Rap Music Synthesis Essay

The prevalent issue of female objectification and sexualization in the music industry, as showcased by ongoing historical ideologies regarding gender roles and people of color, misogynistic portrayals, and sexually explicit lyrics, continues their constant sexualization, and hinders feminist efforts towards equality. The sexualization of women and people of color within the music industry today contains deeply rooted ideologies traceable to the origins of the United States and its extensive history of discrimination. Within the “capitalist patriarchal system based on the principles of White supremacy, elitism, racism, and sexism” that shapes modern America and continues to permeate collective beliefs, it has inevitably penetrated the music

Within the genre of rap music, African American women tend to be reduced to objects used simply for sex and mistreatment, if not presented as burdensome or deceitful (Adams & Fuller, 2006). Ranging from music videos of men surrounded by scantily clad women of color to the referral of women as “hoes” or “bitches”, the music industry casts women in a sexualized light that ties their worth only to the acts they perform for men. An analysis conducted by Hunter and Soto reveals that rap music simplifies women into one of two categories: the “video hoe” who serves to sexually pleasure men, and the loyal sidekick who is praised for their willingness to stay and die for their man in the face of troubles or abuse (Hunter & Soto, 2009). While the latter may not be as sexually degrading, the approval of women who sacrifice themselves for men serves as a testament to the permeating effects of the patriarchy, illustrating a clear inequity in gender relations. Essentially, in the field of rap, it is uncommon for women to be portrayed in roles that do not fit either category. The reasons behind this phenomenon, however, are complicated. Due to the United States’ extensive history of racism, it was nearly impossible for black citizens to even be accepted by most. Thus, the only representation of black women that was

In their study analyzing the role of women in hip-hop and popular music, Hobson and Bartlow identified that a considerable amount of the principles of modern feminism equate to the hypersexuality granted by sexual liberation (Hobson & Bartlow, 2008). In other words, the birth of the female sexual revolution arising from their desire to take back their identities and change the rhetoric has led to the emergence of “the sexual entrepreneur” (White, 2013). Female singers who identify with this philosophy often encourage sexual freedom in their lyrics as an attempt to recuperate the male-dominated society, endorsing sex as a form of self expression, individual fulfillment, and identity creator. Consequently, some may cultivate an image of themselves that fits the very stereotype that confined women of color in the first place. Trapped in a society that only recognizes black women when they are “synonymous with accessibility, availability, and [sexual deviance],” some female artists choose to sustain these racial stereotypes simply because there is little choice. In a world where success in the music industry is often linked to the exploitation of women and people of color, sexualized stereotypes can often become self