Theme Of Violence In Music Videos

Hip-hop culture has been the topic of various academic, social, and political discourses. Rap music, in particular, has made its way to mainstream media which is evident in the numerous films and movies that centers on what was once a part of an underground culture. Scholars explain that the popularity of hip-hop in both music and films are partly due to its potential to disseminate information, address an issue, and promote social change. Tinson and McBride (2013), for example, note that hip-hop is a “…form of critical education at the intersection of, and inseparable from political engagement” (1). Scholars further note that hip-hop’s current state “…requires frequent accounting of its engagement with the social, political, and cultural climate

The main theme being utilized is Jhally’s techniques of storytelling. This theme’s main point is the story of relation that gets told about men and women. The constant narrative in music videos, such as Justin Timberlake’s music video which tells the story of a scorned ex-lover becoming a stalker, shows that there are certain roles that males and females take on that represent the relation and interaction of the two genders (Jhally). Men get placed into positions of power which gives the impression that they are the dominant of the two genders. In contrast women are typically made vulnerable in a number of ways, whether it be in their style of dress or display of strength, and this makes them submissive. The power relation that gets told in these music videos is important because of its intersectionality and the fact that it can be applied to other media, as well as real life. This

What seems to us now as excessive violence and misogyny in hip hop stems from a culture that has been consumed in a continuous battle against social and economic oppression since its early days. In the beginnings of hip hop, there was an explosion of defiance against the subjugation these artists had to experience on a daily basis. For many artists, rapping about guns and gang life was a reflection of daily life in the ghettos and inner-city housing projects. Not only did rap provide an outlet to voice the struggles of black youth, it also gave them a sense of pride. Before major hip hop groups such as NWA arrived on the scene, people would refuse to admit they were even from Compton. Nowadays, everyone wears the identity with pride. The genre was a testament to triumphing over hardships, to having enough confidence in oneself not to let the world drag you down, and to rising above the struggle, even when things seem hopeless. Violence in rap did not begin as an affective agent that threatened to harm America 's youth; rather, it was the outcry of an already-existing problem from youth whose world views have been shaped by the inequalities and prejudice they have experienced.

Hip Hop is seen as something inspiring, but most people see it as a way to speak out the truth about a problem. As in “Hip Hop planet” being able say the truth can sometimes worsen any situation because sometimes what we say can promote violence and whatever happens after is not in our control. The essay is about how hip hop has changed into speaking out the issues that need to be taken care of in order to maintain a proper society. McBride talked about how rappers use violent lyrics to degrade women and gays and because of this it shows how the music has evolved into something entirely different that no one would have ever expected to have changed. In James McBride's essay “Hip Hop Planet,” he argues that hip hop has a negative influence on American Culture despite people thinking of it as inspirational and how people live through different experiences in life despite of your race.

In her essay “hip hop’s betrayal of black women,” Jennifer McLune implies that “(h)ip-hop owes its success to the ideology of women-hating” (193). She does not agree with Kevin Powell’s article that hip-hop does not mean to “offend” black women, but instead artists are only letting out their temper throughout their music. McLune feels infuriated that many artists in hip hop (including black men) rap about their community and downgrade their own women. In the hip-hop genre, sexism is mainly used, not only by black men but also by many other race hip-hop artists. Artists assume that women-hating in their rap songs will be accepted by women, but do not realize that it is affecting all women. Some lyrics focus on success and making money. Nevertheless,

This article focuses on the color-blind ideology that allows white people to participate in and appropriate hip-hop culture. Rodriquez notes that they do so by using the guise of inclusivity of all races to justify their participation in hip hop and to adapt characteristics of the culture without respecting Black identity. He uses his own interviews of several white audience members of hip hop concerts who identified as participants of hip hop culture. Rodriquez identifies two groups resulting from social collectivity to reinforce his argument: consciously collective white groups, who actively reinforce racial segregation and passively collective white groups, who unknowingly unite and reinforce systematic racism through their adherence to color-blind ideology. The participants of his research are part of the latter, who unconsciously reinforce systematic racism through treating cultural objects, namely aspects of hip hop culture, as shareable products and experiences. Rodriquez’s interviews demonstrate that color-blind ideology enables white people to

Additionally, you illustrate the pop culture as being aware of the importance to recognize value as well as the warning it is sounding, in which we should begin paying attention. You challenge us, as a society, to take the initiative to embrace expression and to change the social inequalities that still plague us and other cultures from around the world. The main purpose of writing your article is an appeal to the adult generation to not dismiss hip hop, but to listen carefully to the message and realize that a generation wants acknowledgement and a resolution to these troubles and inequalities.

Rap music receives a variety of brutal critic from critics attacking the lyric that rappers use. Most people believe that “lyrics should appeal to us, not degrade us” (Glidden3). There is controversy surrounding “some artists accused of rapping sexually inflammatory lyrics” (Encyclopedia4). The actions of a few is causing people to put a bad label on rap in a whole. This bias opinion is becoming the cause of listeners to believe that rap lyrics “are setting a bad example for kids and teens” (Glidden2). I can understand where this may lead to critics to misapply such distaste to the rap form, but “there are rap artists who don’t use offensive language or portray women in a negative light” (Glidden1). People are being so quick to jump to harsh opinions and are not even attempting to understand the ways of rap. They only listen to one song and assume that this is how all rappers are. This quick assumption is unfair to the rap genre as a whole, because rap does not deserve

On one hand, when rappers refer to black women as sex object, bitches, hos and baby’s mamas, many believe it is just the result of how women are behaving in the black community as a result of their low self-esteem and the social inequality they have to face. For these reasons black women use sex as their mechanism to gain power and material things. On the other hand, many feels that hip hop does not do justice to black women when rappers represent them as baby mamma drama or as gold-diggers. In the case of single mothers, it is unfair because they are not taking in consideration all the challenges single mothers have to face in U.S. society. However, hip hop is not the cause of the increased number of single

Because the lyrics of many rap songs tell stories of an artist’s personal experience of their everyday lives growing up, urban youth can relate and connect to the lyrics because they see and experience very similar things. Listening to the artist’s lyrics about their own experiences can teach the listeners to not make stupid mistakes and if they continue to follow the right paths, they can achieve more and be successful like the rappers. Hip-Hop literacies can be applied in and outside of the classroom. Students can identify themselves through Hip-Hop culture. In the article, “You Don’t Have to Claim Her”, the author and English teacher Lauren Leigh Kelly, explains that women of all ages can use Hip-Hop to identify themselves despite the genre

An undetected virus surfaces everywhere, while leaders of society try desperately to find a cure, to stop this heinous virus named: racism *dramatic music*. The articles “Is Everyone a Little Bit Racist?” by Nicolas Kristof and “Black Men and Public Spaces” by Brent Staples, emphasise how society is primarily racist against African Americans. These articles acknowledge that black men in America are victims of extensive racism, that individuals who declare they believe in racial equality are covertly supremacists, and that American culture encourages that black men are omens of danger. With racism manifested and lodged in society, Blacks will be prevented from reaching their full potential.

The boom of feminism in pop culture led Taylor Swift and many artists went with the ‘trend’ that is feminism. Yet, majority fail to discuss sensitive issues that the media might think will not go well the audiences. Thus only selected issues are identified with in mass media.

There have been many rap songs and albums that have been very meaningful, and have gained millions of fans that appreciate their music. For example, on Kendrick Lamar’s debut album Good Kid, m.A.A.d City, each song is a piece of his life story. He describes his struggles growing up in the ghettos of Compton, California. Kendrick addresses situations such as gang violence, peer pressure, and oppressed women. On the song “The Art of Peer Pressure”, Kendrick describes the inner conflict that he dealt with at a young age, trying to distinguish right from wrong in certain situations. Another major theme on the album is violence. The unfortunate fact is that when people hear violent lyrics in rap music, they automatically think that the rapper is a violent person. . Contrary to popular belief, there have been songs dedicated to the empowerment of women in a male-dominant society. For example, in J. Cole’s song “Crooked Smile”, he is speaking to women who think that they have to meet certain expectations for men to accept them. More specifically, he explains that women shouldn’t have to make themselves perfect for anyone because nobody’s perfect. The title “Crooked Smile” refers to his crooked teeth that he’s had since childhood, as a way for listeners to relate to him. In the song, he raps, “We don’t look nothing like the people on the screen, you know the movie stars, picture perfect beauty queens, but we

It 's being portrayed that being a man equals violence, poorness, being from the hood, can not be a sucker or you 're going to be tested, have your game face all the time, showing no emotion, and when they pick up a microphone they are a totally different person than who they really are. It was once said, ¨We teach boys to be afraid of fear, of weakness, of vulnerability. We teach them to mask their true selves, because they have to be a hard man. ¨Men want to have so much power, but they don 't have any power at all. The hip hop artist just has physical power over their body and how they display themselves, so they dress certain ways to get respect to feel powerful which also is hypermasculinity. The harder a man feels compelled to be, the weaker his ego is. Feminism is not about hating men. It is not about losing your femininity. It’s about equality, they feel this is something they need. Feminism isn 't just for women it 's just another word for gender equality. Feminist don 't want to oppress or marginalize the male

This movie was a broad discussion about hip-hop music (or more specifically gangster rap) and what kind of social issues the music not only showcases but seems to promote. The producer of this film, Byron Hunt, interviewed people involved in all aspects of the hip-hop industry, including famous rappers, to try to get to the bottom of this.