A short time ago I overheard a discussion about rap music between two people. One said that she didn't like or listen to any rap, because she felt that the genre moreover objectified and degraded women. The other responded, saying that rappers, like any other musicians, simply express the environment in which they live and intend to relate their feelings to the listener.
As I am inclined more toward the opinion of the second person, and since I'm a male, it's slightly difficult for me to be entirely objective or fully understand some women's points of view. However, I will make an attempt to be as level-headed as possible in considering both sides.
One rebuttal that I've heard points to other genres and their use of similar language. It is easy to indicate that, popular music has, for decades, also showcased arguably misogynistic language in any musical genre:
"Where pretty girls are well, you know that I'm around.
I kiss 'em and I love 'em 'cause to me they're all the same;
I hug 'em and I squeeze 'em, they don't even know my name"
-Dion, "The Wanderer" (1961)
Look no further than the perennial holiday favorite "Baby, It's Cold Outside" for eerily misogynistic lyrics that are easily overlooked. Simply because rap has been demonized by white America for its entire popular tenure, preconceptions of misogyny in rap are imbued in the ears of millions, while misogynistic language passes innocently under the radar in other music.
However, this argument does little to assuage feelings that all rap is rife with misogyny, since it merely showcases misogyny in non-rap music. "Yay, misogyny is everywhere, not only rap!" The discussion demands a different way of looking at things.
Another way to understand potentially uncomfortable language in music comes from considering musical lyrics as art, just like paintings, films or literature. A painting or film depicting unsavory, violent, or horrific scenes is not seen as evil, misogynistic, or violent, by virtue of its artistic value. Unpleasant things are shown in art in order to elicit an emotional response in the observer, or, especially in the case of rap, to EXPRESS, in a raw, personal way, feelings that the artist experiences.
Much rap, as well as other music, is not concerned with making the listener feel particularly pleasant:
"So my music is me saying, 'This is the problem.' [...] Like I said, it's less about what's being said and more about how it makes you feel."
-Vince Staples, in an interview with NPR.
Potentially unpleasant language in Staples's and other artists' music is intended to give the listener a stark and moving experience.
However, it should be made clear that misogyny is present in certain music, including, in some instances, rap. To understand this, it is helpful to consider a similar idea in other forms of art. Certainly, some films or books are misogynistic, racist, or otherwise socially and morally toxic. In all art, the line dividing malice and artistic license is delicate and vague. In films and literature, the intent behind possibly offensive content can be evaluated, and the same may be done in music.
So, if anyone reading this finds language in rap music off-putting, she or he should revisit the troublesome lyrics and consider them first as artistic statements. What is the artist's intent? How could the artist be trying to make the listener feel a certain way? In certain cases, these answers are unsatisfactory, and there certainly exists misogynistic content in music.
However, sometimes, a new perspective could give the listener a different understanding of the lyrics and a new found appreciation for various genres of music that represent artists from different walks of life.
