Hommel_AB Midterm

Cameron Hommel

Dr. Pabon

WOM220-01

3/14/2018

Annotated Bibliography for Hip-Hop Feminism Wikipedia Page

Krohn, Franklin B., and Frances L. Suazo. “Contermpory Urban Music: Controversial Messages in Hip-Hop and Rap Lyrics.” ETC: A Review of General Semantics, vol. 52, no. 2, 1995, pp. 139–154. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/42577630.

This article aims to familiarize anyone who is unfamiliar with new forms of hip hop/rap that are viewed as controversial.  These new forms of hip hop/rap are a reflection of frustration in regards to poverty, drugs, violence, adulthood, absence of fathers, etc,.  Artists such as N.W.A are labeling themselves as the victim and they’re using music to express their struggles and frustrations among their culture.  In addition, these new forms of music are also demeaning towards women. This article exploits the negative qualities of rap music such as misogyny, drugs, and violence.  It also expresses how rappers need to be held accountable while parents should monitor what their children consume more closely.

Oware, Matthew. “Brotherly love: homosociality and black masculinity in gangsta rap music.” Journal of African American Studies, vol. 15, no. 1, 2011, p. 22+. Academic OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A361554397/AONE?u=nysl_se_sojotru&sid=AONE&xid=7efc733f.

How do you characterize gangsta rap music? It’s easy to define it by its masculinity.  Gangsta rap music features tons of sexist themes and lyrics. These sexist themes and lyrics represent a male dominated culture that also places a strong emphasis on misogyny and homophobia. This article analyzes the different sexist themes and lyrics used by male gangsta rappers who have sold one million or more units.  Among the rappers included are DMX, Outkast, 50 Cent, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Jay Z, etc,. In addition, the article covers a total of 478 songs.

Stephens, Vincent. “Pop Goes the Rapper: A Close Reading of Eminem’s Genderphobia.” Popular Music, vol. 24, no. 1, 2005, pp. 21–36. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3877592.

Is Eminem a genderphobe, homophobe, or both?  According to this article Eminem is characterized as both, however, it is more proper to label him as a genderphobe.  As opposed to sexual orientation, Eminem’s use of homophobic slurs is an example of his critique of gender behavior. This is a representation of misogyny in hip hop.  This article focuses on authenticity in hip hop in relation to gender. Also, the article emphasizes pop stars and their reliance of their personae which is used to persuade the public.  Such pop stars include Mariah Carey who uses music to address Eminem’s genderphobia and authenticity.

Summary:

For this assignment I wanted to focus on the topic of misogyny in hip hop.  Women in hip hop are often portrayed in a negative way. Men are taking advantage of the negative portrayal of women in hip hop and have no sympathy for it.  If men are taking advantage of this opportunity it questions the authenticity of their music. So is it real or is it fake? Whose story are they really telling?  It’s time to exploit this problem.

The first article Contemporary Urban Music: Controversial Messages in Hip-Hop and Rap Lyrics illustrates how lyrics represented by rappers share the same themes which focus on misogyny, drugs, and violence.  An example of misogyny in hip hop involves men referring to women as bitches or whores. Artists such as Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg have a long history of referring to these women as bitches or whores.  After all Dr. Dre originated from N.W.A. so that shouldn’t be surprising. Misogyny, drugs, and violence are all negative themes expressed in hip hop, however, before we begin to interpret the music we must have a general understanding that there is a reason behind these lyrics.  Until we have this understanding it will be difficult to understand the needs among these communities represented in its lyrics. In addition, it’s important that we monitor the youth and their consumption of negative themes in hip hop. After all, the closest way our youth can relate to rappers lies within the frame of a television.  The problem here is that society can’t distinguish the difference between fiction and reality. Take religious groups for example. They consider some of this music to be Satanic. So until we can distinguish right from wrong or fiction and reality, rappers must be held accountable for their music.

The second article Brotherly love: homosociality and black masculinity in gangsta rap music continues to emphasize on the intent of their music.  As I mentioned above we must take into consideration the reason behind their lyrics.  Since their lyrics are an expression of their sorrow, regret, or someone they’re mourning it is beneficial to them as many people can relate to their pain and struggles.  That leads to the issue of artists taking advantage of this opportunity. Meanwhile, they also understand that if they were emotional they may not receive the same support or results in regards to records sold.  If they’re emotional that takes away their masculinity.

The third article Pop Goes the Rapper: A Close Reading of Eminem’s Genderphobia really stood out to me.  Obviously Eminem is a popular name among hip hop culture.  He’s also a popular name that immediately comes to mind in regards to misogyny, genderphobia, violence, homophobia, and hostility in hip hop.  Eminem uses these themes to express his dislike among mainstream culture. In addition to the articles above, this article aims to find the meaning behind his lyrics.  Since he is from a poor economic background and demonstrates a hypermasculine behaviour, he could be labeled as real. However, this article questions his authenticity, something we should do more often in music.

So how can we exploit the issue of misogyny in hip hop?  At first we should question the authenticity of a rappers content.  Get a feel for their background and why they might use negative themes in their rhymes.  Also, pay attention to our youth. These rappers are very influential. If parents aren’t paying attention to the content that is being expressed then we have a serious problem.  After all parents are the ones paying for the music.