Partner violence in hip hop explained

Forbes magazine reported in 2017 that hip hop was the "dominant musical genre" in the U.S. music industry and, for the first time, outsold any other U.S. musical genre.[1] With its cultural foundation in the South Bronx,[2] hip hop has grown in popularity since its beginnings in 1979.[3] Popular dominance of the genre coincided with the international

  1. MeToo
movement, which exposed the sexual misconduct of men in positions of power in the field of entertainment. Although women and men from all walks of life worldwide have shared their #MeToo stories, accounts in the music industry (particularly in the genre of rap) were few; the industry evaded public scrutiny, despite its dominance as broadcast and streaming media.[4] [5] [6] [7]

A controversial issue in rap and hip-hop culture since its inception has been the violence and aggression of its hardcore styles. The prevalence of misogyny, sexism and sexual violence in the lyrics of the most-popular gangsta rap lyrics triggered public debate about obscenity and indecency and was a topic of U.S. Senate hearings during the mid-1990s.[8] The common depiction of women as video vixens in music videos and being called "bitches" or "hos" in derogatory and misogynistic lyrics may escalate gender violence and anti-black misogyny (misogynoir). The multi-platinum sales of The Chronic by Dr. Dre (featuring Snoop Doggy Dogg) in 1992 bely the genre's lyrics. In 1999, Anthony M. Giovacchini wrote about a song from the album in the journal Poverty and Prejudice: Media and Race:

"Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" reads:'And before me dig on a bitch I have to find a contraceptive.You never know, she could be earn'n her man and learn'n her manAnd at the same time burn'n her manAnd you know I ain't wit' that shit lieutenantAin't no pussy good enough to get free ride on my [B]ennett.'These lyrics portray women as dirty sex toys that have no value other than the pleasure they can provide during intercourse.[9]

Critics say that the pervasive usage of misogynistic language in rap and other popular genres, such as country music, can help normalize attitudes trivializing women and encouraging sexual assault. Misogynistic lyrics in popular music may contribute to rape culture.[10] [11] [12] Songs referring to girls or women of color as usable or disposable, with lyrics suggesting rape, assault and murder, evoke concern and criticism.[13] Feminist critiques insert "new questions about representation, [provide] additional insight about embodied experience, and [offer] alternative models for critical engagement" with hip hop, and misogynistic rhetoric has been discussed in academic literature.

Songs considered misogynistic or sexist may be amplified by artists such as Rick Ross or XXXTentacion in an age of mobile music and technology. People from different age groups (tweens to adults) and backgrounds in the U.S. and abroad have been repeatedly exposed to this content.[14] [15] Artists accused of violence against women or sexual assault may still circulate their music. Case outcomes may be ignored due to love of the music (if not the lyrics) and the artists who perform it.[16] Consumers of rap and hip hop may perceive intimate-partner violence as normal, rather than harmful.[17]

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reported in 2001 that music, film and television convey "sexual messages" which are increasingly "explicit in dialogue, lyrics, and behavior ... These messages contain unrealistic, inaccurate, and misleading information that young people accept as fact."[18] In 2010, another AAP report stated that representations of sexuality in mass media such as music can lead to a "major disconnect between what mainstream media portray—casual sex and sexuality with no consequences—and what children and teenagers need—straightforward information about human sexuality and the need for contraception when having sex."[19]

In "Still on the Auction Block: The (S)exploitation of Black Adolescent Girls in Rap(e) Music and Hip-Hop Culture", a chapter of The Sexualization of Childhood, Carolyn M. West discusses the effect of rape and sexual images in hip hop.[20] West writes, "Exposure to sexualized images in hip-hop has been found to influence black girls perception of male-female gender roles, attitudes toward sexual assault, physical dating violence, and physical attractiveness ... Music videos and lyrics that perpetuate gender inequality and glorify risky sexual behaviors but rarely provide healthy sexual messages or emphasize possible negative health consequences may increase the likelihood that black adolescent girls will have unplanned pregnancies, early sexual onset, or sexually transmitted disease acquisition, including HIV/AIDS."

Partner and sexual violence in hip-hop lyrics

Debate about sexist lyrics in various genres of popular music began during the 1980s. According to Ummni Khan, a "kink lens" can be used to identify a feminist reading of rap lyrics as "rapey" or "allegedly perpetuat[ing] sexual violence, misogyny, and rape myths."[21] Some critics see the hypersexualized discourse which targets women in rap songs as a sign of toxic masculinity in a patriarchal culture, and others view feminist critiques as politically correct.[22] I see a lot of violence in sex expressed in today's music and I feel like it has a very negative impact on society, especially children. Many people listen to hip-hop, especially if they want to fit in or seem cool. It contributes to so many ways people want to perceive themselves, from the way they walk, dress, or speak, so when they hear rappers doing these things they think it is cool to do. It puts many people in harm's way, especially women and young girls. It corrupts these children’s brains to where young boys think it is okay to be sexually violent or violent in general and young girls think it's ok to accept because that’s just the way life is. Also, these young girls girls would find themselves attracted to these type of men or lifestyles because they see that emulated in music videos where the video vixens are treated as props or trophies. Eva Cooke wrote that homosociality (male bonding and patriarchal discourse focusing on black male actors in the lyrics of many rap songs) may be healthy, but can "turn toxic and violent" with misogynistic lyrics denigrating black women.[23]

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020's

Reported rap-artists involved in gender violence

Timeline of partner violence in Hip-Hop

1990's

In January 1991, it was revealed that Dr.Dre had violently attacked an American rapper and TV presenter, Dee Barnes.[62] Although they were not partners, this assault was in line with the same kind of behavior that Dre's previous partners had also reported. Dr. Dre's anger at Barnes was allegedly rooted in her interview with former N.W.A member Ice Cube, he allegedly was angered by how she presented the group in her interview with Ice Cube[63]

Gender violence in Hip-Hop and R&B

Surviving R. Kelly, a three-part television documentary which aired in January 2019, described R. Kelly's history of sexual assault. Kelly was charged with 10 counts of sexual assault in the Chicago metropolitan area from 1998 to 2010. Three of the 10 victims were between the ages of 13 and 16.[64] During the 1990s, Kelly was found to be married to 15-year-old Aaliyah. The marriage was annulled, and Kelly said that he thought Aaliyah was 18.

Cardi B has said that she used sex to drug and rob men. She released a video in which she talks about tricking a cheating boyfriend by getting him drunk and forcing him to have sex with a transgender woman.[65] The partner violence in hip hop is not limited to men, although Cardi B says that she has mature. The incidents have been compared to Kelly's, however, and Twitter users have adopted a #SurvivingCardiB hashtag. She said that she reason she did that was to "survive" as a stripper: "I'm a part of a hip-hop culture where you can talk about where you come from, talk about the wrong things you had to do to get where you are."

In 2019, Kodak Black was charged with first-degree criminal sexual misconduct in South Carolina.[66] The rapper allegedly attacked a legally-adult high-school student in a hotel room after a performance in Florence. According to the arrest warrant, Kodak Black forced the girl onto a bed and then the floor, where he committed sexual battery. The victim "repeatedly told the defendant no and to stop. The defendant did not stop." A rape kit was presented as evidence. Black was released on a $100,000 bond while awaiting trial.[67]

In 2009, Chris Brown was charged with two felonies and criminal threats for assaulting Rihanna before the Grammy Awards and was released on $50,000 bail. Before the assault, Rihanna noticed a text on Brown's phone from another women. "I caught him in a lie, and he wouldn't tell the truth. And I wouldn't drop it," Rihanna told Diane Sawyer in a 20/20 interview, portions of which aired on Good Morning America. "I couldn't take that he kept lying to me, and he couldn't take that I wouldn't drop it ... It escalated into him being violent towards me. And it was ugly."[68]

He punched and bit her, threatening to kill her after she pretended to tell her assistant to call the police.[69] Pictures of Rihanna were leaked showing trauma to her face and body: a split lip, swelling, bruising, a bloody nose, and bite marks on her arms and fingers.[70] Brown was sentenced to five years' probation, and they reconciled in 2012, though that same year he tattooed the face of a battered woman, some say resembling Rihanna, on his neck.[71] In a Vanity Fair interview, Rihanna said that she thought she was "built to handle [things] like this"; later, she realized that she needed to "walk away." Although Brown and Rihanna are no longer friends, she still cares about him and wants him to be successful.[72]

Altercation between artists

Solange Knowles and Jay-Z had a much-publicized physical altercation at the 2014 Met Gala fundraiser. Jay-Z released a statement after the altercation, saying: "We have always had a good relationship. We've had one disagreement. Before and after we've been cool. That is my sister. No sister-in-law, no, my sister. Period."[73]

See also

Notes and References

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  2. Web site: Hip-Hop Turns 40. NPR.org. 11 August 2013. 2019-05-04. Adams. Dart.
  3. Book: Neal, Mark Anthony. That's the Joint!: The Hip-hop Studies Reader. 2004. Psychology Press. 9780415969192.
  4. Web site: This Female Hip-Hop Fan Says 'Time's Up' on the Music Industry. The Hollywood Reporter. 27 January 2018. 2019-05-06.
  5. Web site: Will Time Ever Be Up For Abusive Men In Hip-Hop?. BuzzFeed News. 31 October 2018 . 2019-05-06.
  6. Web site: 22 Women Share Their Stories of Sexual Assault In the Music Industry (#MeToo). 2017-10-16. Digital Music News. 2019-05-06.
  7. Web site: 5 Hip-Hop Songs that Promote Mistreatment of Women. 2017-12-24. Media Milwaukee. 2019-05-06.
  8. Web site: Music Lyric Regulation and Rap Music C-SPAN.org. www.c-span.org. 2019-05-06.
  9. Web site: The Negative Influence of Gangster Rap And What Can Be Done About It. web.stanford.edu. 2019-05-06.
  10. Web site: rape culture Definition of rape culture in English by Oxford Dictionaries. https://web.archive.org/web/20170712201706/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/rape_culture. dead. July 12, 2017. Oxford Dictionaries English. 2019-05-06.
  11. Web site: How Rap Can Help End Rape Culture. Jeffries. Michael P.. 2012-10-30. The Atlantic. 2019-05-06.
  12. Web site: Rap's Long History of 'Conscious' Condescension to Women. Smith. Mychal Denzel. 2012-08-28. The Atlantic. 2019-05-06.
  13. Durham. Aisha. Cooper. Brittney C.. Morris. Susana M.. 2013-03-01. The Stage Hip-Hop Feminism Built: A New Directions Essay. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society. 38. 3. 721–737. 10.1086/668843. 146469213. 0097-9740.
  14. Web site: THE SOCIAL SIGNIFICANCE OF RAP & HIP-HOP CULTURE. web.stanford.edu. 2019-04-24.
  15. Web site: The Easy Acceptance of Sexual Assault in the Hip-Hop Community. Dimas. Ayannah. 2017-12-12. Medium. 2019-04-24.
  16. News: How Hip-Hop Rewards Rappers for Abusing Women. Zimmerman. Amy. 2017-09-09. 2019-04-25.
  17. Web site: How Hip Hop Music Perpetuates Relationship Violence. 2017-11-29. One Love Foundation. 2019-04-25.
  18. American Academy of Pediatrics. Committee on Public Education, American Academy of Child and Adolescent psychiatry, American Psychological Association. January 2001. Sexuality, contraception, and the media. Committee on Public Education. Pediatrics. 107. 1. 191–194. 1098-4275. 11134460. 10.1542/peds.107.1.191.
  19. Media. The Council on Communications and. 2010-09-01. Sexuality, Contraception, and the Media. Pediatrics. 126. 3. 576–582. 10.1542/peds.2010-1544. 0031-4005. 20805150. free.
  20. Web site: Still on the Auction Block: The Exploitation of black adolescent girls in rap(e) music and hip hop culture. West. Caroline M.. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304063346/http://www.drcarolynwest.com/media/sites/162/files/still_on_the_auction_block-sexualizationofchildren.pdf. March 4, 2016. November 26, 2019. live.
  21. Khan. Ummni. 2017-01-02. Fetishizing Music as Rape Culture. Studies in Gender and Sexuality. 18. 1. 19–30. 10.1080/15240657.2017.1276782. 151787199. 1524-0657.
  22. Posadas. Jeremy. 2017. Teaching the Cause of Rape Culture: Toxic Masculinity. Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion. 33. 1. 177–179. 10.2979/jfemistudreli.33.1.23. 8755-4178. 10.2979/jfemistudreli.33.1.23. 151604472.
  23. Cooke, Eva M. "# WeKnowWhatYouDid: An Ethnographic Exploration of Male Socialization and Rape Culture at a Black College for Men." (2018).
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  26. Web site: Me So Horny . genius.com.
  27. Web site: N.W.A She Swallowed It . www.Genius.com.
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  29. Web site: Too $hort - All My Bitches Are Gone Lyrics. SongMeanings. SongMeanings. 2019-05-04.
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  31. 8 Problematic Early Eminem Songs That Wouldn't Fly In 2016. Billboard. 24 October 2016. 2019-04-30.
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  38. Web site: Bitch Suck Dick Lyrics. www.lyrics.com. 2019-05-06.
  39. Web site: Hit the after-burner, Ike Turner how I drop a bitch. Genius. 2019-05-02.
  40. Web site: Put Molly all in her champagne, she ain't even know it / I took her home and I enjoyed that, she ain't even know it. Genius. 2019-04-25.
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  45. Web site: More Details On Flavor Flav's Domestic Violence Arrest. 2012-10-18. News One. 2019-04-25.
  46. Web site: Vanilla Ice. www.nndb.com. 2019-04-25.
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  48. News: Chris Brown speaks about Rihanna assault. 2017-08-16. 2019-04-25.
  49. Tone Loc Arrested in Domestic Violence Case. Billboard. 20 June 2011. 2019-04-25.
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  51. Web site: The Game held liable for sexual assault of "She Got Game" contestant Priscilla Rainey . Smith . Trevor . November 19, 2016 . Hotnewhiphop . November 19, 2016.
  52. Web site: Miami-Dade Arrest Report PDF . 2023-01-25 . Scribd . en.
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  54. Web site: YoungBoy Never Broke Again Indicted for Aggravated Assault and Kidnapping. Complex. 2019-04-30.
  55. Web site: 6ix9ine's Ex-Girlfriend Details Alleged Abuse. Complex. 2019-04-25.
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  59. Justine Skye Accuses Sheck Wes of Alleged Abuse, Which He Denies. Holmes. Charles. 2019-02-13. Rolling Stone. 2019-05-04.
  60. Web site: Rapper Blueface and His Girlfriend Get Into Violent Fight in Streets of Hollywood . 2022-11-14 . www.yahoo.com . 2 August 2022 . en-US.
  61. Web site: 2023-02-14 . Rapper Playboi Carti arrested in Georgia after allegedly choking pregnant girlfriend, reports say . 2023-03-21 . FOX 5 Atlanta . en-US.
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  65. Web site: New viral Cardi B video details how she'd trick her cheating boyfriend. EDT. Hannah Preston On 3/27/19 at 4:16 PM. 2019-03-27. Newsweek. 2019-04-30.
  66. News: Review Kodak Black, mired in controversy, is a tough act to reckon with. Washington Post. en. 2019-06-11.
  67. Web site: Hip hop star Kodak Black charged with raping high school student, SC prosecutor says. Feit. Noah. miamiherald. 2019-05-07.
  68. Web site: Rihanna gives painful details of Chris Brown assault - CNN.com. www.cnn.com. 2019-05-07.
  69. Chris Brown Charged With Assault on Rihanna. Billboard. 5 March 2009. 2019-05-07.
  70. News: Rihanna 'suffered horrific injuries after alleged assault by Chris Brown'. Daily Telegraph. Hedley. Caroline. 2009-02-10. 2019-05-07. 0307-1235.
  71. Web site: » Chris Brown's Battered-Woman Tattoo: Yeah, That's Totally Rihanna .
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  73. Web site: Jay-Z finally opens up about infamous Met Gala fight with Solange. ABC News. 2019-05-07.

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