Download

Read More (1.1 MB)

Description

What do millennial rappers in the United States say in their music? This timely and compelling book answers this question by decoding the lyrics of over 700 songs from contemporary rap artists. Using innovative research techniques, Matthew Oware reveals how emcees perpetuate and challenge gendered and racialized constructions of masculinity, femininity, and sexuality. Male and female artists litter their rhymes with misogynistic and violent imagery. However, men also express a full range of emotions, from arrogance to vulnerability, conveying a more complex manhood than previously acknowledged. Women emphatically state their desires while embracing a more feminist approach. Even LGBTQ artists stake their claim and express their sexuality without fear. Finally, in the age of Black Lives Matter and the presidency of Donald J. Trump, emcees forcefully politicize their music. Although complicated and contradictory in many ways, rap remains a powerful medium for social commentary.

Includes a lyrical (content) analysis of recent rap music of men and women from 2005 to 2015. Analyzes commercial and underground/independent rap music in the United States. Discusses the emergence of queer emcees, the role of Black Lives Matter, and current politics.

ISBN

978-3-319-90453-5

Publication Date

2018

Publisher

Palgrave Macmillan Press

City

Cham, Switzerland

DOI

10.1007/978-3-319-90454-2

Keywords

gender, race, femininity, sexuality, masculinity, rap music

School

School of Arts and Sciences

Department

Sociology

Disciplines

Gender and Sexuality | Race and Ethnicity | Social and Behavioral Sciences | Sociology

Comments

Read the introduction to the book by clicking on the Download button above.

[Introduction to] I Got Something to Say: Gender, Race, and Social Consciousness in Rap Music

Share

COinS