I think a lot of my friends would also say the same for much of Migo’s music, yet Migo’s are one of the most popular hip-hop artists out today. Similarly many hip-hop artist nowadays have a songs that sound comparably the same. In the beginning of ‘Do the Right Thing’ the song “Fight the Power” is playing. I believe the message of the song is to standup and fight for any injustice or oppression taking place. Fighting injustices was seen as great important especially coming out of the Black Panther era.
Web. 17 July 2011 "Things Just Ain't the Same": Hip-Hop's Reconstruction of the Gangster Rap Identity." Hip-Hop Linguistics - Underground Hip-Hop | News, Reviews, Videos, FREE Hip-Hop. 30 Jan. 2005. Web.
It has gone from the fringes, to the suburbs, and into the corporate boardrooms. Because it has become the fastest growing music genre in the U.S., companies and corporate giants have used its appeal to capitalize on it. Although critics of rap music and hip hop seem to be fixated on the messages of sex, violence, and harsh language, this genre offers a new paradigm of what can be (Lewis, 1998.) The potential of this art form to mend ethnic relations is substantial. Hip hop has challenged the system in ways that have unified individuals across a rich ethnic spectrum.
Hip Hop was the industry that basically brought about the phrase “no homo” to let people know that you are not gay. This happened because they did not accept gays. Now Hip Hop is slowly becoming less and less homophobic. They have artists such as Azeila Banks and Kreayshawn that “came out of the closet.” Lil B is endorsing to love freely. Jay-Z, the most eminent MC alive, who once flung “F” bombs (“You’s the fag model for Karl Kani”), granted his most significant cosign ever- gay marriage- on the heels of President Obama declaring Support (Garraud 89).
“He don't smack that ass and pull your hair like that” is a rather vulgar and demeaning statement, yet it is freely sung in Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke, a song that was in the top ten on the Billboard list of the most popular R&B/Hip-Hop songs in 2013. Because hip-hop is a very large part of the African American culture, and many speakers of African American English (AAE) are portrayed through these songs, women are often highly influenced by the objectification of their bodies in hip-hop songs. Since the emergence of the hip-hop genre in popular culture in the 1960s and 70s, women’s bodies have been sexually objectified through this music. Although the impact of the sexualization of women’s bodies in hip-hop songs is still very prevalent, the effect of this in recent years has decreased because of a learned linguistic way to navigate the misogynistic words that diminish the humanity of women. Without a doubt, it is not difficult to hear the sexualization of women’s bodies in hip-hop music - and it is clear that the impact this has is not positive.
Nowadays, rappers became more popular because of visualization; it's not because of the music anymore. They used beautiful women and most of the time it was African women that would dance in music videos. The rappers would make the woman see that every woman with a good body can have everything in life and dancing was provocative. According to Sebastian, "As a Hip hop purist, I’ve always hated the fact that most commercial rap music promotes negative images and messages. Having used Hip Hop culture as a medium to empower youth for the last 15 years I’ve seen firsthand how mainstream rap impacts young impressionable minds."
The 1990’s showed people that the art forms of hip hop would be a permanent fixture in music and culture because at this point it existed for roughly twenty years. Minorities had always embraced hip hop since the beginning because they were the creators, but the 1990’s was important because this is when the music being made became more relatable. Artist such as Nas and the Wu-Tang clan embodied a lifestyle in their music that many minorities agreed with because it depicted the lives that those minorities were living. This is not to say that there was not music that was viewed as gimmicky and fabricated. The hip-hop culture was always seen as rebellious, but in the 1990’s it developed an even str... ... middle of paper ... ...onsidered miniscule today, they were the foundation for every form of rapping that is present today.
Despite those negative images, Eminem is one of the best-selling artists in the hip-hop music industry. His second album The Slim Shady LP brought him into the mainstream popularity and earned him the first Grammy Award. His following album, The Mar... ... middle of paper ... ...ship in music because music there serves as an important medium for organizing political opposition [4]. However, some musicians fight against the censorship publicly, arguing it restricts the freedom of music production. The whole idea of such a censorship in civil life is inimical to freedom of thought [5].
Nicki’s apparent feminist agenda through her music and identity is being distributed to her wide audience, which covers a massive array of hip-hop and pop music fans. Her wide reach and continual influence has the potential to lastingly correct the anti-feminist, misogynistic tone of the male-dominated genre and culture. Despite her hyper sexualized image and defamatory lyrics, she is arguably a positive, albeit controversial, feminist role model, which is evident in her motivation for success, lyrical discourse, and use of and meanings behind her alter egos.
Exploring Africa. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. curriculum/m7b/activity2.php>.