Examples Of Materialism And Misogyny (Rap Rehab)

Music and society have always been closely related. For years now music has been apart of people’s everyday lives all around the world. Having so many different genres out there, it makes it easy to be appealing to so many different ethnic backgrounds. However, one type of genre in particular has seemed to grab the attention of a younger generation. Rap music has undoubtedly had its utmost impact on African American youth, since many of the performers themselves are African American. An overtly masculine culture dominates rap music and creates gender stereotypes that become abundantly popular to the youthful audience. Three constant themes that are found within the rap culture are encouragement of violence, the misogynistic representation of women, an extreme hatred of homophobia. Each theme plays a detrimental role in the process of defining black masculinity as well as shaping the values, morals, and beliefs that its younger audience adopts after tuning into this “gangster lifestyle”.

Even though, hip-hop is viewed as primarily of promoting negative message, however, it has reveled the pain behind the lyrics. “Hip hop music, had for over three and half decades, delivered a resounding message of freedom of expression, unity, peace, and protest against social injustices”. (Anderson & Jackson) As hip-hop continues to grow it has continued to remain a strong influential social impact. Hip-hop created a way for many individuals to express themselves on controversial issues seen throughout society.

In this article, the speaker must be an expert in politics, ethnicity and the music industry. There is a linkage between the above fields hence the speaker must have had a superlative background on these issues. The audience targeted by this literature were seemingly music enthusiasts to be educated on understanding what Hip-Hop entails and hoped to achieve this as it was established. The subject was Hip-Hop as a music genre that was largely developed by African American men to express their plight on injustice and oppression. The principal issue was how Hip-Hop has been used as a form of resistance and need for deliverance of the African Americans.

The article “ Hip-Hop Demeans women” written by Tricia Rose, talks about hip hop on sexism and women. She argues the changes of women’s position in the Hip Hop music which reflect it to the American black people’s culture. Rose breaks the total article into three sections, R.E.S.[.E.C.T-But Not the Kind Aretha Franklin Had in Mind, Explicit Isn’t Always Exploitative, “Free the Girl”:Hip Hop’s Betrayal of Black Women.

When you think Hip Hop what do you think? Do you automatically associate it with positive and uplifting words or more along the lines of degrading behavior? Most likely you think the latter of these two choices. The media depicts Hip Hop as such a negative thing when in reality it isn’t. It’s music constantly being blamed for violence and outrage within the community. Rappers themselves accused of being nothing more than ignorant “thugs” not only creating but supporting chaos when that is not the case. In Nasir Jones’ (a.k.a Nas) song “It ain’t hard to tell”, he uses a very selective word choice, tone and speaker to show there is more to a rapper than just the “thuggish or gangster” label they are given.

debated throughout society, but the genre’s complexity makes it difficult. For decades, the hip hop culture has grown into one that is heavily dominated by black people. With its flood into mainstream music, other races have taken the genre and have used it for their own purposes and pleasure. This has ultimately caused a shift in the way people of color and Caucasians interact with one another in this country, especially since privileged youth and seniors get to learn about minority hardships and struggles along with a catchy beat. Although this proves to be beneficial for American society, it has also caused

Hip hop and rap as a musical genre is a very controversial subject for nearly everyone. Its influences are powerful, both positive and negative. There are many positive influences of hip hop, and a few examples are the breaking down of cultural barriers, the economic impact, and political awareness of pressing and urgent issues. Though there are many positive influences, there are many negative influences as well. Some of the more heated debates of the negative influences of hip hop are that it glorifies violence, and the fact that the music sexualizes women and degrades them as well. Attached to the negative outlook on hip hop, there are also many stereotypes assumed by society towards this type of culture

Misogyny, violence, the sexulaization of women, and glorification of the ‘thug’ life has perpetrated through the good that hip hop was doing. In some instances, hip hop is seen as a kind of rebellion, equal to rock and roll in the 1950s. African Americans are viewed as weak if they do not follow the set standards hip hop has created. When you think of hip hop, you may picture the ‘bling’ that rappers wear or do rags; those are the types of standards that have been set. Social etiquette has also been put into place and it is harmful to african american youths.

Rap music has been around for around 40 years but became nationally popular in the 1990’s. As the music became more popular within the public, the lyrics of these songs became notorious for being vulgar, derogatory, and a bad influence on the listeners. The new sound consisted of heavier beats and a more intense sound than songs of earlier decades. These heavier beats and lyrics about alcohol, sex, drugs, violence and crime all were thought to be the cause of adolescent misconduct. Almost all of the music portrayed a lifestyle that was not wanted among most of the population, but definitely influenced

Hip-hop culture and culture’s misogyny can be traced back to the golden era of hip-hop. In hip-hop, culture terms for men created an image of a “big-man persona” such as “baller” “pimp” and derogatory phrases such as “bitch” “ho” became common phrases to distinguish women. The rapper persona was to have a macho attitude, extravagant living, and having multiple women beside them was the way to express the Hip-hop lifestyle (Layne 1). Artists such as N.W.A., one the few pioneers of 90’s gangsta rap has associated their music with misogyny. The song titled “A Bitch Iz A Bitch” in the album Straight Outta Compton revolutionize

Daily interactions or interactions that are not from media could be beneficial” (Binder, 1993). Rap music, on the other hand, does not sell as it used to because now individuals look more into their lifestyle; and what the artist portray themselves as. Hip-hop is on such an economic and cultural rise that it invites scrutiny from its critics since its popularity flourished throughout the nineties (Ogbar 1999). Rap in its early years build off the poor ghetto image but their delivery at the time was different. They were looking to build the African American community, not tear it down. “The small body of research on hip-hop focuses more on artists, lyrical content, and the history of hip-hop. Moreover, any social differences (gender, age, race, social class, etc.) in fans that could be correlated with influence are generally overlooked” (Binder,

According to Kathleen Odenthal, author of the article,¨How Hip-Hop Music Has influenced American Culture and Society¨, ¨Hip Hop nevertheless marks a national movement heavy social and cultural significance in terms of its power to uplift an entire sector of the national community¨. When new rapper came up to the platform, rapper such as Tupac, the rap group NWA, Public Enemy, and more, made Hip Hop mainstream by talking about the money, the girls, and being famous, but they also talk about social issues like what is like living in the hood, dealing with everyday racism, but also keeping it real. This causes a change in American culture by television shows and fashion brands such as FUBU, Adidas, Reebok, becoming the new clothes of Hip Hop. There are more people joining the world of Hip Hop, becoming more diverse. Female rappers like Lil Kim, Missy Elliot, Lauryn Hill, and the rap group Salt n Peppa ruled the male-dominated music genre industry, even white rappers such as the Beastie Boys, Eminem, and Vanilla Ice joined in on the fun.

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.

Hip hop has permeated popular culture in an unprecedented fashion. Because of its crossover appeal, it is a great unifier of diverse populations. Although created by black youth on the streets, hip hop's influence has become well received by a number of different races in this country. A large number of the rap and hip hop audience is non-black. It has gone from the fringes, to the suburbs, and into the corporate boardrooms. Because it has become the fastest growing music genre in the U.S., companies and corporate giants have used its appeal to capitalize on it. Although critics of rap music and hip hop seem to be fixated on the messages of sex, violence, and harsh language, this genre offers a new paradigm of what can be (Lewis,

The genre of hip-hop began in a time of economic uncertainty. According to the article, “Historical Phenomena, Hip- Hop Culture and Rap Music”, this particular genre of music is “heavily influenced by the economically and socially oppressed ghettos.” The art of Hip-Hop is very culturally driven. It is a way for the artists to express themselves freely, in a musical way. It is said that hip-hop is claimed to be, “...The act of speaking poetically and rhythmically over the beat,” (Ide). Based on the article, hip-hop was developed in an area that was run by a “capitalist economic system and racist government officials.”(Ide). This is an explanation of how some artists speak as though they are being attacked because of their ethnic background, and only that. It is something that is truly important and present in their lives. Some rap artists speak about the way they often feel racially discriminated by society.