A Rhetorical Analysis Of A Black Woman

“If hip hop has any virtue in this regard, it is that it uncovers what the larger culture attempts to mask. The bitch-ho nexus in hip-hop is but the visible extension of mainstream society’s complicated, and often troubling, gender beliefs” – Michael Eric Dyson, Holler If You Hear Me, 2001
Chapter 7 of Gender Talk’s overall argument is Black musicians in Black music genres feel that in order to find success within the genre, they must sexually and morally exploit Black woman. This harmful rhetoric is similar to those found within Blaxploitation films, Black nationalism, and one we will take a closer look at, the Black Pimp Narrative. Before we examine how this rhetoric is damaging to the character of the Black woman within not only her community,

Much like the overall intent of the rap culture, which in the words of Michael Eric Dyson is “to reduce black female sexuality to its crudest, most stereotypical common denominator” (Cole and Guy-Sheftall 182). The denominator can be simply defined as a commodity. The bodies of Black Woman have been generalized and oversexualized so much that have become objects that can be purchased and abused until they aren’t worth purchasing again. This is shown in the case of Sarah Baartman. Baartman was not only taken from her homeland, but she was placed on display because of her bodily features. Once she was no longer able to garner a profit through “live entertainment”, she was sold and forgotten by her original capturers. The story of her body is much like the story of many black women in the hip hop world. Black female rappers and video vixens are just commodities who are only useful when they bodies are not only desirable for men, but also for profit. Violence and commodification go hand in hand. The violence performed against Black women by society, especially black men, is constructed to assert power over a less dominant party. That is why the misogynistic images and lyrics in rap are so impactful. With lyrics

The chapters states that hip hop is the stage for “contemporary gender battles” (183). The battle is not just comprised of black women in hip hop vs black men in hip hop because it has been proven that black, female musicians are also responsible for the reduction of black female sexuality. It is; however, a ________ of the tensions brewing from past aggressions between black woman and black men. The root of this aggression lies in the black man’s relationship to patriarchal ideologies. These ideas shape their idea of “manhood” and introduces power’s role in manhood. Black R&B singers and Black male rappers, especially, feel that the only way to exert their power or dominance in a field like the arts is to take the one oppressed character that no will defend, the black woman, and rip her “virtue” to shreds. “Hip Hop is more misogynist and disrespectful to Black girls and women than other popular music genres” (Cole and Guy-Sheftall 186). It is important; however, to note that as stated the misogyny is not just performed by men. Rappers like Lil Kim, Foxy Brown, Hoez with Attitude (HWA), and Bytches with Problem (BWP) also give a hypersexualized performance of black female sexuality that allows this detrimental rhetoric to permeate the minds of listeners and create an image of black women in society. This