The Pimp Attitude Towards Women Gangsta Rap

Have Women But No Love Connection Opposition Comparison To Rock

Gangsta rap is a genre of hip-hop that reflects the violent lifestyles of inner-city youth. The genre was pioneered around 1983 by Ice T with songs like "Cold Winter Madness" and "Body Rock/Killers." Gangsta rap was popularized by illustrious rap groups like NWA and Boogie Down Productions in the late 80s (Andsager, pp. 79-97).

You could argue that many popular representations of 'gangsta rap' reinforce misogynistic views, as women are derogatorily referred to as violent and other names. You could show examples of this by referring to some rap-music and music videos.

It's a stereotype that is often reinforced and portrayed that 'gangsta rap' culture is misogynistic in nature. You could perhaps, also look at how women are generally represented in 'gangsta rap'. Do they seem to be used, for men's pleasure, to be half-naked and succumb to male desire? Are they represented as slaves? Are there lyrics within the music that encourage hitting a woman if she disagrees? If the answer is yes, all these things support the argument that 'gangsta rap' is misogynistic in nature.You could show how for the most part, women are very much mistreated, but that there are some 'gangsta rappers' who do try to respect women, and don't talk about them in such a derogatory manner (Baker, pp. 132-138).

For the most part, such misogynistic tendencies are clear through the lyrics and depictions of women in music videos, which are in contrast to the image displayed of the strong, powerful and ruthless male 'gangsta rapper'. To provide some balance to your argument, and to discuss this issue further, you could look at some female 'gangsta rappers' - and see whether they show misandry - the opposite of misogyny (Baldwin, pp. 97-114).

Money / Purchase Control Opposition Comparison to Rock

The pimp is a highly visible character in North American Hip-Hop and his presence is often misunderstood. Critics claim that the popularity of the pimp in Hip- Hop is just another characteristic of a culture that objectifies women and has little regard for the law (Dittus, pp. 445-465). This simplistic dismissal of this figure fails to understand why the pimp has become an often imitated and even celebrated character within public representations of this culture. The development of rap has influences that are shared with the creation of the pimp as an icon rather than simply a whoremonger (Greenberg, pp. 93-112).

The pimp icon and Hip-Hop is in general a result of more than just life in the ghetto. In short, Hip-Hop did not develop in a vacuum divorced from the greater socio-political effects of North American society. The development of the music has been highly influence by mainstream society and white perceptions of black life and art (Bell, pp. 85-92). The effects of capitalism, individualism, modernity, slavery, marketing and the privileging of the visual all play significant roles in the development of Hip-Hop culture as it is represented on MTV (Dittus, pp. 268-278). Those who ...