Concept
Misogyny in rap music refers to lyrics, videos, or other aspects of rap music that support, glorify, justify, or normalize the objectification, exploitation, or victimization of women. It is an ideology that portrays women as objects for men's ownership, use, or abuse. It diminishes women to expendable beings. It can range from innuendoes to stereotypical characterizations and defamations. Scholars have proposed various explanations for the presence of misogyny in rap music. Some have argued that rap artists use misogynistic lyrics and portrayals of women as a way to assert their masculinity or to demonstrate their authenticity as rappers. Others have suggested that rap music is a product of its environment, reflecting mainstream attitudes toward women, and that rap artists have internalized negative stereotypes about women. Still other academics have stressed economic considerations, arguing that rappers use misogyny to achieve commercial success. Content analyses have found that approximately 22% to 37% of rap lyrics contain some misogyny, depending on subgenre. Adams and Fuller state that there are six themes that are considered to be misogynistic rap: derogatory statements about women relative to sex; comments linking malicious actions against women, also in relation to sex; referencing women causing problems for men; the characterization of women as "users" of men; references to women being less than men and finally lyrics referencing ideas that women are usable and discardable beings. Detroit-based rapper Eminem, for example, used misogyny in eleven of the 14 songs on his third studio album The Marshall Mathers LP (2000). Common misogynistic themes include the use of derogatory names such as "bitch" and "ho(e)" (derived from whore), sexual objectification of women, legitimization of violence against women, distrust of women, the belittling of sex workers and glorification of pimping. Mia Moody-Ramirez writes that, "Most female artists define independence by mentioning elements of financial stability and sexuality.
Andrea Ridolfi, Pierre Bremaud