While rap is a form of music many people really like, it is also disliked by many. Rap is often disliked for profanity, drug and sexual references, and lack of traditional musical elements. While these are valid points, there are also many reasons why people like rap, and prefer it to other forms of music. The main reason for many people is that it often has a more powerful meaning than music, such as pop, that is mostly written for a catchy tune over a powerful message. One line in a song we read a while ago was, "The people at the label say they want something to repeat/ But all my people really want something for the streets."
I think another interesting thing about rap is how male-dominated it is. I actually wrote the first paragraph the day Linus and Jonah presented, but after that I was worried about posting it. I thought that my knowledge on rap was to shallow, and I may get judged for posting about rap. Although I still may get judged, a discussion we had in class earlier this week made me realize that rap is male dominated, and other people realize this too. It's just the way it has been, and probably will for a while. More female rappers are starting to become more popular, but I can say that on my phone I have 2 female rappers, while I have at least 10 male rappers. This could be partially due to my musical taste, or to the fact that most of the rap I listen to is because of my brother, but I think it is agreed that rap is male dominated.
I agree with you on the fact that rap is male dominated. Any thoughts on why that is? Mr. Mitchell mentioned in class that rapping/hip-hop appeals most to young males. Maybe this is because rap is a more "violent" type of music (for reasons you mentioned: profanity, drugs, death, etc.). Although, I don't see how this can explain for the lack of women rapping. Women do sing about darker subjects, like death, so I'm not entirely sure why they don't rap about it.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could give an answer as to why rap is male-dominated, but I don't really have one besides that our society is often male-dominated. I'm not trying to say that men rule the world and poor women and all that, but also the feminism movement is a very relevant thing right now for a reason. But anyway, I think sometimes rap songs have very powerful meanings, and definitely more than songs like "Shake it Off' or "Habits," but sometimes they really don't. "No Hands" by Waka Flocka Flame (probably one of my favorite songs) really only disrespects women and that is not a good message. The importance of this message is on about the same level as the other two songs I mentioned. Thinking about the difference between pop and rap can be confusing sometimes when some rap songs (because, really, what else would "No Hands" be classified as?) aren't really much different than pop songs. Obviously there is a difference, but what is it?
ReplyDeleteI feel that rap is male-dominated just from the background of where rap came from. In the course packet there's a section on graffiti and how there weren't a lot of female graffitists because of the culture and what graffiti was. It involved a lot of running around, it involved possibly getting into turf wars over art space, which is something that girls weren't seen as capable of doing. I feel that was very much the situation with rap. Rap battles could get ugly, male rappers might feel uncomfortable about having female rappers and things could get ugly. I just feel that the social context of the origin of rap has had a huge influence on the presence of female rappers.
ReplyDeleteI can't say I have a whole lot to add to this conversation since I also really question why rap is so male dominated... and I think there are a few legitimate reasons, but some unfair/sexist reasons as well. I agree with Dong Ha that a large reason for the male dominance is from the background of rap, but on the other hand I know that if I were interested in making rap myself, I would feel very nervous to do so since sooo many rap songs are focused on sex or include disrespectful lines about women. Nicki Minaj is one example of a female rapper, and if you listen to Anaconda, you can see that her topics for lyrics aren't very out of place in the rap world... yet I know if I wanted to rap, I would be rapping about other topics like maybe even school or friends while including a rap beat, and I don't think I could pull it off or it would be very well accepted. I guess what I'm trying to say is that although rap is male dominated because of its' background, it continues to be male dominated today from the topics that many songs convey, and females may not be able to relate or talk about the same things in general. Also, I really love the quote you started this post with, and I hadn't heard it before, so thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThere have been women rappers from the start--and my informal impression is that there was more gender diversity 20-25 years ago than today--but it is true that rap has been predominantly male. Women were always involved in hip-hop--as breakdancers, DJs, graffiti writers, and as audience members. The conventions that emerged in the 1990s, with clusters of anonymous, highly sexualized women appearing in videos as accessories to the male stars, sure didn't help make hip-hop seem a more welcoming place to an aspiring female rapper. And it's notable that Nicki Minaj, Azalea Banks, et al. seem to be tied to their own image as sexualized stars in order to succeed--a stark difference from the "b-girl" style of early female rappers like Salt-n-Pepa and Monie Love, or the "African royalty" style of Queen Latifah. One effect of mainstream success was that the popular image of a rapper was solidified as a certain kind of hypermasculinity, with women being relegated to the background as dancers or just props.
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