The History of Gender in Hip Hop / Rap and the Major Roles it has in the Music Industry

29 Apr

The idea of gender in music has always been prevalent, due to the major weight it carries. Being able to express different genders and talk about certain topics that relate to gender can create a major influence on an artist’s work and popularity as well. The genre that I will be focusing mostly on will be the hip hop/rap genre, and how it seems to have different opinions on gender as well as sexuality.

From some of the early pioneers of hip hop and rap to today, there have been many call-outs of stereotypes about gay people. Having a “hard” attitude in rap (which includes rapping about women, guns, money, etc.) has always been a formula that worked for artists to blow up. Rap group such as Migos tends to focus on a lot of these topics in their songs like Stir Fry which talks about “money changing colors like tie-dye”1Migos – Stir Fry.” Genius, December 20, 2017. https://genius.com/Migos-stir-fry-lyrics and “Designer clothes, fashion shows 2Migos – Stir Fry.” Genius, December 20, 2017. https://genius.com/Migos-stir-fry-lyrics:

In the music video for this song, you can also see the other stereotypes of being a “hard” rapper: money, drugs, women, jewelry. This type of rap tends to be put into the sub-genre of trap rap, which originated in the Southern United States, and the word “trap describes neighborhoods wherein illegal drugs are known to be sold;”3Smith, Dylan. “What Is Trap Music? Here’s a Quick Explanation.” Digital Music News. February 24, 2021. Accessed April 29, 2021. https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2020/12/02/what-is-trap-music/.. These attitudes tend to have a tone of selfishness which attributes to only the rapper caring about certain things that make him or her wealthy and above everyone else.

I think that most rappers and artists have this idea that being gay or a part of the LGBTQ community will hurt or change their status in the rap game. Some artists can change their style or topics in their songs, typically when they are creating different albums. For example, Drake has an extraordinary ability to mold into certain trends that are more popular, and create music that will blow up all the time. In these two songs, Drake changes his style dramatically to appeal to the trends that are happening (also to note: these two albums were released one after the other):

These two styles are very different from each other, and show how artists can diversify themselves into different unique sounds and shoot themselves into stardom. However, most rappers tend to stick to what made them popular instead of branching out into the new sound, which could hurt them in the long run. One artist that had a controversial line on their breakout mixtape was Chance the Rapper on “Favorite Song” when he says “Slaphappy faggot-slapper,”. 4“Chance the Rapper (Ft. Childish Gambino) – Favorite Song.” Genius, April 30, 2013. https://genius.com/Chance-the-rapper-favorite-song-lyrics.Even though Chance’s intentions for this lyric might not have been malicious, he still drew criticism for its use. After this song was released, Chance’s brother came out as gay, which Chance publicly supported him. For Chance to use this word in a song seems hypocritical on his end.

Another rapper that has used homophobic slurs in their songs is Pop Smoke. He did not disguise his message with his lyrics on one of his breakout songs called “Dior” when he says “I can’t f*ck with these n*ggas ’cause n*ggas is gay.”5“Pop Smoke – Dior.” Genius, July 26, 2019. https://genius.com/Pop-smoke-dior-lyrics.. Pop Smoke explicitly says that he does not associate with those who are gay or part of the LGBTQ community. The song’s title does not coincide with this thought, however, as the brand Dior was founded by a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Pop Smoke might not have known this as he has unfortunately passed away recently.

It is not to assume that these rappers of the 2000s and 2010s created this aura of homophobia in rap music. These ideas have been around since the beginning of the genre, and have interestingly not shrunk or decreased. According to this study done by Ankush Bharadwaj (at the time of publishing an undergraduate student at the University of California) which looked at the usage of homophobic and misogynistic slurs in rap songs over time, use of homophobic slurs has been used steadily throughout rap and hip hop’s life.

6Bharadwaj, Ankush. “Homophobia and Misogyny in Rap and Hip Hop.” Medium. August 17, 2020. Accessed April 29, 2021. https://towardsdatascience.com/how-has-the-usage-of-homophobic-and-misogynistic-slurs-in-rap-and-hip-hop-music-changed-over-time-cb30cb9a8436.

Looking at this graph it seems that the use of misogynistic slurs is much higher than homophobic slurs, but does need to seem to get as much attention. I think that this is because of the culture of rap and hip hop and that it ties back into the “hard” culture that these rappers try to portray. Hooking up with a lot of women and objectifying them is part of this culture that they think is “cool” or that it is what people want to see. Creating this gangster attitude has worked for the rap culture as a whole throughout time, but recently has been under fire. Many rappers have crafted their style to not include this hard attitude which could have to do with their sexuality or just their style of music. For example, Tyler, the Creator is an artist that has shifted the idea of being a rapper into much broader areas. His music includes several nods to himself being gay, and that it is acceptable to be who you are and still rap and make hip hop music. While his sexuality is still uncertain, his songs and lyrics create this area for members of the LGBTQ+ community to feel welcomed and praised as well.

In a video by All Def Music, Kayla Nicole talks about the gender roles in hip hop, and how they have changed over time. The term hyper-masculinity which means “the exaggeration of male stereotypical behavior, such as an emphasis on physical strength, aggression, and sexuality”7“Definitions for HYPER MASCULINITY.” What does HYPERMASCULINITY mean? Accessed April 29, 2021. https://www.definitions.net/definition/HYPERMASCULINITY. is used throughout this video. This behavior has plagued the hip hop genre since its creation and has carried weight throughout its evolution. Many people who listen to these songs do not even realize what is being said sometimes in the songs, but still, listen to them. Some of the most famous rappers such as Biggie and Tupac have mentioned hyper-masculinity in their songs, showing that it is not an uncommon phenomenon and is also not frowned upon.

Some of the rap you hear on the radio might include real-life stories as well. For some of these artists, their lives before the fame consisted of living on the streets and seeing things that other people could not relate to. Rappers like Nas and Biggie grew up on the streets around the time that crack began its reign over the streets. In a Netflix documentary about Nas’s career and life music, he describes the city as full of heart and free. Once drugs came onto the scene, that’s when everything went downhill. People were getting killed left and right, and the only way out of the street was to become a rapper or to get drafted by a professional sports team. Nas used this fuel from his life and experiences on the streets to create his album “Illmatic”, which is widely known as the greatest hip hop album of all time. Nas told stories that he actually experienced and lived through so that others can see what it was like growing up at that time. In the song titled “The World is Yours” Nas creates this atmosphere for the listener when he says “I’m the young city bandit, hold myself down singlehanded. For murder raps, I kick my thoughts alone, get remanded. Born alone, die alone, no crew to keep my crown or throne.” 8“Nas – The World Is Yours,” May 31, 1994. https://genius.com/Nas-the-world-is-yours-lyrics.. Nas is most likely referring to not be affiliated with any certain gang or crew to run the streets on. This attributes to his success and ability to make it off the streets.

All of this history about rap and hip hop and its origins from the streets contributes to the hyper-masculinity that has been shown for decades. Many rappers in the present day use the works of Nas and other older artists to craft their style and form, but there seems to be a disconnect when doing this. Some of these rappers were not born into an area or system that endangered them so much for them to be rapping about these topics. It seems as if they are taking the “easy way out” to get famous while using forms of sexualization to gain success. This is quite overlooked in today’s music world, as the instrumental side of the music has grown in popularity, making the lyrics sometimes the lesser of the two.

The overall theme of gender and sexualization of women or men in hip hop has had a windy road. There have been many ups and downs in this space, but there is much change to be done. Killing off the idea of hyper-masculinity could benefit rapper’s status, as well as their careers moving forward. In the world and political climate we live in today, many people will stop listening to certain artists just because of their choice of words. Artists like Tyler, the Creator, and others are paving a new way for rap and hip hop, and their stardom has skyrocketed.

Word Count: 1507

References

References
1, 2 Migos – Stir Fry.” Genius, December 20, 2017. https://genius.com/Migos-stir-fry-lyrics
3 Smith, Dylan. “What Is Trap Music? Here’s a Quick Explanation.” Digital Music News. February 24, 2021. Accessed April 29, 2021. https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2020/12/02/what-is-trap-music/.
4 “Chance the Rapper (Ft. Childish Gambino) – Favorite Song.” Genius, April 30, 2013. https://genius.com/Chance-the-rapper-favorite-song-lyrics.
5 “Pop Smoke – Dior.” Genius, July 26, 2019. https://genius.com/Pop-smoke-dior-lyrics.
6 Bharadwaj, Ankush. “Homophobia and Misogyny in Rap and Hip Hop.” Medium. August 17, 2020. Accessed April 29, 2021. https://towardsdatascience.com/how-has-the-usage-of-homophobic-and-misogynistic-slurs-in-rap-and-hip-hop-music-changed-over-time-cb30cb9a8436.
7 “Definitions for HYPER MASCULINITY.” What does HYPERMASCULINITY mean? Accessed April 29, 2021. https://www.definitions.net/definition/HYPERMASCULINITY.
8 “Nas – The World Is Yours,” May 31, 1994. https://genius.com/Nas-the-world-is-yours-lyrics.