So what is your opinion of the so-called misogyny in hip-hop?!
Question: Hip-hop is soooo under fire right now because of the so-called misogynistic lyrics, the use of the N-word, and the glorification of the "pimp".
They fail to realize that:
1 - This is art! No one censors porn and its far more obscene.
2 - The bytches rappers refer to are opportunistic groupies out for a fast fukk and a quick buck.
3 - Like many words in the Black culture, the N-word is a homonym and is used by rappers as a term of endearment in most cases.
4 - Pimp imagery in hip-hop is just symbolic of the underdog taking the lemons he/she was given, and making lemonade and living ghetto lavish.
WHERE DO YOU STAND???
Answers: Hip-hop is soooo under fire right now because of the so-called misogynistic lyrics, the use of the N-word, and the glorification of the "pimp".
They fail to realize that:
1 - This is art! No one censors porn and its far more obscene.
2 - The bytches rappers refer to are opportunistic groupies out for a fast fukk and a quick buck.
3 - Like many words in the Black culture, the N-word is a homonym and is used by rappers as a term of endearment in most cases.
4 - Pimp imagery in hip-hop is just symbolic of the underdog taking the lemons he/she was given, and making lemonade and living ghetto lavish.
WHERE DO YOU STAND???
first amendment- would I let my little kids listen to it? No, but they have the right to say what they want. If you don't like it, turn it off and take an interest in what your kids are getting into. I am personally not offended by the N word w/ an "a" @ the end but if it is "er" I'm not gonna be happy. I prefer unique rappers like Lupe Fiasco but even in some of his raps he uses that type of language. It's the evolution of rap. It started out just telling a story in unique poetry, evolved into new sounds and more refined lyrics, turned to gangsta rap in early/mid 90's, now it's kinda this is what I got and I'm gonna throw it in your face. I think if we give it a few more years, it will evolve. Some artists have already started to change their styles and @ least are trying to be somewhat unique. Look @ Jay-Z, he even talks about not puttin chrome on his cars b/c he's grown, and he just needs a crisp button up and jeans. Rap will evolve again, I think and hope, b/c it's not only misogynistic as you put it, but also monotonous.
i dont think the N word should ever be used as a term of endearment , thats ignorant
I am all for people being able to express myself. I am fully within my right NOT to purcahse any music that I find offensive or do not enjoy.
With THAT said, the biggest problem with the mainstream "hip/hop" culture is that it does nothing to enhance the worlds perception of us. We can say it doesn't matter. We can say that WE know that when they are referring to a bytch, that they don't mean US. It doesn't matter. There are places in the world young black women can not visit without people assuming they are like the video ho's they see on TV. You don't even have to go overseas to find people who feel this way. We can find it in our own community where young, impressionable children are being brainwashed with these images and think that that is the way that they should behave.
I guess my question would be, when are we going to start looking out for our own?
As far is the -N- word, it's a freedom of speech issue for me.. But I say that it is hypocritical to get upset at the little suburban white kid that say that word as part of lyrics that they hear in the song. You can't have it both ways.
1) You're right no one censors porn...but most people don't talk publicly about how it's something to be celebrated either
2) Too many hip-hop lyrics don't really show that dichotomy though...it's left vague...and THAT'S why people tend to feel much (not all) hip-hop is misogynist. For what it's worth, heavy metal doesn't (usually) have a very enlightened view of women either.
3) The "N word" is a word used solely as a putdown. I don't buy the argument that "taking it back" removes its stigma. Homosexuals saying "queer" doesn't make it an OK word either. If you still have trouble understanding why some are VERY uncomfortable with it, pick some other groups and an epithet used against them and try to picture MEMBERS of that group using it..or someone outside the group using it in a "friendly" way.
YAHOO: Please note..there is really no way to make this argument without using the offensive word. I'm not doing this just to put it out there but to illustrate the point.
4) Is it really "lavish" to succeed through either criminal behavior or GLORIFICATION of criminal behavior? Or is it more noteworthy to have the "high life" by virtue of your hard work say like "Famous" Wally Amos?
PLEASE NOTE: I am not some "hater" trying to dog rap music. I actually like many of the more "underground" rappers that avoid the gangsta/bit*h stereotypes (Blackalicious, Jurassic 5, Ugly Duckling, Lifesavas all come to mind...) but I feel the overall image of rap reflects badly on blacks in general and I'm not sure why any Black person would WANT those images to be projected to "Middle America".
I like how you put # 4, but some hiphop does demean women and gives women a bad name
For rap videos to be compared to porn is just admitting that these videos are too adult to be shown on regular TV stations.
I think if rappers want to use sex to sale records then the sexy videos should be shown on a video pay per view channel, and they should make the artistic videos for regular TV viewing.
I understand the whole "b!tch thing, but it bothers me to see young boys calling girls b!tch, and "my n!gga", and "homie".
I understand the reason why we use the "N" word, but it's getting to the point where other races think they can say it, and I refuse to accept white folks calling us the "N" word again.
And no matter how you look at it, Pimps degrade women, period.
The rap game is male oriented. What do males want?
Money, cars, bling, woman, and sex.
And they will create that phony vision in their videos just to stroke their own ego's with no care or respect for woman and children.
Not only that, but there's an abundance of young men who would rather sell and smoke weed, lay around the house, and dream about becoming a rapper, instead of getting a job, and getting an education.
If rappers were more educated, they would have more to rap about instead of sex, gangs, money, and drugs.
I am a big hip hop fan, and so are our children, just like we were fans when we were kids listening to hiphop.
Sorry so long
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Good question, even if I disagree with a lot of what you are saying.
I don't care who any rapper says they are "referring" to (even though that's just a huge cop out to claim its "just some" females), should that make it ok to disrespect a woman in such a demeaning way? No.
The N-word is a term of endearment in the black community....but look at the audience's at the concerts these people are performing....guaranteed the percentage of people there, lip syncing every single word, are not black. That's not to say they are wrong and Black people are right...its a horrible word with a horrible history...its not something the community should flip into a positive if anyone else says it and it pissed us off.....
Pimp imagery is symbolic and drug dealing is an actuality....is that what we use to symbolize ourselves? And then get angry when we are seen by other cultures as such?
Children today are sponges who soak up everything they hear. Yes, its the responsibility of the parent to make sure we pay attention to what's going into our kid's ears, but when did we, as a culture, lose our responsibility to one another? When did we lose so much respect for ourselves that our rise from an underdog to a top dog we can only think to symbolize with a pimp?
Now, that I've been on my little soapbox, I will concede that rap shouldn't be under as much fire as it is. Adults, including myself, contradict ourselves. I went through this long speech I just typed and can recite every single word from Pac's "I get around". The point is, this has been going on for a while. We didn't realize it in our youth. We embraced it just as much as younger kids today do and I think we lose credibility when we claim "Music isn't what it use to be"....because it is....we just have kids now and a deeper conscious.