Last class, when we started to watch “Beyond Beats and Rhymes,” a documentary about the effect of hip-hop on black image and culture, I was very interested in the idea of gender roles that the documentary brought up. A lot of the reason why hip-hop has been such a controversial genre of music is because, according to critics, it promotes violence and gives negative images toward women and homosexuals. What I found most interesting was Spelman College’s refusal to have Nelly at a charity event because of the negative stereotypes given to women in his video “Tip Drill.”
Although I enjoy some songs in this genre, I agree with the assertions that it is hypermasculine and promotes negative stereotypes about certain groups of people. However, at the same time, I feel like the culture portrayed by hip-hop music is actually quite similar to mainstream American culture, but on a more heightened level.
First of all, one of the criticisms about hip-hop is that it promotes violence. When writing their music, black men in hip-hop tend to talk about violence that they got into whenever someone else tested their masculinity and made them look like a “punk.” The documentary discusses the need for black men to act “hard,” and so they talk about memories of being in fights and being imprisoned. However, if you consider mainstream American culture, violence has been associated with masculinity in all aspects of entertainment. For instance, sports such as boxing and football, video games such as “Call of Duty,” and movies such as “James Bond” all promote this tough, masculine, violent image that hip-hop does.
Another controversy that the movie discussed was the role of women. Hip-hop videos almost always show women wearing little clothing, and many songs discuss how the writer got laid and was “pimpin’” (I’ve never seen that word with a “g”) at the club. However, many classic American movies, such as James Bond and Indiana Jones, depict a man who sleeps with numerous women, with every movie having a different one.
Finally, the issue of homosexuality. The documentary discussed how none of the popular hip-hop artists today are gay, and gays have trouble making an impact on the genre. In their songs, black men always have to assert their masculinity, and being called a “faggot” is the most offensive thing that they can be called. However, although not as blatant, discrimination against homosexuality exists in American culture. In this country, gay marriage is still illegal, and most romance movies involve straight couples.
Although I definitely agree that hip-hop promotes the hypermasculine image of black men more so than American culture as a whole does, I think that it is unfair to indict hip-hop music without indicting our mainstream culture as well. In order to solve the “problem” of hip-hop, the problem needs to be addressed in all of America first.
I agree with your assertion that hip-hop’s popularity is connected to the problems with American culture. Violent video games sell like crazy as do very physical sporting events such as boxing and football. However, I think it’s important to make a distinction between these types of events and the violence that accompanies many hip-hop artists. First off, I find the violence in hip-hop to be much more realistic than violence seen in sporting events or movies. There is no killing in football or boxing. And people are somewhat removed from the violence in movies and video games despite the increasing ties to reality. However, it’s much different when someone is rapping violent lyrics to you. You feel more of a connection to the story. You feel part of their journey and their life, which obviously will make you buy more of their albums. But, I think hip-hop in a way illustrates the victors of violence. These guys lived and conquered violent circumstances so now they get to brag about it. Does it make more young people want to engage in violent acts so they can “win” and brag about it like these rappers? Potentially.
ReplyDeleteI think the blame game for hip hop artists and rappers goes back farther than the beginning of the genre. African Americans have always been considered hyper-sexualized and hyper-masculine. When it came to examining slaves, the best workers were the ones with very muscular bodies, and an obsession arose with the masculinity of African American men. They were expected to be strong and durable through almost everything. I believe those ideas were carried on to the circumstances that started hip hop. Now it is so engrained in the industry that it is what consumers expect to hear. Since it sells so well, I do not expect a change in subject matter any time soon. As we saw in the film, the aspiring rappers rap about these kinds of things because it is what sells. As what 50 said: get rich or die trying.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Rachel, I feel like that is the reason why so many African-Americans are against hip-hop. Hip-hop will take stereotypes that have been assigned to blacks for centuries and perpetuate them through the lyrics of their songs. And since hip-hop music is a large part of the exposure that some whites get to black culture (I'm specifically of the kids in the documentary from Illinois), that is the only impressions that they get. Some labels about blacks still exist even now, and critics believe that hip-hop is part of the reason why these labels are still there.
ReplyDeleteI think that there are many issues with hip-hop that involve the politics of respectability. African-Americans have spent decades establishing equality within American systems and society, and in a sense it is all being thrown away by reinforcing the one stereotype they have tried to stop for years. This stigma of male violence has been attached to their race since before slavery,and it is the lyrics and words chosen within the songs that our supporting this dated stereotype. Many black males look up to MLK and Malcolm X and various black male civil rights leaders as role models. But I want to know what these hip-hop artists and this hip-hop culture think these leaders response would be to the words and violence they publicize.
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