I was a little hesitant when I first started thinking about this post. I first decided to take Gender and Sexuality in Hip Hop when I needed those extra credits to be a full-time student, but truly – that is not what genuinely caught my eye about this class. Recently, after I transferred to New Paltz from SUNY Albany last semester, I really started to find myself. I realized my hometown oppresses women, rather than celebrate them, and I was over that f*cked up bullsh*t. Thankfully my family dynamic is way different compared to more than 50% of the families in this town, but it is still pretty “bubbly”. Growing up in a small suburban town, where the grass was always green, Hip Hop was just a classified genre of music, that would be played at mansion house parties every Saturday night. Just for a bit of “Linzee-background-knowledge”, I rarely ever attended those parties, because I was A – never cool enough or B – never cool enough to be invited, but I am thankful I was never invited. Also, I think I am way cooler than those people now, even though their opinion might differ (not to sound bias, but if you knew my town – I think you would agree). I guess I can relate to space and place on some level too.
My music palette started to expand when I had an internship at a private glass museum in the city. My boss would mostly listen to hip hop, and would encourage me to listen to it as well. Because I try to have an open mind, I gave it a go. I realized I definitely vibe with hip hop music, and I started to actually engage in learning about hip hop artists since then. Now, I am in a class about Gender and Sexuality in Hip Hop and learning more every Tuesday and Friday, as well as on my own. I genuinely did not know what to expect at first from class, and I am delightfully surprised.
When I missed the first day of class, Professor Pabon informed me that the class watched Missy Elliot and Lizzo’s performances from the VMA’s – I was extremely jealous. I never realized how much I could identify, in my own individual way, with hip hop. Hip Hop is a culture at large, and I never realized how art, relationships, meanings, philosophies, and more could develop from what is known in the mainstream as a music genre. I am excited to learn more about hip hop history, and the whole environment behind and growing with it.
