Contemporary hip-hop music is the most popular form of music listened to by young people of all races in modern times, but Parker’s concern about the music her daughter is listening to is legitimate. When I hear people singing along with rap lyrics, they may not necessarily be paying attention to what the song content involves, but more often than not, the lyrics are sprinkled with “bitches” “ho’s”, racial slurs, and offensive terms for gay people. It seems like the risk of this music being constantly in the background or the foreground for young people is that they are becoming desensitized to what the words actually mean. It is definitely not considered “cool” to be anti-gay, but the homophobic sentiment in so many rap songs are echoed constantly and people who are not anti-gay are singing along with the music.
My attitude about hip-hop music is mixed, because it certainly provides a sense of empowerment for black people, and has been able to not only give voice to people of color but has also provided some education for white people about many aspects of the black experience. Because hip-hop is popular with people of all backgrounds, and it has become mainstream, that has been an extremely positive development in terms of social, financial, and political legitimacy for the group of people involved in the hip-hop music industry. The popularity of Jay-Z, Beyoncé, NWA, and a wide range of hip-hop singers is undeniable, when, for example, the entertainment at halftime at the Super Bowl features famous hip-hop artists.
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"The Merits (or Lack of) of Hip-Hop".
Nevertheless, the frequency with which rap music contains homophobic and sexist images, words, and sentiments detracts from its legitimacy in my opinion. Black women and gay people have largely been the targets of sexism and homophobia in hip-hop, because there are long-standing issues within the entire industry relating to these subjects (Scott, 2016.) Although this music is offensive to large groups of people, the music is tolerated because while it offends, it also represents a powerful force in uplifting black people. Parker’s concern about her daughter listening to this music is legitimate, because if it becomes a matter of routine for children to be singing such lyrics along with their favorite music, using those terms will also become second nature to them. This would occur without young people actually thinking about the impact of their hurtful words on the populations that they are describing, gays and women.
On the other hand, hip-hop has always been politically incorrect since it began, and it is a mistake to assume that the lyrics of the songs have the power to infiltrate the psyche of listeners to such an extent that they will mirror the words they are hearing (Niessen, 2016.) In 2015, Tyler the Creator was prevented from entering the UK because the lyrics from his albums Bastard and Goblin were thought to support committing violence against women. Critics have argued, however, that even though the lyrics in those songs are misogynistic, they describe a person who has a disturbed alter ego, so that it is not as if the song is promoting the ideas presented. Rappers may use language that is deliberately intended to shock and provoke their listeners, but, it is argued, this is an extremely shallow interpretation of the work. Instead, at times the intention of the language is specifically to anger people, especially old white people, and no person of sound mind would seriously believe that these artists are advocating for the rape, murder, and violence against gays, women, and others.
Personally, I do find many of the lyrics of hip-hop music to be offensive and alarming. They casually throw around terms like “bitches” “queers”, and “niggas”, with such frequency that it would be easy for young minds to become desensitized to how hateful these words actually are. In the beginning, when hip-hop lyrics empowered black people and were used to take ownership of hateful terms in order to make them irrelevant, there seemed to be a legitimate reason for their widespread popularity. More recently, the degrading language that is used in much of the music has caused me, like Parker, to turn away from rap music because it only reinforces hateful stereotypes and gives permission to diminish large groups of people.
- Niessen, R. V. (2016, January 10). The reason why I don’t get offended by sexist rap lyrics as a feminist. Retrieved from IX Daily: http://www.ixdaily.com/the-buzz/why-rap-music-wont-offend-sexist-feminist
- Parker, L. O. (2006, October 13). Why I gave up on hip-hop. Retrieved from Washington Post.com: http://www.washingtonpost.com
- Scott, D. (2016, February 24). For those of us who love hip-hop but hate misogyny and homophobia. Retrieved from Black Girl Dangerous.org: http://www.blackgirldangerous.org/2016/02/for-those-of-us-who-love-hip-hop-but-hate-misogyny-and-homophobia/
