Gangsta Rap and Sexism

Gangsta Rap and Sexism

  • Submitted By: reenakapoor
  • Date Submitted: 04/14/2010 6:16 PM
  • Category: English
  • Words: 1125
  • Page: 5
  • Views: 2

Gangsta rap is a genre that reflects the harsh realities of the life in the ghettos. It portrays gang culture, violence, drugs, and especially sexism towards women. Gangsta rap glorifies sexism in their music; it utilizes misogyny, degrades and exploits women, depicts abuse toward them, specifically towards African American women, and also influences youth to act upon the same way.
Because of offensive rap lyrics, women suffer from negative stereotypes. One author claims, “rap usually has one or more of the following themes: (a) derogatory statements about women in relation to sex; (b) statements involving violent actions toward women particularly in relation to sex; (c) references of women causing “trouble” for men; (d) characterization of women as “users” of men (e) references of women being beneath men; (e) references of women as useable and discardable beings” (Adam and Fuller 940). This proves to be significant because the lyrics supply listeners with use of misogyny to domineer over women. The women are seen as mere objects, especially objects for sex or abuse and a burden to men.
Men have a fear of exposing their vulnerabilities, thus rappers constantly warn men to not fall for “gold-diggers,” which are women that trap them with responsibility and commitment by becoming pregnant. Some rappers note that men shouldn’t fall for sexy women who use sexual weaknesses. These images intimidate them, thus leading men to hunger for power over women (Skeggs 299-322). This shows that these men don’t have control over women, but are in fact insecure and fear a woman being superior.
Nevertheless, when we look at the bigger picture, musicians are enforced by a hierarchy to project these violent and sexist lyrics. C. DeLores Tucker, the head of the National Political Congress of Black Women, affirmed, “I asked the [CEO] of Time Warner, “do you know what you’re doing to our black boys?” looked him dead in the eyes and said, “you are destroying not just a generation,...

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