The Impact Misogyny and Racism Have on the Hip Hop Culture
Willie Walton

June 4th, 2015
Comp. 3
Ms. Daniels Hip hop music tells the story of a society altering collision between black culture, racism, and misogyny. Misogyny and racism in hip hop show those who watch and listen to it the negative stereotypes of black culture. It has become the voice that has redefined America’s urban environments (Reeves). Originally, rap music was about escapism (Reeves 24). Hip hop artists dating back to the 1970’s found hip hop as a way to express their distaste with the social ills of society. Fast forward to the year 2000 and hip hop culture and lyrics take on a different meaning. Hip hop music becomes infused with misogynistic tones and racist innuendoes that influence America’s chocolate cities. These messages of hate and disrespect have negatively impacted black culture as well as the black community in general.
Misogyny is to degrade, glorify, justify, or normalize the objectification, exploitation, or victimization of women. For women of color, misogyny and (mis)representation is two-fold, playing on stereotypes of both gender and race (Hurt 1).
Objectified female bodies are everywhere: in advertising images, on magazine covers, and television and movie screens. Presenting a one-dimensional portrayal of male heterosexuality, using the female body as an advertising vehicle limits the ways in which men and women can interact (Hurt 1). As Byron Hurt says in HIP-HOP: Beyond Beats and Rhymes, Some people say that it’s just boys being boys, but I think it has a lot to do with boys figuring out early that girls are there for us to sexually objectify or to be our sexual playthings (1) .

With media images of girls only being displayed as only pictures they remain a very real part of American culture. Writer and actor Sarah Jones explains, “The image of scantily-clad women is supposed to affirm some image of masculinity, the man as a mack.... But in actuality, what they show themselves to be is incredibly insecure (1). Basically men are seen as the dominant and more important figure and the women are seen as the weaker figure.
Hip hop artists try and prove their dominance by degrading women in their lyrics. Misogyny has become