Final Research Project - Homophobia and Hip-Hop

Ever since the start of hip-hop, it has been a very competitive genre. Emcees often try to prove themselves with vicious rhymes and lyrics in order to show how skilled they are compared to their peers, whether it’s in the form of rap battles, braggadocios lyrics, “diss” tracks verbally attacking another hip-hop artist, or grimy street songs. Often times, some of the language used is unapologetic and vulgar, and because of this, hip-hop has always had its share of controversy. In such a male-dominated genre, hip-hop artists feel the need to reiterate their masculinity with their fierce bars to prove to others that they are a raw and rugged force to be reckoned with. Anybody that comes with subject matter or a personality that is “soft” is ridiculed, and could be linguistically assaulted with a barrage of gay slurs. Through the use of these words, particularly “faggot” or “fag,” hip-hop has gained an infamous reputation of being homophobic. Eminem is one of the primary hip-hop artists who were called out for perceived homophobia in his lyrics in the past, but there are many others who have been accused of homophobia in their lyrics, such as Tyler, the Creator, DMX, and 50 Cent. With gay rights activism being an important issue and performers such as Frank Ocean coming out of the closet backed by many supporters in the hip-hop community, it is a genre that is slowly gaining acceptance today. But what about some of the lyricism displayed in rap tracks already put out or have yet to be recorded? Are they as blatantly homophobic as they seem? Or is there a misunderstood twist of the meaning of these words?

I've been an avid hip-hop listener for roughly ten years, and I've listened to a lot of shocking lyrics. I also know many people around me, close people at that, who are homosexuals. None of them listen to hip-hop, so it’s hard to say whether or not they are aware of some of some of the lyrics mentioning instances of implied homophobia  However, it has always slightly made me cringe to hear a rapper say “faggot” or any other homophobic slurs in their music, even though I consider myself desensitized from most of the other vulgar material hip-hop artists discuss in their music. Despite the few lines I hear, though, I still continue to listen to those artists if I like a majority of their material because aside from a couple of instances of using those particular words, it is not as if their goals for making music are strictly to spew hate speech and make that their primary message. Take Eminem as an example again. The man has made plenty of profound music with an implied hatred toward gays in his lyrics, particularly on his earlier albums The Slim Shady LP and The Marshall Mathers LP, but he has since expressed his support of gay marriage and even performed with Elton John. Regardless, I still consider him one of the all-time greatest hip-hop artists because of variety of topics he has covered and the messages contained in his music, despite the gay slurs littered throughout. But that’s not supposed to be the primary focus of his music, and he even comments in his music how misguided some people are when they take his music seriously, when it isn’t meant to be. And while I certainly don’t condone gay bashing in any way, I do think that a majority of the time a hip-hop artist uses those words in their music, there is a misconception that it is hateful grudge directed toward a group of people rather than just another competitive way of demeaning another rapper’s skills as an emcee. However, it certainly isn't irrational for people to automatically assume hatred.

ARGUING AGAINST HOMOPHOBIA

This blog post illustrates double standards when it comes to entertainment media and the use of the word “faggot.” Author Travon Free gives specific examples of athletes and actors who have had to face repercussions from using the word, but never music artists in the hip-hop world. He makes the point that hip-hop artists should be more obligated to watch what they say because their music is rooted in linguistics and language, something anybody can recite and say out loud, rather than entertainers who randomly say the word but are etched in other aspects of entertainment, such as the case of Kobe Bryant using the word and costing him thousands, even though he is a pro basketball player first. As Travon says, “Kobe said it and it cost him $100,000. Tyler [, the Creator] and other rappers say it, and make millions.” When it comes to imitation, people are more likely to imitate their favorite hip-hop artist based on just simple recitation of words and be more influenced on what they say because words are a major aspect of that medium. He also talks about how artists have a tendency to say some homophobic remarks in their music, but are willing to turn back around and make the excuse that they know and like people who are gay. Tyler, the Creator is an emcee that has been guilty of this. He is known for his overwhelming usage of the word in his lyrics, but he has also gone on record to show his support for Frank Ocean, a member of his Odd Future collective, who revealed he was gay. But if the masses continue to buy into these albums that the artists put out, Travon states that the cycle of the glorification of the word will continue without anybody making a stand against the usage.

HIP-HOP'S HYPOCRISY

Minnesota emcee Brother Ali describes some of the hypocrisy associated with rappers using the slurs and turning around and expressing the opposite opinion later on, and he even addresses his own hypocrisy displayed. Tyler, the Creator is the example he gives when explaining this hypocrisy. As I previously mentioned, he allegedly dropped the word “faggot” on his 2011 album Goblin approximately 210 times, but then turned around and showed support for his Odd Future cohort Frank Ocean, who came out as a gay man. Ali also tells the story of how a lesbian wrote him an email expressing her appreciation for him taking a stand against homophobia in the song “Tight Rope,” and told him that because of the amount of hate directed towards gays, she has avoided hip-hop as a whole. This prompted her to go out and purchase all of Brother Ali’s albums. Brother Ali explains that there was a problem: he, himself, was guilty of dropping the occasional gay slur on his earlier albums, particularly on the song “Dorian” from the album Shadows on the Sun. So he had to inform her about the situation. The point that he was trying to make was that despite making the change to being a more respectable person, those words would forever be on wax and there was nothing he could do to go back and change that. He goes on to say what his original intentions of saying the word were:

                "I wasn't talking directly about gay people -- at least I didn't think I was. I was referring to weak      rappers, or the neighbor I ended up scrapping with when I tried to talk to him about putting hands on his girlfriend. What I was too ignorant, and probably too careless, to understand was that using that word was co-signing the narrative that being gay means a person is weak and doesn't deserve respect."

To reiterate the point I tried to make earlier, emcees have the mentality that using the gay slurs is just another way of being competitive toward other rappers. Tyler, the Creator is guilty of doing the same thing by saying that he isn't homophobic. It is a way to express masculinity and an emcee’s gruff attitude. However, like Brother Ali states, if the words are used with that connotation in mind, then the words that these rappers utter could be taken as an indirect shot at homosexuals as being weak and unworthy as well. It also could reveal just how insecure they are about their own credibility as a man while acting “based on the ideas and priorities by which they live,” oblivious upon the effect that their words have on unsuspecting listeners. 

ARGUING FOR RAPPERS TO BE ALLOWED TO UTTER WHAT THEY WANT

One way to justify the use of homophobic slang in hip-hop lyrics is to mention censorship. If an artist is to restrict what they have to say, even if the language can be offensive to a particular group of people, couldn’t it be considered a violation of freedom of speech? In her article “Why Censoring Hip-Hop in the 1970s was Wrong,” Christina Pomoni explains how the birth of hip-hop stemmed from an era where White privilege was still the accepted norm in society and how inner-city minorities born into poverty didn’t have those same privileges, until they were able to use hip-hop as a bombastic voice. According to Pomoni, “Hip-hop was their means to demonstrate their aggravation and opposition to a country that was moving in two gears: a White gear that was pushing forward any middle-class White American with a college degree and a Black gear that was pushing down any African American or Latino, down and out in the streets to steal for survival.” Hip-hop became associated to street culture and language understood by the streets, until it eventually became popular enough to garner concerns about the language used and whether or not censorship should be applied. Pomoni goes on to explain that censorship in hip-hop is wrong because it is a form of expression for people who were brought up as second-class citizens who are fed up with the system, and it is a way to get their message out there as a form of protest. It is a music genre that deserves the protection of freedom of expression. She also points out that music with more controversial subject matter tends to sell more, and that corporations have even used hip-hop musicians for advertising campaigns for their products, capitalizing on the music and making a profit. Censorship of the music will only make people want to seek the means to obtain it that much more while also showing how intolerant they are of a record company blocking what that particular artist has to say, whether it is an instance of perceived homophobia or not.

CORPORATE JUSTIFICATION FOR IT

One could also argue the profitability of the music using the demeaning words. In this article, Brianna Suslovic examines how lucrative it is for hip-hop artists to not only implement misogyny in their music to “assert their own masculinity, boosting themselves up in a world where they are oppressed because of their race and/or class,” but also for homophobic lyricism. She goes on to say how the cash flow is traced up to the CEO’s of the record company in charge, and she provides Universal Music Group as an example because it is a popular record label for hip-hop artists. The more the rapper puts out the questionable material, the more people seem to buy into it, and the more the boss man in charge earns the revenue. It only gives the music industry more incentive to continuously pump out that kind of material because controversy sells, and controversy garners interest and raises eyebrows, so the more people will want to keep paying for it. Otherwise, the landscape of hip-hop would seem generally bland and this hip-hop artist would be unsuccessful. As Suslovic goes on to say, “Even if artists don’t believe what they rap, there is a degree of complacency and conformity required to make it in the hip-hop world: if others have gotten successful by rapping about female degradation, it’s a path that clearly works.” The same would apply for gay degradation.

THE PHRASE “NO HOMO” AND HOW IT IS POSSIBLY A REMEDY FOR HIP-HOP’S HOMOPHOBIA

One of the more popular phrases uttered in hip-hop lyrics is “no homo,” a phrase attached at the beginning or end of a suggestively awkward sexual innuendo or description. It is attached because the person wants to make sure that the other person hearing it doesn't get the wrong idea, but it is done in a way to reaffirm that person’s sexuality as being heterosexual. Jonah Weiner discusses how it could actually be beneficial for helping hip-hop cope with its homophobic nature as opposed to being a more lighthearted way of slandering a gay person. First of all, it is usually used in a punchline. To give a fairly straight-forward example, Weiner’s article quotes a line from a Lil Wayne song: “Just shot a video with R. Kelly, but no homo though.” As Weiner points out, “A funny side effect here is that the no homo vogue doubtless encourages rappers not only to scrutinize everything they say for trace gayness, but to actively think up gay double-entendres just so that they can cap them off with no homo kickers.” In other words, these rappers could be rapping about anything else imaginable, but they deliberately choose to make a joke that they see as lighthearted involving “no homo” in the first place. Why should they care in the first place? Why would they think of a questionably sexual punchline in the first place and then using “no homo” as an excuse to reaffirm their sexuality? It almost seems as if they are embracing it or subtly making nods of approval toward homosexuality if they are willing to take it that far just for a laugh or two. Weiner also give examples of how “homoerotic” some rappers behave with fashion choices and the way they present themselves as hypermasculine in photo shoots or album covers, such as how rapper Cam’ron and his group, the Diplomats, wore exaggerated pink and purple furs while referring to how fit they were constantly. As Weiner says, “In the very act of trying to "purify" an utterance of any gayness, after all, the no homo tag must contaminate it first—it's both a denial and a flashing neon arrow.” It could be argued that the usage of the phrase “no homo” could very well be that line that cuts in between homophobia and the embrace of homosexuality that hip-hop needs.

COULD HIP-HOP'S ATTITUDE TOWARD HOMOSEXUALITY BE CHANGING?

There certainly are arguments about whether the use of homophobic slurs is acceptable to use in hip-hop or if it is too vile to justify at all, but it can also be argued that homophobia in hip-hop isn't even a significant issue like it used to be. An article by XXL magazine describes this changing attitude and how hip-hop artists are beginning to embrace homosexuality. The article gives many instances to suggest this change:

•        The popularity of the “shiny suit era” in the late 1990’s/early 2000’s revolving around fashion popularized by Jay-Z and Diddy
•        Eminem performing with Elton John and ending his performance holding John’s hand, and later in his career, showing his support for gay marriage
•        50 Cent’s changing attitude going from disapproving homosexuality to accepting it after hearing about DJ Mister Cee's controversial sexallegations with another male, saying that he could be his DJ any day
•        Tyler, the Creator, despite having controversial anti-gay lyrics, performing with Syd the Kid, who is a lesbian
•        Lil B making his album title I’m Gay to promote gay tolerance

The article also states that hip-hop, as a genre, is expanding rapidly, and everyday it is getting more and more widespread appeal. With society now being more accepting of gays, there are more people who are gay that have come out of the closet than before, and people are realizing more and more that they are associated with homosexuals, whether they are friends, co-workers, family, or other associates. People who are homosexual are embracing hip-hop, and hip-hop artists themselves are increasingly finding themselves around homosexuals. It is becoming inescapable for emcees to advocate homophobia and not face the consequences. Even Russell Simmons, co-founder of Def Jam, is a longtime advocate of marriage equality and gay rights, believing that hip-hop is “less homophobic than the rest of society.” 

Below is a video by YouTube hip-hop conversationists and album reviewers DeadEndHipHop. They discuss the current state of the rap game and the attitudes surrounding homosexuality, while examining the possibilities of openly gay emcees being accepted in the future (CAUTION: Strong language).

It is apparent that as the country becomes more progressive when it comes to gay acceptance, hip-hop is starting to adapt as well, albeit very steadily. It is also apparent that as a genre, hip-hop still has a lot of maturing to do when it comes to using homophobic epithets and words in lyrics, as well as how the rappers perceive the meaning of what they say. Regardless, there are already quite a few songs out there that stand-up for homosexuality and plan to challenge what is considered the norm. As mentioned earlier, Brother Ali's "Tight Rope" tells three different stories of how three different people are trying to balance dual lives, with the third verse detailing how a gay teenage boy has to balance that life with his family life hiding as well. California emcee Murs and producer Ski Beatz put out a song in 2011 called "Animal Style" which tells the story of two gay guys, one who is out and constantly ridiculed in high school, and the other who is still in the closet but apparently really popular, and what their lives hold after graduating. And finally, one of the biggest hip-hop songs about homosexuality is Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' "Same Love," a song released last year advocating marriage equality with a video that has managed to accumulate over 30 million views on YouTube. And with artists such as Frank Ocean willing to come out of the closet without any major repercussions and other artists willing to throw their support for gay marriage, hip-hop is slowly making its embrace. 

REFERENCES:

"50 Cent Tells Gays To Commit Suicide." Fenuxe. 30 Sep. 2010. 16 Apr. 2013. http://www.fenuxe.com/2010/09/30/50-cent-tells-gays-to-commit-suicide/.

"Break it Down: Homophobia in Hip-Hop [Excerpt From the July/August 2011 Issue]." XXL Magazine. 7 Jul. 2011. 16 Apr. 2013. http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2011/07/break-it-down-homophobia-in-hip-hop-excerpt-from-the-july-august-2011-issue/.

Brother Ali. "The Intersection of Homophobia and Hip Hop: Where Tyler Met Frank." Huffington Post. 7 Sep. 2012. 16 Apr. 2013. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brother-ali/hip-hop-homophobia-_b_1864676.html.

Free, Travon. "Why No Rapper Should Ever Use The Word Faggot(And Neither Should You)." FREEdom of Speech. 18 May 2011. 16 Apr. 2013. http://travonfree.wordpress.com/2011/05/18/why-no-rapper-should-ever-use-the-word-faggotand-neither-should-you/.

Pomoni, Christina. “Why Censoring Hip-Hop in the 1970s was Wrong” Yahoo! Voices. 25 Jan. 2011. 16  Apr. 2013. http://voices.yahoo.com/why-censoring-hip-hop-1970s-was-wrong-7699258.html?cat=2.

"Mister Cee Admits He's Gay...Basically." Pretty P.R. Chick. 2 Jun. 2011. 16 Apr. 2013. http://www.prettyprchick.com/2011/06/mister-cee-admits-hes-gaybasically.html.

Suslovic, Brianna. "Is Hip Hop A Battleground?" Manifesta. 14 Feb. 2013. 16 Apr. 2013. http://manifestamagazine.com/2013/02/14/hip-hop-and-feminism/.

Weiner, Jonah. "Does This Purple Mink Make Me Look Gay?" Slate Magazine. 6 Aug. 2009. 16 Apr. 2013. http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/music_box/2009/08/does_this_purple_mink_make_me_look_gay.single.html.

Group 6 Blog Post

            Our portion of the textbook we chose deals with unfairness in the workplace. This can deal with gender, minorities, ethnicity, etc. Our skit that we are performing deals with two women who are applying for the same job. One woman is African American, while the other is white. The African American woman clearly has more experience with the job qualifications, while the other does not really have enough of anything to back up her experience. The person who is interviewing them is a male, which plays a huge part in our skit. The white woman ends up getting the job, even though the other candidate is much more suitable for the position.

To see the entire blog post, click here.

The Obligatory Introductory Blog of *insert adjective here* Proportions

Greetings and salutations, fellow classmates (way to use basically the same greeting as in your other introductory post in your other class, Josh). My name is, as you could tell in my brief internal monologue to myself, Josh, AKA Colonel Pork, a nickname some folks call me. I was born and raised in Michigan, but I found my way to rural Georgia for some inconceivable reason, so now I'm living in a small town called Rockmart and attending University of West Georgia. I'm currently a senior majoring in mass communications concentrated in film and media arts with a minor in film studies. If you already couldn't tell, I'm immensely interested in studying film, and I would like to become involved in film as a career path someday. Primarily, I would like to be a film editor, but if I find myself able to direct and write movies as well, it definitely wouldn't hurt to be a triple threat. In fact, my main hobby/activity is making YouTube videos, and I've been doing so since Summer 2008 (although the early stuff I made should be classified as "incoherent drivel" rather than "videos"). Click here and here if you're at all slightly curious. I am also an avid gamer when I have the time.

Speaking of which, video games have a tendency to stand out as being blatantly diverse as far as appealing to very narrow demographics. This is particularly due to the majority of gamers being male, so developers try to make games geared toward the male gender. However, in recent years, gaming culture has expanded to appeal to females as well, according to these statistics from 2011. Regardless, there are many games out there that seem to objectify female characters and/or blatantly transform them into highly sexualized exaggerations of femininity. Many games, such as Tomb Raider, Bayonetta, the Soul Calibur series, Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball, Lollypop Chainsaw and many more, feature female characters that are scantily clad or wearing skin tight spandex, have ridiculously exaggerated "jiggle physics" for "simulating anatomy," and have nonsensically disproportionate bodies to cater to heterosexual males. In this article, a female game designer gives her perspective, making the point that while male and female characters could display the same heroic and personality traits, only females seem to be highly sexualized when it comes to physical traits. She also adds that because it's a male dominated medium, half-nude male characters would have minimal appeal.

Below is a humorous and informative video that examines why women are underrepresented in a culture that has mostly been dominated by men, including a mention of the hypersexualization of female video game characters:

Thank you for reading, and I hope to have a wonderful semester with the rest of you!