Hip-Hop Culture - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1492 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2019/08/07 Category Music Essay Level High school Tags: Hip Hop Essay Did you like this example? Hip-hop is born in post-industrial New York and came out of the neglected minority youth of the city. It is a major part of black American culture. It is a form of communication in that through music it expressed the black community. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Hip-Hop Culture" essay for you Create order It expressed the struggles and accomplishments that they went through. It expressed resistance against society, but not about social order. It is used to stand up for injustice and humanity. In 1988, N.W.A released Fuck tha Police, a protest song, to show their attitude toward police brutality. The lyrics of the song protested police brutality and racial profiling and it criticized the local police force. Although hip-hop artists used music as a form of communication, they also presented women as props and objects through different media. Although there are hip-hop artists of both genders, the hip-hop industry is male-dominated. Therefore, the marketing strategies for each gender vary when it comes to music production and the content of the lyrics. In hip-hop, males are considered to be aggressive, dominant, and flattened whereas females are submissive, hypersexual, and silenced. Male tend to play on their masculinity. Their marketing strategies are based on their ability to get wome n. The lyrics are centered around instructing women to perform sexual behaviors and this leads to the objectification of women. The media is using the female bodies to promote the rap culture. White America sexualize, devalue, and objectify the bodies of black women. It is very common for black women to be oversexualized and to be used as props in music videos. They are used as inanimate objects for visual experience whether it is through their clothing or their action. The objectification of women is shown in a music video Tip Drill or E.I. (reinvention) released by Nelly in 2000. When a woman is referred to as Tip Drill it means that she has a breathtaking body but an average-looking face. The lyrics of the song included, You lookin good in them shorts, but they look better on the flo, Toot that ass up mama, put that dip in ya back, It must be ya ass cause it aint yo face, and I need a freak that will not choke. The lyrics of the song themselves objectify and degrade women. However, the music video takes the trope of misogyny to a whole different level. In the music video, women, mainly African American are surrounded by male artists. Women are seen barely clothed whereas men are fully clothed. Money is thrown over the females bodies. The camera is focused on the females genitalia. Nelly swipes a credit card between a females behind while looking mischievously into the camera. Women are performing sexual behaviors and sexual activities. This suggests that money drive females sexual performance and that they are strippers or prostitutes. In the music video, mo st of the women are black. This is a stereotype of how the mass media depicts the black female body. The media see the black female body as exotic, untamed, sexual objects. Womens bodies are seen as disposable sources of sexual pleasure and income. Although the hip-hop culture is mainly dominated by males, misogynistic lyrics and unpleasant music videos lead to females being disrespected and shamed on. Cheryl Keyes grouped hip-hop femininities into four major categories: the queen mother, fly girl, sista with attitude, and lesbian. These categories identify the number of experiences that women brought to the hip-hop culture. Imani Perry mentioned on how black womens roles as badasses show resistance in hip-hop. When women are badasses, they find their voice. It becomes a strategy for expressing feminism. Perry stated that badass black women offer a more complicated narrative in that their narrative shows their rage and frustration on how it is like to be in a male-dominated black community. They are usually racially oppressed, sexually abused, robbed of gender roles, and overburdened by community responsibility. Perry builds upon Keyess idea that a sista with attitude conveys that rage is a privilege that is reserved for both genders. Through their lyrics, they are able to show their assertiveness, attitude, and independence just like that of black men rappers. In hip-hop, anger is considered a valid dimension for females. They are looked upon as victims in that they are mistreated. Through hip-hop, they can voice their frustration and rage. With this in mind, Regina N. Bradley grouped hip-hop masculinities into four main categories. The philosopher kings are performers who promote the worl d and their position around them. They are viewed as touchstones of the hip-hop culture and portals to experiences lodged in hip-hop that may not translate to a white audience. The playas and pimps expressed hypermasculinity and hypersexuality through the commercial hip-hop culture. They are highly visible, heterosexual, misogynistic, and the crux of hip-hops Black cool pose. They see hip-hop as male-dominated and at the expense of women. Dope boys and trap stars identity are associated with the drug culture. They are nihilistic, violent, and quick-witted disclosures about their knowledge of the drug game. Hustlers are characterized by their ability to think and respond quickly and effectively. They have strong desire and determination to succeed. Their narratives focused on their struggle as well as their path to success. They are recognized as powerful and important figures in hip-hop. Tricia Rose divided sexism in hip-hop into two groups. The first group is those who do not speak about the prevention of discrimination when it comes to black women. They do not offer support of feminist agendas. They focus on protecting America from hip-hop and deviant black people. This groups main concern is respect, however, not in the sense of womens rights or the nature of the male-dominated culture. For them, the disrespect some black men shown to black women is a sign of insubordinate black masculinity. The second group is those who challenge misogyny against black women and perceive hip-hop as having a harmful and destructive effect. They are concerned about the influence of commercial hip-hop on black women and how they are viewed as sexual objects which may affect the black communities. Rose said that. the emphasis on the degradation of women has roots in white conservatism, it also has solid roots in black religious and patriarchal conservative values. Mainstream masculin ity continues to treated women as if they are less valuable than men. Women are less powerful socially, economically, and politically. Males tried to control, label, and exploit womens sexuality. Images and lyrics from commercial hip-hop treated black women with disrespect and disregard. Males used women as props that boost their egos. They treated womens bodies as sexual objects. In 2005, 50 Cent released Candy Shop. Throughout the music video, there is a clear representation of male dominance and wealth. At the beginning of the video, 50 Cent drives into a mansion in a Ferrari. When he enters the mansion, women are dressed very sexually, revealing, and provocatively. There are only one male and a numerous number of females. Near the end of the video, 50 Cent picks up his order from a drive-thru window and tells the female worker to keep the remaining of the change. This portrays that males make the money and have more control of power whereas females are working at a job that paid minimum wage. 50 Cent has enough money and does not need the change. Since the change is unnecessary, he is telling the female worker to keep the change. In the music video, women are viewed as sexual objects in the way they are dressed. Men can control and play around with women. Women are viewed as sources of sexual pleasure and income. On the other hand, the representation of women in hip-hop is completely the opposite. Women are encouraged to dress and dance in a sexual way. They are used as decoration in music videos. Men look at women sexual body parts with their sexual long ing gaze. This does not apply to the females in the music videos but also to female hip-hop artists. In many music videos, the number of women always outnumbered the number of men. Women are dressed in a sexual manner by wearing short and tight dresses as well as bikini and swimsuits. These outfits centered around their sexual bodies. Womens behaviors and actions meet the mens wants and desires. Many of the womens behaviors and actions show that they are objects to men and that they are used for their pleasure. White America portrays males and females differently in the hip-hop culture. In a male-dominated community, men are viewed as aggressive, dominant, and flattened. Women are considered submissive, hypersexual, and silenced. White America and mass media devalue and demean women in the hip-hop culture. Women are dressed in a sexual way to perform sexual behaviors and actions around men. Thus, they are looked upon as sexual objects and props to men. They are objectified. They are used as sexual pleasure and entertainment for men. They are not being respected as women.

Comparative Study of Wuthering Heights, Translations, and...

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The setting in the cultural context of a text is definitely important when looking at character development, conflict, and the overall plot. Its the setting for all that is to come; it can convey so much about whom the people are and the way they live. The setting of a narrative can be a character of its own. In all three narratives, the setting is conveyed in a remote, ruralShow MoreRelatedComparative Study of Wuthering Heights, Translations, and IM No Scared2092 Words   |  9 PagesThe texts that I have studied and prepared for my comparative course are: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, Translations by Brian Friel, and I’m not scared directed by Gabriel Salvatores. When I address the cultural context of a text I refer to the worlds of the texts, the circumstances which face the plots and the characters of the texts. Some elements of the cultural context of each and every text are the world’s attitudes, social rituals, and structures. 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Social class is not solely dependent on the amount of money one has. Rather, the source of income, birth, and family connections plays a major role in determining one’s position in society. England in the nineteenth century was an extremely class-conscious society and social class is an important element in Wuthering Heights. We see the distinction between the two families in Emily Bronte’s novel and their rank on the socialShow MoreRelatedComparative Study of Wuthering Heights, Translations, and IM No Scared2105 Words   |  9 PagesThe texts that I have studied and prepared for my comparative course are: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, Translations by Brian Friel, and I’m not scared directed by Gabriel Salvatores. When I address the cultural context of a text I refer to the worlds of the texts, the circumstances which face the plots and the characters of the texts. Some elements of the cultural context of each and every text are the world’s attitudes, social rituals, and structures. 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Materialism in Gullivers Travels and Candide - 1508 Words

Writers can make suggestions or to try to change something about a society or simply to poke fun or satirize a part of a culture. Often these writings are aimed at a specific group of people. In the case of Jonathan Swift in Gulliver’s Travels and Voltaire in Candide, their writing is aimed at European society and its preoccupation with materialism. Swift and Voltaire satirize the behaviors of the wealthy upper class by citing two different extremes. In Gulliver’s Travels the yahoos are not even human but they behave the same way towards colored stones that the Europeans do. In contrast, the people of El Dorado do not care at all about the gold and jewels that align their streets. The writers are hoping that perhaps the reader will†¦show more content†¦When Candide and his companion Cacambo arrive in El Dorado they see the streets covered in gold and other expensive jewels. Seeing a child playing with these jewels Candide assumes that the child is royalt y. Candide and Cacambo come to know and are surprised that the people of El Dorado throw such â€Å"important† items down on the street as common pebbles. When they are ready to leave the city, they ask to take some of the gold and jewels off the road and imagine â€Å"more treasure than every the King of Spain will be possessed of† (346). The King is very surprised but obliges their request: â€Å"I cannot imagine what pleasure you Europeans find in our yellow clay; but take away as much of it as you will, and much good may it do you† (345). In El Dorado all people have their needs met, whereas the Europeans believe they need gold to define many aspects of their lives. In Europe, money determines one’s place in society and gives people worth and rights; without money it is difficult to get a meal and a place to sleep, let alone to fulfill one’s goals in life. In Gulliver’s Travels the yahoos hoarded food and fought to possess it all. In El Dorado the people give food freely without any expectations of payment. Candide and Cacambo are strangers; yet they are welcomed into an inn and immediately given a hearty meal without any hesitation (341). The two eat until they can eat no more, without being questioned by any of the people in the inn.Show MoreRelated Comapring Naivete and Satire in Jonathan Swifts Gullivers Travels and Voltaires Candide2292 Words   |  10 PagesNaivete and Satire in Jonathan Swifts Gullivers Travels and Voltaires Candide       A child has the ability to make the most critical and objective observation on society and the behavior of man. How is this possible? A child has yet to mature and lacks proper education and experience. However, it is for this very reason that a child would make the perfect social scientist; his or her naivete may provide an excellent means of objective criticism and most often satire. A childs curious

Images of Life in 1984 Essay Example For Students

Images of Life in 1984 Essay Pictures and posters on every corner, reminding citizens of Oceania that Big Brother is always watching them. (p4) A cold, dark world. I.e.) Down in the street little eddies of wind were whirling dust and torn paper into spirals, and though the sun was shining and the sun a harsh blue, there seemed to be no colour in anything, except the posters that were plastered everywhere. (p4) Helicopters skimming down between the roofs, a sign of the police patrol, snooping into peoples windows. (p4) Rocket bombs exploding in London with dull, reverberating roars. (p28) Horrible living conditions. I.e.) Never quite enough to eat, one never had socks or underclothes that were not full of holes, furniture had always been bad and rickety, rooms underheated, tube trains crowded, houses falling to pieces, bread dark-coloured nothing cheap and plentiful. (p63) Decaying, dingy cities where underfed people shuffled to and fro in leaky shoes, in patched-up nineteenth-century houses that smelt always of cabbage and bad lavatories. (p77) Bombs dropped on playgrounds with several dozen children blown to pieces. (p156) Amid the decaying buildings in London, during Hate Week, there is singing, banners, dancing, speeches, drums, trumpets, marching, posters, and films. The world today is a bare, hungry, dilapidated place (p196) Each Party member has a telescreen within their home that monitors and scrutinizes each and every move they make. It cannot be turned off. Forced to wear an expression of quiet optimism when facing the telescreen. Had to wear blue overalls, the uniform of the Party. Given a small amount of coupons to trade in for clothing, food, etc. They are constantly under the watch of the Thought Police. Not much food to eat in their homes. Forbidden to enter ordinary shops, however they were forced to do so due to a lack of necessities such as razor blades and shoelaces. Forced to participate in the Two Minutes Hate (p13): Began with a hideous, grinding screech Face of Emmanuel Goldstein, the Enemy of the People, flashed onto the screen Goldstein then delivered usual venomous attack upon the doctrine of the Party, denouncing the dictatorship of the Party (p14). Party members then broke out in rages and leap up and down, ending by chanting B- B,B- B. They were always being watched for symptoms of unorthodoxy (p26). Each morning, they awoke to an ear- piercing whistle (p33) from the telescreen. They were then prompted to take part in various exercises from an instructor on the telescreen. When doing these exercises, known as Physical Jerks, they could never show any dismay or resentment (p39). Party members worked in one of the four ministries: Minitrue, Minipax, Miniluv, or Miniplenty. Main character in 1984, Winston Smith, worked in Minitrue. His job was to rectify (p40) history. Other co- workers did not speak with each other. The Party members were brainwashed into believing anything that the Party told them to believe. This was achieved through doublethink. They believed what the Party told them even though they knew that the opposite of what was being told to them was true as well. The result of the use of doublethink on Party members caused their quality of life to decrease. The Party lied to them, telling them that the quality of life was increasing, even though they knew it was decreasing. Although they knew the truth, they were forced to believe what the Party told them (p62). .u3c74ac750cade7ca57fb76692dcaffcf , .u3c74ac750cade7ca57fb76692dcaffcf .postImageUrl , .u3c74ac750cade7ca57fb76692dcaffcf .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u3c74ac750cade7ca57fb76692dcaffcf , .u3c74ac750cade7ca57fb76692dcaffcf:hover , .u3c74ac750cade7ca57fb76692dcaffcf:visited , .u3c74ac750cade7ca57fb76692dcaffcf:active { border:0!important; } .u3c74ac750cade7ca57fb76692dcaffcf .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u3c74ac750cade7ca57fb76692dcaffcf { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u3c74ac750cade7ca57fb76692dcaffcf:active , .u3c74ac750cade7ca57fb76692dcaffcf:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u3c74ac750cade7ca57fb76692dcaffcf .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u3c74ac750cade7ca57fb76692dcaffcf .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u3c74ac750cade7ca57fb76692dcaffcf .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u3c74ac750cade7ca57fb76692dcaffcf .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u3c74ac750cade7ca57fb76692dcaffcf:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u3c74ac750cade7ca57fb76692dcaffcf .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u3c74ac750cade7ca57fb76692dcaffcf .u3c74ac750cade7ca57fb76692dcaffcf-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u3c74ac750cade7ca57fb76692dcaffcf:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Teen suicide - Essay Party members could not possess memories (p62). Everyone lived in horrible conditions (p62). Could not trust anybody in fear that they would report you to the Thought Police and have you vaporized (p65). This held true within families as well. Could not let your thoughts wander in public places or in front of telescreens because facial features may not be perfectly under control (p65). Women who worked for the Party never painted their faces and never used scent (p67). Winston described his daily life as slogging through dreary jobs, fighting for a place on the Tube, darning a worn-out sock, cadging a saccharine tablet, and saving a cigarette end (p77). Day and night the telescreens bruised your ears with statistics that people today were better off than the filthy people of fifty years ago (p77). The Party told its members to reject the evidence of their eyes and ears (p84). Party members could not do anything that suggested a liking for solitude (p85). They were expected to be at the Community Center or participating in some kind of communal recreation (p85) in their spare time. It was dangerous to have an ownlife which, in Newspeak, referred to individualism and eccentricity. Winston constantly escaped the horrible world he was living in through his Victory Cigarettes and his Victory Gin (p107). Bibliography: