The psychology of hip hop presents another perspective of understanding life. Hip hop psychology utilizes music, lyrics, movement and positive imagery from hip hop culture to help those affected by mental stress from living in toxic environments. People that identify with hip hop believe in peace, unity, love, community and fun as tools to restore the mind, family and neighborhood.
A neuroscientist and psychologist have collaborated to create Hip Hop Psyche. Hip hop music is rich with mental health reference related to addiction, psychosis, conduct disorder, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder and so on, as well as multiple environmental risk factors (e.g., urbanicity, poor nutrition, destructive parental influences resulting in childhood maltreatment in the absence of positive role models) and predisposing genetic and epigenetic risk factors.
Hip hop artists use their skills and talents not only to describe the world they see, but also as a means of breaking free. There is often a message of hope in amongst the lyrics, describing the place where they want to be.
