Throughout the course of this semester I have learned a lot about Hip Hop and its effect on social issues that we all experience today. I chose ten quotes that resonated with me and represent issues that are going on in the world around me which I witness and experience. I chose quotes on the underrepresentation of black women and about the under representations of low income people of color in Hip Hop and our community. The first quote I chose was written by Joan Morgan. I believe that often times in feminist movements women of color are left unseen and underrepresented. I believe it is important that we shed light on the issues that black women face and how it differs from the struggles of a white woman. It is important to put an emphasis on the history of black women when we fight for women’s rights because without that there is no equity. Also I believe it is important to shed light on black beauty including hair textures and different skin complexions. I also chose a quote that speaks on how through media they seem to normalize violence and fear through Hip Hop which undermines how serious the issues are that are being discussed in this music, specifically gangster rap. I can connect to this because when I hear certain lyrics from raps that talk about issues of the hood, I know exactly what they are referring to since I am from a low income area also known as the ghetto. When I hear these songs I can resonate and can think of multiple times that I have witnessed these things. However, when I came to New Paltz, a predominantly white institution, I would hear white kids rap to these songs with so much excitement and passion without acknowledging how serious the lyrics are. Basically ignoring the purpose behind the song because they cannot relate to it. I chose the third from the article “Hip Hop is not responsible for Sexism” because women are constantly degraded through Hip Hop but i’ve always wondered if Hip Hop was apart of the issue of sexism. I myself am a fan of men in Hip Hop that have said sexist comments throughout their music. I questioned myself about it and believe that normalizing this content in music is also part of the problem. This also has a huge connection to masculinity. Men think that in order to look masculine through music they must degrade women and speak upon violence to be respected. Throughout this course I started to grow different perspectives on Hip Hop and feminism and I believe this quote is one of the things that I read that challenged me to further my thinking. I also chose quotes that spoke on the South Bronx. I chose these quotes because I am from Harlem, New York but lived in the Bronx for a few years of my life. I also went to high school in a very bad area in the Bronx and happen to spend a lot of time there. I have seen with my own eyes that the Bronx is extremely dirty, dangerous, and even with gentrification happening it is still a very low income area. People do not try to help these people instead push them out of their home. A Lot of people from New York City use Hip Hop as a way to escape the realities of their city. It is more than just entertainment for people like us. I have seen many of my male friends get into rap as a way to express all the hardships they have experienced in their life as a poor man of color from the bronx. They use their hardships to try and make their way to success and finally leave the Bronx but also give back. Yet we don’t always give these kids a chance we undermine the meaning behind gangster rap and the things that are said. Being that I see this and experience this first hand is the reason why I resonate with these quotes.
