Rap Masculinity Analysis

The formation of a masculine identity is a very important aspect in many black cultures. And with various media outlets, it is a lot more apparent and convenient to influence these ideas upon many others. Specifically with music, rap and hip-hop has participated largely on the impact of youth. Rap artists, predominantly black males, are strong players in needing to promote their hegemonic masculinity through messages of violence, economic success, and dominance over women. As we know, with the disadvantages faced by black people, the men in particular went years having their masculinity robbed with the inability to express it. By using these messages of power in rap lyrics, artists are forming the expression that leads back to the past disadvantages …show more content…
In the section don’t make me hurt you: black male violence, she mentions how slavery has an impact on the idea of violence being attached to black masculinities. She talks about white people seeing black males as ‘dehumanized beasts’ that needed to be controlled, however this image molded into something else; black men held onto this depiction once it became something they had over white males. This connects to my argument, as it explains the relation between black males and aggression. It supports the idea of why it is something that appears to be more embraced in hip hop than …show more content…
In a particular section of this text, the authors talk about the discrimination of black people in the labour market which leads to many poor homes. Including slavery, black men were incapable of having control over their own being, as well had difficulty providing for their families. Because of this, white males with financial power were viewed as the ‘ideal man’. In rap music, the presentation of economic success is a method for these males to feel the power they once had not felt. This evidence verifies my thesis in that expressions of prejudice are used in hip-hop