In my African American Music class we’re discussing rap music, particularly “gansta rap.” As any other form of self-expression, this genre has allowed many men of color to reclaim their masculinity, and form a brotherhood of sorts. Often times, however, the empowerment of one group can come at the cost of another. Gangsta rap is often filled with misogyny and homophobia--leaving women of color, white women and the entire LGBTQ+ community exploited, oversexualized, ridiculed and oppressed. However, these themes are not at all exclusive to rap music. Any genre has sexist and hyper-masculine undertones that work to keep women and LGBTQ+ folks down. It is crucial to recognize that this is not just a, “rap problem.” Even further, it is important to understand why we have coined it as such. We must recognize that it is internalized racism that causes us to be quick to blame a predominantly and historically black industry and form of self-expression as the root of sexism and homophobia. Furthermore, according to a study conducted in 1991, 80% of hip-hop’s audience was white. White men, ages 18-24, comprise the largest demographic. This furthers the point that we focus so deeply on how “problematic” it is that many people of color create this music, rather than focusing on the fact that it is mostly white men who are receptive to it, and could be most easily be influenced by some of the more negative messages in the music. Again, it is because of internalized racism that we criticize people of color, and do not criticize the rape culture being perpetuated by all people. Everyone participating or feeding into oppressive culture should be held accountable.
In Brotherly Love: Homosociality and Black Masculinity in Gangsta Rap Music, professor and sociologist Matthew Oware acknowledges the obvious misogynistic and homophobic undertones in the genre, but chooses to focus on the less talked about upsides and positive results of this genre. Particularly it is a “brotherhood” that is formed between men of color in this form of music that he chooses to focus on. He writes that, “What has not been fully explored are the progressive ways that male rappers express themselves toward others considered comrades or ‘homies.’” (1). Community-building through music has not only been a way for people of color in the United States to build/create and maintain a sense of identity with others, but has also been a survival tactic. As we’ve read about in this class, the tightening of family units was a way for families of color to remain safe and ultimately gain social and economic success post-the Transatlantic Slave Trade. It is important to recognize what good has also been done by this genre of music, and why it continues to flourish.
Additionally, it is the white-run music industry that perpetrates harmful stereotypes about men of color, and sells them as overly-aggressive, violent and abusive toward women and LBGTQ+ people, allowing harmful stereotypes to flourish. Because rap is a popular genre, the industry can sell stereotypes that simultaneously work to make a lot of money and keep men of color portrayed a certain way. So rather than being quick to ride off rap music, (particularly gangsta-rap music) as oppressive, violent and problematic, we must recognize why it came to be, the many positive impacts it has had, who is actually listening to it, (and why we don’t criticize them), and how the same sexust and homophobic undertones exist in other types of music. That being said, it is still important to think about how music hinders women of color, white women and LGBTQ+ people in their fight for equity and justice.
It can be a hard balance to point out problematic pieces of culture while being careful not to stereotype people or let internalized preconceived notions cloud your judgement. What do y’all think?
Montford, Christina. "When It Comes to Rap Music, Are White Boys Really Doing All the Buying?" Atlanta Black Star. N.p., 06 Nov. 2014. Web. 16 Nov. 2017.
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Pledged: Annie Jaffee
Hi Annie! Thank you for writing on this. Conversation about intersectionality is far too infrequent in general, but particularly amongst men. To echo your sentiments, gangsta rap’s positive effect on black male self-expression, creative space, brotherhood, and empowerment does not outweigh its exclusion and exploitation of women and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Indeed, this is not simply a “rap problem”, though it is incredibly discomforting and disheartening to see some artistic work created by a marginalized community excluding and exploiting other marginalized communities. That being said, as you mentioned in your post, the majority of hip-hop’s audience is white men, and yet our cultural focus is solely on the men of color who create it. Though it is important to critique the implications of some early gangsta rap material, it cannot be done at the expense of understanding the difficulties faced by those who created it. As Alexis explored in one of her blog posts, “hurt people hurt other people”… why would men of color in the earliest stages of gangsta rap consistently take the time to be mindful of other marginalized communities when their against all odds brotherhood and artistic work are literally in response to others' refusal to apply that mindfulness to them?
ReplyDeleteHi, i really like this post because it explored a lot of the contradictions and complexities that exist within hip-hop and rap as a whole. Because they are inherently post-modern genres (borrowing and sampling the old to make something new), they do not necessarily have a meaning; as Hannah Rose mentioned, they are genres of circumstance and reflective of the communities that surround the artists. With that reading and because the genres are reflective of reality, it becomes clear that the marginalization of both women and LGBTQ+ people is a problem endemic to the communities that produced the music. As a society, America has historically marginalized these people, so that carries over in our music. Post-modern music, however, offers representation to these groups as well, and it is possible to see the voices of these marginalized groups beginning to proliferate throughout rap because its post-modern form allows the artist to bend old samples to new existence. They can take music that excluded them and make it part of their own voice, part of their own indictment of our societal failings.
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