Gender

and Popular Music Essay

Topic 1
A recent study by Flynn et al suggests that “Rap and R&B/Hip-Hop featured significantly more
objectification than other genres. Women are the most frequent targets of objectification within music
lyrics, and female artists are more likely than male artists are to objectify themselves”.

In what ways does hip-hop/rap encourage or limit social transformation in terms of the acceptance of
gender diversity. Illustrate your answer with an interpretation of three contrasting songs and explain
their context to support your argument.

‘Hip hop’ is generally defined as a culture and way of life that contains the musical genre of
rap, although both words are often used interchangeably.1 Rap music limits social
transformation in terms of the acceptance of gender diversity through the pervasive
objectification of women (as discussed by Flynn et al2), the perpetuation of patriarchy, and a
hyper-masculine identity that engenders homophobia. This is demonstrated by Future’s I
Won, 50 Cent’s I’m the Man, and Thug Slaughter Force’s We Don’t Wear Tight Clothes.
With rap as the fourth most popular music genre worldwide,3 the prevalence of these issues
within the genre effectively normalises the view that other genders are inferior to the
traditional, heterosexual man in wider society. Consequently, this limits social transformation
in terms of the acceptance of gender diversity on a global scale.

Objectification is defined as the action of dehumanising someone to the status of a mere

object, and is particularly associated with a sexualised focus on the physical body. 4 This is
plainly evident in Future’s 2014 hit song I Won, which sexually objectifies women in the
lyrics and in the accompanying music video. Featuring a guest appearance from fellow hip-
hop artist Kanye West, the song is about how the rappers’ respective fiancés Ciara and Kim
Kardashian are their ‘trophy wives’. Despite the intention of the song to be “uplifting” for
women, the record has been plagued with accusations of misogyny. 5 This is reflected in
many of Future’s songs and in the trap style in which he writes, which is renowned for
misogynistic themes in the depiction of ‘street life.’6

1
Greg Tate and Alan Light, Hip-Hop, Encyclopædia Britannica (Encyclopædia Britannica, inc.,
2019).
2
Mark A. Flynn et al., "An Examination of Gender and Genre Differences," Sex Roles, no. 75 (2016),
http://dx.doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-016-0592-3.
3
IFPI, "Music Listening 2019," IFPI, accessed April 29th, 2020.
https://www.ifpi.org/downloads/Music-Listening-2019.pdf.
4
Flynn et al.
5
Lauren Duca, "Sexist Video Game for Future & Kanye’s ‘I Won’ Turns Women into Literal
Trophies," Huffpost, accessed May 2nd, 2020. https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/future-
kanye-video-game_n_5287219?ri18n=true.
6
Noah Kleinert, "The Problem of Misogyny in Rap Music," The Cluster, accessed May 29th 2020.
https://mercercluster.com/24921/opinions/the-problem-of-misogyny-in-rap-music/.
In the lyrics of the track, the rappers praise the physical characterises of their wives and boast
how they’ve won them over other men: “I just wanna take you out and show you off/You
already know that you the perfect one/Girl when I'm with you, feel like a champion/Ever
since I got with you I feel like I done won me a trophy/A trophy/I won me a trophy (I won, I
won, I won)/A trophy…I made it over NBA/NFL players.”7 Although perhaps intended as a
romantic lyric praising the qualities of their fiancés, the word ‘trophy’ connotes
objectification by inferring that the women are ‘objects’ owned by the rappers who have
‘won’ them due to their success. In addition to this ‘trophy’ concept, the lyrics demonstrate
objectification by predominantly focusing on the women’s physical attributes and the sexual
aspects of their relationships, foregoing much mention of other qualities or virtues: “Get to
f*ckn’ on the dresser just to make that p**** wetter…We get to b****n’ on the walls just to
piss the neighbours off…I wanna dip that ass in gold.”8 This emphasis on the sexualised
female body is reflected in the accompanying music video,9 which features Future and West
serenading several swimsuit-clad models on a beach. The footage juxtaposes shots of the men
fully clothed and standing while they rap, with the women striking suggestive poses on the
ground that highlights their semi-naked bodies. Researchers Hatton and Trautner define
sexual objectification in imagery by the degree of nudity, touch (by others or oneself), pose,
openness of the mouth (but not in the act of talking; parting the lips without smiling or
simulating fellatio etc.), and focus of the image (body versus head).10 These identifiers are
evident throughout the video, with a proliferation of revealing swimsuits, self-touching of the
mouth and breasts, sexually suggestive poses, parted lips, and predominantly close-up camera
shots that focus on the breasts and buttocks more than the entire form or face. Such sexual
objectification devalues people to no more than objects for others to enjoy, and with women
as the most frequent targets of objectification as suggested by the 2016 paper by Flynn et al11,
women are consequently disempowered in comparison to men. Flynn et al, also suggest that
women and are more likely to objectify themselves than men.12 While some feminists claim
that it is empowering to celebrate the female body, and social pressure to conceal it reflects
patriarchy, numerous studies indicate that even partial nudity often results in sexual
objectification, and the psychological and social consequences are certainly disempowering.13
The research by Flynn et al additionally indicates that objectification is featured in rap and
R&B/hip-hop significantly more than other genres,14 which highlights how the genre is even
more limiting of social transformation than other styles in its perpetuation of a disempowered
feminine identity.

7
I Won, directed by Hype Williams2015), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2VrxrGcWl8.
8
Ibid.
9
Ibid.
10
Erin Hatton and Mary Trautner, "Equal Opportunity Objectification? The Sexualization of Men and
Women on the Cover of Rolling Stone," Sexuality and Culture 3, no. 15 (2011),
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12119-011-9093-2.
11
Flynn et al.
12
Ibid.
13
Hatton and Trautner.
14
Flynn et al.
A related issue to the objectification of women in rap, is the extremely patriarchal portrayal
of gender roles in the genre.15 This is epitomised in 50 Cent’s I’m The Man, produced by
Sony Digital and released in his 2015 album The Kanan Tape along with a music video
featuring Chris Brown. The song is in a gangsta rap style known for prevalent misogyny,16
which is evident in the main message of the track asserting that 50 Cent is an alpha male and
not to be messed with, especially by women. The lyrics of the song portray women as meek
and pleasure serving, with such lines as “She s*cking and we f*cking like she need me”17
appearing throughout the song. A persistent focus on fellatio depicts a woman’s role in
intercourse as pleasuring the man, and that a subservience to his wishes is his entitlement.
This power disparity is reflected in the music video footage, where 50 Cent and Brown are
shown predominantly standing while women bring them refreshments and lounge at their feet
and behind them on a bed. Contrastingly to the women’s submissiveness, the men are
portrayed as powerful and authoritative in the song: “Looky here, b*tch, I’m A-okay/I ain’t
f*cking around right now/Better get in line right now/Or f*ck around and die right now/Hope
you understand that/B*tch, I’m the man, ho, I’m the man, you know I’m the man.”18 These
lyrics clearly demonstrates a view that men should be dominant and women submissive,
which is compounded through the incessant use of the words ‘b*tch’ and ‘h*’ (staple
vocabulary of the gangsta rap genre19) which put women below men in a social hierarchy. All
of this conveys a patriarchal ideology in the song which is similarly perpetuated throughout
the genre, normalising of view of women as inferior which limits social transformation
towards their empowerment.

Intertwined with the patriarchal ideology perpetuated in hip hop, is a dominant ‘hyper-
masculine’ identity that values the exaggerated stereotypical male qualities of aggression,
strength and sexuality.20 ‘Feminine’ traits are regarded as inferior, so proponents of this
identity are opposed to any adoption of these qualities that would vitiate the hyper-masculine
image and the power it holds in hip hop’s patriarchal culture. This effectively engenders
homophobia, as the homosexual male stereotype is associated with such feminine traits and is
therefore seen as a threat to hyper-masculinity.21 This issue is demonstrated in the
controversial 2007 gangsta rap song No Tight Clothes by Thug Slaughter Force, which blasts
male rappers for wearing tight clothes, calling them “queer” and “feminine” and even
threatening violence for flouting their male gender code. The song sits firmly in the style of

15
Jason D. Haugen, "‘Unladylike Divas’: Language, Gender and Femaile Gansta Rappers," Popular
Music and Society 26, no. 4 (2003), http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0300776032000144904.
16
Ibid.
17
I’m the Man, directed by Eif Rivera (G Unit, 2016),
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZB7Xjd34pjo.
18
Ibid.
19
Haugen.
20
Joel Penney, "“We Don’t Wear Tight Clothes”: Gay Panic and Queer Style in Contemporary Hip
Hop," Popular Music and Society 35, no. 3 (2012), http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03007766.2011.578517.
21
Ibid.
gangsta rap,22 which is the second most popular subgenre of rap and shares a similar
portrayal of masculinity as depicted in the dominant subgenre trap.23

Clothing is an important gender defining aspect of hip hop culture, where men have
traditionally worn loose clothes and women tight ones.24 Thug Slaughter Force are very clear
about these gender codes in the lyrics of their song: “We let it hang for our balls/We don’t
wear tight clothes/We leave that to them broads . . . We don’t wear tight clothes like those
chickens do/It’s not in our plans/We let it hang.”25 This gender demarcation is also evident in
the accompanying video,26 where the men are pictured wearing very lose fitting sweatshirts
and jeans (emblazoned with a ‘no tight clothes’ symbol) in contrast with the skin tight and
revealing clothing of the objectified female “chickens” and “broads.” The important
difference in these contrasting dress codes (as discussed regarding Future’s I Won), is that
men are depicted as sexual subjects whilst women are sexual objects. When men reveal their
bodies with tight clothes, they effectively objectify themselves, which places them on the
same social standing as objectified women. Consequently, the policing of the male dress code
may be viewed as attempt to maintain the patriarchal gender hierarchy in hip hop, and the
homosexual style of tight clothes as a threat to this dominant position in its of blurring the
hyper-masculine image. The fear of this ‘queering’ of masculinity is plainly evident in the
music video for No Tight Clothes, where the band is depicted assaulting a man due to his
skinny jeans, and brandishing hammers as they assert that tight clothes aren’t masculine.
Evidently, the hyper-masculine image effectively engenders homophobia, and perpetuates
this ideology with every song that encourages this image of masculinity.

The objectification of women, perpetuation of patriarchy, and homophobia provoking hyper-

masculinity, limits social transformation in terms of gender diversity because it encourages
an ideology that the traditional, heterosexual masculinity (depicted in Western society) is
superior to other genders and identities. These issues are not limited to the three songs
discussed; they are reflected in their respective styles of trap and gangsta rap which are the
most popular subgenres of rap. Furthermore, Future and 50 Cent are two of the most popular
hip hop artists, while Thug Slaughter Force has also received significant media coverage,
which demonstrates the pervasiveness of these issues. Such prevalence in hip hop culture
normalises these issues, and with rap situated as the fourth most popular music genre
worldwide this normalisation is spread globally, and consequently extremely limits social
transformation in terms of the acceptance of gender diversity.

22
Ibid.
23
Greg Tate, "Gangsta Rap," Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. , accessed May 4th, 2020.
https://www.britannica.com/art/gangsta-rap.
24
Penney.
25
Tsf (Thug Slaughter Force) Presents No Tight Clothes, directed by LoveBorn Digital2007),
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pABR7CoM5uA.
26
Ibid.
 Bibliography

Tsf (Thug Slaughter Force) Presents No Tight Clothes. Directed by Digital, LoveBorn, 2007.

Duca, Lauren. "Sexist Video Game for Future & Kanye’s ‘I Won’ Turns Women into Literal
Trophies." Huffpost. Last modified 2017. Accessed May 2nd, 2020.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/future-kanye-video-
game_n_5287219?ri18n=true.

Flynn, Mark A., Clay M. Craig, Christina N. Anderson, and Kyle J. Holody. "An Examination of
Gender and Genre Differences." Sex Roles, no. 75 (2016): 164-76.
http://dx.doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-016-0592-3.

Hatton, Erin and Mary Trautner. "Equal Opportunity Objectification? The Sexualization of
Men and Women on the Cover of Rolling Stone." Sexuality and Culture 3, no. 15
(2011): 256-78. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12119-011-9093-2.

Haugen, Jason D. "‘Unladylike Divas’: Language, Gender and Femaile Gansta Rappers."
Popular Music and Society 26, no. 4 (2003): 429-44.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0300776032000144904.

IFPI. "Music Listening 2019." IFPI. Last modified 2019. Accessed April 29th, 2020.
https://www.ifpi.org/downloads/Music-Listening-2019.pdf.

Kleinert, Noah. "The Problem of Misogyny in Rap Music." The Cluster. Last modified 2018.
Accessed May 29th 2020. https://mercercluster.com/24921/opinions/the-problem-
of-misogyny-in-rap-music/.

Penney, Joel. "“We Don’t Wear Tight Clothes”: Gay Panic and Queer Style in Contemporary
Hip Hop." Popular Music and Society 35, no. 3 (2012): 321-32.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03007766.2011.578517.

I’m the Man. Directed by Rivera, Eif. G Unit, 2016.

Tate, Greg. "Gangsta Rap." Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. . Last modified 2013. Accessed May
4th, 2020. https://www.britannica.com/art/gangsta-rap.

Tate, Greg and Alan Light. Hip-Hop. Encyclopædia Britannica Encyclopædia Britannica, inc.,
2019.

I Won. Directed by Williams, Hype, 2015.