Rhythm and Lyrics of Rap Music Do Not Change Narcissistic Personality State

Abstract

Rap music often projects antisocial ideals that may influence personality state. This study sought to discover if exposure to the lyrics of rap music influence narcissistic personality state as measured by the 16-item Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI-16). Participants (n=112) recruited from a small college in the southeastern United States took the NPI-16 before and after listening to rap music in one of three lyrical conditions: French, antisocial English and prosocial English. Changes in scores on the NPI-16 before and after listening showed no significant difference among three lyrical conditions using a repeated measures ANOVA, suggesting that the lyrical content of a song did not influence a person's likelihood of exhibiting narcissistic traits. The findings of this study call the results of previous literature into question, implying that the ill effects associated with listening to rap music are derived from other musical elements or psychosocial influences that should be further explored.