ENGL 1101 - Fall 2020 - Hip-Hop Reader - PEASE

Megan Stearley

Virtual Analysis Essay

Song: Robbery by Juice WRLD

Dr. Aron Pease

English 1101

9/11/20

In history, when regarding hip hop music, hip hop has allowed artists to utilize their voices in a way that many could not. Now hip-hop has evolved into rap music. In rap music there are stereotypes that cause women to not have as much of an impact on their audience as opposed to men. In a reading called Rap Music, Trisha Rose says, “Although there have been female DJs and producers, ... they are not major players in the use of sampling technology nor have they made a significant impact in rap music production and engineering,” implying that female artists are not praised as highly by rap fans in comparison to their male counterparts (23). Tricia Rose also shared that, “young women [are] not especially welcome in male social spaces where technological knowledge is shared,” while adding to that saying that studios are extremely male dominated (23). Although women are not praised as highly as men in the industry, women are often the influence for male artist’s content.

During the early years of hip-hop music, it was viewed as a way to incite an exciting time at events by motivating partying and dancing. It has now molded into connecting with the human experience, allowing the audience to be able to relate to the lyrics of the music emotionally. As a result of adding new aspects to the music, rap presents the message for fans that, no matter the situation they are in, they are not alone.

Then  Now 

Juice WRLD, a hip-hop artist, wrote a song that primarily portrays the idea that a toxic relationship has robbed him from his ability to love; hence the song title  “Robbery”. In the majority of Juice WRLD’s music, he appears to be lamenting over struggles with his significant other. In this case, Juice WRLD sang, “And now I’m drinking too much, so I’ma talk with a slur last time I saw you it ended in a blur I woke up in a hearse.” From these lyrics, it is indicated that the last time he saw her, he drank too much to the point where, when he woke up, he felt like he was dead. In this situation he may want to die because of how heartbroken he is. Although trying to drink the pain away for some people may not be the best choice, but for Juice WRLD he believed that it was his only one. In the music video "Robbery," Juice WRLD discusses his retreat to alcohol as a resort from pain. As shown in the first 30 seconds he has a bottle of Hennessey in his hand. Dark and melodramatic “Robbery” is a metaphor describing his love for this woman and Hennessey; the two parallel each other because he is using one to forget the other. In another part of the song Juice WRLD tells that when the woman he is speaking about in the duration of the song decides not to respond to him, he turns to drugs and as a result gets high.

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In conclusion women are looked at as below men in the hip hop industry, yet they are the often the factor of inspiration regarding their lyrics. Although, the content being driven to inspire the creation of their lyrics ends up being a success towards giving the ability for fans to relate to their content. Just like in this music video a message is conveyed: self-expression, such as numbness, animosity and spiraling out of control. Through his video, audience members are able to experience the idea that they are not alone in the difficult situation that they are experiencing. The video also shows a way to express how hip hop has changed over the course of years by going from dancing at parties to something meaningful to the soul. 

In history, when regarding hip hop music, hip hop has allowed artists to utilize their voices in a way that many could not. Now hip-hop has evolved into rap music. In rap music there are stereotypes that cause women to not have as much of an impact on their audience as opposed to men. In a reading called Rap Music, Trisha Rose says, “Although there have been female DJs and producers, ... they are not major players in the use of sampling technology nor have they made a significant impact in rap music production and engineering,” implying that female artists are not praised as highly by rap fans in comparison to their male counterparts (23). Tricia Rose also shared that, “young women [are] not especially welcome in male social spaces where technological knowledge is shared,” while adding to that saying that studios are extremely male dominated (23). Although women are not praised as highly as men in the industry, women are often the influence for male artist’s content.

During the early years of hip-hop music, it was viewed to incite exciting times and told meaningful stories. Today’s hip-top music which is also known as rap has continued to mold into connecting with the human experience and allowing the audience to be able to relate to the lyrics of the music emotionally but it also shaped into explicit partying and dancing. Hip-hop history did consist of dancing and partying, but it involved more street dancing rather than explicit content. As a result of adding new aspects to the music, rap presents the message for fans that, no matter the situation they are in, they are not alone.

Then Now

Juice WRLD, a hip-hop artist, wrote a song that primarily portrays the idea that a toxic relationship has robbed him from his ability to love; hence the song title “Robbery”. In most of the Juice WRLD’s music, he appears to be lamenting over struggles with his significant other. In this case, Juice WRLD sang, “And now I’m drinking too much, so I’ma talk with a slur last time I saw you it ended in a blur I woke up in a hearse.” From these lyrics, it is indicated that the last time he saw her, he drank too much to the point where, when he woke up, he felt like he was dead. In this situation he may want to die because of how heartbroken he is. Although trying to drink the pain away for some people may not be the best choice, but for Juice WRLD he believed that it was his only one. In the music video "Robbery," Juice WRLD discusses his retreat to alcohol as a resort from pain. As shown in the first 30 seconds he has a bottle of Hennessey in his hand. Dark and melodramatic “Robbery” is a metaphor describing his love for this woman and Hennessey; the two parallel each other because he is using one to forget the other. In another part of the song Juice WRLD tells that when the woman he is speaking about in the duration of the song decides not to respond to him, he turns to drugs and as a result gets high

.    

In conclusion women are looked at as below men in the hip hop industry, yet they are often the factor of inspiration regarding their lyrics as Juice WRLD sang about his love life in Robbery. Hip-hop history has evolved into different genres of music. Hip-hop went from social gatherings in the streets to solo rappers, like Juice WRLD making music that spoke to the audience. Although, the content being driven to inspire the creation of their lyrics ends up being a success towards giving the ability for fans to relate to their content. Just like in this music video a message is conveyed: self-expression, such as numbness, animosity and spiraling out of control. Through his video, audience members can experience the idea that they are not alone in the difficult situation that they are experiencing. The video also shows a way to express how hip hop has changed over the course of years by going from exciting times and meaningful music to music that is made from inspiration from women towards men into a meaningful song to the soul. 

ROLLING IN THE DEEP

             The song “Rolling in the Deep” by the artist Adele, uses figurative language throughout the lyrics of the song that tells a profound story. It has a deeper value than what most individuals might suppose it would have if the lyrics are carefully decoded. Rolling in the Deep reveals a story about a woman (Adele), who must accept the ending of her relationship when her ex-boyfriend did wrong doings. In the 1990’s “roll deep,” was a phrase used that meant having a close personal relationship with a person: ride or ride, so to speak. Adele had thought of her ex-boyfriend as her ride or ride until he betrayed her. In the song, Adele uses countless examples of figurative language to express the fact that she was in love with her boyfriend, and the second she lost him she felt alone and angry. There are three types of figurative language that is used quite frequently in this song to help portray how Adele felt: personification, metaphor, and symbol.

One figure of speech that is used in this song includes Personification. This type of figurative language involves the attribution of the character of human beings to inanimate objects. This plays an important role in revamping the lyrics of Rolling in the Deep. The instances of personification are as follows, “the scars of your love remind me of us, they keep me thinking that we almost had it all.” In the chorus, Adele attributes human character to the feeling of love. Love is theoretical and is only felt thus describing an inanimate and theoretical idea. “There’s a fire starting in my heart reaching a fever pitch and it's bringing me out the dark,” this lyric describes “fire” as an object but is in the contexts of a human qualities. The activity is illustrated with ‘reaching’ and ‘bring’ which in a way can be done by animate objects. The lines belong to personification because ‘fire’, which is an object that is humanized in the song. Another example is of personification; “Throw your soul through every open door.” Adele is informing the audience that her ex-boyfriend took every opportunity he could get.

The song starts with a metaphor by saying, “There’s a fire starting in my heart.” Adele uses this as a metaphor that portrays her anger towards her ex. There is no actual fire inside her heart, but she compares a firing feeling to her emotions. The feeling she has resembles pain and anger. “You had my heart inside your hand,” is exemplifying that Adele felt as if her ex had control over her in the relationship. A heart is being compared to her emotions in the sense of, a heart can be touched or grasped by someone while emotions are just feelings. Towards the emotions, she felt at the end of the relationship.

In this song, the symbols are underlined in the following lyrics: “There’s a fire starting in my heart reach a fever pitch and it’s bringing me out the dark.” Fire is a symbol since the word, ‘fire’ is used to perpetrate a different thing. Here, ‘fire’ signifies Adele’s anger that is starting in her heart due to her ex-boyfriend. As knowns, her ex-boyfriend did play with her heart and when she finally knew it, she had to put a stop to it. Which can help support the interpretation that “fire” is a symbol of her anger. Fire is ever so often used being as a symbol of anger as it can easily destroy things, as can anger. The lyrics, “It’s bringing me out the dark,” does not exactly mean in the situation there is no light. Instead, it symbolizes in a situation when not knowing anything or knowing nothing about the truth. Adele uses this as a symbol to completely get out of the dark because she finally knows the truth about her ex-boyfriend and who he really is.

In conclusion, the song “Rolling in the Deep” expresses figurative language as symbolic or metaphorical description that avoids directly telling something to create a complete effect. Additionally, figurative language is very important to understand when communicating. Figurative language improves readers to visualize an idea that catches the focus of attention and can be retain longer in memory. Significantly, Adele beautify dressed up the lyrics that expresses figurative language in a way when the audience listens, they will be more drawn to listening to the song.

Pain Rolls Deep

             The song “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele, uses figurative language throughout that tells a profound story. The song has a deeper value than what most individuals might think. One needs to listen to the lyrics carefully to interpret the deeper meaning. Rolling in the Deep tells a story about a woman (Adele) who must accept the ending of her relationship when she discovered her boyfriend betrayed her. In the 1990’s, “roll deep” was a phrase that meant having a close personal relationship with a person: ride or die, so to speak. Adele had thought of her now ex-boyfriend as her ride or die until he betrayed her. In the song, Adele uses countless examples of figurative language to convey a pattern of her being in love and in a happy place (light), to her having to fall out of love (dark) and moving on. There are three types of figurative language used frequently in this song to help Adele portray how she went from being in love with her significant other, to being angry, and ultimately hurt by him: metaphor, personification, and symbol.

Adele’s lyrics jump right in, expressing her desire and love for her ex-boyfriend. “There's a fire starting in my heart,” this metaphoric expression, expresses how deeply involved Adele was with her ex-boyfriend. She was so passionate towards him that her feelings became strong and intense. However, when she found out he betrayed her, her heart physically felt as if it was on fire because of how much she loved and cared for him. Just as the following lyrics correlate to Adele being in love, she voices that she, herself, was falling in love, but this horrific thing that he had done made her realize that she needed to leave. “It’s bringing me out the dark,” paints the image of her falling in love, but knowing of the betrayal, it opened a new door for her to exit and have a successful future for herself. Love is a powerful emotion that can make one extremely vulnerable to their partner. Betrayal by one’s partner can run deep emotional scars throughout an individual’s wellbeing. Adele uses symbolic figure to completely get out of the darkness of the toxic relationship because she finally knows the truth about her ex-boyfriend and who he really is. Adele finally realized how much pain her ex-boyfriend had put her through without her even noticing. “You had my heart inside your hand,” is used to portray the effect of her being completely vulnerable to her ex-boyfriend. She opened her heart to a man, who she believed she could trust, but instead he took it upon himself and indulged in his own psychotic games. Being so blinded by the love she once had, she did not even realize how much he controlled her until it was too late, and she got out of the relationship.

            Adele creates a powerful force between the emotional pain her ex-boyfriend left on her and the memories he left her with. Perhaps that’s why when Adele sang, “The scars of your love, remind me of us, they keep me thinking that we almost had it all,” she chose an inanimate object, the scars, as a device of personification to attribute scars to the emotional pain inflicted and Adele that she has to now carry. These scars (memories) left Adele feeling a sense of defeat because she knows that their original relationship could have been something great. In the next line Adele carried on the pattern of scars. She sung, “The scars of your love they leave me breathless, I can’t help feeling, we could have had it all.” When talking about love, it is usually described as caring for each other deeply. However, in Adele’s perspective this ‘love’ left her scars instead. “The scars” perhaps indicate a metaphor for anger and hatred.  Which could be a way of expressing the cuts and wounds from when they were together, but then to only be torn apart. Adele’s scars may be emotional, or they may be physical scars from domestic violence.

            Adele makes creative use of fire to highlight the importance and strength in influencing her emotion. Though fire brings more harm than good, the “fire” may bring destruction, revenge so to speak. As Adele sang, “There’s a fire starting in my heart,” which can be referred to as great surmounting excitement occurring while she grasps on has been happening behind her back from her ex-boyfriend. Fire is usually associated with torches, which provide light and guides the way through a dark place. Understanding this, Adele may have finally been able to lift herself from the darkness that consumed her with insecurity and the challenges she faced in the relationship. While the “fire” was a symbolic figure to Adele, it was untamable. Being so angry Adele was, “reaching a fever pitch,” that came from the inside, destroyed her, and shattered her already broken heart. Her willingness to make this boyfriend feel pain, anguish, and grief highlights the emotional impact it had on Adele. As Adele felt alone throughout the song, it was important that she gain her strength, which can be easily described as a symbolic figure. “And it's bringing me out the dark,” can be taken differently depending on how it is interpreted. Adele finally knew about her boyfriend cheating on her. That pain and anger brought her nothing but wanting revenge and retribution to what he did to her. Instead, Adele makes light of the situation because she knew she deserved better and this situation brought her to that realization.

In conclusion, “Rolling in the Deep” expresses figurative language as symbolic and metaphorical descriptions to directly tell the story to create a complete effect. Additionally, Adele’s use figurative language was very important to understand what she was going through and adds clarity to everyday communication when used properly, but sometimes it can confuse. Figurative language improves a reader’s visualization of an idea, catches, and focuses their attention, which can result in better memory retention. Significantly, Adele beautifully dressed up her lyrics and expressed figurative language in a way that helps the audience listen more closely, resulting in a better understanding of her song.

Nowadays everywhere you turn in the hip hop industry there is music being produced by rappers that portray women in a sexual manner. These rappers use visual content and lyrical definition to display the meaning they are aiming to get across to the audience. Much of the audience takes it one of two ways, empowering to the female body, or objectifying. Artists Cardi B and Katy Perry express their views on the sexualization of women’s body while also empowering them in other ways that appear the way they portray themselves through music videos and lyrics. Cardi B is well known for her views to express the female body in different ways than other rappers do. She is one to not be afraid to publicly express sexuality towards a man. On the other hand, Katy Perry is well known for sharing her personal stories through her music. She tends to write more about wanting a spiritual and emotion connection with a man. These artists both consume a certain demeaner towards society depending on how it is taken. Upon drawing a parallel between objectification and hip-hop, oversexualization and marginalization of women is brought into light as a major issue.

Hip hop music today is being produced by artist who share their talent with the world through their experiences, situations, hopes, and/or dreams. This has demonstrated a harsh view onto young girls, teens and even grown women on how the female body can be tormented as an object. According to The Culture of Oversexualization, Misogyny and Unequal Gender Representation Perpetuated by Hip-Hop..., “Videos often portray idealized female bodies and depict women as being the object of male pleasure (Emerson 2002). The article claims that much of the music being produced is to attract listeners by enhancing outward beauty and activating sexual associations. How can female rappers want to speak about empowerment but sing about being an object towards men?

Katy Perry produces music that comes with a message. She voices out stories that are told within her songs which contains an important message that she intends to get across for the audience to hear. The importance of empowerment and the control one should have in their own life is displayed in the song Roar, which is by Katy Perry. The piece was released in 2013 and was meant for her to declare herself as unbreakable. Roar, was not just a reflection of what Perry was going through but a great turning point in her life, hence the title as being so powerful such a sound a lion or tiger makes. This song shows how Perry overcomes challenges and gets back up on her feet when someone or something comes along and knocks her down. In the song she empowers women to stand up for themselves when being pushes around in a toxic relationship. With lines like “I let you push me past the breaking point/I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything” and “I went from zero to my own hero,” Perry was able to show how much she had grown from the beginning to the end. She then repeatedly sings, “I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter,” which is a mantra of courage and determination that deliberately expresses how she will not be defeated by a man and is an empowered woman.

Cardi B tends to correlate her songs with sexual actions, on how the woman’s body is powerful. This could lead to the audience considering it being empowering or objectifying though. Cardi B recently released a song, WAP, which stands for “wet a*s p*ssy.” For one the name of the song gives off sexual demeaning. Some audience looks at this song as an idea of authority towards women and how much they can offer their body to a male, but others look at it as being objectified as an object to men. While in the video both Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion are displayed as having high confidence, they also demonstrate their sexual prowess. From the outside featured stone water fixtures that sprinkle water from their breast to the inside when seeing butts on the walls that bounce when you walk by them, reveals the sexual action that are being developed. Many of the listeners saw the song as very empowering towards the female body. They interpreted it as a female having control over their body, sexuality, independence, and dominance. How does the lyrics, “there some whores in this house” and “never lost a fight, but I’m lookin’ for a beatin,” possibly come across as having great power over her body? Those lyrics leave women powerless and demeaning in the sense that men will look at them as objects when wanting to be called a ‘whore’ or wanting to be physically abused. While her blatant sexual remarks and behavior shows how she is in touch with who she is, and she knows how to get what she wants it does not show younger listeners great roll model.

In discussion of Carid B, one controversial issue has been the way she emphasizes empowerment towards women. One the other hand, Katy Perry has great structure that argues women empowerment through her songs. Others say that Cardi B is the most empowering artist because she knows exactly what she wants and how to get it because her songs reflect it.  My own view is that women empowerment is important for a woman to gain for herself before thinking of others. Having a voice in this society is hard for some women because of the music that is being produced.

When has society sat down and really realized the effect that this portal is having on young girls, teens and grown women. In todays society, music has greatly affected the mindset of women by being portrayed as sexual objects in much of media. It has affected their self-image, how they portray themselves in their relationship, and how it effects their mental state.

Megan Stearley

The role female hip-hop artist display for younger generation 

Everywhere you turn in the hip hop industry there is music being produced by female rappers that portray women in a sexual manner. Today’s rappers use visual imagery and symbolic word choice to display the meaning they are aiming to get across to the audience. The audience can take it one of two ways: empowering or objectifying to the female bodies. Artists, Cardi B and Katy Perry, express their views on the sexualization of women’s body while also empowering the female body in the way they portray themselves through their music videos and lyrics. Cardi B is well known for her views regarding the female body in different ways than other rappers do. She is not one to be afraid to publicly express her sexuality. On the other hand, Katy Perry is well known for sharing her personal stories through her music. Perry tends to write more about wanting a spiritual and emotional connection with a man. Both artists paint a certain hip hop style view towards society through the music they produce, rapping vs singing. While drawing a parallel between objectification, oversexualization, and marginalization of women, different views on sexuality and empowerment are brought into light as a major issue that women disrespect themselves by the music they produce.

Hip hop music today is being produced by artists who share their talent with the world through their experiences, situations, hopes, and dreams. Music has demonstrated a harsh view of young girls, teens, and even grown women on how the female body can be tormented as an object. According to The Culture of Oversexualization, Misogyny and Unequal Gender Representation Perpetuated by Hip-Hop..., “videos often portray idealized female bodies and depict women as being the object of male pleasure” (Emerson 2002). The article argues how much of the music being produced is to attract listeners by enhancing outward beauty and activating sexual associations. Graphic music videos and lyrics lead many young females and adults to assume that what is seen and heard is considered acceptable. According to Bill O’Reilly, in the article, The Misrepresentation of Hip-Hop Culture in the Media, “rap is hurting America’s children” (1). Like before, hip hop music has a great impact on the younger generation because they eventually will adapt to the lifestyle the music is portraying. Many of these rappers’ behaviors are over-looked and instead praised and put on a pedestal when oversexualizing women through visual and lyrical display. How can female rappers want to speak about empowerment, but sing about being an object towards men?

Katy Perry produces music that comes with a message. She voices out personal stories about love and loss in her songs that contain a message of empowerment that she intends to get across for the younger generation, specifically females. The importance of empowerment and the control one should have in their own life is displayed in the song Roar, by Katy Perry. The piece was released in 2013 and was meant to declare herself as unbreakable. Roar was not just a reflection of what Perry was going through, but a great turning point in her life, hence the title as being so powerful such a sound a lion or tiger makes. The song shows how Perry overcomes challenges and gets back up on her feet when someone or something comes along and knocks her down. In the song she empowers women to stand up for themselves when being pushed around in a toxic relationship. With lines like “I let you push me past the breaking point/I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything” and “I went from zero to my own hero,” Perry was able to show how much she had grown from the beginning to the end. She then repeatedly sings, “I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter,” which is a mantra of courage and determination that deliberately expresses how she will not be defeated by a man and is an empowered woman seeking to focus on herself and her success.

The way Perry writes her music is a way that mirrors how she wants to be treated and looked at in other people’s eyes. She transforms herself from a passive being to a fiery person who can stand up for herself. Within the video, a picture is painted that displays a message of courage and strength that gives the audience confidence in a new beginning. From the visual perspective the song starts out with high angles of being in the jungle, as Perry is submissive and controlled by her boyfriend. These high angles make Perry seem small and powerless. With these angles Perry sings, “I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath scared to rock the boat and make a mess so I sat quietly, agreed politely,” this gives the audience the image of how some women feel in a toxic relationship. To avoid any disturbance, “scared to rock the boat,” she believed she had to just sit back and agree with what was going on. Through the video the angle shots change once she had been abandoned by her boyfriend. The shots seem to be at lower angles and shots of her looking over the horizon. By using an angle of Perry looking over the whole jungle it gives the idea of being on top, not being controlled anymore. Perry demonstrates her animal power through being abandoned in the wilderness. She becomes forced to fend for herself and adapt, or to become a victim to the ways of the jungle. Throughout her music video, Perry exerts strength and a newfound confidence, ultimately conquering the obstacles that would stand in her path to survival.

Cardi B tends to associate her songs with sexual actions and how those actions show off how powerful the woman body is. The idea that empowerment comes from sexuality gives the audience the idea of the opportunity opposing views: objectifying or empowering. Cardi B recently released a song, WAP, which stands for “wet a*s p*ssy.” For one, the name of the song derives a sexual connotation. Some audiences look at her song as an idea of authority towards women and how much they can offer their body to a male, but others look at it as being objectified as an object to men. While in the video both Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion are displayed as having high confidence, by owning their sexuality in a way that is stereotypically a male’s role, they also demonstrate their sexual prowess. From the outside featuring stone water fixtures that sprinkle water from their breast to the inside when seeing butts on the walls that bounce when you walk by them, the setting reveals the sexual actions that are being discussed. Many of the listeners see the song as very empowering towards the female body. They interpreted it as a female having control over their body, sexuality, independence, and dominance. How do the lyrics, “there some whores in this house” and “never lost a fight, but I’m lookin’ for a beatin,” possibly come across as having great power over her body? Those lyrics leave women powerless and demeaning in the sense that men will look at them as objects when wanting to be called a ‘whore’ or wanting to be physically abused. While her blatant sexual remarks and behavior show how she is in touch with her own body, she knows how to get what she wants, it does not show younger listeners a great role model.

Moreover, while some may argue that Cardi's sexuality is inappropriate, others may find it liberating and empowering. One thing the world can count on is that Cardi will continue to push the boundaries of conservative norms when it comes to expressing sexual nature and prowess. She seeks sexual attention in a way that explicitly talks about what women want, desire, and demand sexually. The lyrics create pornographic imagery in the listeners mind of a dominant woman in the bedroom. When Carid B sings, “I don't cook, I don't clean but let me tell you how I got this ring,” it empowers her sex life. That she is so good in the bed that she did not have to do anything but have sex to get engaged. Another example is when Megan Thee Stallion sings, “Talk your sh*t, bite your lip, ask for a car while you ride that d*ck,” which reveals the womanhood of getting what you want. It is theoretically a blueprint on telling the listeners how to get what they want out of a man because when in the heat of passion, it is easier to get someone to agree to something they normally would not. The music video helps with the imagery for those who lack imagination. 

            In discussion of Cardi B, one controversial issue has been the way she emphasizes empowerment towards women. One the other hand, Katy Perry has great structure that shows women empowerment through her songs. Some say that Cardi B is a self-empowering artist because she knows exactly what she wants and how to get it because her songs reflect it. My own view is both women are going down the wrong path trying to gain the title of empowerment while talking about men. These women write songs that emphasize the men, but do you see men doing the same for women? Women empowerment is important for a woman to gain for herself before seeking for others attention. The reality is that men get both modest and sexy from the women. Having a voice in this society is hard for some women because of the music that is being produced. Both artists express the powers a woman has without a man beside them and express their achievement because of how highly they talk about men. We discovered empowerment is still lacking in hip hop today because the men get what they want regardless. In society, music is teaching women that there are standards and/or requirements to be held to by the men. Today men see women in two roles, as the virgin or the whore. Women with sexual desires need to be controlled, made virgin-like while those women who express their desires need to be punished.

When has society sat down and really realized the effect that music’s portrayal is having on young girls, teens and grown women? Those with traditional values believe that objectifying women sets a negative example for the youth of today. While modern audiences believe that women should choose to empower themselves by promoting the youth to follow their own path in life whether it be embracing their sexuality or finding their voice through music. But female artists have forced us to repeatedly question whether pushing boundaries is liberating or insulting. In society, music has greatly affected the mindset of women by being portrayed as sexual objects in much of media. It has affected their self-image, how they portray themselves in their relationship, and how it effects their mental state. Women in the music industry today are empowering themselves, rather than being objectified, through their music by encouraging individuality and embracing their sexuality.

Citation

Mukhopadhyay, Aritro. “The Culture of Oversexualisation, Misogyny and Unequal Gender Representation Perpetuated by Hip-Hop...” Medium, Medium, 7 Dec. 2017, medium.com/@aritro.am/the-culture-of-oversexualisation-misogyny-and-unequal-gender-representation-perpetuated-by-hip-hop-9bbd75b1a15.

Williams, Brittany. “The Misrepresentation of Hip-Hop Culture in the Media.” Medium, Medium, 17 Nov. 2015, medium.com/@brittmichwill/the-misrepresentation-of-hip-hop-culture-in-the-media-7e7cc2005a2d.