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Hip-Hop Culture and Contemporary Race Relations
Misogyny in hip hop music
Objectification of women in hip hop
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As anything connected with femininity becomes devalued, men who appear to relinquish their superior position in the gender order are also subject to ridicule” (2009). The homophobia found in gangsta rap also finds correlation in other spaces, including black institutions and the mainstream middle class, though N.W.A. and other hip hop acts are often the main targets in mainstream culture ("Gangsta Rap and American Culture,” p. 416, 2004). Because N.W.A. were main targets, their criticisms from the LGBT community would seem like a main conflict in Straight Outta Compton. But like the criticism faced by women on their misogynist lyrics, the issue again goes
Since Hip-hop music was created in 1973 by Clive Campbell it has been a field most dominated by men and not women. Hip-hop music has displayed not only memos of what it is like to live in certain areas, but also the individuality of men and women. Pamela Hollander composes an academic essay concerning female identity and how the character of women in music has altered from decade to decade in the Hip-hop atmosphere. The theme of women identity is prevalent throughout the essay and the associations Hollander makes her points evident through her analysis of intimacy, nurturing, love and spiritual growth in Hip-Hop songs.
In this essay, Hip Hop Stole My Black Boy by Kiese Laymon, is a story about two boys whose dreams was to become a hip hop artist. Even though their parents did not like the idea. Laymon, says that "But as hip hop moved from the boroughs to Compton in late 80's and early 90's, daring west coast soldiers, west coast sensibilities and west of us rappers seemed more in line with our reality" (Laymon 226). I think he was referring to the two boys, because they did not like the idea of living their home town and go to another city at first, but when they move from one city to another they did enjoy it after all. The word "Cipher" was mentioned several times in this essay.
Following its birth, hip-hop promoted important social and political causes. Hip-Hop artists utilize their lyrics and videos to convey messages to their audiences. It has become common today to dismiss the impacts women have made on the hip-hop culture. Nevertheless, men have not only used hip-hop to promote important causes but also females. Since it's beginning Queen Latifah has used hip hop to promote issues important to females to an audiences who do not traditionally view females as significant leaders.
I think that hip-hop has had a huge effect on pop culture today and it has become very hard for young people to stray away from it because it can be found everywhere in society. These artists are being looked at as icons now and that does not seem to be changing for a long time to come. The types of images that are accepted in hip-hop are the ones that make you look as tough as you possibly can be. If you display a soft side at all you are frowned upon by society so it is very important for these artists to keep their tough guy image on them at all
In the south region of the United States, Atlanta Georgia preferably, has been at the top of hip hop music production for the last decade. Several artists had used dance and dance instruction in combination with their lyrics to carry, and to have a concept of masculinities. Body movements works hand in hand with lyrics in the expression of masculinities, another commonly held misconception is that Black masculinity is a singular concept. Masculinities are communicated through hip-hop dance and are a non-verbal language.
Hip Hop is seen as something inspiring, but most people see it as a way to speak out the truth about a problem. As in “Hip Hop planet” being able say the truth can sometimes worsen any situation because sometimes what we say can promote violence and whatever happens after is not in our control. The essay is about how hip hop has changed into speaking out the issues that need to be taken care of in order to maintain a proper society. McBride talked about how rappers use violent lyrics to degrade women and gays and because of this it shows how the music has evolved into something entirely different that no one would have ever expected to have changed. In James McBride's essay “Hip Hop Planet,” he argues that hip hop has a negative influence on American Culture despite people thinking of it as inspirational and how people live through different experiences in life despite of your race.
As an outcome, many listeners of rap music, especially females, have characterised the whole genre as negative (Tyree and Jones 54). Within rap, it is mostly Black women that are targeted by misogynistic lyrics from Black male rappers. Taking a look at rap’s history, it is detectable that women were either ignored or portrayed as object of male pleasure (Rose qtd. in Tyree and Jones 54). For scholars, music critics, and rap listeners, it is obvious that there is a connection between misogyny and rap music.
In her essay “hip hop’s betrayal of black women,” Jennifer McLune implies that “(h)ip-hop owes its success to the ideology of women-hating” (193). She does not agree with Kevin Powell’s article that hip-hop does not mean to “offend” black women, but instead artists are only letting out their temper throughout their music. McLune feels infuriated that many artists in hip hop (including black men) rap about their community and downgrade their own women. In the hip-hop genre, sexism is mainly used, not only by black men but also by many other race hip-hop artists. Artists assume that women-hating in their rap songs will be accepted by women, but do not realize that it is affecting all women.
In black media today the hip hop culture is often referred to when defining what it means to be a black person in society. In particular the hip hop culture is where many young black men pull both positive and negative aspect of black masculinity. Many mainstream hip hop songs often create a common misogyny by objectifying and stereotyping women. An example of this can be heard in the song Nasty Girl by The Notorious B.I.G. where he states, “Conversate.
Hip Hop was the wildfire that started in the South Bronx and whose flames leapt up around the world crying out for change. James McBride’s Hip Hop Planet focuses on his personal interactions with the development of Hip Hop culture and his changing interpretations of the world wide movement. Many of his encounters and mentions in the text concern young black males and his writing follows an evolution in the representation of this specific social group. He initially portrays them as arrogant, poor, and uneducated but eventually develops their image to include the positive effects of their culture in an attempt to negate their historical misrepresentation.
¨If Hip Hop has the ability to corrupt minds, it also has the ability to uplift them.¨ Hip hop music, also called rap music, is a music genre developed in the United States by African Americans consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted. Mainstream hip hop culture is also filled with misogyny and negative images of women. These artists are unaware that sexism has been forced onto them through the brainwashing from the media, which is controlled by a patriarchal society. Conversely, feminism is the belief that both genders should have equal power.
Rap music emerged in the mid-1970s in New York City. Since then it has become very popular within the United States and around the world as well. At first majority of rap fans were Blacks or Latinos. Come the 1980s and artists like LL Cool J, Run DMC, Beasties Boys, etc. rap started to gain white adolescent fans.
If mainstream hip-hop has put manhood in a box, how has the music reinforced a limited view of what it means to be a woman? Should women feel free to dress like the women in Hip Hop music videos AND feel that they should be free of harassment?
Sexism in Rap Music Adams, T. M., & Fuller, D. B. (2006). The Words Have Changed but the Ideology Remains the Same: Misogynistic Lyrics in Rap Music. Journal of Black Studies, 36(6): 938-957. doi:10.1177/0021934704274072 The authors in the article The Words Have Changed but the Ideology Remains the Same: Misogynistic Lyrics in Rap Music examine the use of sexist ideas in gangster rap and indicate the connection between popular rap music and the greater cultural image of how black women in history of the United States have been discriminated.
