Music Videos And The Messages They Carry

Music videos are a pivotal aspect in rap music that transforms the song’s lyrics into a visual representation of its content. 

Even the most vulgar of lyrics will get its visual representation regardless of its misogynous and obscene content.

This uncensored, publically accessible material raised question to whether or not music videos subconsciously subjected its youthful viewers towards experiencing sexual activity, drug use, and violence.

A team of researchers from the Rollins School of Public Health, Emory Center for AIDS Research, School of Medicine at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia and the University of Alabama, Birmingham, set out to answer the question.

Research of rap music videos discovered the constant reoccurring roles of sexually-exaggerated personas of African American women.

Editor-in-chief of the Journal of Women’s Health and executive director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Institute for Women’s Health, Susan Kornstein related African-American girls’ acceptance of the stereotypical role in rap music later leads to harmful health issues.

Much of rap music and videos specifically transmit, promote, and perpetuate negative images of black women. Rap music’s demeaning message affects all women, but mostly black or latino women in particular are seen in popular hip-hop culture as sex objects.

Majority of hip-hop videos that are regularly run today show women, surrounding at least one man, seductively gyrating wearing little to nothing, with the cameras focused on their body parts.

These images are shown to coincide with the explicit lyrics that typically insult women suggesting they’re worth nothing more than money.

The women are seen as sexual objects by rappers whose lifestyle mimics that of a pimp. In numerous rap songs, men refer to all women as they think a pimp would to a prostitute, and promote violence against women for breaking that image.

Joan Morgan, a hip-hop feminist, revealed the hard truth of women desiring equality from their male counterparts in her book When Chicken Heads Come Home To Roost: My Life as a Hip-hop Feminist.

“Yeah, sistas are hurt…But the real crime isn't the name-calling, it's their failure to love us---to be our brothers in the way that we commit ourselves to being their sistas."

Overlooked: Feminists Impact on Rap

Since rap music began to grow in popularity and became “the record industry’s highest-grossing genre of music,” feminist’s accomplishments are under minded according to Katherine Cheairs’ Radical Women: Women, Feminism & Hip Hop. 

The development of rap music has overshadowed women’s barrier-breaking accomplishments in hip-hop.

As rap music’s explicit content became notorious for its uncensored misogynist lyrics, obsession with 

materialism and fashion; the importance of hip-hop’s origin faded away.

Early femcees, such as Lauryn Hill, Queen Latifah, and Sojourner Truth, spoke out against the racist and sexist views in the rap industry. These revolutionary femcees used the genre of music that was dominated by masculine ideals and used it to empower themselves as well as the objectified African American women.

The lack of respect men show for the Black female body is rooted back to slavery. Black female slaves were judged and sold on their physical appearance which displayed the woman’s ability to produce more unpaid workers.

Dating back to 1851, Isabella Baumfree, also known as Sojourner Truth, gave her “Ain’t I a Woman” speech during the Women’s Convention in Akron, Ohio, highlighting the out-dated chivalrous description of how women should been treated.

Not only does she point out the death of chivalry towards women, but she’s aware the definition of a woman is already being challenged, altered, and perceived differently. Below is an excerpt from her speech.

“That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a woman?”

Cheairs compared the timeliness and impact of Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I a Woman” speech and Queen Latifah’s single “U.N.I.T.Y.” stating that both addressed social inequalities women strived to overcome.

Yet, rap music attempted to eclipse women’s resistance against the preconceived notions about their image.

Rap music did this by perceiving women as sexual objects in its lyrics and videos. Outraged Black women began revolting against the rappers who promoted the sexualized image of women.

For example, African American female students from Spelman College protested rapper Nelly’s scheduled school concert due to his blatant lack of respect for women shown in his music video to his song “Tip Drill.”

The music video showed Nelly swiping his credit card between the butt of a video vixen with no recognition of the reality of how demoralizing his action was.

The women’s protest not only worked and cancelled Nelly’s performance, but gained media recognition as well. A major part of the protest not highlighted in the media’s coverage was the presence and support female protestors received from male students.

Resistance shown in protests, like the one in Spelman, is the forward step feminist took in attempts to suppress the ugly side of rap. Although, there is little revolt against the corporate enterprises that funnel money into rappers whose lyrics are predominately about sex and violence.

The Differences Between Women and “Bitches”

Both female and male rappers have used the word “bitch” as a derogatory term while describing other rappers. The literal definition of “bitch” refers to a female dog. 

The word has impacted hip-hop’s perception of women and caused confusion in regards to the definition of the word.

At first “bitch” was constantly being used by male rappers to deflect their insecurities while establishing their dominance over women in hip-hop. “Bitch” was also used in describing women who failed to fit rappers’ stereotypical description.

Rappers, such as Jay-Z, recognize the multi-meanings behind using the word “bitch” and have explained that no matter how you say it; “bitch” belittles women.

In his 2003, Jay-Z sampled N.W.A.’s “A Bitch Iz A Bitch” and listed the differences between a woman and a “bitch” in his track “Bitches and Sisters” off his album The Blueprint 2.1.

During the beginning of the song, Jay-Z labels woman “bitches” that act like they’re high class and fake a hard demeanor. He also labels woman “bitches” that have sex with men solely on the fact they’re famous. 

Regardless if women had sex prior to their partner’s fame; Jay-Z states there’s a possibility she can still be a bitch.

Jay-Z further justifies his use of “bitch” saying that a woman’s sexual encounter with someone famous, besides rappers, is a failed attempt to higher her status as a woman.

“You ain’t no better cause you don’t be fucking rappers/you only fuck with actors, you still getting fucked backwards.”

Jay-Z questions and answers why he, among other rappers, disrespects women by labeling them as “bitches.”

“Say Jay-Z, why you gotta go and disrespect the women for, huh?

Sisters get respect, bitches get what they deserve/sisters work hard, bitches work your nerves/sisters hold you down, bitches hold you up/sisters help you progress, bitches’ll slow you up/sisters cook up a meal play they role with the kidz/bitches in the street with they nose in ya biz/sisters tell the truth, Bitches tell lies/sisters drive cars, bitches wanna ride/sisters give up the ass, bitches give up the ass/sisters do it slow, bitches do it fast/sisters do they dirt outside of where they live/ bitches have niggas all up in your crib/sisters tell you quick "you better check your homie"/bitches don't give a fuck, they wanna check for your homie/sisters love Jay cuz they know how 'Hov is/I love my sisters, I don't love no bitch.”

These lyrics paint an evil image perceiving women as manipulative, money hungry and sexually driven savages that will only bring men down.

Rappers point out extreme faults in women using it as a scapegoat to justifiably use “bitch.” To justify the rappers’ use of the word further, femcees countered these rappers using “bitch” to describe males.

Women who attempt to positively spin “bitch” by using it nonchalantly between themselves is counter-productive in taking away its negative definition.

Normally reverse-psychology has its benefits, but not in the case of femcees using “bitch”, a word that has continually oppressed their gender’s image in hip-hop. Femcees’ use of “bitch,” regardless of its contextual meaning, continued to reinforce the same misogynist ideals that kept women’s voice out of hip-hop. 

Ice Cube and Yo-Yo Debate Old vs. New Image of Women

As most male rappers demoralized women, few neither recognized nor respected the new age femcees in their fight for equality in the hip-hop culture.

Ice Cube, former member of N.W.A., rapped lyrics that denied women as equals to men.

In N.W.A.’s track “A Bitch Iz A Bitch,” Ice Cube admits the word ‘bitch’ doesn’t apply to all women. Yet, he puts women beneath men with such lyrics as: “But all women have a little bitch in ‘em… It makes a girl think she’s better than me.”

One femcee that changed Ice Cube’s perception of female rappers was Yo-Yo. Yo-Yo’s approach towards rapping was natural considering she’d been doing it since she was 12 years-old.

But, Yo-Yo admitted to having to be strong in order to survive in the world of hip-hop.

“Even if I wanted to be nice and smiling and soft I couldn't do that and be a rapper," Yo-Yo said in an article written in The Los Angeles Times.

Yo-Yo went further confirming insecurity existed between male and female rappers when she stated, "I'd seem weak, and you can't look weak and survive--not in rap. It's a jungle--full of males. If you come across as weak, you get cut to ribbons."

Ice Cube noticed Yo-Yo’s hard-edged masculine persona in her delivery and decided to have her on his track entitled “It’s A Man’s World.”

The title speaks for itself. The disputed lyrics exchanged between Ice Cube and Yo-Yo argues two ways in which women should be perceived.

Ice Cube argued for the objectified view of women stating, “Women they're good for nothing no maybe one thing/to serve needs to my ding-a-ling.”

In response to Ice Cube, Yo-Yo denied all stereotypes and suggested a new image stating, “No, Yo-Yo's not a hoe or a whore/and if that's what you're here for/exit through the door.”

At the end of the song, Ice Cube asks Yo-Yo’s intentions for becoming a rapper, in which she responds, “to prove a black woman like me can bring the funk through.”

Ice Cube and Yo-Yo’s lyrical exchange covered both the male and female perception of how women are viewed and treated in hip-hop.

The attitude in both Ice Cube and Yo-Yo’s delivery changes throughout the song. In the beginning, both rappers go shot for shot, bobbing and weaving insults and retaliating with punch lines.

What started as a rap battle of the sexes ended up becoming more humorous than literal when Ice Cube states, “This is a man’s world thank you very much,” in which Yo-Yo responds, “But it wouldn’t be a damn thing without a woman’s touch.”

With Time Comes Change: From Better to Worse

As some femcees sparked feminist movements with their music in the world of hip-hop, others exploited their body to receive acceptance from male rappers and monetary gain in record sales.

A femcee who shared similar views with Queen Latifah was Brooklyn native, MC Lyte. The two femcees, along with Roxanne Shante, created a female rap group named “2 Live Crew.”

MC Lyte spoke of how drugs lead down a path of destruction and should be avoided at all costs.

In her song entitled “Cappucino,” MC Lyte details the lethal consequences of being associated with drugs and alcohol.

“In the wrong place, at the wrong time/it was a drug sale, I could feel from behind/death, it was gettin’ closer… But was it really time for me to go?”

MC Lyte spread her message further by attending schools speaking to students and fans about drug awareness. Although MC Lyte’s efforts were commendable, she had doubt that the message wouldn't catch.

“Sometimes I get discouraged when I do songs like [Cappucino] and they don't get as popular as others,” said MC Lyte.

MC Lyte’s rebellious music against hip-hop’s objectified view of women would soon influence a femcee, Lil’ Kim, whose raunchy lyrics and sexually provocative attire further damaged the identity of women in hip-hop.

Lil’ Kim fit the stereotype of what rappers desired in a woman. Her music was based on sex, materialistic possessions, and embracing insults.

Not saying she enjoyed being insulted, but had little concern with the value of words, specifically “bitch.” 

Lil’ Kim turned its meaning into something a woman would pride herself on being called rather than being offended.

She named herself and the title of a song “Queen Bitch,” taking on a masculine persona to avoid any signs of weakness. Instead of preaching against objectifying woman; Lil’ Kim encouraged it.

Lil’ Kim uses the word ‘bitch’ both positively and negatively in “Queen Bitch.” When referring to herself as 

“Queen bitch/supreme bitch… I’m rich/Ima stay that bitch,” she not only labels herself a ‘bitch,’ but infers the word carries dignity.

Lil’ Kim’s songs were imbedded with mixed messages. In her song with Christina Aguilera entitled “Can’t Hold Us Down,” Lil’ Kim explains the inequality of only women being judged for their sexual activities when men get praised for it.

“If the guy have three girls then he's the man/he can either give us some head, sex her off/if the girl do the same, then she's a whore.”

Lil’ Kim then counters her previous statement saying “the table’s about to turn,” referencing the acceptance of hyper-sexual women.

Lil’ Kim’s emphasis on materialism, sex, and her image changed the way female rappers were perceived in hip-hop, as well as the consumer.

Queen Latifah Says “No” To Being A “Hoe”

Hip-hop is criticized for its vulgar music that highlights misogynist ideas that are instilled in the listener’s mind. 

Little is highlighted of the few women in the hip-hop community who refused to be objectified or referred to as a “hoe” or a “bitch.”

One female emcee (femcee) who refused to be victimized by hip-hop’s misrepresentation of women was 

Queen Latifah. Instead of selling herself for popularity, she, unlike most male and female rappers, used hip-hop as her voice tell women how to rise above the discrimination. 

In her 1993 track “U.N.I.T.Y.” off her album Black Reign, Queen Latifah explains how sexual harassment, male insecurity, and the misrepresentation of hip-hop’s message destroying the image of women.

The title “U.N.I.T.Y.” screams ‘women’s equality’ backed by Queen Latifah’s groundbreaking lyricism made listeners aware not only of the misogyny in hip-hop, but everywhere.

Queen Latifah tells a story of being sexually harassed while walking down her street. She begins by describing wearing cutoff shorts because of the weather being “crazy hot.”

Mentioning the alibi for her choice of clothing is important and highly overlooked. Queen Latifah made sure to do so to avoid the misogynists, playing devil’s advocate, who would blame the women’s skimpy clothing on the way men perceive women.

After being sexually harassed, Queen Latifah punched the harasser “dead in the eye” for verbally and physically violating her. She created an image of hope for women refusing to be degraded and objectified.

Queen Latifah also encouraged physically victimized women to not be afraid to tell the police, regardless of his reason for being abusive.

“Bad days at work, give you an attitude then you were rough/and take it out on me, but that's about enough/you put your hands on me again, I'll put your ass in handcuffs.”

Although Queen Latifah is angered when she hears men call women “bitches,” she admits there are exceptions to this rule implying some women are deserving of the title.

She also points out a reason why the defamation and physical abuse of women has been ongoing.

“I was scared to let you go, even though you treated me bad.”

This song was a direct message to the victimized women of hip-hop to stand up for themselves and for women to stop encouraging in it.

 Queen Latifah also criticizes listeners for attempting to change themselves in order to fit the image of what she calls a “gangster bitch.”

“I peeped you out the window jumping girls after school/But where did all of this come from?
A minute ago, you was a nerd and nobody ever heard of ya.”

A problem with the majority of music, but specifically in rap, is the listener’s intention to reenact what they hear. 

Queen Latifah warns that this attempt at adapting to a different lifestyle can be life threatening.

 “There's plenty of people out there with triggers ready to pull it/why you trying to jump in front of the bullet, young lady?”

Although Queen Latifah’s lyrics hold a powerful message, it was non-profitable or appealing in the hip-hop industry. Her call for gender equality in hip-hop was quickly smothered by upcoming female rappers whose content lacked substance.

Queen Latifah’s attempt at unity was overwhelmed and outsold by upcoming female rappers’ promiscuous appearances and sexually provocative music.

Hip-Hop Masculinity

Rap music is based off one man telling the everyday struggle(s), including love life, from the ghetto.

Whether you’re a fan or not, hip-hop has had an impact on the way society views things from fashion trends to popular music. 

Sadly, some rappers have used this popularity for the worse by objectifying women and demeaning them in their lyrics and music videos.

The cease-fire of misogynistic songs in the world of hip hop, or other genres, is highly unlikely to happen. This is a huge problem considering a form of music that degrades women is socially acceptable and has precedent to continue doing so.

This sexist industry has made it hard for women to appear playing a predominant role in hip-hop. Women were put in rapper’s music videos due to their physical appearance and ability to gyrate in front of the camera.

The women in these videos are known as “video vixens” and are perceived as nothing more than sex objects. With focus only on their physical attributes, their intelligence and personality are lost in translation.

No women were forced to gyrate in skimpy clothes for a music video. Yet, these women willingly stood in front of the camera and made it seem okay that these vulgar lyrics, directly aimed at them, caused no harm.

Women are forced with a catch-22. 

A woman in hip-hop can be respected if she fits and acts the rapper’s disrespectful description of a woman as a “hoe” or “bitch.”

Now, it has become custom for a male rapper to speak about women in a degrading manner to establish his masculinity. Not only is it custom for the rapper to establish his masculinity, but to establish an idea in all the millions of young boys and girls who listen.

All blame can’t solely be put on males. Female rappers subject themselves to be objectified through their promiscuous lyrics.

Newly appointed judge for “American Idol,” Nicki Minaj, whose fan base surpasses millions of youth, sells her image through sexual lyrics.

“Top, top/ give ‘em good top/ hit ‘em below the belt/ want to give him good top.”

*‘Top’ being slang for felatio.

These listeners will regurgitate what they hear on the radio, act it out, and juxtapose themselves with their favorite male or female rapper.

Not only does this keep the objectification of women alive, it fuels a bigger problem: teen violence.

In a 1991 Sex Roles: A Journal of Research article approximately 25% of high school females in Libby Bergman’s sample reported either sexual and/or physical abuse in their relationships.

Could this portrayal of women and the way they act be true or is this a hip-hop marketing plan used to demean, objectify, and sexualize women for profit?

What is the solution if women won’t defend themselves and put their clothes back on as male rappers continue to boost their masculinity by belittling them?

The solution is education. 

Educate the youth so they understand what they’re listening to instead of trying to cover it up like a political scandal.

Works Cited:

Adams, Mike S.; Ashburn. Leslie, Johnson, James D.; Reed, William."Differential gender effects of exposure to rap music on African American adolescents' acceptance of teen dating violence.." (1. Oct. 1995): http://business.highbeam.com/435388/article-1G1-17895695/differential-gender-effects-exposure-rap-music-african.

How It All Started

Hip-Hop’s origin is shadowed and often confused because of the current sexist, violent, and vulgar lyrics that currently pass for mainstream rap music.

Little is brought up on how hip-hop was a developed on self-expression from the ghetto youth emitting their everyday struggles into music, dance, and art.

Three overlooked interconnected events that each influenced the evolution of Hip-Hop were turntables, break dancing, and graffiti.

Hip-Hop’s early development is deeply rooted in Jamaican culture. Immigrants and slaves that were singers and poets, known as griots, brought their style of chanting over rhythmic beats that would eventually transform into modern day Hip-Hop. (Rhodes, The Evolution of Rap Music in the United States)

 African American musicians such as DJ Kool Herc and Afrika Bambaataa were innovators of manipulating turntables to emphasize the “break” in a song. This technique was developed into what we know today as creating “beats.” (Reynolds, Pop View) Performers who danced to these “breaks” coined themselves the name “break dancers” or “b-boys.” 

Bambaataa founded and organized one of the first break dance crews known as The Zulu Kings.

Kool Herc hosted parties in Morris Heights, Bronx, where break dancers would congregate in a circle trying to best the next man’s dance move.

This was the youth’s response to settling arguments between rival groups instead of resorting to violence.

This was also a time were women expressed themselves through music and break dancing as well.

MC Sha-Rock was the first female emcee and the first female break dancer to send hip-hop mainstream.  

Sha-Rock was one of four members of Funky Four Plus One and is the creator of the word “b-girl.”

Early hip-hop opened a creative gateway for ghetto youth to express themselves in non-violent alternatives, but that would soon change with the uprising of “gangster rap.”

Gangster rap promoted the use of drugs, alcohol, violence, domestic abuse, and the objectification of women through rappers’ lyrics. Their lyrics took aim at women labeling them “hoes” and “bitches” belittling them to animals.

This “ugly side” of hip-hop, as I like to think of it, is magnified to be viewed as what hip-hop represents.

The unspoken reality about these vulgar lyrics is that they were verbal manifestations of the hardships rappers and ghetto youth encounter daily.

The west coast rappers that brought this gangster lifestyle into the media spotlight were N.W.A. (Niggaz With Attitudes), Snoop Dogg, and DJ Quik.

N.W.A. exploded into the hip hop scene with their hit “Fuck Tha Police” off their album Straight Outta Compton.

“Fuck Tha Police” was a song responding to the L.A.P.D.’s racist acts of brutality three years prior the Rodney King video surfacing.  Regardless of being warned by the FBI, N.W.A. didn’t hold back.

Although the majority of N.W.A.’s lyrics were cut-throat, violent, and vulgar, others spoke of inner-conflicts of being an African American.

"Why not call myself a nigger?/It's better than pulling the trigger and going up the river/And then I get called nigger anyway.... I guess I'll be a nigger for life."

N.W.A. justifies the hardcore material in their lyrics by stating they’ll be judged as reckless and dangerous regardless of their actions, so they pose the question: ‘Why not become reckless and dangerous?’

These lyrics depicting everyday scenarios in the ghetto were never intended to be a message sent to the youth. Rapper and producer of N.W.A., Dr. Dre was quoted saying, "We ain't doing this shit to send out no messages.”

“We in this shit to get paid. If you say some shit that's real and people are getting into it, then you're going to get some flak," Dre continued.

Critics and listeners may refuse to believe that there is a significant message in rap lyrics due to its graphic content, but it roots from the same principle hip-hop was based on; speaking your mind.

Resources:

Light, Allan. Beating Up The Charts.Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/beating-up-the-charts-19910808