It's in the Music

There are two sides to every story and human trafficking found in music is no exception. Today, many people's lives are centered around music due to its rhythmic beats and catchy lyrics. People identify themselves through the powerful message music can convey. Our moods can be effected by music and we play music based on our mood. Sadly, today, many people identify themselves with music that glorifies a life involving relationships with multiple women, cheating, and abuse. Although, I'm not trying to point out one genre of music, listen to a rap song, and observe the message we receive from these songs. Many other songs talk about trivial stuff that relates to our American culture: infatuation, alcohol, partying, getting rich or being lazy.


However, there are some songs that do talk about some serious issues such as human trafficking. In the song "Beautiful Slave" by Take No Glory, the purpose is to bring awareness to a corrupt craze that happens to so many around the world. Although statistics are given in the description of the video, the song portrays someone who is a victim of the industry, particularly sex trafficking among women and children. The audience experiences possible emotions of a young women, their thoughts and feelings. At the end, it gives a message of hope to all in spite of a grim reality for many.


Although I never heard the previous song before I began researching this topic, I'm sure everyone knows the artist known as Justin Bieber. Although many of his songs are about puppy love," Pray" tries to increase awareness of all the issues we face in this world. Although it doesn't specifically talk about human trafficking, it expresses that we should have concern for the unfortunate events around us.


I know a bunch of current music gets stuck in your head because of the catchy tunes or lyrics because it happens to me as well. However, I hope that we all try to enrich our musical experience by listening to meaningful songs that convey positive and crucial messages. We can learn quite a bit if we search for it.