Post-reading: week 11

What was the most interesting thing you learned from the video? Did it make you change how you thought about hip-hop?

The most interest thing I’ve learned from this video is that hip hop is exaggeratedly accused of being too violent in this society. The video pointed out that America is very hyper masculine and hyper aggressive nation. We watch movies and play videogames with the same type of violence in it. We also see this same type of violence and masculinity in the sports culture and the military culture.  The video also talks about women being portrayed as sex object in this hip -hop culture. It pointed out that hip -hop was not the only thing that was objectifying women as sex object either. We see women in the hip-hop culture, but we also see them being objectified in magazines, advertisement, and on TV as well.  

Another thing I found interesting was how the society defines a man as being powerful, dominate, in control, and having the respect of your peers. A man has to be strong to be worthy of power, and if they are not , there are other ways to display  their power, such as financial power. Men have money do not have to be as physically power as men who do not have money. In order for the rappers in the hip- hop industry to gain respect or their street credibility they have to present themselves as “ hard ” even though they are not. They rap about what they think people want to listen to, and what they think would make them the most money. Many of the rappers do not even live the lifestyle they talk about in their music. Men who think this type of behavior make them a men is wrong, and it causes many problems. When men try to defend their manhood, they may end up getting into a conflict that leads to something more serious.

The video has changed the way I view about hip- hop, because I felt hip- hop was an expression of how artists felt. It turned out to be just entertainment. I also caused me to listen to the lyrics, and analyze what the artists are actually saying instead of just listening to the beat. Artists talk about how they have a lot of women, and they degrade women in their music. Even if music is just entertainment, artists should not have to degrade or objectify women as sex objects.

Word Count: 415