Masculinity In Hip Hop Culture

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Hip-hop -- what are the first thoughts that come to mind when contemplating about the genre? Perhaps you would imagine its hostility, money, drugs and masculinity displayed in the lyrics and music videos. You may also think of the artistic use of wordplay and the integrity of its expression. Whether you view hip-hop as a negative or a positive art form, hip-hop has had a major influence on our generation’s culture and society norms during the last two decades. The hip-hop culture has altered the clothing industry, linguistics and attitudes in our generation. The subject that will be in focus is how the hip-hop culture affects our society’s attitudes towards gender roles, violence and the set of values that are motivated by the artist’s persona…show more content…
The representation of hyper-masculinity and the objectification of women are at the core of its expression. The majority of rap artists illustrate masculinity through songs of gunplay, extravagant lifestyles, the authority over male figures and the sexual dominance of women. The filmmaker for Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes Bryon Hurt explains that people in the hip-hop community are limited in scope and confined to a box. He says “in order to be in that box, you have to be strong, you have to have a lot of girls, you got to have money, you have to be a womanizer, you got to be in control of people and you know if you are not any of those things, then you know people will call you soft or weak or a pussy or a chump or a faggot and nobody wants to be any of those things. So everybody stays inside the box.” Men have a small corridor to walk when it comes to the “rules” of masculinity, this perspective limits how one should present oneself in society. The debate of what the hip-hop industry projects in to society runs deeper than an argument of who’s right and who’s wrong. The context is multi-layered and is built upon the societal normality of American culture, black masculinity and

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