In Imani Perry’s Prophets of the Hood, she looks at
the lyrical value of hip hop songs and at one point finds herself defending
misogyny in many music videos. Perry points to the fact that many black hip hop
artists felt their masculinity being threatened by white masculinity portrayed
by wealthy men like Donald Trump and Bill Gates. Being a part of the hip hop
industry where white producers control the livelihood of black artists doesn’t
allow them to truly be in charge of their own lives. Perry describes the
music’s disrespectful tone as a way for black men to gain masculinity.
Personally I don’t believe that it is any sort of excuse for the disrespectful
themes.
Kanye West’s newest music video for “Bound 2” features his
fiancée Kim Kardashian, topless, in a vulnerable position, on fully clothed
Kanye’s motorcycle as they ride through the open air of a tacky green screen.
Juxtaposed to the lyrics “she asked me what I wished for on my wishlist/ have
you ever asked your bitch for other bitches?” is an image of his woman, to whom
he wants to commit himself loyally. This is quite a confusing concept and I
have a hard time understanding why Kim would allow herself to be a part of the
music video for this song in particular.
Imani Perry does, however, go on to make the point that hip
hop gets the brunt of all the attacks, when many styles of music are guilty of
misogynistic undertones. Which I agree is a valid argument. Many alternative
and rock artists write lyrics that blatantly disrespect women, though their voices
are blurred or distorted enough that the words are incomprehensible. For
example, the opening lines of Alt J’s “Breezeblocks” read “She may contain the
urge to run away/ But hold her down with soggy clothes and breezeblocks.” That
these vulgar and disrespectful lyrics are overlooked in other genres hurts the
progress that could be made in the music industry. Why do you think other
genres are given a free pass in this respect, and how can people ignore these
lyrics? Though both styles of music present misogynistic ideas, does it work to
just expose and discuss the foul implications of hip hop or must lyrics of all
genres be addressed?
1 comment:
There was a Tumblr called "Misogynistic Lyrics that aren't Rap" (it no longer actively posts but is available as an archive) dedicated to correcting the misconception that hip hop is inherently more misogynistic than other genres of music. In its description, the moderators state that the media scrutiny on hip hop specifically is "a thinly-veiled form of racism, and that is what this blog is intending to point out." Although some lyrics contain veiled references, some are fairly explicit in their misogynistic content. Here are some examples:
– Black Flag's "I Don't Care" http://misogynisticlyricsthatarentrap.tumblr.com/post/52292445351/black-flag-i-dont-care
– The Ludes/Florence + the Machine's "Girl with One Eye" http://misogynisticlyricsthatarentrap.tumblr.com/post/43682919123/girl-with-one-eye-originally-performed-by-the-ludes
- The Rolling Stones' "Black Sugar: http://misogynisticlyricsthatarentrap.tumblr.com/post/43975775189/brown-sugar-by-the-rolling-stones
- Bruce Springsteen's "Fire": http://misogynisticlyricsthatarentrap.tumblr.com/post/50342318293/fire-by-bruce-springsteen
By focusing criticisms almost exclusively on a genre primarily populated by black artists, it becomes too easy to scapegoat hip hop and/or race for various societal issues that have much deeper roots. In order to have better discussions of music's role in perpetuating misogynistic and racist ideas, it is imperative to note that these concepts do not exist solely in hip hop, as demonstrated in the lyrical evidence presented in this Tumblr.
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