Rap and Hip Hop music is usually consumed by teens and young adults. It is thought to be a more urban genre due to its content, which often describes living in poverty, gang activity, violence, drug use, and often also refers to rising above these things and achieving financial power and respect. The energy and power associated with these types of music is very attractive to American youth culture, and the rap industry is thriving and highly influential. This music is opposed by older generations for its offensive content, favorable positioning of violent conflict resolution, and blatant references to sex. African Americans may also oppose this type of music because it paints a very single minded, often derogatory picture of Black culture.
Eric K. Watts, in “An exploration of spectacular consumption: Gangsta rap as cultural commodity,” questioned why rap music is able to be marketed in this country despite its content, which is often deemed inappropriate. He notes that Gangsta rap narratives often discuss African American male identity and their social experience. These narratives talk about living in urban America and making ends meet. The demographic that identifies with this music is primarily urban, black youth. They relate with the references to ‘street’ as well as ‘indecent’ behaviors and understand the circumstances which drove their favorite artist to take part in the confrontations, illegal activities, and uplift material possessions. The idea of making ends meet is a desired theme of rap music fans and valued because it shows opportunity for everyone. Wearing similar jewelry and clothing, as well as owning CD’s from their favorite rapper, makes urban youth feel that they are one step closer to success and power and this group creates a huge market for cultural products of the rap industry.
Somehow this genre, which most would guess was alienating to a majority of the country, has gained mass appeal. When observed through a critical lens, one starts to notice that the issues discussed in rap narratives often coincide with larger American culture values such as consumerism and the love of material wealth. Young people in any demographic group are able to latch on to the common thread of materialism and rebellion and are then able to relate to rap music and its content. According to Watts, young people “can share in an artist’s attempt to ‘live large’ by replicating and consuming the imagery”. Those who live a life style similar to that which is referenced in rap music relate to the idea of the rapper being a product of the ‘street;’ but White American youth, as well as other demographics, are able to relate to this genre’s general principals, because rap songs have powerful messages that draw a mass audience in.
Watts refers to a term called spectacular consumption, which he claims leads Americans to “over-value, and sell the ‘street’ orientation”. Even though many young people may not live an urban lifestyle, the popularity of this culture causes youth to value it anyway. Rap music has achieved enough popularity and power to be considered ‘cool’ and sell. Watt argues that “hard-core rap artistry participates in a complex and fluid set of economic exchange relations among the lived experiences of artists, the operations of a consumer culture, and the dictates of rap music industry.” He also notes that racially provocative material sells and that black cultural artifacts are currently considered ‘trendy.’ Overall, the mass production of rap and hip hop music and the promotion of its products, coinciding with the values and messages of its artists, lead this genre to be one of the most consumed in American pop culture today
Rap music values masculinity and dominance. The masculinity expressed in and valued by rap music come from several sources. Antonia Randolph states that masculinity is, “shaped not only by dominant culture, but by the repression that characterizes society’s treatment of non-normative sexuality and gender.” The tendency of American culture to value heterosexuality and reject sensitive male behavior is highlighted within this type of music. Rap’s lyrics strongly discourage homosexual behavior; but by repressing and rejecting this behavior, this type of music often instigates conversation about alternative life styles. This ties in with the ideas of Foucault (1978) . Such strict boundary policing by this type of music has allowed artists to express non-normative expressions of masculinity as long as they continue to state the obvious values of heteronormativity and powerful male roles. In this way, the genre doesn’t totally alienate people with alternative views of masculinity. These ideas are expressed by Randolph in her article, “Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful: Black masculinity and alternative embodiment in rap music.” It seems that black youths tend to assimilate to the rap culture’s definition of Black masculinity if they begin to associate themselves with the artists and their struggles. Overall, the rap culture seems to be fairly pluralistic in nature. It tends to be Afro-centric and express pride in being African American while rejecting those African Americans that do not identify with the rap culture. This alienates potential fans of this music who are not African American. However, the spectacle of the genre, trendiness of Black culture, and the power and rebellion expressed in the lyrics of many songs gives white youth cause to continue to listen to this music. Often, this genre dispels women, because there is a strong male dominance within this music and often women are seen as objects. In music videos for this genre women are usually props and in the lyrics of these songs women are over sexualized and easily won over by money and gifts.
Overall, a rich niche group exists that relates to the content of this music, which tends to value African Americans as a group. On the other hand, the genre has experienced great popularity and pull with many young people who may not relate as easily because the culture valued by rap artists and their lyrics has been deemed cool and therefore being a rap fan is cool. Hip Hop still has a great impact on society even though it’s lyrics often contain content that applies more to those who live an urban lifestyle. It is so commonly played on pop radio stations that its influence is widespread and its appeal goes across many races and socioeconomic groups. Because the artists rap about going from having nothing to having money and power these desires in listeners draw them into this type of music.
Just a few years ago, the world was introduced to the music sensation that was Eminem. Not only were people shocked to see a white man attempting to succeed in a genre of music that was generally reserved as a place for African-American success, but people were also appalled by the violent, anti-female content of many of his songs. However, as Gilbert Rodman outlines in his article “Race…and Other Four Letter Words: Eminem and the Cultural Politics of Authenticity,” the outrage that was directed specifically at Eminem was particularly contentious because what the rapper was seeking to do was essentially blurring the racial lines that exist within popular music
As Rodman points out, we typically like to think of types and genres of music along strict racial lines. Certain types of music are classified as “black” types of music and other types of music are thought to be “white” types of music. For example, country music is thought to be the domain of white artists, while rap and hip hop is typically believed to be dominated by black music artists. However, this approach to music neglects to take into account music’s diverse history. As Rodman states, “[j]azz, for instance, commonly gets pegged as ‘Black music’ despite the fact that early jazz drew heavily on the instrumental structures of European military marching bands. Similarly, rock has come to be widely understood as ‘White music’ despite the central roles that the blues, R&B, and Black gospel all played in its birth” (Rodman, 2006). What got people so up in arms about Eminem was the fact that he was a white man who was actually achieving success in a traditionally black field and challenging our long held beliefs about race. Eminem was attempting (and somewhat succeeding at) to break down the hegemonic structure of racial politics currently at play, and that made us rather uncomfortable.
Performing in a musical genre whose racial identity did not match his own also placed Eminem at another decided disadvantage. It seems as though the general public is much quicker to get upset at offensive lyrics if they come from a rap (and typically black) artist. For instance, people have no qualms with a song by Eric Clapton that proclaims how “I Shot the Sheriff,” but Ice-T rapping about being a “Cop Killer” is all of a sudden attacked as being a signifier of the downfall of American society as we know it. For this very reason, many of Eminem’s songs have been critically derided for the messages that they contain. Not only is Eminem burdened by the fact that his musical performance already causes discomfort on the basis of his breaking free of hegemony, but he is also performing in a music genre that is routinely bombarded by critics, more so than any other. Despite all of these disadvantages though, Eminem has been able to achieve a good deal of success with his music, but his career is still a prime example of critical race theory at work in today’s culture.
Although the height of Eminem’s popularity could probably be pinpointed to a few years ago, these racial politics are still very much present in the year 2009. Granted, the music world is occasionally witness to genre (and consequently, racial) crossovers, such as the recent success of the single “Whatcha Say” by Jason Derulo and Imogen Heap or the highly anticipated single featuring Beyonce and Lady Gaga, but this is still far from the norm. We are still apt to view musical acts to only be eligible to perform within certain genres depending on the color of their skin. Perhaps in the future, race will play as big of a role in the music industry, but for now, who would be able to imagine Kanye West singing country music?
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