Author's Note: Last week, I started a new series analyzing whether or not one could be a feminist while still loving rap music. Here is the second part.
An article that further explains the change that rap has not done when it comes to misogynistic lyrics is "The Words Have CHanged But The Ideology Remains The Same: Misogynistic Lyrics In Rap Music." The article was written by Terri Adams and Douglas Fuller. The two authors begin their article by explaining what misogyny is and how it relates to how men feel about women. I believe their definition of misogyny is very important. Their definition shows the different layers of misogyny and all the forms it can take. Fuller and Adams state,
"Misogyny in gangsta rap is the promotion, glamorization, support, humanization, justification or normalization of oppressive ideas about women. In this genre of rap music, women (specifically African American women) are reduced to mere objects - objects that are only good for sex and abuse and are ultimately a burden to men."
Fuller and Adams go on to say that rappers continuing to use misogyny in their music towards the women whom they address are not worth anything at all. They don’t deserve love, respect, or compassion.
In the middle section of the article, the authors bring in three different songs that have clear misogyny in them. The first song was N.W.A’s “She Swallowed It.” In the lyrics that were presented, the woman in used and abused sexually. It is suggested that women will perform degrading acts just for the laughs of men. Lastly, it is suggested that rape is not a real thing, because some women willingly participate in it. Now, to be clear, that song was released in 1991. The next set of lyrics that were analyzed were released in 1996 by Uncle Luke and Notorious BIG. Like the lyrics before the woman was used and abused. The woman in the song is also subject to violence. The violence happens during the sex activity, and that in itself is disturbing. The final set of lyrics that were presented were by Juvenile. His song “Head in Advance” was released in 2003. In his lyrics, he boasted about committing violence against a woman, because he was not satisfied with her behavior. This is another prime example of the kind of celebration that misogyny is given amongst rappers. As one can see, the trend of misogyny has been a part of rap culture since its early stages and is still a part of rap today. There maybe important factors that may be causing the rise of misogynistic lyrics, but when will we as a society say enough is enough?
