I have always questioned what influence Hip-Hop music has on young men and their violent and misogynistic personas, but it was not until after I watched Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes that I have been able to think about the music we listen to and its influences on male minds. Especially young and black male minds. Over the years I have noticed that though rappers, their clothes, and the beats of music have changed, their misogynist and violent lyrics and videos have not. Exploitation! Is the word that comes to mind when I think of hip hop and the black masculine community. Through the film, I am able to observe as the director/producer questions the music he loves and how it influences masculinity in the black community. When Hurt starts to describe what embodies the idea of manhood within hip-hop: be tough, be mean, be strong, have a lot of women by being a player or a pimp, dominate women (sexism) and other men (power) usually through verbal or physical violence, have financial provision (to afford flashy things to appear to be in power), got to be in control of your surroundings especially through violence. From my understanding and observation, I believe that a lot of artist put on this façade to sale records at the expense of the youth and especially, the women in their community. Hip hop seems to exhibit hyper masculinity by making men appear violent, rude, sexist and dominant over anything and anyone within their spaces. This is being viewed by young black men who can not separate the music from their lives and end up become what they see in the hip hop videos and lyrics to prove and ensure their masculinity. I do not believe that violence, sexism and money are the basis of hip-hop, but I can not dismiss the fact that it heavily influences it.
Link to film:https://ucf-kanopystreaming-com.ezproxy.net.ucf.edu/video/hip-hop
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