preference. We cannot associate anyone who listens to rap music as one. You may find common traits in murderers, such as previous history of abuse etc, but that doesn’t mean anyone who has been abused is likely to commit a murder. This is a case of a logical fallacy,” she says. 

MUSIC CAN STIMULATE

Music is generally said to have a calming effect on people. But there are chances that some people may get stimulated by listening to a particular type of music.  We tend to internalise it, allowing the emotions of the musicians to become our own. In Indian music too, there are some ragas that can provoke. For instance, in ancient times, warriors listened to songs in veer rasa to bring out the bravery in them. So, people may be provoked listening to a certain kind of music. Dr PD Lakdawala, psychiatrist, Bhatia Hospital, says there is a possibility that there may be a relation between psychopathic tendencies and rap music. “There are some studies that have shown that music can affect levels of various hormones, including cortisol, which is involved in arousal and stress and testosterone, which is related to aggression and arousal. There are chances that some people who have volatile personalities get stimulated by listening to a particular kind of music. So, it is also possible that people who have high physiological arousal may get tempted to listen to rap.  But it is difficult to say whether because a person has a psychopathic tendency he listens to such music or vice versa.” 

ARTISTE SPEAK

EMIWAY, RAPPER

I don’t agree with the study at all. We are artistes and normal people who respect others and treat them well. We can be crazy but not psychopathic. We just need to hear a beat and have to rap, we can forget everything. But madness for the art is where it ends for us. I don’t see anything negative in rap and hip hop. In fact, I think it’s a great way to speak about real life. It can be used as a stress buster. The other day, I had a friend over who’s extremely stressed about work. I played a beat for him and asked him to say whatever was in his heart and just end each line with rhyming words. He free styled and felt relieved. It’s mostly only commercial hip hop or rap in India that has alcohol, drugs, or money as themes.

ENKORE, HIP HOP/RAP ARTISTE

People need to understand rap is just a modern form of poetry in its essence and stop looking at it as some taboo. Rap music is definitely misunderstood and that’s quite sad. And it is never about just one style/sub-genre, but more about what the artiste does with it. Some of the greatest rappers of all time have not been gangsters, some of the most skilled artistes talk about some really wise and positive things. Jay Z’s recent album 4:44 had themes of apologising to his wife and family for cheating, discussing financial planning for black males who often don’t have financial role models to look up to, oppression of non-whites in America, etc. And this is arguably one of the biggest, most important rap artistes to ever live. If researchers or critics have an agenda, you’re going to find ample ammo to make that point, but if you look at rap like you look at filmmaking, painting, etc. it’s quite simple — it’s an art where you can’t generalise or stereotype the artistes based on a small sample size.