What do songs like Akon’s “smack that”, Lil’ Wayne’s “every girl” and 50 Cent’s “candy shop” all have in common? The answer is they all contain misogyny throughout their lyrics in a common genre of music labeled rap or hip-hop. When this music first developed, it was used as a different type of self-expression that people could relate to. It’s fast, upbeat, rhythmic lyrics soon began to hit the top charts and progressively, the music began to change from lyrics about struggles and hardships to ones emphasizing sex and demeaning portrayals of women. This once relatable genre of music has, in the past couple of generations, transformed into a way to degrade women, corrupt youth with sex, alcohol and violence, and provide men with a sense of superiority in relationships.
Think about the most recent songs you’ve heard on the radio. I’d bet any amount of money, a vast majority of those songs degrade women in some way. Whether it’s using a term like “bitch” or “slut” or simply portraying women as a sex symbol; scarcely covered and lacking intelligence, but always willing to please their man in the bedroom, these lyrics are constantly being heard on the radio, at clubs, and even on television. Everywhere you look and listen, women are constantly being portrayed as everything but a woman: sex symbols, prostitutes, strippers, brainless sluts, all whose only role is to obey their man. We see it so often that it becomes part of everyday life. It becomes what we begin think and what we feel. Tarshia Stanley, a teacher of images of women in the media says, "it's what you see 1,000 times. It begins to make inroads into your thought processes. It becomes life for (consumers) because they try to live out these things that they see and that they hear." (Thrash) Children and teenagers see what goes on in music videos and hear what occurs in songs and they want to do exactly what is being done. Alcohol, violence and sex is easily accessible through these lyrics and therefore, children and teenagers want to participate in these activities. Women start acting like sluts, which results in transmission of STDs and teenage pregnancy and men start acting violent thinking it’s okay to mistreat women, all because of what is heard in these lyrics.
There is no denying the fact that music is an influential part of our society, but it is not necessarily always a good influence. In a study done over the course of three years from 1996 until 1999 by a group of professors from Emory University, “girls who watched hours of music videos were more likely to have had sex, drink and use drugs than those who did not” (Thrash). Another study done a couple years ago found that people who watched rap videos “were more likely to binge drink, smoke weed, have sex with multiple partners and have a negative body image” (Thrash). I can’t sit here and say that rap music is the reason for this, that it is the only thing that caused these unsettling statistics, but it is more than definitely a factor. These rap videos delineate sex as a nonchalant activity that is done by everyone with more than one partner. It is portrayed as something with no meaning, something that is not a big deal at all and that all men and women are sex-driven maniacs. That is why more and more teenagers are engaging in it, which often times results in negative consequences that they don’t show in these videos, such as teenage pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. These songs with lyrics by men about sex and power also lead to the submissiveness of women in relationships. Women tend to become passive or submissive in terms of relationships because every day they see and hear songs about how men hold all the power. I’m not saying this type of music has to be eliminated and shunned from society and radio stations. The beat and the emotion can stay, but the hateful and demeaning lyrics about women must go, because it is significantly changing society, and not for the better.
Everyone knows the songs I’m talking about, with the music videos containing scantily clad women, usually on some type of stripper pole. Most of them are on the radio right now. And even though the explicit lyrics are usually censored out, most people still know what they are and are willing to sing along. Even women, the very subject that is being demeaned and violated through these lyrics, enjoy the songs, simply because of the fact that they don’t think that these songs don’t apply to them. They are not the specific subjects being sung about and therefore, many women feel as if they’re not being degraded at all, so they don’t take it personally. In reality, they should. By allowing this everyday occurrence of demeaning of women in popular songs, we, as a society, are condoning this to continue reoccurring. It’s a vicious cycle that needs to end. And the only way that is going to happen is if we stop listening to these songs, buying these albums and starring in these videos.
The main reason that this type of music is still in business is because people keep buying the records and downloading the songs. It is popular and therefore, it is going to continue being made. Another reason it is still on the market is because women are still more than willing to star in these videos, rolling around on the floor or grinding up against the male vocalist, portraying the exact stereotype that women have worked so hard to overcome. Music is an extremely influential part of our culture and society and it affects the way all types of people are viewed. By buying these albums, listening to these songs and starring in these videos, women are verifying that all of these portrayals about themselves are, in fact, true. As long as that continues, the music and degrading lyrics will as well. We need to stand up for ourselves and refuse to buy and listen to this type of music. Stephanie Alves, an eighteen-year-old girl who grew up immersed in the demeaning lyrics of rap music in a poor Boston neighborhood, is doing just that. She is taking a stand for all women and is taking measures to make sure this type of music is eliminated. Alves proposed an idea for a radio station, which is now up and running in Boston, whose goal is ““to promote an alternative, positive image of young American womanhood” (Guardian). This is done through playing a variety of different songs that are picked solely on lyrics that reflect women positively. After news of this radio station spread, women all around the world are fighting to get stations just like Alves’ in their own hometowns. Alves realizes that music has the potential to change society. It can make things “fashionable” and “the norm”, but not necessarily good things. Degrading women through rap lyrics has unfortunately become “the norm” and Alves is making an effort to ensure that the reoccurring cycle is broken.
This entire time I’ve spoken about men who sing about women negatively and whose videos delineate that same fact as well. But women rappers and hip-hop artists are not free of blame either. In Ciara’s new music video “ride”, she is scantily clad, singing about how she can “do it whenever or however you want” (you being the guy), while doing some pretty scandalous dance moves to verify her skills. It is appalling that women are voluntarily portraying themselves this way, because if women do it, then men think that it’s okay for them to do it. Women have to stop lowering their standards of themselves because then men will do it too.
The main message I’m trying to send here is that rap music, while some songs expressive and emotional, most are simply disgusting and degrading towards women. There is sexism, alcohol, violence, sex and drugs and children and teenagers are being exposed to this all at a very young age. While the main focus here is the demeaning of women, I don’t want to lose sight of the fact that there are many other negative consequences that lead back to rap music. All of this needs to end before it’s too late to change. Essence Magazine’s “Take Back The Music Campaign” is trying to do just that. And if you ask me, we all need to start seriously thinking about how we want to be portrayed in this society and about how the music we listen to affects how we think and feel. These lyrics about women need to be eliminated and things need to start changing so that women can be portrayed in a positive light again and hopefully, with that, gain equality.
Check out this documentary on women and rap music for future information. Hope you like it!
All right folks, that’s a rap. ☺
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