Women in Rap Essay Example

đź“ŚCategory: Entertainment, Music, Musicians
đź“ŚWords: 1445
đź“ŚPages: 6
đź“ŚPublished: 21 June 2022

Within the rap industry, most members glorify the abuse of women, whether it be physical or mental. These lyrics are then heard by the youth, causing stigma towards women. Objectification is a common theme among lyrics as rappers often refer to their women as “hoe” or “bitch.” Girls who hear this may be appalled by this behavior and will often shy away from entering the industry when they are older. Although it may seem “cool” in how it sounds, rap lyrics contain things that a parent would not want their child to hear. Throughout the history of the rap industry, rap lyrics said by male artists cause a negative perception towards women.

Within the rap industry, misogynistic beliefs are expressed within rap lyrics and music videos. Women can be seen practically naked in these videos surrounding the (male) rapper. Being paid, these women portray the stereotypes said in the lyrics. A music video aims to generate as much hype and revenue as possible for the newly released song. Kids aged 13-17 may gravitate towards these videos as even within the thumbnails, multiple women can be seen half-naked upon a supercar. Once the video is then clicked on, lyrics regarding these same women are listened to. This does not make sense as men pay women money only to be featured in a song that degrades them. 2Pac, being arguably the most influential rapper ever, said this, “You picked the wrong guy, baby, if you’re too fly. You need to hit the door, search for a new guy Cause I only got one night in town. Break out or be clowned, baby doll, are you down”(I Get Around 2)? 2Pac, being as big as he was, viewed women for his enjoyment within this song. If the girl was not “down” to have sex with him, she would be “clowned.” The music video for this song is a compilation of half-naked women viewed as having the time of their lives. Although one does not know how they felt, it most likely was not good. The message 2Pac brought within this song most definitely is not something that should be encouraged. It objectifies women and traps them in a box for rappers of his stature. Using his popularity, he could have genuinely believed that women were only for his pleasure and did not have feelings of their own. This is not true; however, by seeing these women conform with his words within the music video, one can see just how terrible the rap industry is. Within an article written by American Psychological Association, it states, “ Researchers from Iowa State University and the Texas Department of Human Services found that aggressive music lyrics increase aggressive thoughts and feelings, which might perpetuate aggressive behavior and have long-term effects, such as influencing listeners' perceptions of society and contributing to the development of aggressive personalities” (

Being intrigued by social media, kids will praise certain rappers almost like god figures, causing them to believe everything they say honestly. One rapper, for example, who has this influence is Drake. He is one of the most famous people on the planet and has a massive effect on younger kids. He has received a total of 8 nominations within the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards for his music. Profanity is found within his songs with messages that parents would not want their kids to hear. Within his song, Hotline Bling, he states, “You don’t need no one else, you don’t need nobody else, no. Why you never alone, Why you always touching road. Used to always stay at home, be a good girl” (Hotline Bling 2). This shows Drake's possessiveness towards women as he states that he should be the only guy she talks to. According to Spotify, Drake is currently the 11th most famous artist in the world, with Hotline Bling alone having one billion streams. According to SongStats, Drake's music is found in over a billion playlists all across the globe. This number is only from Spotify. Essentially, these numbers mean that Drake has an immense reach over the whole music industry. His music reaches many people, from the young ages of 7-10, all the way to people in their mid 30’s. With almost 100 million followers on Instagram, his reach upon the younger generation is even more notable. His lyrics within one of his most famous songs (Hotline Bling 1) have been most likely heard by millions of kids, without any real idea what they are listening to. Another artist with a massive following on apps such as Instagram and TikTok is Playboi Carti. Totalling 16 million monthly listeners according to Spotify and 7.3 million Instagram followers, he also has an immense reach in the music industry. In his song, R.I.P., he states, “Got me mad as S***, So I slapped the B****. I ain’t even hop in the coupe, your b**** gon’ star at the clique” (R.I.P. 1). This song highlights talks of physical abuse. He states that he is angry enough to the point where he “slapped” the girl he refers to. The second part of the lyric states that the girl will be used for the “clique.” Once again, he objectified women due to his popularity, like fellow rapper 2Pac. Incredibly young kids praise both Drake and Playboi Carti. Being raised off of these lyrics, these kids give little to no thought to what is being said.

The rap industry is a male-dominated field with little to no inclusion of females. This is caused by the lyrics stated by these men and the treatment of women within the rap industry. Certain female rappers such as Nicki Minaj, Dua Lipa, and Cardi B have begun to break this boundary. These three women combine to over 135 million monthly listeners on Spotify and always keep songs on top of the charts. Within their music, they often speak of the opposite of the men. Dua Lipa, for example, said, “I mean I could be the leader, head of all the states. I could smile and jiggle it ‘til his pockets empty. I could be the C.E.O., just look at Robyn Fenty” (Woman 2). Within this song, Dua Lipa reversed the roles that were previously stated. In a way, it can be seen as empowering due to there being such little female representation within the rap industry. She decided to be her person and rap about something uncommon for a woman to talk about. She states that she can be the C.E.O., meaning she does not want to be controlled by a man. In a way, this may be why it is so hard for women to be included in the rap industry. To stand out, one has to go against what the whole industry stands for, which is challenging for most. Those who do, rise above even the men such as Dua Lipa. According to Spotify, she is currently the 5th most streamed artist per month and has multiple songs within the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. Against adversity, she can be a role model for women. Nicki Minaj, another female rapper, has remained relevant for over ten years. She stated, “I always feel it’s important for me to show females that they can be in charge of their own situation. When I win and when I lose, I take ownership of it, because I really am in charge of what I do” (V Magazine 1). This once again shows that she is fighting for the inclusion of women within the industry. She admits that men were part of the reason she is who she is. However, she now does everything independently without the help of anyone. This independence can be seen as inspiring for most, whether it be a male or a female. 

Certain rap lyrics that are stated by male artists damage the view of women either mentally or physically. Music videos show this as they predominantly contain half-naked women throughout most of the video and within the thumbnails. By it being on the thumbnail, it attracts the attention of people on the internet. This causes kids to view and listen to these videos, which objectify women. Although some female rap artists are beginning to pave the way for others, it is still a challenging field to get into for young girls. The lyrics stated by men are harsh and represent what they think is right. To a young girl, this is intimidating due to some of the topics that are brought up. Dua Lipa, Nicki Minaj, and Cardi B are doing their part to ensure that women are not as scared to be who they want to be. The way to fix the stigma surrounding women in rap is to have parents become more knowledgeable about whom their kids are inspired by. People such as Drake and Playboi Carti are not the best role models as their statements towards women are not something to be praised. To make young women more involved in the rap industry, change must occur. Changes can presumably be made by allowing for other topics to be discussed in music other than women.

 Work Cited

“2Pac (Ft. Digital Underground) – I Get Around.” Genius, https://genius.com/2pac-i-get-around-lyrics. 

“Drake – Hotline Bling.” Genius, https://genius.com/Drake-hotline-bling-lyrics. 

“Playboi Carti – R.I.P.” Genius, https://genius.com/Playboi-carti-rip-lyrics. 

“Dua Lipa – That Kind of Woman.” Genius, https://genius.com/Dua-lipa-that-kind-of-woman-lyrics. 

“Nicki Minaj Is the 'Queen'.” V Magazine, 10 Aug. 2018, https://vmagazine.com/article/nicki-minaj-releases-queen/.

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