Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Hip hop, Violence, Sexism
Is hip-hop just entertainment or is it more? I believe it is the latter. The thin line between entertainment and reality is becoming blurred. Hip-hop is no longer simple entertainment; it is the advertisement of a lifestyle. By airing these images, cable television channels like Black Entertainment Television (BET) have given hip-hop a grand stage to air its message.
Nothing has captured the attention of youth and young adults like hip-hop. Though it has plenty of entertainment value, hip-hop has defined the way many people, especially blacks, view society and themselves. The videos aired on BET contain lyrics and depictions of life that do mirror some of the everyday scenes in the inner city. However, they glorify the hedonistic nature of life by praising promiscuity and violence, in my opinion. Last year, BET aired the "BET Hip-Hop Awards" in which Piles, one of the rap artists nominated for the Rookie of the Year award, gained notoriety with lyrics from one of his hit songs, "Shawty". It goes a little something like this:
"If you done ripped her before you know how to cuff, lil' mama, you know she gotta be something cause I done beat her under … I exposed her to real and now she hate lame. Member she used to run from me now she like pain."
Loosely translated, the rapper speaks of his sexual exploits with a woman. However, it bears mentioning that the words used to describe his actions are words of violence such as "ripped," "beat" and "cuff." Lyrics such as these cast black people in the kind of light that encourages others to refer to black women as "nappy headed hos."
This is not a total indictment of hip-hop on my part, however. In my view, there are plenty of quality hip-hop artists out there. For example, Common, known for his uplifting lyrics, won a BET award for his CD "Finding Forever." Although Kanye West does tend to use explicit language, his songs actually say something more than the standard money, drugs and girls message.
It would be one thing if it all was just entertainment, but it isn't. The glorification of "thug" activity spills out of the videos and onto the streets. Homicide is the leading cause of death among black men aged 15 to 30, according to a source from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Two of hip-hop's biggest stars, Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., fell victim to that very fate.Recently, Atlanta rapper Clifford "T.I." Harris, who is a convicted felon and won a BET award for his album, "T.I. vs. T.I.P.," was arrested and faces felony charges for attempting to purchase machine guns. The correlation between his song lyrics and his real life drama demonstrate the kind of lifestyle that many wannabe thugs want to emulate.
Hip-hop has shaped the way black people view themselves and how other groups view blacks. Those who wouldn’t admit to this fact, who claim that hip hop is all just for entertainment and who are merely profit driven in the hip hop business, would tend to downplay the impact that association between hip hop and violence/sexism has on society, perhaps even arguing whether hip hop is in any degree violent or sexist at all. But we as educated and critically reflecting folks are not so naïve as to submit to this judgment.
Nothing has captured the attention of youth and young adults like hip-hop. Though it has plenty of entertainment value, hip-hop has defined the way many people, especially blacks, view society and themselves. The videos aired on BET contain lyrics and depictions of life that do mirror some of the everyday scenes in the inner city. However, they glorify the hedonistic nature of life by praising promiscuity and violence, in my opinion. Last year, BET aired the "BET Hip-Hop Awards" in which Piles, one of the rap artists nominated for the Rookie of the Year award, gained notoriety with lyrics from one of his hit songs, "Shawty". It goes a little something like this:
"If you done ripped her before you know how to cuff, lil' mama, you know she gotta be something cause I done beat her under … I exposed her to real and now she hate lame. Member she used to run from me now she like pain."
Loosely translated, the rapper speaks of his sexual exploits with a woman. However, it bears mentioning that the words used to describe his actions are words of violence such as "ripped," "beat" and "cuff." Lyrics such as these cast black people in the kind of light that encourages others to refer to black women as "nappy headed hos."
This is not a total indictment of hip-hop on my part, however. In my view, there are plenty of quality hip-hop artists out there. For example, Common, known for his uplifting lyrics, won a BET award for his CD "Finding Forever." Although Kanye West does tend to use explicit language, his songs actually say something more than the standard money, drugs and girls message.
It would be one thing if it all was just entertainment, but it isn't. The glorification of "thug" activity spills out of the videos and onto the streets. Homicide is the leading cause of death among black men aged 15 to 30, according to a source from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Two of hip-hop's biggest stars, Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., fell victim to that very fate.Recently, Atlanta rapper Clifford "T.I." Harris, who is a convicted felon and won a BET award for his album, "T.I. vs. T.I.P.," was arrested and faces felony charges for attempting to purchase machine guns. The correlation between his song lyrics and his real life drama demonstrate the kind of lifestyle that many wannabe thugs want to emulate.
Hip-hop has shaped the way black people view themselves and how other groups view blacks. Those who wouldn’t admit to this fact, who claim that hip hop is all just for entertainment and who are merely profit driven in the hip hop business, would tend to downplay the impact that association between hip hop and violence/sexism has on society, perhaps even arguing whether hip hop is in any degree violent or sexist at all. But we as educated and critically reflecting folks are not so naïve as to submit to this judgment.
# posted by Alan (Ming Kin) @ 1:43 AM 
Comments:
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Many of the stereotypes of black represent in hip-hop by black artists do not represent how many blacks view themselves.
Can we say that the dominant class has used hip-hop to incorporate such stereotypes in popular culture?
It becomes more powerful, when you see blacks in the media subscribing to these stereotypes, such as mentioned, rapper Clifford "T.I." Harris being arrested. As noted his lyrics coincide with his action of trying to purchase a machines gun.
Corporations do not only make profit from hip-hop culture, but their dominant role in society is being maintained as the OTHER is portrayed as the bad guys.
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Can we say that the dominant class has used hip-hop to incorporate such stereotypes in popular culture?
It becomes more powerful, when you see blacks in the media subscribing to these stereotypes, such as mentioned, rapper Clifford "T.I." Harris being arrested. As noted his lyrics coincide with his action of trying to purchase a machines gun.
Corporations do not only make profit from hip-hop culture, but their dominant role in society is being maintained as the OTHER is portrayed as the bad guys.
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