The Inherent Racism of Modern Mainstream Rap Music

[Euron Greyjoy]

Having always been a fan on old school hip hop acts like Wu Tang Clan, NWA, Tupac, Biggie Smalls, Arrested Development, Onyx, and Geto Boys, I was always disgusted by modern mainstream rap. A lot of modern rappers I lack skill or flow of past rappers, but theres more to it then that. Modern rap promotes negative stereotypes of  black people, yet the young black youth is lapping it up. Rap went from positivity and brotherhood to  how many big booty bitches you have in your music video, how many drugs you do, how much money you have, and how much stuff you own. Rap music also promotes the stereotype of black men being violent.

17th cenutry Hottentot



21st century  rap music video



The Hottentot sterotype comes from the days of slavery, in which black women were seen as overly promiscuous that they would actually attack men. 

What goes for rap today

Put in work, run up on a killer then I put him in the dirt
Run up in the buildin', semi gon' squirt
That's what a nigga get when they getting on my nerves
I ain't lying, lay 'em on the curb
Riding on a killer who be coming at Ferg! (Damn)
Girl you twerk, twerk that kitty girl make it purr
Put in work, Flacko put 'em in the dirt
French got the shovel he gon' put him in the earth
Trinidad maniac with a all gold hearse
Yeah, uh, put in work
Schoolboy Q with a pound of the purp
So much work he'll smoke up the Earth

Though what really bothers me is the idea the people behind the scenes who own the record companies, are white. They are the ones controlling the music and the advertising. Though they are mostly responsible, the blame should really fall on the fans.  After all they are the ones buying music, that promotes negative stereotypes. So why is mainstream rap music so popular? Is it because it gives kids the fantasy of being rich and famous or do people just don't care, due to that sick beat doe?

[Oniya]

Though what really bothers me is the idea the people behind the scenes who own the record companies, are white. They are the ones controlling the music and the advertising. Though they are mostly responsible, the blame should really fall on the fans.  After all they are the ones buying music, that promotes negative stereotypes. So why is mainstream rap music so popular? Is it because it gives kids the fantasy of being rich and famous or do people just don't care, due to that sick beat doe?

I have to agree with you about the messages inherent in many popular rap lyrics, but I was under the impression that there were at least a few big name rap labels that were owned and operated by non-whites?  (I'm speaking as a complete outsider here.  The closest things to rap that I've listened to recently are Pet Shop Boys and Murray Head.)

[Euron Greyjoy]

There might be some, but the majority are white owned. For example Interscope and Def Jam records both have white presidents. Some more information I found about who actually controls music.

As of this writing, there are five giant music companies that dominate and control the music business. They are Universal Music Group, Warner Music, Sony Music Group, BMG, and EMI. Operating through several hundred subsidiaries and over a thousand labels, these five
companies, according to Nielson SoundScan figures, control approximately 86% of the U.S. and world music market, and all but EMI are part of even larger global entertainment conglomerates.

As you can see the modern day rap  industry is like that of the minstrel shows. However, instead of white guys with black face making fools of themselves, they have genuine black people chucking and jiving. Hell NAS and Nick Cannon made a video about it. Though I think some of it comes from NAS being jealous, that hes no longer popular.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRVqVwGWocM

[Sabby]

Oh man, do I finally get to talk about the kids and their rap music? =D It's just noise, why do they have to swear so much? I'm 25, too early for this kind of talkin'!

[Euron Greyjoy]

Oh man, do I finally get to talk about the kids and their rap music? =D It's just noise, why do they have to swear so much? I'm 25, too early for this kind of talkin'!

Eh I'm twenty two, so I'm relatively old. I think this is important because modern rap not only affects the way some blacks act, but also affects the views of some whites on blacks.

[Lux12]

You aren't alone in saying this. Spike Lee is one of the many people thinking the same thing.

To be honest, I've never been a huge hip-hop fan and I've only really recently been able to bring myself to buy anything by hip hop artists because it did seem that for so long it was dominated by this minstrelsy aesthetic which betrayed its revolutionary roots. I wanted to hear another Chuck D shouting "Fight the power!" not Trinidad James going on about how he has "All gold everything"(Though I readily admit that's an awesome stage name). Hip hop was invented to empower the underclass and black people in particular and now a bunch of white record execs neglect the artists with something to say about society who remember in their souls those first djs, mcs, and b-boys/girls who took to the streets to create a new cultural path that would allow people to hear their voice. I mean even artists who are often stereotyped as reckless hooligans had something really important to say about the struggles of black people. Tupac, NWA, Ice Cube,  Bone Thugs, and others had something to say. The public may not have been comfortable with it, but dammit they had a message and come hell or high water they were going to make sure someone heard them.  While the stereotypical gangsta aesthetic stands out in the minds of many the so called current wave of "glam rap" is even worse because it does not even discuss uncomfortable realities.  Corporate America feeds the masses these stereotypical images and attempts to make sure it's the only one the public sees. Granted the artists are not to blame entirely afterall, the white run record labels do actively choose to neglect the rappers that would speak against this sort of thing in favor of those they think they can sell to the public in minstrel show style. They promote these images, they advertise, and they try to pull the strings to decide which singles you hear on the radio and which videos you see on youtube.  It doesn't help that this the image white Americans (who still make up the bulk of the population) eat up. Part of it may be unconscious bias, another peer pressure, and of course the fact that this is the image the corporate powers that be seek to expose the public to. To be frank, I think America needs to change its mind collectively. We need to change attitudes in the broader society to stop this.

In my opinion even the beats have suffered as a result.

[Euron Greyjoy]

You aren't alone in saying this. Spike Lee is one of the many people thinking the same thing.

To be honest, I've never been a huge hip-hop fan and I've only really recently been able to bring myself to buy anything by hip hop artists because it did seem that for so long it was dominated by this minstrelsy aesthetic which betrayed its revolutionary roots. I wanted to hear another Chuck D shouting "Fight the power!" not Trinidad James going on about how he has "All gold everything"(Though I readily admit that's an awesome stage name). Hip hop was invented to empower the underclass and black people in particular and now a bunch of white record execs neglect the artists with something to say about society who remember in their souls those first djs, mcs, and b-boys/girls who took to the streets to create a new cultural path that would allow people to hear their voice. I mean even artists who are often stereotyped as reckless hooligans had something really important to say about the struggles of black people. Tupac, NWA, Ice Cube,  Bone Thugs, and others had something to say. The public may not have been comfortable with it, but dammit they had a message and come hell or high water they were going to make sure someone heard them.  While the stereotypical gangsta aesthetic stands out in the minds of many the so called current wave of "glam rap" is even worse because it does not even discuss uncomfortable realities.  Corporate America feeds the masses these stereotypical images and attempts to make sure it's the only one the public sees. Granted the artists are not to blame entirely afterall, the white run record labels do actively choose to neglect the rappers that would speak against this sort of thing in favor of those they think they can sell to the public in minstrel show style. They promote these images, they advertise, and they try to pull the strings to decide which singles you hear on the radio and which videos you see on youtube.  It doesn't help that this the image white Americans (who still make up the bulk of the population) eat up. Part of it may be unconscious bias, another peer pressure, and of course the fact that this is the image the corporate powers that be seek to expose the public to. To be frank, I think America needs to change its mind collectively. We need to change attitudes in the broader society to stop this.

In my opinion even the beats have suffered as a result.

Agreed, but seeing how music has become background noise the beats are adequate.

Other then not having millions of dollars, a big house, a ton of bitches, a lot of cars, and etc what are these fans missing? Then again most of these rappers don't even have all those things, the record company provides them to act as props. The only thing I can think of is rap provides fulfills a void for masculinity, the fans are missing. However, this cant be so because metal is pretty manly and doesn't need big booty women, in their music videos. Then again I cant imagine girls shaking their butts to lyrics about Satan, war, serial killers, and political issues.

I mean we went from this, a song about showing the prejudice of 911 when it came to answering emergency calls from the ghettos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wBVVZ9RU_c

To this a song about some asshole, who allegedly sells crack to the community. What a good mission to give to the kids, Mr. 2 Chainz. You don't need to go to school kids, just sell crack. I mean it worked for 2 Chainz didn't it?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVjeKltMVJs

[Pumpkin Seeds]

I honestly question how much responsibility falls on fans.  Advertisers are not paid so that a company can simply have an advertising budget.  This is an industry designed to coherence and tempt people into buying a product.  Rap music is more than simply lyrics and songs, but the branding of a lifestyle that is part of not only the American dream but also the underprivileged.  The music features rags to riches stories which Americans are brought up to worship and believe.  Someone from the ghetto now has money raining from the sky and women rubbing on them.  For someone that is struggling to get by, has few prospects and truly feels as if the world is against them such songs give them some hope and meaning.  Mix that with an advertising campaign that pushes the artist and their songs as legitimate, as one of “them” and there is a myth people want to buy into here.  That they too can make it.

[Euron Greyjoy]

I honestly question how much responsibility falls on fans.  Advertisers are not paid so that a company can simply have an advertising budget.  This is an industry designed to coherence and tempt people into buying a product.  Rap music is more than simply lyrics and songs, but the branding of a lifestyle that is part of not only the American dream but also the underprivileged.  The music features rags to riches stories which Americans are brought up to worship and believe.  Someone from the ghetto now has money raining from the sky and women rubbing on them.  For someone that is struggling to get by, has few prospects and truly feels as if the world is against them such songs give them some hope and meaning.  Mix that with an advertising campaign that pushes the artist and their songs as legitimate, as one of “them” and there is a myth people want to buy into here.  That they too can make it.

You bring up brilliant points and it reminds me of the self help books/selfmade rags to riches stories. However, there is the inherent problem of limited social mobility, in this tough economy. Hell even with a good economy its hard for people to move from poor to rich. My main thing is if they are a low of the social economical totem pole, they shouldn't be buying rap CDs. Instead they should be saving or investing money, so they can actually get out of their rut. However, that is cruel to say that they should give up entertainment just for money.

[Valthazar]

The music features rags to riches stories which Americans are brought up to worship and believe.  Someone from the ghetto now has money raining from the sky and women rubbing on them.  For someone that is struggling to get by, has few prospects and truly feels as if the world is against them such songs give them some hope and meaning.

Contrary to popular belief, those in the ghettos are not necessarily the sole target audience for much of hip hop music.  It's a controversial statistic for sure, and one that is often debated, but anywhere from 40-70% of consumers are white.  Whatever the percentage is, the fact is that this kind of music, and music videos, appeal to a wide socioeconomic audience.

As an example, suburban white kids love flashing gang signs and snorting Smarties candies to pretend they are using cocaine.  Recently a University of Alabama student was kicked out for making a "racial slur."  In reality, she probably had a sheltered life, and feels 'ghetto' by making a statement like, "Chi O got NO n***as!!!" - something we'd hear in mainstream rap.  (The N-word often has a different negative meaning in the context of rap - referring to being lazy or less successful, as opposed to its more commonly known negative meaning in mainstream society).

[Euron Greyjoy]

Contrary to popular belief, those in the ghettos are not necessarily the sole target audience for much of hip hop music.  It's a controversial statistic for sure, and one that is often debated, but anywhere from 40-70% of consumers are white.  Whatever the percentage is, the fact is that this kind of music, and music videos, appeal to a wide socioeconomic audience.

As an example, suburban white kids love flashing gang signs and snorting Smarties candies to pretend they are using cocaine.  Recently a University of Alabama student was kicked out for making a "racial slur."  In reality, she probably had a sheltered life, and feels 'ghetto' by making a statement like, "Chi O got NO n***as!!!" - something we'd hear in mainstream rap.  (The N-word often has a different negative meaning in the context of rap - referring to being lazy or less successful, as opposed to its more commonly known negative meaning in mainstream society).

I can believe I forgot to mention that in my OP. My main question is why is supposed black culture, popular among whitey? My guess for white males at least, was the idea is rap music fulfills a void of masculinity for these kids.

[Oniya]

There is an overabundance of what we used to call 'bubblegum pop' these days, and a lot less 'angry young man' music (other than rap), as far as I can tell.  Perhaps that's the appeal.  There's also the weird idea that criminality or 'gangster' things are 'cool' (for example, the whole 'saggy pants' phenomenon).   I'm still looking for an explanation for that.

[Valthazar]

Purely my opinion, and I'm sure many will disagree, but there seems to almost be a subtle emasculation of white males in media.  Whether it is in sitcoms where men are often portrayed as the lovable idiot (Everybody Loves Raymond, Two and Half Men, King of Queens, etc), or in music videos like White & Nerdy.

In addition, in advertisements featuring a black male and a white male, more often than not, it is the white male that is portrayed as the "less cool" one.  Check out these ads:
Samsung Galaxy S5 Commercial
Subway Commercial

These are just examples - but I think it's clear that if a song like White & Nerdy were targeted at black males, there would be an uproar on social media.  In addition, just as many feminists point out the sexism present in video games and media, people would be quick to point out the stereotyping of blacks in advertisements, if they were the ones frequently portrayed as the "less informed" one.

As such, it is not surprising that many young white males want to avoid this seemingly "uncool stigma" of... being a white male.  Combine this with the hyper-sexualization attributed to black males, as Euron Greyjoy mentioned, and it only exacerbates the problem.

[Euron Greyjoy]

Theres always metal that promotes masculinity.  Also Valthazar is correct about how being a white male, in now uncool. Across all forms of media white men are portrayed negatively. Like in sitcoms they are portrayed at fumbling man children, who would be lost without their all powerful wife.

[consortium11]

I think there are two points here.

The first is the watering down of hip-hop as it becomes mainstream. Euron Greyjoy's already pointed out the difference between hip-hop acts of a previous generation and the current crop but likewise if one delves below the "hot 40" or whatever the charts are called one can find a selection of excellent "underground" rappers, MC's, producers etc putting out a lot of quality work, much of which is a lot more self-aware and intelligent than the stuff in the charts. That's not to say that there isn't awful stuff on the underground hip-hop scene... there is, frequently just as bad as the mainstream acts people decry but with a lower budget.

But hip-hop is far from alone in that.

You can take basically any genre that's made it into the charts and see how the current chart darlings generally produce lesser music then either their forefathers or the more underground scene. Punk with the pop-punk craze of the late 90's/early 2000's, post-hardcore with the rise of emo, metal with the rise of nu-metal and the screamo variations, the difference between the pounding techno one would hear if they made it through the queue into Berghain (something everyone should do once in their life) and the sort of cheesy techno that hits the charts, dubstep fans having to listen to Taylor Swift incorporate a few elements into her songs. Hell, I'm sure somewhere out there there's some country and western fans bemoaning how poppy and commercial all these new singers sound compared to the good ol' days.

As a general rule the mass-market version of a genre is going to be toned down... musically, lyrically and thematically. To use hip-hop as an example it's far less controversial to rap about making a lot of money and having a lot of sex with a soft beat playing below then it is to "fuck tha police" over a pretty aggressive backing beat. To take punk it's a lot safer to have a happy poppy song about a failed relationship sung by some nice looking clean cut young men than an angry, spite-filled anthem about the way the rich seem immune to the law sung by a scary lookin' fellow. That's simply the way of the world.

But one thing about hip-hop is seemingly unique.

The way it's associated with black (and in particular African American) culture.

Other genres should arguably be associated with a skin colour as well... rock is largely the domain of the white man, as is punk. Some even are... country and western is largely associated with white people as well. But none of those genres have quite the same connection to race that hip-hop seems to. Country and Western may be associated with white people but it's generally associated with white people from the South of the US... there is no such geographic restriction when it comes to hip-hop. Sure, there's east-coast vs west-coast vs dirty-south and all that but they're all seen as hip-hop and hip-hop is seen as black man's music in the way that other genres aren't.

Pretty much wherever one is in the West it seems to be an unspoken assumption that any black person... regardless of background, appearance or any other factor... likes hip-hop. There's no such assumption for a white person. There may be one based on dress sense or location but simply from being white? Not so much.

And that's rather strange to me.

[Euron Greyjoy]

Well black people did invent hip hoppity music, but they also invented blues and jazz. However, a lot of white musicians played the blues and jazz during their heydays, so both became American genres. I hate to stereotype (going to stereotype anyway), but a lot of black youth get their sense of identity from rap music. As they see rap as something uniquely theres with the odd pale face.

[Valthazar]

Pretty much wherever one is in the West it seems to be an unspoken assumption that any black person... regardless of background, appearance or any other factor... likes hip-hop. There's no such assumption for a white person. There may be one based on dress sense or location but simply from being white? Not so much.

And that's rather strange to me.

I think this is part of a broader issue.  If we are ever going to become a post-racial society, where we judge people on the content of their character, we all need to move past this basal logic where something is only "ours" if it is of "our" ethnicity.  Like consortium says, white people have largely moved past this, but the black community still holds onto this.  I can certainly empathize with the historical biases the black community has faced, but continuing to hold onto this "otherness" is only dividing us all.

Sadly, many black male youths are intimidated by their black peers if they show interest in school, or going to college - as these are often associated as the domain of "whites," and somehow deviating from the black community.  Many of the things we (assuming most of us are not low-income blacks) herald as racial progress are actually not embraced by the black community.  For example, we may think interracial relationships are a sign of unity between whites and blacks.  However, given that far more black males than black women have interracial relationships, many attribute this to the decline of black urban communities, as single motherhood has drastically increased.

As such, while individual black men and women become immersed into "mainstream" American culture, this is often perceived as a threat to the black community, which is dealing with many of its own issues.  Hip hop may be seen as a way to retaliate against this steady integration into white culture (which at least to some, integration into white culture may appear to be at the detriment of their community). 

This may also be the underlying mentality which leads to other 'minor' concerns, such as the need for a black Santa Claus, and other representations of 'otherness.'

[Euron Greyjoy]

If you guys want to see something really sad, play these two songs at the same time. If you don't see the problem, you are  the problem.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMK45nYx4oc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SBN_ikibtg

As long as mainstream rap continues to promote negative stereotypes of blacks, the Bill o'Reillys of the world  will always have fuel to be prejudice against blacks. Its bad enough they call rap thug music and think only thugs listen to it.

[Valthazar]

I guess the point is, why criticize the media when several members within the black community itself seem to actively want to embrace these so-called "negative stereotypes" present in mainstream rap videos?  I certainly feel that they have the ability to decide whether certain behaviors are positive or negative (such as drug use, manner of dress, etc.)

It's largely a moot point when several of us, as non-blacks, decry a certain behavior as 'negative' when the members of that community seem to be actively embracing it.  Is it possible that what we proclaim to be negative is actually a behavior that this sub-community seems to embrace as a distorted form of ethnic identity?  (akin to how the n-word has been embraced by the black community - which is a negative word in our eyes, but a positive in theirs).

For example, this is a documentary-style video shot featuring many of the residents of Marcy Projects (a government public housing project in NYC).  I am sure many of them are aware that dressing in such a manner, and using so much profanity, n-words, and saying "f*** the blue and white" are preventing them from gaining employment.  But to them, cleaning up their act is deviating from their understanding of "black culture" - as flawed an understanding as that may be.

As I mentioned earlier, many young black males are actively discouraged by their black peers from studying hard and trying to develop themselves professionally, since it is often viewed as betraying their community.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_dipQxaTTU

[Euron Greyjoy]

Perhaps because if they don't promote negative stereotypes, record labels won't pick them up and give them  a record deal. So rappers have three choices don't rap, be an underground rapper and don't promote negative stereotypes, or sell out their race for a quick buck. I mean look at all the rap groups who had one hit wonders then disappeared. Mainly these groups one hit wonder songs were dance songs.

While a stretch there is a correlation....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcFQjG3TiBw

The sad thing this isn't the official group/artist video, but a fan one. And wait theres more! This isn't the only one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRBLmogRL4c

It just breaks my heart that we went from Muddy Waters and Duke Ellington to Lil Wayne and 2Chainz.

[Valthazar]

Euron, I don't know your heritage, but as a non-black myself, I feel that it is rather pompous for me to start dictating to the black community what is positive behavior and what is negative behavior.  I think what all of us can agree on though, is that the media is portraying blacks poorly in rap videos - and like you said, many of these are produced by non-blacks.

But what are we to say when many blacks are openly supporting and re-enacting these depictions?  Do we try to convince them that this distorted expression of "black culture" is negative?  They would likely find that to be extremely racist - as if we knew more about what is "proper" black culture than they did!

I understand the concerns you are making, but as a non-black person myself, I don't feel comfortable trying to convince countless people in the black community that they are "selling out their race" (as you say) by choosing to dance how they feel is a genuine expression of their culture.

[Euron Greyjoy]

Now that you said that and I had the time to think about it, you're right. It is highly pompous of me as a white person, to try to dictate what is good or bad behavior. And I wasn't saying the fans were selling out their race, I was referring to the rappers who make songs like Does Your Chain Hang Low and Crack. We all are members of the human race and these negative stereotypes are only hurting things, not fixing them.

[Valthazar]

I think we can compare it to feminism today.  Women notice that they are being portrayed negatively in the media, and the women themselves choose to transform these sexist representations.  On the other hand, if women were actively embracing these sexist depictions, it would be rather odd (and probably insulting) for men to start instructing women on what is positive for them.

It is things like this that what we need:  Those within the black community itself who are encouraging positive behavior (as we also see it).  It is rather sad that even one of the CNN commentators considers this a bad thing, but then again, who am I to tell him what is right or wrong.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKiQxfEDvOI

[Sho]

If you guys want to see something really sad, play these two songs at the same time. If you don't see the problem, you are  the problem.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMK45nYx4oc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SBN_ikibtg

As long as mainstream rap continues to promote negative stereotypes of blacks, the Bill o'Reillys of the world  will always have fuel to be prejudice against blacks. Its bad enough they call rap thug music and think only thugs listen to it.

Just had to add that that tune in general is actually a really popular Southern children's song about hounds and how long their ears are. My guess is that 2Chainz was pulling on that (particularly considering the lyrics - do your chain hang low compared to do your ears hang low). That was a song that I sang every day when I was little, and it had nothing to do with race or rap culture. Here's the children's song, just FYI:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzPt3Y2E_Rc

[consortium11]

Just had to add that that tune in general is actually a really popular Southern children's song about hounds and how long their ears are. My guess is that 2Chainz was pulling on that (particularly considering the lyrics - do your chain hang low compared to do your ears hang low). That was a song that I sang every day when I was little, and it had nothing to do with race or rap culture. Here's the children's song, just FYI:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzPt3Y2E_Rc

It's actually the other way around.

"Turkey in the Straw" and "Zip Coon" both use the same music but different lyrics. It's hard to point to which came first; both were popular in the 1820's and 1830's with Zip Coon arguably being more popular as it was taken on by blackface artists.

The "Do your ears hang low" version is a later development, generally seen as being developed in the early 1900's and becoming popular during the first world war. The first historical reference to it I know of is actually a version known as "do your balls hang low" which was sung by British soldiers during the Somme; it's quite likely that the "ears hang low" lyrics was an attempt to sanitize the more obscene lyrics... and that in turn that was a way to remove the racist connotations of the earlier song.