People are surrounded by music every day of their lives. They hear it at home, on the radio on the way to work; some people even caught themselves humming the melody of their favorite song to each other. But how many people actually listen and not just listen to the music they're listening to? Teenagers in particular don't realize the message behind the music whose lyrics they quote, or the effect it has on them. In today's culture, where rap music has become increasingly popular, many teenagers don't realize what they are listening to. Many teenagers claim that the music they listen to has no effect on them, but they are wrong. Rap music, in particular, has had a major impact on teenagers in today's society. The lyrics of many rap songs encourage violent and aggressive thoughts in teenagers. Many teenagers don't realize that the music they listen to influences the way they think. According to Morrison, a columnist whose writings focus on the impact of choices people face every day, “words have meanings, meanings suggest thoughts, and thoughts lead to action” (Morrison). Even if the person is not immediately affected by the violent lyrics of most rap songs today, over time they will become more prone to certain thoughts. As Morrison stated, “In experiments on over 500 college students. . . It was found that subjects experienced an increase in aggressive thoughts after listening to songs with violent lyrics. Those subjected to the bad music were more likely to attach hostile meanings to words deemed violence-neutral by researchers” (Morrison). Over time, words that are not intended to provoke evil thoughts suddenly take on new meanings. Travis L. Dixon, who studies Communications at the University of ...... at the center of the article ......>.Dixon, Travis L., TaKeshia Brooks. “Rap Music and Rap Audiences: Controversial Topics, Psychological Effects, and Political Resistance.” Perspectives. April 7, 2009. .McWhorter, John. “Rap music harms the black community.” Popular culture. Ed. John Woodward. Farmington Hills, MI: Thompson Gale, 2005. 53-59.Morrison, Brent. “Violent rap lyrics can encourage violent behavior.” Popular culture. Ed. John Woodward, Farmington Hills, MI: Thompson Gale, 2005. 138-140. Richardson, Jeanita W., Kim A. Scott. “Rap Music and Its Violent Offspring: The American Culture of Violence in Context.” The Journal of Negro Education 71.3 (2002): 175 – 192. Senate Committee on the Judiciary. “Violence in the media causes youth violence.” Mass media. Ed. William Dudley. Farmington Hills, MI: Thompson Gale, 2005. 121-130.