With hip-hop being one of the most influential aspects of our society, it's important that we remain aware of the effects it has on urban environments.

Since hip-hop's foundation in the 1960s in the South Bronx of New York, the wave of its culture has helped shaped some of the most important parts of this country's history. It has been instrumental in the election of political figures and has given the youth an outlet they can turn to in order for their concerns and issues to be heard. It has been used to support social movements and call attention to issues of poverty, positive and negative effects of pop culture and art. Hip-hop is often seen as a negative aspect of our society due to the violence, occasional sexual advocacy, and explicit lyrics that are sometimes broadcasted within the music. It has been a part of our reality and social culture as a way to reach multiple generations and genres.

While we realize the social impact it has on everyday culture, we may not realize how truly important hip-hop is to the general population. Urban neighborhoods across the country feed off of the energy that hip-hop derives from due to the social connection that it has with many of its listeners. It is our reality.In some respects, however, the media tends to blame hip hop with the level of misogyny and sexualization of women acceptance within our society.

With this sort of discussion being plagued within various contexts, there has been numerous documentaries, articles, and social conversations about the impact hip hop has in fact. In the year 2014, author Steve Stout presented a four part documentary entitled 'The Tanning of America' that focused on the influence hip hop has had on our society, both good and bad. In this documentary, rapper Dr. Dre stated, "Hip Hop isn’t just music, its a culture. It’s a living, breathing thing.”

In order to fully understand the overall social connection hip-hop has to the urban environment, it's important to reach the general population. By your participation in the survey below, I will be able to gain a full understanding of the impact the industry has on different people and their perception of the world of hip-hop.

Find the survey here.