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Hip Hop’s Portrayal of Women
Loading ...The impression of Hip Hop and urban America on culture and consumers, worldwide, are undeniable and far-reaching. Musicians and performers are capitalizing on their persona in a number of ways from soft drinks, rims, grills, cell phones and clothing lines- just to name a few. Music videos changed the entire face of profit and revenue in the music industry, particularly within rap and hip hop. Many feel that some of these featured portrayals and images glorify violence, drug abuse and distribution, provide unrealistic values of life and especially demean and objectify women.
I haven’t watched television since last Christmas so I’m not totally up to speed on the newest videos. But I’m sure that not too much has changed regarding scenarios of some hip hop and rap videos.
Scenario 1: Guy pulls up to the club in an expensive car…. walks into the club without paying…Guy spots a beautiful Girl (who has more tracks than the horses at the Kentucky Derby and a backside that defies gravity and and the laws of physics… Guy buys Girl a drink- Cristal maybe… she’s instantly enamored… Guy takes Girl back to his hotel room (along with several of her equally attractive girlfriends)…. they all perform deviant sexual acts… End scene.
Scenario 2: Guy lives in the projects/ghetto… wakes up…hustles on the corner… runs into an altercation with rival street hustlers… maybe runs from the police… hides from the police and gets away.
Scenario 3: Guy is driving down the street in a neighborhood in Anytown, USA… Guy sees Girl… Girl was doing nothing at all except walking down the street… Girl seems to have had nothing and been broke before meeting Guy… Once they get together… she has everything and lays around the house like a pseudo-Geisha girl awaiting his return from “work”.
Women are also capitalizing on the consumer’s demand for sex appeal, concupiscent personas, and explicit lyrics. Of course, formulas of success are like homemade gumbo. Everyone claims that theirs is the best, but only a small handful actually succeed in getting it right and satiate the palates of many. There has to be some level of talent as some artists who merely shuck and jive often times lack staying power.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m am not a “hater”, I appreciate and respect women who are voluptuous as it took years for women with our figures, hair textures and skin colors to be seen as beautiful. Women who have curves are now in front of the camera starring as “Girl #1” as well as featured background dancers. Some of these featured women command thousands of dollars per video. Such can be empowering as it may provide unlimited exposure that can throttle modeling and/or acting careers. At all levels, this is an entertainment business and everyone is learning to profit off of themselves and their image within this formula.
Sometimes I wonder if I think about things too harshly, explicate and pull them apart only to arrive at a handful of rhetorical questions. A few years ago when I was unemployed, outside of submitting résumés and applying to every type of job that I could find, I watched a lot of television. Initially, the videos that I viewed were seemingly entertaining but something changed as the day turned to evening and I was still flipping back and forth from MTV to BET. I noticed that the top 10-20 videos shared the same formula. It was usually the same pattern of a song having a nice beat along with a catchy hook and then some jiggling usually by a woman dressed in a tiny outfit or clothes tighter than a turnicate. After an hour or so of the videos, I felt desensitized and grew tired of the scenes.
Sometimes it seems as if Hip Hop, in general, is reverting back to some sort of minstrelsy. During the times of slavery, slaves were slicked down with animal fat so as to accentuate their bodies and features. Moreover, slaves were put on display blocks, ridiculed, sold and forced into labor- no more than chattel being sold to the highest bidder. At times, I wonder if we are pushing ourselves back to the center of Congo Square for all to see our vulnerabilities and profit from our sexual organs and bodies. Some videos aim to appreciate a woman’s -particularly a Black woman’s – physique, but showing women in thongs, undulating in headstands seems far from respecting women. Magazines such as XXL and The Source feature women who resemble those in videos but after a while, can too much titillation prove detrimental to the minds of youths and those who can’t differentiate between fact and fiction? Does it imply that women are objects who are constantly on display and should thus be measured by their ample backsides, tight stomachs and warm thighs?
We must all take responsibility for our actions and perceptions rather than falling prey to being cogs in a wheel of consumerism. The topics of sexuality, intercourse and sexual attraction are nothing new. Emotion, love, courtship and admiration have been replaced or “upstaged” by a stripper’s pole, Bentleys, a glittery thong and a sweet and hypnotic baseline. Long gone are the days of baking and simmering friendship, love and maybe marriage. We’ve entered the age of microwaves, instant gratification, multiple sexual conquests and friendships with benefits.
It’s undeniable that such a formula has staying power because as demeaning as it can be, it generates millions and millions of dollars. All parties involved are willing to participate and profit from their role within this formula. I don’t know too many people who aren’t familiar with UnCut or who haven’t sat through the entire show and can hum a few misogynistic tunes from it (including myself). Truth is, as parents and as a community, we have to monitor and filter what our children view on a daily basis. Televisions aren’t role models or babysitters. Little boys must learn that expressing emotions, having meaningful relationships and respecting women isn’t emasculating. Little girls must learn that there’s nothing terrible about using one’s mind instead of body to succeed in life.
So where does it end and how do we get a handle on things? It’s certainly impossible to boycott the entire music industry, particularly rap and hip hop. It’s not all bad. A number of artists sidestep the monotony of negative sexual images, instead focusing on positive and uplifting messages. The bottom line is sex sells and over-stimulation continues to sell. It’s important to question that which is placed in front of us and reiterate that there is a difference between fact and fiction. As long as there is such a desire to purchase these materials, the product will never go away. If there’s something that one disagrees with be it the content of a song or images portrayed, one can tune out, turn off the television and find something else to do or just change the channel. Let it be known that the degradation of society is being televised.
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