Misogyny in rap music

rdf:langString Misogyny in rap music

rdf:langString Misogyny in rap music refers to lyrics, videos, or other aspects of rap music that support, glorify, justify, or normalize the objectification, exploitation, or victimization of women. It is an ideology that portrays women as objects for men's ownership, use, or abuse. It diminishes women to expendable beings. It can range from innuendoes to stereotypical characterizations and defamations. Scholars have proposed various explanations for the presence of misogyny in rap music. Some have argued that rap artists use misogynistic lyrics and portrayals of women as a way to assert their masculinity or to demonstrate their authenticity as rappers. Others have suggested that rap music is a product of its environment, reflecting mainstream attitudes toward women, and that rap artists have internalized negative stereotypes about women. Still other academics have stressed economic considerations, arguing that rappers use misogyny to achieve commercial success. Content analyses have found that approximately 22% to 37% of rap lyrics contain some misogyny, depending on subgenre. Adams and Fuller state that there are six themes that are considered to be misogynistic rap: derogatory statements about women relative to sex; comments linking malicious actions against women, also in relation to sex; referencing women causing problems for men; the characterization of women as “users” of men; references to women being less than men and finally lyrics referencing ideas that women are usable and discardable beings. Detroit-based rapper Eminem, for example, used misogyny in eleven of the 14 songs on his third studio album The Marshall Mathers LP (2000). Common misogynistic themes include the use of derogatory names such as "bitch" and "ho(e)" (derived from whore), sexual objectification of women, legitimization of violence against women, distrust of women, the belittling of sex workers and glorification of pimping. Mia Moody-Ramirez writes that, "Most female artists define independence by mentioning elements of financial stability and sexuality. They denote that they are in control of their bodies and sexuality. Many male rappers pit the independent woman against the gold digger or rider narrative when they preach independence in their lyrics. Bynoe (2010) noted that in the hip-hop world, women are rarely the leader. Instead, they are usually depicted as riders, or women who are sexually and visually appealing and amenable to their mate's infidelities. Conversely, a gold digger uses her physical attributes to manipulate men and to take their money." Responses to misogyny in hip hop music have ranged from criticism by women's rights activists, student protests and organized campaigns to a 2007 congressional hearing. Female rap artists have used their music or started organizations to explicitly oppose hip hop misogyny, and have expressed resistance by using self-empowering lyrics and emphasizing their independence as women. Female rappers accounted for only 5 of the 90 misogynistic songs, as well as an additional 8 songs (out of the remaining 313) that did not have misogynistic lyrics. The scarcity of female artists shows just how male- dominated rap was during this time, especially at the platinum level". However, not all female rap artists resist misogynistic portrayals.