Final Research Project: Female Rappers and Degrading Music against Women

The media issue that I have decided to discuss is how female rappers portray women within their music. The industry in which this issue occurs is the music industry. This issue is a relevant concern as far as diversity goes because rap in general sets women aside and creates a negative image of them. This image includes instances where women are described as whores, servants to men, and only good for being half-naked and being with a man that has money. Many argue that the role of the female rapper should inspire the opposite type of image for women, but instead, in current times, women are being degraded

                                    

Before starting my research on this topic, I didn’t see anything wrong with the lyrics that female rappers were putting out. Most of the time, the songs were catchy and in a way almost relatable because it was a female artist talking about female issues, rather than the usual male rapper. Of course, I noticed that the lyrics were not a positive depiction of woman, but through the songs, the female rappers directed their words at themselves. My experience with female rappers and their music was never personal. When they talked about their bodies, their looks, and the things they did, I always understood the female rappers to be talking about themselves. So as far as the music being degrading, I never gave it much thought.

Defenders of Female Rap Music As Degrading to Women

 In the Article Female MC's Are WalkingTalking Vaginas, the author explores how female rappers degrade women within their music. The speaker states how the current female hip-hop genre is focused on raunchy topics like sex and body image. With sex being the only topic of female rap, people wonder if that’s all it’s ever going to consist of. The speaker even states: “What was once liberating is now degrading.”

                                     In this article, the author refers to these female rappers as “walking vaginas”. In other terms, when their music is heard, the topic is about how their bodies are better than the next female. Yes, the topic of female rappers is controversy and at most times illustrates women taking charge of their sexuality, but there have been female rappers who rap about things of more substance. Sadly, as the speaker points out, these types of female rappers are becoming more absent. For the simple fact that the current female rappers cannot talk about anything more except their bodies and sex, they cause this particular genre to be degrading to woman, making it almost okay for male rappers to be just a degrading within their music.

In the article Is Ignorance Bliss? The Use of Degrading Lyrics to Sell, the author takes the stand that female rap music is degrading, but in this article the speaker says this is due to the competiveness of the industry and “sex sells”. The speaker states, “The reinforcement of positive imagery of women in the music industry may lack support from various corporate sponsors and record companies.”      
The article explores how words like “bitch” is demeaning enough, without female rap artist talking about much more. Also, the author points out how people understand terms like these as negative and how a better understanding of derogatory terms would help with the interpretation of music.

In the article Stop The Degradation of Women Through Hip-hop! the unknown author speaks of how the current state of female rap is degrading in comparison to where female rappers began. Although the site is for a petition, the opening statement (article) serves as an argumentative theory for the petition. The author is arguing that the petition should be signed in order to stop such degrading rap music to be played on the radio and television. The speaker also states how female rappers are not helping or stopping the amount of degrading that takes place within the rap industry. Male rappers use the rap industry as an outlet to discuss drugs, killing, and a means of degrading women. The author goes on to say that female rappers are not doing much to change this, but in fact add to this diluted outlet.

The speaker spends much time discussing how there are female rappers that encourage positivity through their lyrics, but they have been pushed to the side because the current age of rap that calls women out of their name and disrespects their bodies are becoming more popular. If this type of music doesn’t stop, especially by female rappers, then women in the real world will continue to be disrespected will continue to be looked at in a negative light.

Defenders of Female Rap Music as NOT Degrading to Women

Chapte 6.4 in the book Race/Gender/Media: Considering Diversity across Audiences, Content, and Producers. The book discusses how female rappers don't use the music as degrading, but instead use it as an opportunity. The opportunity being that for women within the rap industry. Through these mean, female rappers are able to create a new means for and about of themselves, both discusses within their music and about it. They are taking words that are considered negative and making them positive. So while these words seem demeaning, they in fact are not. With these female rappers they are just redefining them.

In the article Female Rap Artists and the Establishment of Female Identities, the author explores how rappers, like Lil Kim, have lyrics that have a positive impact on women. Although the subject matter may be negative, by rapping about sex and her appearance, Lil Kim is “resisting gender norms”. Rap is seen as an outlet for males, so by participating in this music genre and making music that talks about her being able to control the man with her body and sex image, instead of the opposite way around, Lil Kim is able to break the norms of what were set with male rappers. Not only that, but by being a female rapper, instead of jut singing the chorus on someone else’s song, she is also changing the role of women within the rap industry. The speaker states that although Kim’s lyrics are demeaning and a bad influence on listeners, her type of lyrics, which male rappers also use, come out a little better, with a more positive meaning behind them, because they’re coming from a female. So it is the content of rap that is focused on within the article and how it makes people feel. Female rappers are not making women feel degraded through their music, but instead a sense of empowerment arises.

In the article The Novelty of Up-and-Coming Female Rappers Isn't That They'reFemale, the author talks about the positive up-rise that the female rap industry is bringing. The article focuses on an upcoming female rap artist by the name Rye Rye. The speaker notes that while popular artist like Nicki Minaj and Lil Kim do make music centered on negative aspects, their musical theme is dying down while rappers like Rye Rye are making a come-up. Not only that, but it wasn’t until 2010 that this new degrading genre by female rappers came about, so it wouldn’t take much work to get female rappers back to talking about things of substance. The speaker argues that it’s not that female rappers degrade women in their music on purpose, but more so because that’s the theme around them from male rappers and that’s what some people may find as popular. However, rappers like Queen Latifah and Rye Rye brand themselves through their unique style and are easily changing the definition of what is “common” with female rappers. Female rap is not degrading, but instead is a means of expression for women, and some express themselves differently than others. So yes, while it’s common to hear degrading lyrics by some, there’s still way more music by female rappers that does just the opposite.

The following video details rapper “Da Brat” talking about how the content of  her music is influenced by her producer. The video is in support for how rap music is not degrading.

“Da Brat” speaks on the need for female MC’s. She points out how the industry plays the biggest role in how female rappers present themselves and their music to their audience. “Da Brat” speaks on how she applauds the rapper and it shows that other female rappers who do not rap using degrading content don’t note other female rappers of making such music. If other female rappers are not looking at their colleges music, within this competitive field, as degrading, then listeners should either. Da Brat and Nicki Minaj are both female rappers, but their messages are different. Da Brat focuses on her life, while Minaj is geared towards her body and sexuality. It is clear hear that even within the industry, by those who don’t do music the same way, that the music is not demeaning, but more so empowering as women, as women fight to be heard within this male dominated field.

After being able to research this topic more in depth and see both sides and how parties feel my view have definitely changed. I have moved from being just a regular music listener to somebody who now really listens to the words of these rappers and how they are applying them to the whole female gender. Regardless of the music sounding as if it’s only about the artist, when people hear it they are thinking of women in general. Majority of the current female rappers now talk bad about women worse than many of the male rappers and that’s not okay. As women, like stated in one of the above articles, female rappers need to use the outlet to empower women and show male rappers that it’s not okay to down women in their music, so women shouldn’t do it either. The future of female rappers and their lyrical paths seems unclear, but I feel that as long as there are listeners who disagree with the content and spread their views around, an impact can be made. But as long as there is money involved and coming in from these negative depictions of women, producers are going to keep pushing their female rap artist to make such degrading songs.