The Bright Side of Hip Hop
In many music videos, one can see the way in which women are displayed. Even in society, women are put down by men and seen as inferior to men. Many of these songs don't focus on changes the injustice of society. From rap, hip hop, and R&B, many artist rap about drugs and the display women half naked in their music videos. Even though most hip hop music is said to be about sex, drugs, racism and violence, there are many hip hop songs and raps that can have a positive impact on the person and that are used as a way to communicate a message. Many feminist rappers influence their audience by the lyrics and also according to their music video.
Above all, there was a point when women only played music at their house but we're not professionally
…show more content…
thought. “Music was viewed as feminine because it was given a greater emphasis in the school curricula of girls,” stated in the article, “Women in Music,” by Judith Tick and Judy Tsou. This quote shows how music was viewed as feminine but why is it that mostly men are the ones that make it big. “Although fewer in number women began to be accepted on the concert stage as virtuoso instrumentalist in the second half of the 19th century” stated later in the article. Women are starting to get recognized for their music and talent. Although it was not so true for African American women as stated in the quote, “For Black women, problems of racial discrimination began to resolved only after the war.” Thus, women struggled in the effort to put their music out there and becoming known for their music. A popular African American actress and rapper who promotes feminism is Queen Latifah. Latifah faces the issues of violence towards women. In 1995 she won a Grammy with her song, “UNITY.” In this song she raps about violence between relationships and the way in which women are treated. For example in this quote from the song “UNITY”(Latifah) states... “Bad days at work give you an attitude and you erupt and take it out on me but that's about enough.” These lyrics from the song demonstrate how many men violently abuse women and take out their anger on them. Even though it's not the woman's fault, they still receive the consequences. Throughout the music video, you can see how men underestimate women and feel like they are in control of them. Toward the end of the music video and the song, Queen Latifah focused more on woman actually standing up and defending themselves. In the quote presented above, the last part of the quote which is, “...but that's about enough” illustrates how Queen Latifah is trying to motivate women to stand up for themselves and defend themselves from the man that is hurting them and to end the violence between families. In her other single, “Ladies First”, she uses rap to express female strength and to promote her feminist message.
She also faces racism towards African Americans. In the book, “Ladies First”: Queen Latifah’s Afrocentric Feminist Music Video by Robin Robert, “...explores issues raised by feminist rap, that is, rap that focuses on promoting women's importance, that demands equal treatment for women, and that demonstrates the need for women to support each other(245).” This book shows how rap is used by many women to express their concerns and issues. In other words, this means that women are trying to express themselves and their beliefs in how a women should be treated through the form of rap. Due to the characteristics of rap, women are able to promote their message regarding feminism. The song, “Ladies First” by Queen Latifah, is about the importance of women and how they are not inferior to men nor superior, but equal. For instance in “Ladies First”(Latifah), it states... “when I get there,that's when I tax the next man, or the next woman it doesn't make a difference, keep the competition coming.” This means that there is no difference in weather going against a man or a woman. They should be both treated equally instead of men thinking that they are superior to
women. “Ladies First” is worth studying (and teaching) because it raises(without resolving)issues of gender and race, and it refutes the prevailing notions of certain popular culture forms as inherently misogynistic and racist(Roberts. 248).” This quote from the book mentioned earlier in the essay practically states the purpose of this argument. There is music out there that instead of being racist and violent, it sends a message to the audience which makes them feel good about themselves. This also shows how there is a different type of rap that is motivational, reveals a message and is trying to end the racism and hate in society. Another feminist group is the Salt-N-Pepa. They were one of the first all-female rap group. This hip hop trio was formed in 1985. This group also incorporated feminism into their songs. In the article, “Popular music” by Charles Hamm says, “Female rappers such as Queen Latifah and Salt-N-Pepa positioned black women's concerns and perspectives prominently within popular culture and used rap as a form for debate about gender.” In other words, they faced the racism that is present in society by using rap. They wrote “explicitly feminist hip hop anthems.” Some feminist are viewed as aggressive but then other feminist are viewed as serious and intelligent. This attributes contradict each other as stated in the the article, “What is a Feminist? Evaluations and stereotypes in closed- and open-ended responses”, by Jean M.Twenge and Alyssa N. Zucker. In this article they perform a series of two studies in order to figure out the characteristics that are given to feminist. They noticed that the attributes given to feminist conflicted with each other. Another quote from the text states, “Overall, feminists were seen as politically liberal, more likely to be heterosexual than homosexual, more likely to be women than men, and more career oriented and assertive(592).” After all feminist are viewed more so in a positive way than a negative way. Going back to Queen Latifah and Salt-N-Pepa, both showed characteristics of feminism in their lyrics. They were assertive of which message they are trying to portray. Furthermore, there are many more women that contribute to the feminist movement. In which they are trying to end racism and violence to make the U.S a better place. This type of rap and rap singers found a way in which they can express themselves and get themselves heard by the people who are facing the struggles that they put forward in their lyrics. There was also a change in how African American women can now freely express themselves but still face some racial issues.
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.
She illuminates the hidden causes of the harsh sexism in rap music lyrics and argues that one needs to look deeper to understand why the misogyny exists and how women in her culture need to respond and also start taking responsibility for its existence in order for changes to begin to take place. In the article “ From Fly -Girls to Bitches and Hos “ the dysfunction of our black men is evident, but somehow it’s seen and admired manliness and success. For example the life of Notorious BIG was one of the rap kings that live a life of jail, sex , drugs and murder that “ the seeming impenetrable wall of sexism in rap music is really the complex mask of American often wear both to hide “ . Joan Morgan was vivid as to show the pain men must be feeling so badly that they had to use disrespectful slurs and hateful comment says their music lyrics. I agree with the fact that in today’s society the "bitches and hos" have become the norm. From my perspective that many guys often believe that is how all women act and that they are all pimps and
Queen Latifah grew up in a middle class of East Orange, New Jersey. Initially working with Ladies Fresh as a human beatbox she released her first solo single ' Wraith of My Madness' (Tommy Boy Records) in 1988. In 1989 she released her debut album All Hail the Queen. The album was only a minor success, but was described by Rolling Stone as having a profound impact on hip hop culture - partly due to the single 'Ladies First' in which she tried to counter the misogynistic lyric content of her
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.
Whiteness is a conceived ideology that has existed and been maintained since early history. This ideology has negatively influenced individuals of colour, causing them to receive many unfair benefits and disadvantages. In this essay, I will argue that the three most important overall features of whiteness are; that it is perceived as a normalized and dominant culture, that society considers white individuals as the most superior race and lastly that these individuals are easily granted countless of opportunities and privileges other races simply cannot have or afford. I will also show that through these features, whiteness essentially becomes a form of identity, shaping and maintaining the social institutions. Moreover, I have chosen these
In the documentary Dreamworlds 3, popular music videos are examined. The documentary includes multiple videos portraying women in little clothing, stripping, and dancing on other men or the main singer. There is nothing wrong with a woman controlling her sexuality and expressing herself however she chooses, but these videos create a different narrative. The documentary shows an attack on women in Central Park, NYC in 2000 who were sexually assaulted, dosed in water and stripped of their clothes. This imagery is shocking, but it has been seen time and time again in music videos. It isn’t hard to make a connection between the men’s actions in Central Park and the actions of the people in music videos. Women aren’t respected in the videos so it gives the impression that men don’t need to respect women in real
For example, when the documentary showed the band members and how they were symbolizing women. The band members had the woman against the wall with either no clothes or just undergarments on and throwing slices of meat at her. A lot of films and music portray this message that women are just a piece of meat and that they are only good for sexual experiences. Another example was Snoop Dog’s lyrics in his film, Diary of a Pimp, “you gotta break these hoes for Snoop” learning the lifestyle of a rapper and a pimp illustrating prostitution of women. Dreamworlds documentary also mentioned this when talking about the lives of women when a man is not present in their life. It illustrated scenes of sadness and loneliness. Women are not creatures who desire sex all the time and the purpose of the film was to teach us that how women are presented in music videos is not right. Women are more than just their bodies and do not need to continue to be objectified. Every media production should follow the Bechdel Test in communication of women and their actions. Women in music and films should not always be talking about men or living their life under the control of a man. Media acts as if women can’t be independent. If media continues to show women getting treating as objects and knowing that media influences society, then in society people will continue to think as if treating a woman as such is acceptable. Treating women as objects is not acceptable at all. However, what we see from media shows
Before, Beyoncé can be perceived as a feminist or not, first a person must ask and understand what a feminist is. Many people may have an image in their head of a feminist, as a reflection of the Miss America Protest of 1968; this was the second wave of feminism, where hundreds of liberal women protested against pageant and what it stood for (Napikoski, n.d.). “The second wave was increasingly theoretical, based on a fusion of neo-Marxism and psycho-analytical theory, and began to associate the subjugation of women with broader critiques of patriarchy, capita...
Since the explosion of music videos in 1981, a large portion of their popularity has been due to the objectification of women and their sexuality. “Early content analyses showed that anywhere from 40% to 75% of music videos contained sexual imagery”(Arnett, 2002). Hip-hop music videos especially have a reputation of degrading women. In these videos “women are often depicted in positions of submission to men” (Sommers-Flanagan, 1993).On the flip-side Country music videos are “known for [their] socially conservative themes”(Frisby & Aubrey, 2012).
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 and rap music are commonly criticized for its anti-feminist lyrics and degrading exploitation of women in music and music videos. (Sharpley-Whiting ) Many feminists have taken action against the music industry, which produces these messages in the music they release. However, in the hip-hop genre there are plenty of successful female rappers promoting feminist views, artist such as Queen Latifah and Mary J. Blige have made the choice to condemn the derogatory culture towards women. (Oliver, 382–384)
The effects of objectifying women in music videos are entirely negative. Women grow up with the idea that they should always seek to attain a men’s attention. Hip-hop music videos do not represent females as the human beings that they really are. This creates an inequality o...
Since its emergence in the South Bronx in the 1970’s, hip hop has spread to both urban and suburban communities throughout the world. Once an underground genre of music, it is seen in commercials, movies, television shows, etc. It has transformed from music and expanded into a full culture. It has even made its way into fashion and art. Men have always been on the front line of Hip Hop. However, the lyrics and images have changed tremendously. Lyrics and images that once spoke upon the injustices and empowerment for the African American people is now filled with money, cars, jewelry, and of course women.
Similarly to other industries, females are unequally represented within Hip Hop culture across the board. From the start, emcees were traditionally males, proving the struggle for a woman to pursue a career in Hip Hop difficult. In modern society, it seems the culture is obsessed more with how a woman is portrayed rather than if she is a talented artist. For advertising and recognition, it is almost imperative that a female artist wears tight, skimpy clothes and “give the audience a show” with provocative dancing and lyrics. For women, beauty is basically expected by society. Keyes might refer to most of today’s female artists as “fly girls” (2016). Salt N Pepa and TLC are prime examples of prominent female figures within Hip Hop culture that dressed in a way to attract attention. For these women, the outfits merely grab the attention of the audience so they can then focus on the message behind their lyrics. While women are already underrepresented in the field, they also have to work harder for the same success that male counterparts