| Introduction
Setting
the Stage: Questions to think about
What
are the ethical implications of the images and lyrics used in
rap music (one musical genre that was created through the development
of hip-hop culture)?
Should
youth who watch music videos and listen to rap music emulate the
lyrics and imagery portrayed in the videos?
What
ethics and values are promoted by Hip-Hop culture?
Who
should be held responsible for lyrics and images that degrade
women in rap music and videos – music company executives,
rap artists, or both?
What
impact do these degrading images and lyrics have on those who
listen to the music and watch the videos, especially youth?
Finally,
what can be done to create a market for those artists who offer
socially conscious lyrics, and video imagery?
Given
the global impact of hip-hop culture, and its embrace by youth
around the world these are important questions for those who live
the culture, especially as they develop their skills as leaders
of their generation. These questions will serve as the springboard
for this module on Hip-Hop Culture and Social Consciousness –
Reconciling Value Conflicts.
Introduction
It has been written that Hip-Hop’s origins are in the neighborhoods
of poor blacks and Latinos in New York City. Youth listened to
beats mixed by the original DJs in the streets of those neighborhoods.
From its inception in the 1970s to now, hip-hop has grown and
evolved to a multibillion dollar global phenomenon. Jeff Chang
(2001) argues by the end of the 1980s it became the single most
potent global youth force in a generation. It is currently described
as having evolved from “a post–civil rights era grassroots
phenomenon born in the streets of the Bronx, N.Y…. and has
become a global cultural movement whose stylistic impact and social
perspectives clearly extend beyond popular rap music” (Publisher’s
Weekly, n.d.).
Butler
(2004) and others reiterate what is becoming increasingly obvious,
current estimates of Hip-Hop’s contribution to the United
States economy are in fact in the billions of dollars. With its
original inception several dimensions of Hip-Hop culture emerged
in the 1970s. There were originally four elements – MCing,
DJing, Breaking and Graffiti Art. Later a fifth element was added,
Knowledge.
Hip-Hop
culture and music have evolved from a focus on inequity, racism,
and self-empowerment to the current emergence of what is described
as the “bling” era. Through hip-hop the word bling
has invaded the lexicon and reflects an excessive and conspicuous
display of wealth in the form of expensive jewels (many times
conflict diamonds), luxury cars, expensive champagne and the ability
to live a “jet-setting” lifestyle that allows the
male who possesses “bling” to spend it lavishly on
very beautiful and voluptuous young women.
Rap
music is one musical genre that was created as hip-hop culture
developed. Some have even argued that hip-hop culture was created
by rap music. Rap music and hip-hop culture are disseminated and
purveyed through mass media. Electronic media whether urban radio,
MTV, VH-1, or BET; popular video-sharing websites like YouTube;
social networking sites like MySpace; or the Internet via the
websites of rap artists, all serve as vehicles for delivering
music videos and related programming that markets and sells the
work of rap artists. Rap music videos may contain images which
are problematic, especially those images that include women. Women
in many music videos are portrayed as objects existing solely
for the purpose of sexual gratification for men, described as
the “Video Vixen”, as single-minded “Goldiggers”
or if they bring drama “Baby Mommas” who are only
interested in obtaining the wealth possessed by men, or as the
beautiful, well-endowed “Trophies” of powerful men.
Saucier’s (2005) problematizes these images by presenting
commentary on Alison Duke’s Booty Nation, writing that for
Duke -
“standard music video depictions of the accrual of diamond
encrusted watches, expensive cars, vast mansions, and other symbols
of capitalistic wealth and status do not fully convey and construct
larger-than-life persona and hyper-masculine bravado, completing
the image of commercial success and masculine authority includes
the mobilization of images of scantily clad women who are equated
with mere commodity accessories (p. 95).
Mass
media then, has taken on the role of purveyor/disseminator of
these negative images. Emerson (n.d.) for example argues that
mass media and popular culture in the late 20th century and at
the dawn of the millennium “have become primary sites for
socialization and the perpetuation of hegemonic ideologies.”
This argument suggests that mass media does in fact impact behavior,
beliefs, and attitudes of those who are consistent consumers of
the images that it offers.
Bowling
and Washington (n.d.) argue that some prominent African-Americans
have criticized rap music, having failed to realize that all rap
music is not misogynistic, and does not promote violence and drug
use. Additionally, rap music is not the only genre where these
negative images of women are presented.
Rap
music videos can also contain images that glamorize a criminal
lifestyle where violence is promoted as a mechanism for gaining
power and control. The American Academy of Pediatrics (1998) issued
a report which revealed that portrayals of violence in popular
music videos might have a distorting impact on adolescent expectations
related to race, male-female relationships and even conflict resolution.
There may be other consequences to excessive viewing of rap music
videos. Researchers at Emory University (Wingood et al., 2003)
found that exposure to these videos, particularly gangsta rap,
may reinforce adolescent participation and engagement in risky,
unhealthy behavior.
In
this module students will be asked to examine the current value
conflicts that exist in hip-hop culture through the genre of rap
music. Students will be challenged to identify the values that
are espoused by the culture and to explore the impact of the culture
on the ideas, attitudes, and behavior of youth. In this module
students will examine the dissemination of misogynistic lyrics
in hip-hop and will examine the gender dilemmas that exist in
the culture and the impact of those dilemmas on individual ethics.
The goals of this module include aiding students in identifying
the values espoused by hip-hop culture, identifying conflicting
and competing values, determining the importance and significance
of values and ethics in hip-hop culture, and developing useful
strategies for assessing and critiquing the inherent value conflicts
that arise when artistic expression conflicts with community norms
and values.
Educational
Objectives
Upon
completing the Hip-Hop Culture and Social Consciousness Module
students will:
•
Identify values associated with hip-hop culture.
•
Discuss the impact of the misogyny and sexism displayed in rap
music on the attitudes and behavior of youth.
•
Discuss the impact of socially conscious lyrics and images on
rap music/hip-hop culture.
•
Discuss the ethical implications of censuring lyrics and images
in rap music/hip-hop culture.
•
Develop arguments for and against censuring lyrics and images
in rap music/hip-hop culture.
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