Hip Hop's Positive Impacts of Society

One of Hip Hop’s Positive Impacts on Society:

Acceptance of Gay Marriage

When one searches the internet for “Hip Hop influences on society”, the response is generally negative. There are links like: The Negative Influence of Gangster Rap And What Can Be Done About It. The next two suggestions for searches are “hip hop negative influence” and “hip hop bad influences”. For many people there is a stigma that comes with hip hop that it is a poor influence on society and especially today’s youth. People who only look at the face value of the industry write blog posts condemning hip hop and its artists. Many overtly religious people on the internet talk about hip hop “warping the souls of kids” (Maglio) or about “Rap’s Blatant Satanism” (Makow). They talk about hip hop as though it is a tool for the devil to control youth. While it is true that the content of hip hop music is not necessarily the most “kid friendly”, that does not mean that all rap is evil. There are many hip hop artists whose music is about sex, drugs and violence, but the genre should not be judged solely off of them. There are many movies that are violent, contain profuse amounts of cursing and have large amounts of sexual content, but that does not mean that all movies should be judged under the same light. It is the same with hip hop music. Although there are artists who make music about subjects that are deemed bad and have a negative influence, there are others who create meaningful songs. In addition, just because an artist decides to create a song highlighting a negative subject, does not mean that they cannot be a good person that can be a good influence.

            A general stigma about the hip hop community is that it is extremely homophobic. While in many cases this is still true, recently there have been changes from within. One of the first issues with hip hop and the LGBT community came in the early 2000’s with Eminem and his profuse use of gay slurs within his music. He used so many gay slurs that there were protests before his 2001 Grammy performance (Gay Activist Group Plans Pre-Grammy Eminem Protest). However he then performed on stage with Elton John, who is gay, which was viewed as a fitting apology and proof that he was not homophobic. Eminem has long been accused of homophobia in his lyrics, so to take a step forward when he released his newest album he had an interview to try and explain things. This shows a step forward for the hip hop community because someone who was thought of to be homophobic came out and said that he has no issues with the LGBT community. Eminem is a huge name within the hip hop industry and for him to come out and show support is a positive influence by hip hop on society. If the people that youth look up to show support for something, they are more likely to as well.

            While it is good that Eminem has tried to clear the air and say that he is not homophobic, many detractors of hip hop say that because he is still using slurs he must be. They do have a point, that as long as he continues to use those words, so will his listeners. However, Eminem also explains that in his music the use of slurs, racial or gay, is not because he hates the people it describes, but that it is just a word that has carried over from his battling. The people that listen to his music need to understand this fact. It is one of those do as I say, not as I do instances. If Eminem were to suddenly stop cursing and using slurs he would lose half of his market, but if he continues he will be branded a bigot. Despite this, the fact that Eminem came out in support of gay marriage is huge for the image of the hip hop industry.

            Another positive moment in hip hop’s support of gay equality was the acceptance of Frank Ocean after he came out as gay. Obviously in such a stereotypically homophobic community it must have been difficult for Frank Ocean to come out. However, Frank Ocean was probably the perfect storm as he perfectly describes what Talib Kweli said, “There just needs to be a gay rapper—he doesn't have to be flamboyant, just a rapper who identifies as gay—who's better than everybody.” This is essentially the same situation as Michael Sam, the football player who is gay. The point has been reached were it does not matter if he is gay or not, it solely matters if he can play football well. The same is with Frank Ocean. He has received so much support from famous rappers like Jay-Z and Busta Rhymes upon coming out, that it no longer matters whether or not he is gay. What matters is, how good of a rapper is he? The support for Frank Ocean upon coming out as gay shows that the hip hop community is slowly shifting from its homophobic image. With that comes less use of homophobic slur, which in turn means less kids will hear that kind of language being used. The chart below shows the use of homophobic slurs within rap music.

The downward trend for most words shows how the community is changing. Hip hop is slowly changing, and as one of the largest industries, it is helping to change society with it. 

Works Cited

Juzwiak, Rich. "Why 2013 Was Hip-Hop's." Gawker. N.p., 27 Dec. 2013. Web. 30 Nov. 2014.

Maglio, Domenick. "Rap Music Warps the Souls of Kids." Domenick Maglio Ph.D. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2014.

Makow, Henry. "Rap Music's Blatant Satanism." Atom. N.p., 6 Aug. 2012. Web. 30 Nov. 2014. 

Stupid Girls?

          Pink's 2006 song "Stupid Girl", is a song wherein Pink describes her disdain for the way that girls today act. She wonders "where'd all the smart people go", after wondering where the dreams of a girl president went. Pink even mentions that the girls are "dancing in a video next to 50 Cent", bringing up the problem with objectification of women in Hip Hop videos. The video shows a young girl watching all the "stupid girls" and Pink making fun of them in throughout. At the end, the young girls decides to go play football rather than play with her dolls. However, the problem with both the song and the video is that Pink is mentioning the choices of the girls' as though it is all their fault. She blames the girls for being "stupid" and making themselves into sexual objects, and fails to mention society's impact on their actions and choices.

Manly Misogynistic Movies

           When one searches for synonyms for the word “manly” the words heroic, bold, muscular, confident, powerful, firm, and strong show up most often. As discussed in the Byron Hurt discussion with Michael Eric Dyson, many of America’s most popular forms of entertainment feature men in a starring role committing violent, even abusive actions, to themselves or others. Although their discussion is mainly in the context of black men and black culture, there is not solely an image issue within hiphop’s portrayal of masculinity. Unlike in the heyday of MTV or VH1, when seeing men acting in crass and vulgar ways in music videos was ubiquitous, music videos are less popular and less watched. They are not shown on television with as much hype and popularity as movies and television shows are. For this reason, cinematic portrayal of men in general is the main cause for today’s image of how a man is supposed to act and what he should look like. The issue with hypermasculinity and movies has existed since the art forms creation.

As far back as the time of Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando men in movies have been portrayed as smoking and drinking womanizers. In the movies they are heralded for their “acting” as a “tough” man. However, the way that they acted in the movies was not so different from the way they acted in their real lives. In their real lives the men were almost mirror images of the men they acted like. In Brando’s most famous performance as Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams’, “A Streetcar Named Desire”, he plays a drunk and abusive rapist (Williams). Although not as bad, in real life he had 5 spouses, multiple affairs, and as many as 17 children. This shows a general lack of respect for women within his real life as well as his on screen life. Brando was lauded for his role both on the screen and on the stage. He was also seen as portraying a “man who gets and does what he wants”, a “man’s man” (McDonough, 24-26).

Sinatra in both movies and in real life frequently had dealings with the mob. In the movie “Guys and Dolls”, Sinatra and Brando both play illegal gamblers who chase women. In a more tame and old school way, the men show a similar lifestyle to that of modern rap music videos. The men both have their “hoes”, but would never marry them because they really want a “good sister”. They have a lifestyle of “M.O.B (money over bitches)” just like Dyson mentions in his discussion. Brando’s character makes a bet with Sinatra’s and whoever wins gets to have the girl. Their “gangster” lifestyle is intriguing to the women they attract despite their brutish nature. Sinatra and Brando were considered very cool at the time and were looked up to by many young men for the way that they acted despite (or perhaps because of) their wrongful actions. Although Brando and Sinatra acted and lived in a different time, the ideals they portrayed are no different than those of today. That of a rough and tough man who does what he wants with women, and gets his way.

The hypermasculinity of men in movies has not gone away, but has in fact become even more accepted and commonplace. One of the most violent, most suave, and most masculine movie characters has spanned multiple generations and actors. James Bond is one of the most famous and celebrated movie characters of all time and yet he commits egregious acts of violence and promiscuity. Sean Connery’s iteration of James Bond was less cold calculated killer and more of a smooth talking lady’s man who happened to be a spy. He sleeps with multiple women each movie, treats them as inferior, hits them, and is a misogynist.

As shown in the clip, Sean Connery’s Bond, introduces Dink to Felix and then says, “Dink say goodbye to Felix...uhh man talk” (Campbell). Bond acts as though Dink will not be able to understand their conversation. Despite this overt misogyny, Connery’s Bond is considered one of the best portrayals of the character. His Bond is an example of popularized abuse of women similar to that of Nelly’s “Tip Drill” music video. Although much less vulgar, the same sentiment is there. In real life Sean Connery has controversial views on actions towards women as well. He certainly believes that the actions of James Bond are justified:

PLAYBOY: How do you feel about roughing up a woman, as Bond sometimes has to do?

CONNERY: I don't think there is anything particularly wrong about hitting a woman--although I don't recommend doing it in the same way that you'd hit a man. An openhanded slap is justified--if all other alternatives fail and there has been plenty of warning. If a woman is a bitch, or hysterical, or bloody-minded continually, then I'd do it. I think a man has to be slightly advanced, ahead of the woman. I really do--by virtue of the way a man is built, if nothing else. But I wouldn't call myself sadistic. I think one of the appeals that Bond has for women, however, is that he is decisive, cruel even. By their nature women aren't decisive--"Shall I wear this? Shall I wear that?"--and along comes a man who is absolutely sure of everything and he's a godsend. And, of course, Bond is never in love with a girl and that helps. He always does what he wants, and women like that. It explains why so many women are crazy about men who don't give a rap for them.

PLAYBOY: Do you think it's OK to tell a woman you love her in order to get her into bed?

CONNERY: You can say something, but that doesn't necessarily mean it is so. I think before words came along there was always physical contact and physical satisfaction. There may be things said afterward just as there are things said before. But the action came first--then the word.

If Sean Connery is the womanizing misogynistic James Bond, then Daniel Craig is the hypermasculine Bond. Craig’s version of Bond certainly sleeps around, but he shows the violent side to Bond. 

In the clip, Craig smashes through walls, fences, concrete, kills, maims, and generally causes destruction while seeming effortlessly cool. His actions do not seem to be problematic because he seems to be so calm and collected while doing them. This nonchalant way of portraying violence is one of the biggest problems with movies today. They glorify violence in a way that is completely opposite to real life. The James Bond films are some of the best examples of films that are widely celebrated and hugely popular, yet have a main character whose repugnant actions are overlooked by viewers.

Although the context is different, the content of music videos and movies is very similar. Michael Eric Dyson and Byron Hurt briefly mention the pervasion of violence and injustice in movies, but I think that the content and actions show in movies is much worse than in music videos because they are more widespread. A music video may only be seen by the dedicated followers of an artist, but a movie is meant to appeal and be seen by millions. For this reason, until the general population stops viewing media that portrays men as brutish, aggressive, womanizing, etc. those are the characteristics men will continue to have thrust upon them.