Visual Analysis Essay
Libby Quick
ENGL-1101-JZ
September 8, 2020
Things are always changing. Like most other genres of music, hip-hop has changed in a multitude of ways from the past. While lots has evolved, elements from the past still show up in text today. In the music video “Work It,” by Missy Elliott, many references to past hip hop culture are made. Tricia Rose, a professor of American Studies at the University of California, goes into detail about the history of hip-hop culture in her Rap Music article. She talks about the rise of DJs and how they evolve throughout time, as well as how rappers began to form rapping groups or collaborations. She also talks about popular trends from hip hop history such as graffiti and people dancing to DJs. These elements are very present in the music video “Work It.”
The image shown above includes the hand of the producer rotating a turntable back and forth against the needle while a track is played. This technique is called scratching. This trend was very common in the 1980’s as many DJs or groups began to perform on stages. Along with the historical reference of the turntable, you also notice visual elements such as the contrasting darks and lights in the image. The reflection of light causes the turntable to be white, contrasting the darker background. This puts an emphasis on the turntable, showing that it is the focus of the clip.
Another popular trend that Rose mentioned was graffiti. She explained how it is tied to hip hop by the two of them being “especially aggressive public displays of counterpresence and voice.” (25). Shown above is an image of Missy Elliott alongside 2 Pac and other male dancers. The reason for the air brush graffiti on their shirts is to reference the popular trend of graffiti from hip-hop history in the 1980’s. Graffiti was so important then because it was a way of communication, just like hip-hop then. As well as graffiti being included in this scene, unity is very present as well. All of the people are seen wearing the same outfits as each other.
Women were excluded from the hip-hop culture due to the abundance of male-dominated studio spaces where technological information was not shared with them. But this wasn't only the case for women in hip-hop. This exclusion included women throughout American and European history as well. (24). Rose states that there is a way around it though. She says, “creating a female-centered studio space” could allow women to appear in hip-hop more often. “I have always imagined that rap’s most financially successful female rappers would build a rap music production studio that hires and trains female technicians and interns,” (24) Rose states. Missy Elliott is a perfect example of this. She is an independent female rapper. In her song “Work it,” she uses the lyrics “If you a fly gal, get your nails done. Get a pedicure, get your hair did.” This is describing how women get ready for an event like going out to a club or something similar. In the image below, you see a group of women getting the hair and nails done.
The image above shows the artist Missy Elliott breakdancing to the hip-hop song in the background. This, along with graffiti and DJs, was very popular in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Breakdances would dance along to the music produced by the DJ’s either during performances or even at neighborhood parties.
In conclusion, hip-hop culture from the time it began and what it has evolved to today have many of the same components. While the style of the songs and music videos that go along with them may seem very different, if you look closely you will find some things that make you think of the past.
Libby Quick
Figurative Language in Hip-Hop
Many songs in many genres use figurative language to help express the meaning of a song. Hip-Hop is one of the genres where figurative language is very common and very important. Lyrics are put together in specific ways to help things make more sense. In the song “Ice, Ice, Baby” by Vanilla Ice, you can really see how figurative language works. The artist uses many different forms of figurative language to really get the message across as well as add some variety. Vanilla Ice uses similes, metaphors, personification, and much more in his song “Ice, Ice, Baby.” All these combined allow the listener to understand the message of the song better, as well as add some emotion such as humor.
Figurative language makes up the song “Ice, Ice, Baby.” Without the use of figurative language in this song, it would be very hard to understand what the message is. Vanilla Ice uses similes the most in the song out of anything. “I rock the mic like a vandal” is one example of this. In this statement he is basically saying that he raps violently, meaning he thinks he is good. This use of a simile allows you to picture the song in your head. It gives you a visual of what is happening on the stage. Another example of a simile that the artist uses is “killing your brain like a poisonous mushroom.” To understand the meaning of this line, you must look back to the previous couple lines in the song. He is describing his performance on stage. With that in mind, you can assume he is trying to say that he is so good on stage that your going to “die” when you hear him. Although both examples are similes because of the comparison with the use of “like” or “as,” you could also consider these metaphors. In the first example, he is not literally destroying the mic, and in the second example he is not literally killing you. He just uses these words to show how strong he is on stage.
Metaphors are another thing that is very commonly found in this song. Just like with similes and other forms of figurative language, they help the listener to understand the meaning of the song. One example of the many metaphors that the artist, Vanilla Ice, uses is “deadly when I play a dope melody.” This would be considered a metaphor because he is not literally deadly. He just uses that word choice to add more of a dramatic effect to the way that he plays a melody. Another example of this is “the block was dead.” This is another example of a metaphor because again, the block is not literally dead. He is using the word “dead” to show that there was no one else there. This example could also be considered imagery because he is using this word choice to give the listener a picture of how no one else was on the block. Another thing that you could take firm these two examples, and the second example of a simile, is that he tends to stick with the theme of death or killing in his figurative language. This could be because he wants to show the listeners of the song he is maybe not to be messed with.
Vanilla Ice uses personification as a form of figurative language in his song. While it is not as common as his use of similes or metaphors in his song “Ice, Ice, Baby,” it is still present a few times. Personification is formed by giving an inanimate object human features. An example of this that he uses is “Now that the party is jumping.” The party is not literally jumping but saying this allows the listener to get a sense of what the hypothetical party is like. It allows us to be present in the scene. With this example of figurative language, you may notice that the artist changed up his theme of killing or death and formed a new theme of exciting and energetic. You see this theme throughout the song as well. Even some of the phrases he uses that have the theme of death also fit this theme.
With all of this this being said, the main takeaway is that figurative language gives meaning and enjoyment to a text. It makes it more interesting to read or listen to while allowing you to understand the deeper meaning that the same time. In the song “Ice, Ice, Baby” by Vanilla Ice, the use of figurative language completes the song. Try to imagine it without any figurative language. The message would be hard to grasp, and it would be boring to listen to. What makes the song so good is its combined use of similes, metaphors, personification, and more.
Compare Two Artists
Jaheim, a popular male rapper forms the early 2000’s, often rapped about women in his songs. One of his more popular songs, “Put that Woman First,” includes the about 24-year-old rapper rapping about women, and how he treats them. In this song specifically he says things about needing women’s love and “putting that woman first.” This goes to show that he thinks of woman respectably and wants to treat them well. This song, released in 2002, was somewhat different from its time. More often than not, male rappers rapped about women in a more sexual context, rather than as a partner. Women were portrayed as objects very commonly by men around this time. This being said, Jaheim was well respected in the way he talked about women, unlike most male rappers who talked about women from the early 2000’s.
Almost a decade later, rap songs still commonly objectify women. Male rappers continue to refer to women such as thots or hoes. On top of this, it is common for men to rap about women in sexual ways such as describing them “giving top,” or “making that ass drop.” Popular male rapper Post Malone uses these terms describing women in his song Psycho,” released in 2018, almost a decade after Jaheim released his song “Put that Woman First.” This way of referring to women is not rare for this time, although many artists are starting to realize that this is wrong.
Establishing a Basis for Comparison
The topic of women has always been popular in rap songs since the beginning of hip-hop history. Whether talking about relationships with women, or the way women look and act, male rappers have always loved the topic. Terms such as hoe, bitch, or slut are often used to address women. Along with the way women are addressed, there are also common trends in the way women are talked about. These trends often involve objectifying women.
The way women are talked about has always caused some sort of controversy. Many people do not agree with the popular terms used to describe women, or the way women are portrayed in rap songs, or in the background of rap music videos. At the same time, these songs where some people claim women are objectified tend to do much better than songs that empower women. When looking at this controversy on a timeline, you see some key factors. For example, In the two decades between the year 2000 and 2020, we are seeing many more songs empowering women, and discussing the problem of objectifying women. Although this is the case, we are still very far from improvements.
Rough Draft
Libby Quick
Establish Basis for Comparison
The topic of women has always been popular in rap songs since the beginning of hip-hop history. Whether talking about relationships with women, or the way women look and act, male rappers have always loved the topic. Terms such as hoe, bitch, or slut are often used to address women. Along with the way women are addressed, there are also common trends in the way women are talked about. These trends often involve objectifying women.
The way women are talked about has always caused some sort of controversy. Many people do not agree with the popular terms used to describe women, or the way women are portrayed in rap songs, or in the background of rap music videos. At the same time, these songs where some people claim women are objectified tend to do much better than songs that empower women. When looking at this controversy on a timeline, you see some key factors. For example, In the two decades between the year 2000 and 2020, we are seeing many more songs empowering women, and discussing the problem of objectifying women. Although this is the case, we are still very far from improvements.
Thesis
Jaheim, a popular male rapper forms the early 2000’s, often rapped about women in his songs. One of his more popular songs, “Put that Woman First,” includes the about 24-year-old rapper rapping about women, and how he treats them. In this song specifically he says things about needing women’s love and “putting that woman first.” This goes to show that he thinks of woman respectably and wants to treat them well. This song, released in 2002, was somewhat different from its time. More often than not, male rappers rapped about women in a more sexual context, rather than as a partner. Women were portrayed as objects very commonly by men around this time. This being said, Jaheim was well respected in the way he talked about women, unlike most male rappers who talked about women from the early 2000’s.
Antithesis
Almost a decade later, rap songs still commonly objectify women. Male rappers continue to refer to women such as thots or hoes. On top of this, it is common for men to rap about women in sexual ways such as describing them “giving top,” or “making that ass drop.” Popular male rapper Post Malone uses these terms describing women in his song Psycho,” released in 2018, almost a decade after Jaheim released his song “Put that Woman First.” This way of referring to women is not rare for this time, although many artists are starting to realize that this is wrong.
Synthesis
Many female rappers respond differently to the issue of the way that male rappers talk about them. Some women embrace the way they are talked about and talk about themselves the same way in their songs. These rappers such as Cardi B and Niki Minaj use their own bodies in their music videos along with other women’s bodies. They also use many of the same terms that male rappers use when addressing themselves and other women. Other women do not agree with this though. Some rappers, such as Tierra Whack rap about things in a different way. She raps more about common real life situations, not about sex. In her music videos, there are no women running around half naked. Everyone is fully clothed and everything that is happening fits with the content of the lyrics.
Conclusion
Rap music will always include women in its lyrics and its songs. The goal is that one day, the way that women are talked about and portrayed is different than it is now. Even toady male rappers still objectify women and talk about them in derogatory ways, but hopefully there will be some improvement in the future. The goal is that women are talked badly about less and less, and their true inner beauty is focused on more and more.
Final Draft
Libby Quick
The Objectification of Women in Hip-Hop Through the Decades
Establish Basis for Comparison
The topic of women has always been popular in rap songs since the beginning of hip-hop history. Whether talking about relationships with women, or the way women look and act, male rappers have always loved the topic. Talking about women in their rap songs is what gets the song to the top of the charts. Terms such as hoe, bitch, or slut are often used to address women. The term hoe is used in the song “I Love It,” by Kayne West in the line “You’re such a fucking hoe, I love it.” All of these are derogatory terms. Along with the way women are addressed, there are also common trends in the way women are talked about. These trends often involve objectifying women.
The way women are talked about has always caused some sort of controversy. Many people do not agree with the popular terms used to describe women, or the way women are portrayed in rap songs, or in the background of rap music videos. At the same time, these songs where some people claim women are objectified tend to do much better than songs that empower women. When looking at this controversy on a timeline, you see some key factors. For example, In the two decades between the year 2000 and 2020, we are seeing many more songs empowering women, and discussing the problem of objectifying women. Although this is the case, we are still very far from improvements.
Thesis
Jaheim, a popular male rapper forms the early 2000’s, often rapped about women in his songs. One of his more popular songs, “Put that Woman First,” includes the about 24-year-old rapper rapping about women, and how he treats them. In this song specifically he says things about needing women’s love and “putting that woman first.” This goes to show that he thinks of woman respectably and wants to treat them well. This song, released in 2002, was somewhat different from its time. Often, male rappers rapped about women in a more sexual context, rather than as a partner. Women were portrayed as objects very commonly by men around this time. This being said, Jaheim was well respected in the way he talked about women, unlike most male rappers who talked about women from the early 2000’s.
While this is the case for some rap songs in the early 1990’s and 2000’s, not all of them talk about women the way that “Put that Woman First” does. Artist 2Pac promotes the idea that women are of no use to a man unless they have sex with them. I his rap song “I Get Around” he mentions how all he does is sleep around with various women. In one part of the song he even brings up the scenario where he gets angry because one woman has doubts about having sex with him. This rap song is entirely about this topic and still was on the charts for eight weeks. This goes to prove that the songs that talk about women in derogatory ways have a better chance of a song that talks about another topic.
Antithesis
Almost a decade later, rap songs still commonly objectify women. Male rappers continue to refer to women in ways such as thots or hoes. On top of this, it is common for men to rap about women in sexual ways such as describing them “giving top,” or “making that ass drop.” Popular male rapper Post Malone uses these terms describing women in his song “Psycho,” released in 2018, almost a decade after Jaheim released his song “Put that Woman First.” This way of referring to women is not rare for this time, although many artists are starting to realize that this is wrong.
Neha Makkapati uses examples from popular rap songs that were written during this time to back up her claim as well. These examples include songs from Migos and Future with lines from their songs saying things like “She just bought a new ass, but got the same boobs,” or “Fuck his baby mama, tryna sneak diss. I took her to my penthouse then I freaked it.” She brings up the point of how nonchalant objectification is in rap songs now. “Women become the object of an image that these rappers frame, and their listeners are completely desensitized to it,” she says. Other rappers that she uses quotes from include Kayne West and Rich the Kid. All these rappers hit peak popularity later in hip-hop history any time after 2010.
Artist Future, who Makkapati mentions as well, is also brought up in blog post “How Men in Hip-Hop Perpetuate Mistreatment of Women,” by Naomi Wilson. She talks about one song by Future called “Collection.” In this song the artist hints at the physical abuse of women. You can see this in the line “Even if I hit you once, you part of my collection.” This entire song, as Wilson states is about “a girl claimed to be a virgin, but she previously had sex with rappers and singers in the industry. He jokes about her taking him to court for rape allegations because she also knows athletes. He talks about how this girl will always be a part of his collection because they had sex.”
Synthesis
Many female rappers respond differently to the issue of the way that male rappers talk about them. Some women embrace the way they are talked about and talk about themselves the same way in their songs. These rappers such as Cardi B and Niki Minaj use their own bodies in their music videos along with other women’s bodies. “Instead of helping other women in the genre, they reinforce the idea of the limited female space in rap and have even gotten into physical and verbal fights with each other.” Makkapati states, talking about Niki and Cardi. They also use many of the same terms that male rappers use when addressing themselves and other women. Other women do not agree with this though. Some rappers, such as Tierra Whack rap about things in a different way. She raps more about common real-life situations, not about sex. In her music videos, there are no women running around half naked. Everyone is fully clothed and everything that is happening fits with the content of the lyrics.
Darius Scott states in his blog post that other female rap artists such as Queen Latifah and Missy Elliott “openly defied gender stereotypes in their work to uplift women.” He also states that even recently artists such as Niki Minaj have been using lyrics in their songs that express their queer sexualities. This goes to show that while the issues of objectifying women and homophobia are still present in many rap songs, there is starting to be some improvement of it in the recent years.
Conclusion
Makkapati brings up in her blog post the question of “Am I part of the issue?” She states how the genre of rap is her favorite music and by listening to it, is she technically supporting the misogyny of women? She says how she attends rap concerts and sings along with the rapper’s derogatory terms addressing women. The issue is when she or anyone else does this at a concert or even just in the car either alone or with friends, no one even notices that the words they are saying are wrong. Rap music has been built over songs being about women, rather it is talking about them in a good way or bad. Because that is what it has been built on and it is what is popular, supporting it is not the issue. People are always going to listen to it because they like and are supporting the rapping, not necessarily what is being discussed.
Rap music will always include women in its lyrics and its songs. As Makkapati states in her blog post, it is so “normalized” for women to be the focus of rap songs. The goal is that one day, the way that women are talked about and portrayed is different than it is now. Even toady male rappers still objectify women and talk about them in derogatory ways, but hopefully there will be some improvement in the future. The goal is that women are talked badly about less and less, and their true inner beauty is focused on more and more.
Works Cited
“Jaheim – Put That Woman First.” Genius, 9 Feb. 2003, genius.com/Jaheim-put-that-woman-first-lyrics.
Makkapati, Neha. "When Misogyny Masquerades as Entertainment: Looking at Today's Rap & Hip Hop." The Daily Nexus. 07 Mar. 2019. Web. 01 Dec. 2020. <https://dailynexus.com/2019-03-07/when-misogyny-masquerades-as-entertainment-looking-at-todays-rap-hip-hop/>.
“Post Malone (Ft. Ty Dolla $Ign) – Psycho.” Genius, 23 Feb. 2018, genius.com/Post-malone-psycho-lyrics.
Scott, Darius. "For Those of Us Who Love Hip-Hop but Hate Misogyny and Homophobia." 04 May 2016. Web. 01 Dec. 2020. <https://www.bgdblog.org/2016/02/for-those-of-us-who-love-hip-hop-but-hate-misogyny-and-homophobia/>.
Wilson, Naomi. "5 Hip-Hop Songs That Promote Mistreatment of Women." Media Milwaukee. 24 Dec. 2017. Web. 01 Dec. 2020. <https://mediamilwaukee.com/news/headlines/rape-culture-hip-hop-rap-songs-misogony>.
"2Pac." Billboard. Web. 01 Dec. 2020. <https://www.billboard.com/music/2Pac/chart-history/RAP/song/18589>.