I was introduced to hip-hop very early in my life through the various adults in my life, and through these different people I have been able to create my own meaning of what hip-hop means to me. From my father I have seen how hip-hop reinforces hypermasculine values in a drastic way. The type… Continue reading →

In episodes 8 and 9 we see how Mylene’s disco career is growing immensely, but with this growth she is being controlled more and more by men from the studio and her father. Mylene has no control over her career, and this is shown explicitly in episode 8 before and after her performance in the… Continue reading →

  In episodes four and five we see how Mylene and Ezekiel both are hustling to make their separate dreams become a reality, in order to escape the poverty and trauma that they experience in the Bronx. Through hip hop Mylene, Ezekiel, and their friends are all trying to escape the traumas of the Bronx… Continue reading →

“Still, as a feminst, I could hardly ignore that my reaction differed frastically from many of my feminist counterparts.”  “Not that there aren’t black women out there actively seeking agendas of empowerment- be it personal or otherwise- but let’s face it, sistas ain’t exactly checkin’ for the f-word.”  Hip Hop feminism can be recieved in… Continue reading →

  “Similarly masculinity and gender are social constructs. Definitions of manhood, womanhood, and the proper way to be a man or woman are contested, challenged, and changed overtime and across cultures and geogrpahies” (McFarland 160).  Since, I do listen to hip-hop I am very aware of the dominance of heterosexual hypermasculine males figures. I remember… Continue reading →

The last section of the Hip-Hop section about space and place really challenged the way I think about Hip-Hop and pop culture.    Normally hip-hop is not the forefront of my conversations when it comes to race, gender, and sexuality. But hip-hop should be in those types of conversations more often because of the larger… Continue reading →