The New Black Of Music

The Hip Hop music industry is infamous for being controversial. In the article Hip Hop’s Betrayal of Black Women there’s a debate on whether the exploitation and constant verbal slander of women should be acceptable just because it sales records. It presents the question that why is it that male poverty breeds sexism? Even though women may have lived in the same environment males still see women as the enemy in their music in an effort to sell records.

Her clothes accentuate her cleavage or have a sexual shock factor, such as wearing “sequined pasties…[that] coordinate with the rest of her attire”. The vulgar, sexual nature of her raps makes it impossible for her to not receive attention from the media. Another artist, Eve, dresses sexually to accentuate her body and appears in videos with music video models but raps about social issues like domestic violence. By comparing the nature of these artists and their music, Perry tries to show that young girls have very few role models in hip hop that promote positive feminists values and body images. But, she neglects to discuss other feminist artists she mentions in the essay such as Destiny’s Child and Mary J. Blige and how their lyrics and actions in the media allow young black girls to have positive role models that show a woman can be independent, strong, and beautiful in their own way. Perry’s focus on the more sexualized female artists in hip hop and how their shocking appearance and lyrics allow them to be as successful as their male counterparts took away from the development of her argument about conservative artists and their success. By leading the reader to believe that artists are either overly-sexual or conservative, Perry limits how the reader forms an opinion on why or why not young girls’ body image may be threatened by the media and the hip hop

In Joan Morgan’s “From Fly-Girls to Bitches and Hos,” her feminist point of view addresses the problem of degradation and sexism in rap and hip-hop music. Through this passage, Morgan looks at the deeper meaning and connects rap and hip-hop music with the African American community. Between the beats, the lyrics of this specific genre of music show listeners various situations the African American community deals with, like crime, drugs, alcohol, relationships, and their day-to-day life in America. With Morgan’s feminist criticism, she states that the blame is not only on rap and hip-hop artists, but also other women because they should be speaking out against being called “bitches” and “hos”. Through the rhetorical strategies of description,

The misogynistic treatment of women in commercialized rap has become a widespread phenomenon which as a result has become commonly accepted by majority of the individuals in society. Rappers, in general, nowadays use women in their videos in a way which is both derogatory and exploiting. Black men in today’s society, especially in the entertainment industry, do not see women as their equals; rather they objectify them as being nothing more than sex objects. People in the Hip Hop industry do not believe that sexism and misogyny is as big of a deal as racism, thus they push this issue to the side by simply ignoring it and learning to accept it. This misogynistic portrayal of women is ruining the image if Hip Hop as both an industry and a form of expressive art. However, instead of taking action against this atrocity, many women simply believe that the images of women and their portrayal in rap videos does not represent nor refer to them as an individual and the type of woman they truly are. By being silent these women are allowing themselves to be victimized by the men of not only the Hip Hop industry but also general society. By not having a say in this matter of the false classification and portrayal of women, they are voluntarily allowing men to do whatever they please to do so, in any given time and with any approach they feel is necessary. They do not

In the essay, “Hip-Hop’s Betrayal Of Black Women”(221), by Jennifer McLune, she vents her feelings regarding hip-hop songs that are rhythmically diminishing the value of black women. She provides example on how the lyrics are being voiced and how hip-hop artists do not seem to care. Kevin Powell in “Notes of a Hip Hop Head” writes, “Indeed, like rock and roll, hip-hop sometimes makes you think we men don’t like women much at all, except to objectify them as trophy pieces or, as contemporary vernacular mandates, as baby mommas, chicken heads, or bitches” (221). There have been apologizes for what the rappers have said but nothing to resolve the dehumanization of black women. McLune informs the readers that hip-hop singers belittle black women and make them invisible. Jay-Z, a popular hip-hop artist is brought to center stage by McLune. The essay shows the example of a part of Jay-Z song that says, “I pimp hard on a trick, look Fuck if your leg broke bitch hop on your good foot” (222). This lyric is a perfect example of how hip-hop artist have no remorse in the words they sing. The hurt feelings and loss of self-esteem black women suffer, is of no concern to the rappers. McLune expresses that those who are underground hip-hop artist follow the footsteps on being sexist and using crude words in their lyrics just because they yearn and dream of being in the spotlight. Upcoming rappers want to be loved like Jay-Z and other famous notorious rappers.

Hip-hop appeals to an entire generation making it an important form of communication. In addition, Hip-hop can promote cultural awareness and the values of different people including genders. Many hip-hop artists promote their message through angry sounding music and lyrics. Latifah sends a unique message in hip-hop by promoting self-respect and dignity to women. Furthermore, Latifah’s song “U.N.I.T.Y” is free verse poetry that speaks out against the social injustice of violence towards women making it an important message in a time when violence and hatred seem acceptable.

“…the appropriation of hip-hop cultural forms suggest not that whites want a black identity: rather, they want characteristics of blackness.” (Perry 2002, 109). This is quote by Pamela Perry, a sociologist as University of California Santa Cruz, from her book Shades of White:White Kids and Racial Identities in High School. Pamela Perry is a sociologist from University of California, Santa Cruz, throughout her book she touches on the idea of white children developing a sort of identity crisis depending on their environment. This quote helps put the appropriation of African American culture in its simplest terms. In most cases people associate Hip Hop culture with African Americans. With that being said, many artist of different genres who attempt to have a more hip hop vibe, fall subject to appropriating African American Culture. Various artist have been appropriating culture in several different ways whether it’s through dance, sound, or even image.

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 fact that the Hip-Hop movement is often equated with something negative such as anti-black images, drugs, violence, and sex definitely detracts from the power of the movement. It strips the power the movement gains from its noble ambitions – the heart of the movement. But unless the public understands there is a difference between what the media portrays the Hip-Hop movement as and what the movement actually stands for, nothing will change. No progress will be made. Suzy Hansen argues that "some black activists complain that the media marginalizes the good things about hip-hop, choosing to focus on the often misogynistic lyrics, flashy and

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.

In the essay from “ From Fly Girls to Bitches and Ho's" by Joan Morgan. Morgan writes of the qualities of hip-hop music and rap artists she appreciates such as its impactable , mesmerizing , powerful , strong and beautiful if used the correct way. She often says how it makes women feel degraded , it's not a great feeling to have when you think of it this way. In the essay “ From Fly Girls to Bitches and Ho's" that “Its music that that repeatedly reduces me to tits and ass” . Joan Morgan is after all a feminist but a female rapper . This makes her question what she's even supporting in a way.

Artist and Chicago native, Chance the Rapper, stated to Huffington Post,” Colorism and racism doesn’t stop when you’re a musician or when you have wealth or when you’re in any given position, Kendrick [Lamar] going home Grammy-less [in 2014, when nominated in 7 categories] was an awesome moment for people to recognize that it plagues us regardless of talent or skill.” No matter the time or the talent racism seems to continually play a role in the music industry. Chance the Rapper is just one example of many artist speaking out against the problem. The racism experienced today is different from what was seen in the past. Instead of being kept from preforming at certain venues like Marian Anderson, artists of color are not receiving recognition or the amount of success deserved.

• Conversely, Female rapper Queen Latifah influenced the Hip-hop rap scene by bringing a feminist conscious. Her rap song U.N.I.T.Y is solely based on challenging the slurs thrown at women in hip-hop, ‘who you calling a bitch’ (QueenLatifah, 2009) in her music video Latifah demands for respect and flags up domestic violence amongst the black community. She gives examples of how women are constantly devalued and insulted on daily basis; she also makes it her duty to comfort women in similar situations. By labelling her song ‘U.N.I.T.Y.’ it creates a sense of solidarity amongst black women. • Some scholars have argues that rappers tend to use misogynistic lyrics to eulogize themselves while humiliating females.

The Hip Hop is basically a cultural movement that originated in the Suburbs of cities. It was began to evolve in 1970 and in particular by the Americans who of African descent (American Africans) . Rap is a type of singing. It combines the performance of different rap utter words without committing to a particular tune, and rhythm. Rap began in Kingston, Jamaica City at the end of the sixties as a kind new musical was derived from dancehall. It has spread in the United States at the beginning of the seventies in the Bronx. Since the hip-hop appeared in New York in the early seventies. This phenomenon has grown to include all ways of life and living, that for a number of compact and well-established factors such as: Ethnic minority, technology, art, the street 's life and slums. Often these trading music and singing folk poets and street youth who suffer from oppression, troubled physical and social conditions such as poverty, unemployment, addiction, or who the rigors of life led them to engage in the world of gangs and the drug trade. That does not put hip-hop within narrow limits of poverty, drugs and crime and delinquency framework. Perhaps one of the most important reasons which made the music of hip-hop spread at the Arab streets is a domination of American culture through cinema and the media. There is a permanent tendency among Arab youth to mimic any kind of American cultures especially because it promoted with the utmost intelligence, skill and craft in addition

Hip Hop in the most popular genre of music between all African American communities, not just in America, but worldwide. Hip Hop has expanded itself into music, fashion, advertisement, movies, and it’s given many rappers, and those associated with the genre, the chance to influence their communities, societies and their culture in general, but commercial Hip Hop in the U.S. has branded Hip Hop in a negative way. (The Young and The Hip-Hop, Hip Hop Culture Center in Harlem, 2012, Web, Oct. 27, 2014) This is all due to the negative imagery and negative lyrics like the term nigga, negative implications of Hip Hop include exploiting black adolescent girls, promoting unhealthy lifestyles, and implying that the open use of the word nigga is not harmful. Hip Hop has become a global phenomenon where it has evolved from a genre of music to a lifestyle for the African American community.