Description
In today's technological culture, songs and their accompanying music videos are accessible through online websites, streaming platforms, social media outlets and network channels. Their lyrical messages have become a constant presence in everyday life. Texts revealed that music videos create a guideline of how to acceptably act as men and women in today's culture. Among the most popular music genres is rap, which widely features misogynistic content. Rap artists' lyrics and videos feature women who are regularly diminished to sexually promiscuous objects, lacking any individual thoughts and/or feelings. The speed and regularity in which consumers can now access this content desensitizes listeners to sexual harassment, exploitation and violence towards women. Many "old school" rappers such as Dr. Dre, Ice Cube and Tupac set a standard for utilizing misogyny in musical projects which has paved the path for current artists, such as Future. With over 45 million monthly listeners on Spotify, Future is ranked among the platform's top 50 artists. Although his songs and albums vary in terms of featured artists, topics and cover art, his degradation of women is constant. As one of the leading artists in this popular genre with a primarily male audience, a semiotic analysis of Future's music revealed that his construction of violent acts and phrases towards and against women encodes dominance and violence against women as a normal facet to manhood.
Realm of Masculinity: Encoding Manhood in the Rap Music Genre
In today's technological culture, songs and their accompanying music videos are accessible through online websites, streaming platforms, social media outlets and network channels. Their lyrical messages have become a constant presence in everyday life. Texts revealed that music videos create a guideline of how to acceptably act as men and women in today's culture. Among the most popular music genres is rap, which widely features misogynistic content. Rap artists' lyrics and videos feature women who are regularly diminished to sexually promiscuous objects, lacking any individual thoughts and/or feelings. The speed and regularity in which consumers can now access this content desensitizes listeners to sexual harassment, exploitation and violence towards women. Many "old school" rappers such as Dr. Dre, Ice Cube and Tupac set a standard for utilizing misogyny in musical projects which has paved the path for current artists, such as Future. With over 45 million monthly listeners on Spotify, Future is ranked among the platform's top 50 artists. Although his songs and albums vary in terms of featured artists, topics and cover art, his degradation of women is constant. As one of the leading artists in this popular genre with a primarily male audience, a semiotic analysis of Future's music revealed that his construction of violent acts and phrases towards and against women encodes dominance and violence against women as a normal facet to manhood.