Lyric and Their Effects Over the past few years rap has changed from what it used to lyrically wise. When hip-hop and rap was just coming to be the lyrics that were about coming up in the hood, the struggles of their life, and gang life. But in the recent years there has been a lot more controversy with the lyrics that are being said in the newer songs that are being produced. In 2005 Three 6 Mafia’s song “It’s Hard Out Here For a Pimp” won an Academy Award for best original song in a feature film for the movie Hustle and Flow. This song was performed at the Oscars and it had provoked a storm of criticism for glorifying the exploitation of women (Weitzer, 2009). That’s the way the game goes, gotta keep it strictly pimpin’, Gotta have my hustle tight, makin’ change of these women. You …show more content…
A few years earlier, rapper Eminem won a Grammy for his 2001 album, The Marshall Mathers LP. This album had lyrics that contained extreme hostility and violence toward women. And in retaliation women’s groups promptly condemned the award. A few years later Essence, an African American women’s magazine launched a campaign in 2005. This campaign was against sexism in rap music, the magazine lamented the deception of Black women in rap and solicited feedback from readers on ways to challenge it (Weitzer, 2009). There is even some shaming that happens when these lyrics come about in songs. The lyrics paint a wrongful picture in the minds of the listeners mind. And for the younger generations makes it harder for them to see the wrongs and rights of what they are listening to and then how to act in their everyday lives. The common issue with popular hip-hop and rap is that the themes many young people identify with in the lyrics have currently become part of Black identity (Speer,
In the article “ From Fly to Bitches and Hoes” by Joan Morgan, she often speaks about the positive and negative ideas associated with hip-hop music. Black men display their manhood with full on violence, crime, hidden guilt, and secret escapes through drugs and alcohol. Joan Morgan’s article views the root causes of the advantage of misogyny in rap music lyrics. In the beginning of the incitement her desires shift to focus on from rap culture condemnation to a deeper analysis of the root causes. She shows the hidden causes of unpleasant sexism in rap music and argues that we need to look deeper into understanding misogyny. I agree with Joan Morgan with the stance that black men show their emotions in a different way that is seen a different perspective.
In Adam Bradley’s “Rap poetry 101” he shows us how rap is more than just songs being sung, it is poetry; it is something that has an empowering ability to make the familiar unfamiliar.In this chapter Bradley creates a new viewpoint too rap. Bradley shows us how rap and poetry has become a very similar piece of art that should be further appreciated. In the chapter poetry 101 Bradley describes how rap is a form of public art, and how rappers have become our greatest public poets. The importance of rap as poetry is shown throughout Bradley's book as well as the evidence behind the reasons rap is poetry.
This song was written in 1996, evidence that objectification of women is not a new problem. In these few lines Tupac call the girl he raps about in these lyrics a gold
Hip-Hop became characterized by an aggressive tone marked by graphic descriptions of the harshness and diversity of inner-city life. Primarily a medium of popular entertainment, hip-hop also conveys the more serious voices of youth in the black community. Though the approaches of rappers became more varied in the latter half of the 1980s, message hip-hop remained a viable form for addressing the problems faced by the black community and means to solve those problems. The voices of "message" hip...
When looking at the landscape of Hip-Hop among African Americans, from the spawn of gangsta rap in the mid 1980s to current day, masculinity and an idea of hardness is central to their image and performance. Stereotypical to Black masculinity, the idea of a strong Black male - one who keeps it real, and is defiant to the point of violence - is prevalent in the genre. This resistant, or even compensatory masculinity, encompasses: the hyper masculinity rife in the Western world, misogyny, and homophobia, all noticeable in their lyrics, which is in part a result of their containment within the Black community. The link of masculinity and rap music was established due to this containment, early innovators remaking public spaces in their segregated neighbourhoods. A notion of authentic masculinity arose from the resistant nature of the genre, but the move to the mainstream in the 90s created a contradiction to their very image - resistance. Ultimately, this in part led to the construction of the masculinity defined earlier, one that prides itself on its authenticity. I’ll be exploring how gender is constructed and performed in Hip Hop, beginning with a historical framework, with the caveat of showing that differing masculine identities in the genre, including artists
Oswald, Janelle. “Is Rap Turning Girls into Ho’s?” The Black Book: A Custom Publication. 3rd ed. Ed. Sam Pierstorff. Modesto: Quercus Review Press, 2012. 171-175.
Marshall Bruce Mathers a.k.a. Eminem. Born October 17, 1972, grew up in Kansas City. From there he began his career as an individual white rapper. Not many white people are able to succeed in the rap industry, but Eminem has proved everyone wrong. He is now one of the most talked about persons on the earth. His lyrics offend some people, this sparks controversy and censorship. His lyrics containing things such as drugs, alcohol, death, homosexuals, sex and suicide. In some of his songs he includes lyrical slander towards bands like NSYNC, Christina Aguilera, Backstreet Boys, Brittney Spears and Puff Daddy. He views these bands as manufactured and as he calls them “faggots”. In one of his songs called “Marshall Mathers” he says “Boy girl groups make me sick, and I cant wait until I catch all you faggots in public, I’m a love it.” Most of the songs off his records he is bad mouthing homosexuals. This creates a ruckus in the media because the gay and lesbian parties protest outside of his concerts and award shows. These groups want Eminem to be either banned, have his records changed or a heavy censorship on his records. In response to these claims Eminem said “I am who I am, I don’t compromise my stuff for nobody.” That’s the way he is and that’...
A race issue that occurs within the rap and hip-hop musical genre is the racial stereotypes associated with the musical form. According to Brandt, and Viki rap music and hip- hop music are known for fomenting crime violence, and the continuing formation of negative perceptions revolving around the African-American race (p.362). Many individuals believe that rap and hip-hop music and the culture that forms it is the particular reason for the degradation of the African-American community and the stereotypes that surround that specific ethnic group. An example is a two thousand and seven song produced by artist Nas entitled the N-word. The particular title of the song sparked major debates within not only the African-American community thus the Caucasian communities as well. Debates included topics such as the significance and worth of freedom of speech compared with the need to take a stand against messages that denigrate African-Americans. This specific label turned into an outrage and came to the point where conservative white individuals stood in front of the record label expressing their feelings. These individuals made a point that it is because artists like Nas that there is an increase in gang and street violence within communities. Rap and hip-hop music only depicts a simple-minded image of black men as sex crazed, criminals, or “gangsters”. As said above, community concerns have arisen over time over the use of the N-word, or the fact that many rappers vocalize about white superiority and privilege. Of course rap music did not develop these specific stereotypes, however these stereotypes are being used; and quite successfully in rap and hip-hop which spreads them and keeps the idea that people of color are lazy, all crimin...
Rap is about giving voice to a black community otherwise underrepresented, if not silent, in the mass media. It has always been and remains … directly connected to the streets from which it came. (144)
The most popular new music to emerge from the ‘80’s was rap music. It first developed in the mid ‘70’s in New York City, and soon in other urban areas, primarily amongst African-American teen-agers. It became very popular with the urban public that it soon began to spread throughout the United States and much of the world. It replaced rock music as the creative force in music of the ‘80’s and ‘90’s. However, as popular as it was then and it is now, the lyrics of many rap songs have caused controversy. Many believe and have charged that these lyrics promote racism and violence and show contempt for women.
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.
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.
Hip hop has always involved vulgarity. But artists now don’t care about the language they use. A typical song now can contain 5-10 bad words throughout the whole song and it is viewed as “okay”. They don’t care for who is listening as long as they make money off of it. Even if it’s all
Dixon, Travis L., TaKeshia Brooks. “Rap Music and Rap Audiences: Controversial Themes, Psychological Effects and Political Resistance.” Perspectives. 7 April 2009. .
Ford, VaNatta S. "Color blocked: a rhetorical analysis of colorism and its impact on rap lyrics in hip hop music from 2005 to 2010."Journal of Pan African Studies 5.1 (2012): 270. Academic OneFile. Web. 18 May 2014.