How do we choose the music that we listen to? We could be affected by the music itself, the lyrics could touch us on a personal level, or we may have a predisposition to a certain genre of music due to the geographic area we live in. Our background and upbringing can even play a role in our musical choices. However we come to that ultimate decision, how many of us actually pay close attention to the language used in the songs that we like? Could it be that some of our favorite artists or compositions actually contain language that can be considered sexist or harmful?
Many people associate sexist language with the music genre of rap and hip/hop, but the truth is that sexist language invades every style of music. While it is true that the lyrics to rap songs contain the most obvious derogatory terms towards women, research has found that popular pop music also includes language that can demoralize women or make women seem inferior to men. Women are often referred to as objects and even as possessions by artists, implying that even in this day and age females are still second-class compared to males. Some artists compare women to cars, others use their words to enforce their male dominance. Regardless of how popular an artist or song is promoting sexist lyrics shows that as a whole the public does not have a problem with demoralizing women. Numerous male musicians even use this sort of language as a marketing tactic, knowing that their lyrics will cause a controversy that could inevitably boost album sales.
In 2010 Dr. Cynthia Frisby published an article in Media Report to Women about a research study that she conducted to find any correlation between music genre, artist gender, and artist ethnicity. Common slang terms used to de...
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... women. There are labels on music today that warn of explicit and violent lyrics, but there are none that advise listeners against language that debases women and that could possibly harm a person’s self-image. Every person has the right to speak their mind however they see fit, but if they can ban an album for condoning murder or rebellion against authority why can they not at least warn the public of music that offends an entire gender? Censorship of these words will not stop them from being spoken or written; only education about why and how they are used and how harmful they can be can bring about a change.
Works Cited
Frisby, Cynthia M. "Sticks 'n' Stones May Break My Bones, But Words They Hurt Like Hell: Derogatory Words in Popular Songs." Media Report to Women 38.4 (2010): 12-18. Film & Television Literature Index with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 15 Feb. 2011.
Over time, some rap artists might adapt the stated sexist and racial beliefs, and think that they become something better and consciously place themselves above their audience and pretend to be more superior than women Hip-Hop Culture + Politics). The following lyrics provide examples and show how misogynistic beliefs are represented in rap music. The presented excerpts are highly offensive and controversial, but they show the contemporary type of rap that has been and is still produced by well-known recording studios (Adams and Fuller 949).
Censorship in music is a very controversial subject in today’s society. What is considered a form of artistic expression to some is also considered vulgar and inappropriate to others. But who ultimately gets to decide what is considered vulgar and what is not? Who decides who hears what in the music industry? The RIAA is responsible for applying the Parental Advisory stamp on every album that is released in the United States. The FCC is responsible for making sure that no vulgarities or controversial comments are aired on radio or television. But why is some content edited and other content not? I will try and explain these questions in our article.
The most popular new music to emerge from the ‘80’s was rap music. It first developed in the mid ‘70’s in New York City, and soon in other urban areas, primarily amongst African-American teen-agers. It became very popular with the urban public that it soon began to spread throughout the United States and much of the world. It replaced rock music as the creative force in music of the ‘80’s and ‘90’s. However, as popular as it was then and it is now, the lyrics of many rap songs have caused controversy. Many believe and have charged that these lyrics promote racism and violence and show contempt for women.
Frisby, C.M., Stevens, J.A. (2012) Race and Genre in the Use of Sexual Objectification in Female Artists’ Music Video. Howard Journal of Communications (Vol. 23, Is. 1, p. 66-87)
Women have consistently been perceived as second-class citizens. Even now, in times when a social conscience is present in most individuals, in an era where an atmosphere of gender equality 'supposedly' exists, it is blatantly apparent that the objectification and marginalization of women is still a major social issue. In reality, progression in terms of reducing female exploitation has been stagnant at best. Not only is the degradation of women a major problem that to date has not been eradicated, but it is actually being endorsed by some music celebrities. There are a growing number of people who purchase rap albums that support the fallacy that women are mere objects and should be treated as such. As the popularity of rap continues to climb at unprecedented rates, so too does its influence on the perception of women. In the vast majority of hip-hop songs, the depiction of women as sexual objects, the extreme violence directed towards them and the overall negative influence these lyrics have on the average adolescent's perception of women make rap the absolute epitome of female exploitation.
Since the being of time people have been making and listening to music. Music has been considered the best way to express ourselves. The Bible even talks about how music was used to praise God. Music has been used for all type of things ranging from to getting a girl to notice guy, trying to get over a broken heart, or maybe losing a love one. Now society says that music has become too violent and sexually oriented. Many people have different point of view on this topic some people feel that there should be some type of censorship, while other feel censorship is against the first amendment, and others feel that parents should be responsible for what their children listen to. The question that comes to mind is should music with explicit lyrics be censored?
In modern day society, popular culture has gained equal status to world issues and politics. Music, movies, and literature have started cultural revolutions and challenged the straight-forward thinking many individuals have accepted in the past. But while popular culture can advance new ideas and create movements, it also has the ability to challenge advancements society has made. Imani Perry’s essay, The Venus Hip Hop and the Pink Ghetto, focuses on hip hop and its negative impact on women and body image.
In today's society, all types of music artists are expressing their views, opinions and feelings in their songs about what they see and what they know. This is on of the great things about this country, the freedom to express yourself. It is not fair, nor is it constitutional that music should be censored in anyway. It is not only rap music trying to be censored it is in all types of music. They are taking away their rights and it isn't fair. As reported in the New York Times. "Wall-Mart CD standards are Changing Pop Music", Wal-Mart and other large department stores sell CD's by your favorite artists which are not what your favorite artists originally created. Some retailers refuse to carry CDs with "Parental Advisory Stickers", a few also go as far as to make it known to labels and artists that if the CD comes to their shelves with a "dirty" word, a "controversial" cover, or an "explicit" lyric it will not be allowed on the shelves.
Will sexism ever come to an end in today’s society? Are women going to let men step all over them? Jennifer Mclune discusses in her article, Hip-Hops Betrayal on Black Women, how black male singers objectify and degrade black females in the music industry. The purpose of this article is to show how black women are being deceived in the hip hop industry and being used as sex symbols instead of showing them for their true colors. Mclune (2015) voices her strong argument in attracting her audience by using ethos, tones, and the use of word choices.
The music industry’s history is a convoluted mess. There is no real consensus on what the music industry IS and what paths it has taken. Were the Beatles the greatest band to ever exist? Maybe. Is there a hyper objectification of women throughout the “men’s club” that is the music industry? Probably. It’s this hard to define, frankly confusing business that is worth roughly $130 billion dollars today. With it’s flimsy and opaque edges, can the music industry ever be called into question on its wrongdoings? The racist undertone throughout its history may force it to. With the music industry as an ever growing business that seems to change almost every decade, the one thing that has not changed throughout time is an undercurrent of racism that
There is a direct relationship between what is portrayed in music and the effect it has on its audience. Generally speaking, in modern music, woman have been placed in a certain mold. The molds portrayed in music have caused women to have negative self-perception. Through the lyrics presented in the songs and the images portrayed in the music videos, certain hip-hop songs may cause women to view themselves in the same light portrayed in the songs. The tone, lyrics, and images presented in the songs effect the intended audiences immensely. Hip hop music that objectifies black women negatively affects their self-perception because they view themselves as commodities.
As David Machin stated in 2010, “lyrics are not only about artists telling stories but also communicating discourses about their identity.” (Machin D, 2010: 78) indeed, the lyrics of a song play an important role in connecting with people and providing people with reflexive identities, when people listen to the music, the linguistic meaning offers the audience with better representation of the music and creates more emotional connection between the singers and the audiences. Also, as different music genre has different representational characteristics, the lyrics also differ from each other within different genre, meanwhile, the composition of lyrics also changes along with the development of the social movement, as Kaufmann discussed, “the recording industry has been blamed for causing morally or socially unacceptable behavior, thereby placing it in an uncomfortably defensive position.” (Kaufmann, W B, 1986: 225) Thus regulation of music lyrics gradually becomes problematic to the music creation and the necessity of the music regulation or the censorship seems to be increasingly important to the music industry. As a matter of fact, the history of music censorship has already emerged in early times, and developed from the self-regulation into government-regulated regulation these years. This essay will mainly discuss the historical root of the lyric censorship from early ages, explain why the censorship is needed in this industry and finally analyze the censored issue in Cee Lo Green’s song, Forget You (also known as Fuck You) which was released in 2010.
Misogyny and degradation of women is present in almost every genre of music, yet the one genre that completely revolves around demeaning women is rap. Over the years rap and rap music videos have continually become more sexual and degrading towards women. Rap has been criticized numerous times for this reason, and that is because rap is one of the most popular genres of music for the younger generations. It is more than a genre of music, it is a complete industry filled with clothing and other merchandise. The reason this constant demeaning of women exists is because rap as a genre that rewards the objectification of women. The excuses used to justify the misogyny in rap are incomplete and lack accurate support. The most effective way for this continuous cycle ends, is if the fight and protest comes from the women themselves. Men are the problem in the objectification of women but in order for it to stop, women need to step up and take control of the situation.
In order for this problem to adjust over time, much work will be necessary. I believe that our country as a whole should focus not so much on the content of the lyrics, but who the musical artists themselves are. Just because lyrics are profound doesn’t mean that the artist believes in them, they could be relating to previous acts that have occurred in their lives, or speaking freely on the problems our society is faced with. It would be beneficial for our country if a sensor council or committee was founded to screen all songs and albums before they’re released, in order to identify them with a warning label or not
The negative perception of women throughout popular culture in the form of music has greatly impacted the portrayal of women on today’s society. This study involves on examination of sexist ideologies in dancehall lyrics that portray women in stereotypical and negative manner. This particular king of music explored in the study is dancehall music, a popular genre in Jamaican culture today. The primarily focus is on the effect of popular songs have on women in society, as well as how song lyrics can cause objectification of women and how are the roles of men and women reflected.