If you consider yourself a fan of rap music, you've probably shouted A$AP or Kanye or Drake lyrics in your car, but have you ever realized exactly what you say when you do it? Much of rap music's appeal lies in its lyrics which focus on very real controversial topics such as sex, violence, gangs, poverty and other socio-economic issues. But he has a reputation for being sexist, so I wanted to know if that was a justifiable claim. Is rap music sexist? To answer this question, I will look at four different sources that all have different opinions on whether or not rap music (including lyrics and music videos) is misogynistic. Although there are lyrics, artists and music videos that are very demeaning and demeaning towards women, other genres of music are just as culpable and the consumer or even society can be equally blamed for encouraging this misogynistic culture. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayRap is a relatively new genre of music, which exploded in the United States in the 1980s after the release of its hit “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugarhill Gang. I consider rap to be one of the fastest evolving genres. It developed from African nursery rhymes and songs used to tell stories, from gangsta rap to old-school to trap in just a few decades. Over the course of several decades, he was harshly criticized for his harsh lyrics regarding race, religion, gangs, rape, murder, sex, drugs and violence. When NWA released their iconic debut album “Straight Outta Compton,” they were called gangstas, criminals, and hip-hop's most dangerous group, mostly because they rapped about what they grew up on. Sexism has also been strongly linked to rap music since its beginnings. With women being used as props in music videos and as objects in lyrics, everyone formed their own opinions on the genre. My first source is a content analysis of depictions of violence against women in rap music, focusing on rap between 1987 and 1993, when gangsta rap was on the rise. It's called Gangsta Misogyny and was written in 2001 by Edward G. Armstrong of Murray State University. Armstrong is a professor of sociology and published his analysis in the Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture. To conduct his analysis, he collected 490 songs from 13 different artists during the period indicated above. His attention was focused on the artists who constituted the “core repertoire” of gangsta rap music. He focused on four common topics that can be heard throughout the rap genre. These topics were assault, rape, murder, and rape and murder. Armstrong concludes that gangsta rap music continues to teach, promote and glorify violence and misogyny. He shows his fear of seeing the lyrics of this music intensify by referencing a previous article written by the Daily News of New York, which claims that gangsta rap has caused a decline in American values. Armstrong says the lyrics of songs written after this article was published are much worse and will only become more violent and sexist. My next source is also a content analysis conducted by Ronald Weitzer and Charis E. Kubrin in 2009. This article is titled Misogyny in Rap Music: An Analysis of Content, Prevalence, and Meanings. Weitzer is professor of sociology and criminology at the UniversityGeorge Washington and also wrote numerous books on police brutality and the sex industry. Kubrin is a professor of criminology at the University of California, Irvine, and gave a TED talk on whether rap music poses a threat to society. In their analysis, they also focused on specific themes that can be identified in many songs in the genre. They claimed that common themes are derogatory names and humiliation of women, sexual objectification of women, distrust of women, legitimization of violence against women and the celebration of prostitution and pimping. They concluded that misogynistic lyrics are influenced by broader gender relations, the music industry, and local neighborhood conditions. They suggest that changing the content of rap music requires changing the conditions under which it is created, including: socio-economic disadvantage and associated gender relations in local communities, the material interests of the recording industry and the he broader cultural objectification of women and associated norms of hegemonic masculinity. .My third source comes from famous rapper, actor and former NWA member, O'Shea Jackson aka Ice Cube. His quote was given to Rolling Stone in 2015 during an interview he did with former band member Dr. Dre. Both Ice Cube and Dr. Dre were promoting the release of the film "Straight Outta Compton", which is a biography of their lives in Compton and how they became famous. Ice Cube has released ten studio albums, four group albums, performed in over 40 television shows and films, and is credited with several awards. In Ice Cube's quote, he defends his words and those of his former bandmates by suggesting that their lyrics are not directed at all women but at specific groups of women or individuals. My last source was written in the form of a blog post titled "Reasons I'm Not Offended by Sexist Rap Lyrics as a Feminist." It was written in 2016 by Riley Von Niessen, writer and editor for the website Trendhunter.com, thinking along the same lines as Ice Cube, argues that listening to graphic music using misogynistic language does not mean you are advocating violence against women. rap is just another art form and the lyrics should not be taken personally She says: “Phonetically speaking, bitch is a beautiful word. It has great emphasis, it's easy to rhyme, and I. doesn't see it as gender specific after being completely insensitive to the offensive meaning it's supposed to have She says taking these lyrics to heart is irrational She compares blaming Marilyn Manson for the Columbine shooting to blaming. rap music for its violent and sexist behavior. This seems ridiculous. Finally, she points out that radio censorship of derogatory terms towards women can sometimes be more offensive. For example, using “chick” instead of “slut.” Now, looking back at my first source, the analysis of gangsta rap written by Edward G. Armstrong, it's clear where he stands. He thinks rap lyrics are out of control and the genre in general is bad. Although he is a credible source and has a large amount of information and references in his analysis, he does not consider that these artists are not only rapping for profit, but that many of them them rap about how they grew up and from different points of view. He also places all the blame on the industry and artists, but a song fails to chart without the listener..