To fully understand hip-hop culture, one MUST have knowledge of the history of African American history, culture &

music. Elements that make up the genre we know today as hip-hop have always been around before the it was officially established in the 1970's. Call & response in the chain gangs, be-bop genre, elements from funk music. James Brown was even called the Godfather of HipHop. Jamaican reggae and dancehall music also had an influence on hiphop with elements such as the sound systems used in dancehall parties in the islands

Not only is the issue of claiming masculinity problematic in the African American community, but it is also problematic in American society as a whole

In different societies and cultures across the world and throughout history, the emasculation of men from other men is supposedly equivalent to strength, power and masculinity This is where certain ideas such as leadership roles being geared towards men comes from We will soon understand how the patriarchy and even misogynistic issues within the American society have effected

For example, in the novel The Great Gatsby set in the 1920s, the protagonist Gatsby attempts to woo and impress Daisy by flaunting his material things because that supposedly makes him a man and makes him more desirable. Men are consciously and subconsciously taught through images and media that one must obtain wealth & power to be seen as successful

The issue of Black masculinity within hip-hop coincides with the history of American chattel slavery: During slavery, many Black men were raped, beaten, had to watch their wives, mothers, sisters and other female counterparts get raped, beaten and abused and they could do NOTHING about it.

Post-Civil War after slavery, the emasculating practices continued with the terrorization of Black men by groups such as the KKK who hung and castrated Black men. Grown men being referred to as boy and other things had a lot to do with the emasculation of Black men. This conditioning took 100s of years and was not only emasculating but also dehumanizing

The separation of Black families also has to do with this and also has a lot to do with the disproportion of Black fathers in

One must also understand the socio-economic and political issues of the 1960's & 1970s (Black Power Movement) when hip-hop was founded.
Also be conscious of the U.S.'s

Within the B.P.M., Black women were not allowed positions of power which is what eventually led to the 2nd Wave of Black Feminism.
Black women were also

history of patriarchy

excluded from mainstream White feminist groups during the era

The reasons Black women were not allowed equal positions of power were

1. Because of the patriarchal background of American society, women were not given positions of leadership 2. Black women would take the shine from Black men: In this

But Black women also have a history where they have been degraded as well and they wanted to be equal alongside Black men. If Black people were fighting for equality, shouldn't BOTH SEXES be equal in regards to leadership?

sense, one must once again consider the history of Black Americans and how slavery plays such a vital role: Black men have been emasculated and were unable to take care of their families, so events such as the B.P.M. was a chance where Black men could be MEN. 3. The idea of competition and battle of the sexes between Black men & Black women is still valid through this day and especially important when discussing hip-hop (Make note of this!)

The Crack Epidemic of the 1980s and the introduction of Gangsta Rap brought even more masculinity and testosterone to the hip-hop scene
money into their music

Some rappers and emcees were influenced to dress like neighborhood drug lords (ex. Freeway Ricky Ross & Azie Faison) and even incorporated the lifestyle of selling drugs and getting

This era was also when more record companies began getting involved in hip-hop

Repetition of lyrics in songs: The repeating themes of words and phrases such as I get money, I have so many bitches/hoes/women, basically bragging on ones wealth in terms of quantity is supposed to show wealth, power, and strength. Themes about selling drugs, going to jail, and being from the hood provide a tough and bad boy image Degradation of women to up their own self-esteem & self-importance Emasculation of other men in lyrics: Bragging about killing, bragging about taking another mans girlfriend Images include: Toting guns, being surrounded by women in music videos, throwing around money, showing off bottles of liquor The image of the thug, pimp, and gangsta supposedly shows strength and power to the point there is hypermasculinity All of these elements are products of misguided manhood

Through my own personal observation, I noticed many female hip-hop artists are left out of the picture when discussing the contributions of hip-hop. When doing research about the history of hip-hop, in many sources whether it is a film or a book, there is barely any mention of female contribution If you do not do thorough research you will never know that there were female djs, break dancers, producers and graffiti artists Recall from the previous slides about masculinity, leadership roles, and the B.P.M.

As an emcee in hip-hop, you are a leader, you have a voice and power with the language, poetry, and message and to many males in hip-hop culture, that wasnt suitable for females

Something I noticed from personal observation and research was that emcee and singer Lauryn Hill from the 90s group The Fugees seems to be one of the only female emcees widely presented when it comes to discussing women in hip-hop Other female emcees like MC Lyte and Queen Latifah also get praise as well as L. Boogie. What do these women all have in common in terms of lyrical content and image?

The issue with putting only ONE (or a few) female emcee(s) on a pedestal is that its hypocritical and unfair.
It reinforces the sexist ideals that a man can do what he wants, have sex with as many women as he wants, but a woman has to stay pure, positive, and ladylike and those values also apply to music! Of course and obviously, all women were not going for this!

When it comes to female emcees like Lil Kim, Foxy Brown, Lady of Rage, Remy Ma, Left Eye, Da Brat, etc. they are seen as negative towards some in the hip-hop community. The irony is that these same listeners who put down these female emcees for their raunchy, controversial, hardcore lyrics will praise male emcees like Big L, Jay-Z, Method Man, Biggie, Cypress Hill, AZ, Nas, Kanye West, etc who also have provocative lyrics.

What this does is subconsciously tell the listener or observer that its ok for males to degrade women, praise violence, drugs, sex and other controversial subjects as long as theyre LYRICAL and talented - let that sit in!

In my personal theory, I believe that there are some male hiphop artists who are intimidated by female hip-hop artists

This hypocrisy ties into the theme of Black masculinity, Black male leadership & the ideas/stereotypes surrounding what is acceptable from a woman along with the notion that men will be men In my personal opinion, Lauryn Hill is put on a pedestal because she a representation of performing the duty of a woman. She is the ideal woman to many & the poster child for females in hiphop

Keep in mind that competition is apart of hip-hop and it is also a maledominated music genre Not many males want a female to out-do them on a track because hiphop is about having power, and lets not forget the idea of the lack of power and leadership by Black males

The fact that she sings also has a lot to do with her praise. Her singing makes her more feminine versus other female emcees. Many hip-hop heads will acknowledge a female singer involved in hip-hop (ex. Mary J. Blige, Erykah Badu) before they acknowledge a female emcee She also didnt really have the tom-boy image nor the over-sexualized image. She doesnt rap with a hardcore flow or delivery Her lyrics and image is conscious, conservative, & lady-like. She is acceptable to the hip-hop community because she is positive and theres nothing wrong with that. (The hypocrisy is the issue)

On one side, hip-hop is about selfexpression. But at the same time, it has the power to be culturally damaging Although artists like Lil Kim, Foxy Brown, and more recent artists like Nicki Minaj and Lola Monroe are giving women a message to be comfortable and free with their sexuality, they are still somewhat encouraging the stereotypes of the over sexualized Black woman. In 1996 with their debut albums Ill Na Na & Hardcore, Foxy Brown & Lil Kim started the mainstream trend of sexy, hardcore spittin female emcees

Are Foxy Brown & Lil Kim Taking It Too Far? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awH xFlzLmVs

Although they had liberating songs, both were being seen under the male gaze (a term used in Feminism) and seen as sexual objects

During the late 19th century and the early 20th century, the images of Black people in America were controlled by racist White people in power Racial practices, archetypes, and stereotypical images such as blackface & minstrelsy, the Sambo, the Mammy, Sapphire, and the Jezebel were made in representation of African Americans Although these images are over a century old, the echo and influence of them remains in the media

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXL23sGtjlM

Whether the woman is a female rapper or a video vixen, the over-sexualization of (Black) women in hip-hop intensifies the Jezebel stereotype that Black women are promiscuous and desire sex all the time The womans body is objectified not for her own sexual satisfaction, but for the sexual satisfaction of a man

Nowadays, the over-sexualization is done voluntarily because that is the image that is exalted for women. In general there is much objectification of women in the media This is dehumanizing. It creates a woman into an object used for male sexual gratification. Your body is not yours, it is a eye candy for a male Is it truly sexual freedom and sexual liberation when living in a patriarchal society and in an industry where sexist and misogyny is affluent?

Thats where the idea SELLING SEX comes into play. How can you be liberating and FREEing yourself if youre SELLing yourself?

Usually regards the phrase REAL HIP-HOP & compliments more conscious & soulful hip-hop artists like Nas, Lupe Fiasco, Common, A Tribe Called Quest, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Dead Prez, Lauryn Hill, the Soulquarians, etc. Often defined as putting one type or sub-genre of hip-hop over another, praising certain artists over others Accepting lyrics with topics such as violence, sex, sexism, misogyny, drugs, etc. as long as the artist keeps it lyrical

Although H.H.E. does encourage keeping the essence of hiphop alive, it also sets boundaries and restriction on hip-hop as an art form

Example: Got Yourself A Gun- Nas

Reinforces the rules towards females in hip-hop (think back to the theme of sexism) Expounds regional differences (for example: Southern hip-hop being deemed as "party music & East Coast hip-hop, usually coming from New York, being the lyrical & more serious sub-genre of hip-hop) Ratchet/party music vs. lyrical music

There are barely any female emcees active on the mainstream scene No versatility in hip-hop verses hip-hop during the 1990s and early 2000s where every area in the U.S. had their own style/sound Absence of Black women in hip-hop music videos

When a lot of people comment about the issues surrounding hip-hop, it's usually towards mainstream hiphop. You seldom hear about sexism. even the more 'conscious', non-mainstream hip-hop has derogatory language and elements such as emasculation of Black men, disrespect towards (Black) women

It seems like the industry is trying to redefine an image of beauty: Lighter skinned, long hair, curly hair, curvaceous bodies and tight clothing Versus images of women in music videos in the 1990s and early 2000s, and those images were still problematic (video ho)

With consciousness comes responsibility. Putting sugar and a cherry on top of a problem doesn't make the situation any better, and that's why I find hip-hop to be stagnant in progression. If you truly love hip-hop and want to see the progression, you will challenge the issues going on with it Think about ways you can apply theory to practice. We often discuss these issues, and theres nothing wrong with that, but the most important thing is figuring out how to apply them to real life. Further Research: Dr. Joy DeGruy on Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome

Why do you think the issues of sexism in hip-hop are not spoken about? What are ways to fix these issues and be proactive about them? Nicki Minaj, Iggy Azealea, and Azealia Banks appear to be the only female rappers that are active right now. Many artists such as Da Brat have even acknowledged this. Why do you think the music industry has had a slow revival of female hip-hop artists? We can all agree that hip-hop is an art form and it is about selfexpression. Some artists feel like they are only representing themselves when they rap about songs (with subjects of sex, drugs, money, degrading women, and violence) and not their entire community/race. Do you agree with this thinking? Why or why not? In 2013, who do we hold accountable for the continuation of these issues within hip-hop? The record companies, the artists, or the fans? Why? Many hip-hop artists seem to be contradictory in their lyrics. For example, one of my favorite emcees, Nas, has the ability to rap about more mainstream subjects (violence, for example his song Ether) as well as more conscious issues. Even as an emcee myself, I have thought about this concern. What do you think about artists who rap about more positive subjects but also more negative ones? Are they being contradictory or is there a way