“Masculinity for men of color is often performed and established through music or other artistic endeavors” (Mcfarland).

After discussing sexuality and gender in hip hop in more depth, it became very evident how they are used within the art. I noticed how in the hip hop world in relation to music that most heterosexual artists that identify as men will use women’s bodies as props within their videos and music in general. In the industry, black men seem to be more likely to do this. This irritates me because I have never been able to understand how someone is already oppressed would use their power to further oppress others.

In class we listened/ watched one of KemoTheBlaxican’s songs. It was really kind of gross to watch because there was, in my opinion, an unnecessary use of a woman and her body. Throughout the video it showed this woman and focused on her breasts, meanwhile the song did not correlate to such images. To me, the oversexualizing of this woman was done for clout, or street cred.  It was very evident that Kemo used this woman to emphasize his masculinity in such a toxic way. Obviously Kemo is not the only artist to portray women in this light, he is just a very impactful example.

I have always been aware of the gender power dynamic within hip hop because I am an active listener of rap and i love breakdancing. However, when we go more in depth and break apart the sexist practices it makes me look into why this is the case. It bothers me that many men feel as though they need to act as if women are objects to show off. I would definitely like to learn more about when oversexualization within hip hop started, but also research those who use their art to change the views of women in society.