Back That Ass Up: A Discussion of Black Women in Rap
…You can put it in your mouth
I said your mothafuckin mouth
I said your mothafuckin mouth
And you could just eat me out
What do ya choose to lick?
You could eat me out
Pussy or dick?
Within the booming business that has become the rap world, certain musical themes and issues are more prevalent than most. In addition to such topics as drugs, alcohol and police brutality, a dominant theme within rap music is the denigration and derision of women. Indeed, as the above lyrics to Akinyele's song “Put It in your Mouth” illustrate, many male rappers use violent and misogynistic lyrics to create an image of women that is both degrading and disgusting. The graphic and shocking nature of this particular type of rap causes it to be widely publicized, and thus it serves as a definition of rap for a majority of people today. However, there are a number of female artists within the rap music genre spreading messages of female empowerment and respect, not denigration. These female artists, often ignored due to the hype surrounding their male counterparts, use their lyrics to create raps which focus on life as women; dealing with issues of love, power, and discrimination. The face of women in rap culture is both multi-faceted and contradictory.
The rap world has many different dynamics, including economics, racism, sexism, and violence. How do these relate to black female rappers? What is the role of the feminist rapper within rap culture? What is the message of black female rappers and how is that conveyed within their music? Why are women exploited, i.e. verbally demeaned and abused within rap songs; being turned into objects of sexual violence and denigratio...
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In his most recent album, Kanye West raps, “Now if I fuck this model/ And she just bleached her asshole/ And I get bleach on my T-shirt/ I 'mma feel like an asshole.” He suggests that it is the girl’s fault for getting bleach on his tee shirt, which she only did to make herself more sexually appealing. This misogyny in hip-hop culture is recognized to bring about problems. For instance, the women around these rappers believe they can only do well in life if they submit themselves to the men and allow themselves to be cared for in exchange for physical pleasure. In her essay, “From Fly-Girls to Bitches and Hoes”, Joan Morgan argues that the same rap music that dehumanizes women can be a powerful platform for gender equality if implemented correctly.
In The Venus Hip Hop and the Pink Ghetto, Imani Perry argues that the over-sexualized, unattainable bodies of black women in popular culture will lead to the breakdown of feminism and the positive body image of the everyday black women. As hip hop music continues to become more popular, the sexist messages presented in lyrics and music videos are becoming more common to the everyday public, including young black girls developing a self-image. Instead of these girls being exposed to healthy, positive role models who encourage individuality and that there is more to a woman than her body they are given hip hop video models whose only purpose is to look sensual on screen. The strong women that do exist in the hip hop genre are pushed to sexualize themselves or their lyrics to sell records or stay relatively unknown. Although Perry’s arguments are logical, I believe that she is creating a slippery slope of logic. A genre of music cannot destroy the self-image of black women that has existed for generations.
Charlie Pride did it in 1971. Darius Rucker did it in 2009. That’s it. Two black men, spanning thirty-eight years, are the only black artists to win a Country Music Association Award. With country music rooted in bluegrass and rhythm and blues, why aren’t there more black country music stars? When considering the roots of country music, and how closely related country is to blues, bluegrass and honky tonk music, an examination of what happened to all the black musicians seems warranted, no? This paper examines the dearth of black artists in country music and the careers of one of the few black artists who has had commercial success in this genre of music.
About 60 miles southeast of Albuquerque, New Mexico, on the east side of the Manzano Mountains is the Salinas Valley, home to many peoples and cultures for hundreds of years. As early as the 10th century, Mogollon and Ancestral Puebloan groups established pueblos in the valley that served as major centers of trade between the people of the Rio Grande region and the Plains Indian tribes. When Spanish exploration of the valley began in the late 16th century, the pueblos of Salinas became home to Spanish Franciscan missionaries and large mission churches. The Pueblo of Quarai contains the best preserved of these churches, Mission Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de Cuarac. Completed ca.1629, the mission would eventually serve as the ecclesiastical headquarters for the Spanish Inquisition in New Mexico until 1674, when droughts and repeated Apache raids caused the people there to leave, seeking refuge at other settlements.
According to Albert Murray, the African-American musical tradition is “fundamentally stoical yet affirmative in spirit” (Star 3). Through the medium of the blues, African-Americans expressed a resilience of spirit which refused to be crippled by either poverty or racism. It is through music that the energies and dexterities of black American life are sounded and expressed (39). For the black culture in this country, the music of Basie or Ellington expressed a “wideawake, forward-tending” rhythm that one can not only dance to but live by (Star 39).
One small act can change a person’s life forever. This should have a big effect on you because one kind act can change the attitude of a person in an instant. This effect could be good or it could be bad depending on your attitude towards them. If you do a good deed you will have the good and I like that person vibe and you could have them go from suicidal to making them feel like they are important and worth something in life. Or you could be a jerk about it and change their attitude and look on life forever into being rebellious and mean. Flannery O’Connor wrote the story The Life you save may be your Own the fate of the characters Mr. Shiflet saved his own life by leaving Lucynell in the diner; Mrs. Crater saved her own life by setting up Lucynell and Mr. Shiflet, and the title means you don’t always have to do the best thing for other people some time’s you do it for yourself.
Gail Hilson Woldu, author of “The Kaleidoscope of Writing on Hip Hop Studies,” emphasizes the importance of cultural theory, urban history, and black feminism in the study of Hip Hop and its influence over
The other reason for erosion can be that the accounting and auditing profession in particular needs to regain trust. People of America from last two decades have witnessed high profile scandals and in which the accountants and auditors have failed in their fiduciary responsibilities. The removal of self regulation in the auditing profession can serve as a wakeup call to all the leaders and professionals of all types.
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Women have consistently been perceived as second-class citizens. Even now, in times when a social conscience is present in most individuals, in an era where an atmosphere of gender equality 'supposedly' exists, it is blatantly apparent that the objectification and marginalization of women is still a major social issue. In reality, progression in terms of reducing female exploitation has been stagnant at best. Not only is the degradation of women a major problem that to date has not been eradicated, but it is actually being endorsed by some music celebrities. There are a growing number of people who purchase rap albums that support the fallacy that women are mere objects and should be treated as such. As the popularity of rap continues to climb at unprecedented rates, so too does its influence on the perception of women. In the vast majority of hip-hop songs, the depiction of women as sexual objects, the extreme violence directed towards them and the overall negative influence these lyrics have on the average adolescent's perception of women make rap the absolute epitome of female exploitation.
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Misogyny and degradation of women is present in almost every genre of music, yet the one genre that completely revolves around demeaning women is rap. Over the years rap and rap music videos have continually become more sexual and degrading towards women. Rap has been criticized numerous times for this reason, and that is because rap is one of the most popular genres of music for the younger generations. It is more than a genre of music, it is a complete industry filled with clothing and other merchandise. The reason this constant demeaning of women exists is because rap as a genre that rewards the objectification of women. The excuses used to justify the misogyny in rap are incomplete and lack accurate support. The most effective way for this continuous cycle ends, is if the fight and protest comes from the women themselves. Men are the problem in the objectification of women but in order for it to stop, women need to step up and take control of the situation.
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