One
thing I found quite interesting was the discussion of the stereotypes that hip
hop music perpetuates and how it can reinforce the oppression and misogynistic view
of women as well as encourage toxic masculinity. The film, Hip Hop: Beyond
Beats and Rhymes, really focused on the ways rap lyrics are often about drugs,
guns, women, and proving your toughness. They require rappers to act ‘hard’ and
show off their street cred. If they don’t fit this hypermasculine image, then
they aren’t really as recognized in the hip hop world. When director Byron Hurt
would ask various rappers about how they felt about these stereotypes, they
often said that it is what sells and what songs have to be about if they want
to achieve any sort of commercial success. This shows that these standards have
been so cemented into hip hop culture that we often don’t even question them
and view them as normal. Even Kyle Fleck’s The Rise of Seattle Hip Hop hints at
some of these views in present-day rappers by describing the Moor Gang as a “group
of knuckleheads” with a “nihilistic sound” and “drug-numbed personas” (Fleck). In
addition to hypermasculinity, hip hop culture often presents women in an overly
sexual, derogatory way. Hip hop feminism, as discussed in The Stage Hip-Hop
Feminism Built, considers the “racist and misogynist practices they [women] experienced
daily” (Durham, 724) and how these views can be challenged. Hip hop feminism
looks for alternative narratives in hip hop history, giving women the credit
they often don’t receive, encourages a pro-sex view, and isn’t afraid to
confront contradictions in current history.
The first song I chose is FIGHT by Brockhampton. This
song directly deals with racism and what black boys are taught from a young age
as well as what black people’s place in society is expected to be. The song
starts with the lyrics “my male role models drug dealers and thugs / my father
learned how to solve problems with guns”. With its first lyrics, it already begins to talk about the issues
of toxic masculinity and about the stereotypes surrounding black people.
The second song I chose is BagBak by Vince Staples.
This song is kind of a protest song that again talks about the racism against
the black community and also touches on police brutality and the corruption in
the policing system with lyrics like “pray the police don’t come blow me down ‘cause
of my complexion”. It also talks about the underrepresentation of black people
with “we need Tamikas and Shaniquas in that Oval Office”, showing that black
people do not have an equal say and are instead thought of as perpetually part
of gangs and living in the ghettos.
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