Forbes magazine reported in 2017 that hip hop was the "dominant musical genre" in the U.S. music industry and, for the first time, outsold any other U.S. musical genre. With its cultural foundation in the South Bronx, hip hop has grown in popularity since its beginnings in 1979. Popular dominance of the genre coincided with the international #MeToo movement, which exposed the sexual misconduct of men in positions of power in the field of entertainment. Although women and men from all walks of life worldwide have shared their #MeToo stories, accounts in the music industry (particularly in the genre of rap) were few; the industry evaded public scrutiny, despite its dominance as broadcast and streaming media.
A controversial issue in rap and hip-hop culture since its inception has been the violence and aggression of its hardcore styles. The prevalence of misogyny, sexism and sexual violence in the lyrics of the most-popular gangsta rap lyrics triggered public debate about obscenity and indecency and was a topic of U.S. Senate hearings during the mid-1990s. The common depiction of women as video vixens in music videos and being called "bitches" or "hos" in derogatory and misogynistic lyrics may escalate gender violence and anti-black misogyny (misogynoir). The multi-platinum sales of The Chronic by Dr. Dre (featuring Snoop Doggy Dogg) in 1992 bely the genre's lyrics. In 1999, Anthony M. Giovacchini wrote about a song from the album in the journal Poverty and Prejudice: Media and Race: "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" reads: 'And before me dig on a bitch I have to find a contraceptive. You never know, she could be earn'n her man and learn'n her man And at the same time burn'n her man And you know I ain't wit' that shit lieutenant Ain't no pussy good enough to get free ride on my [B]ennett.' These lyrics portray women as dirty sex toys that have no value other than the pleasure they can provide during intercourse.
Critics say that the pervasive usage of misogynistic language in rap and other popular genres, such as country music, can help normalize attitudes trivializing women and encouraging sexual assault. Misogynistic lyrics in popular music may contribute to rape culture. Songs referring to girls or women of color as usable or disposable, with lyrics suggesting rape, assault and murder, evoke concern and criticism. Feminist critiques insert "new questions about representation, [provide] additional insight about embodied experience, and [offer] alternative models for critical engagement" with hip hop, and misogynistic rhetoric has been discussed in academic literature.
Songs considered misogynistic or sexist may be amplified by artists such as Rick Ross or XXXTentacion in an age of mobile music and technology. People from different age groups (tweens to adults) and backgrounds in the U.S. and abroad have been repeatedly exposed to this content. Artists accused of violence against women or sexual assault may still circulate their music. Case outcomes may be ignored due to love of the music (if not the lyrics) and the artists who perform it. Consumers of rap and hip hop may perceive intimate-partner violence as normal, rather than harmful.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reported in 2001 that music, film and television convey "sexual messages" which are increasingly "explicit in dialogue, lyrics, and behavior ... These messages contain unrealistic, inaccurate, and misleading information that young people accept as fact." In 2010, another AAP report stated that representations of sexuality in mass media such as music can lead to a "major disconnect between what mainstream media portray—casual sex and sexuality with no consequences—and what children and teenagers need—straightforward information about human sexuality and the need for contraception when having sex."
In "Still on the Auction Block: The (S)exploitation of Black Adolescent Girls in Rap(e) Music and Hip-Hop Culture", a chapter of The Sexualization of Childhood, Carolyn M. West discusses the effect of rape and sexual images in hip hop. West writes, "Exposure to sexualized images in hip-hop has been found to influence black girls perception of male-female gender roles, attitudes toward sexual assault, physical dating violence, and physical attractiveness ... Music videos and lyrics that perpetuate gender inequality and glorify risky sexual behaviors but rarely provide healthy sexual messages or emphasize possible negative health consequences may increase the likelihood that black adolescent girls will have unplanned pregnancies, early sexual onset, or sexually transmitted disease acquisition, including HIV/AIDS."
Partner and sexual violence in hip-hop lyrics
Debate about sexist lyrics in various genres of popular music began during the 1980s. According to Ummni Khan, a "kink lens" can be used to identify a feminist reading of rap lyrics as "rapey" or "allegedly perpetuat[ing] sexual violence, misogyny, and rape myths." Some critics see the hypersexualized discourse which targets women in rap songs as a sign of toxic masculinity in a patriarchal culture, and others view feminist critiques as politically correct. Eva Cooke wrote that homosociality (male bonding and patriarchal discourse focusing on black male actors in the lyrics of many rap songs) may be healthy, but can "turn toxic and violent" with misogynistic lyrics denigrating black women.Cooke, Eva M. "# WeKnowWhatYouDid: An Ethnographic Exploration of Male Socialization and Rape Culture at a Black College for Men." (2018).
1980s
In 1983, Too Short released "Don't Stop Rappin'". Too Shorts wrote in his lyrics, "Sir Too Short was coming up I did just what I wanted to but when I finished what did I do, I took her home, real real fast. I charged her up for wasted gas." In 1988, the rap group N.W.A released "A Bitch iz a Bitch". Ice Cube wrote in its lyrics, "But a nigga like me, I say 'fuck you'. Do like Ice Cube, slam her ass in a ditch (slam her ass), 'cause a bitch is a bitch". In 1989, 2 Live Crew released "Me So Horny" with notorious for its explicit sexual content with lyrics like "I say "What's wrong, baby doll, with a quick nut?" Cause you're the one, and you shouldn't be mad. I won't tell your mama if you don't tell your dad. I know he'll be disgusted when he sees your pussy busted." Tone Loc's 1989 "Funky Cold Medina" has lyrics about an aphrodisiac: "I thought she would be good to go with a little funky cold medina. She said 'I'd like a drink' and I said 'um, okay, I'll go get it', then a couple of sips she cold-licked her lips, and I knew that she was with it."
1990s N.W.A's 1991 song, "She Swallowed It," is about fellatio: "She looked at me, I was surprised. But wasn't passin' up the chance of my dick gettin' baptized. I told the bitch to do it quick. You little ho', hurry up and suck my dick!" In 1992, Dr. Dre, two members of Tha Dogg Pound, Jewell and Snoop Dogg recorded "Bitches Ain't Shit." Its lyrics belittle women for performing oral sex: "Bitches ain't shit but hoes and tricks, lick on these nuts and suck on the dick, Get the fuck out after you're done." Too Short's 1993 song, "All My Bitches Are Gone", describes domination and physical abuse: "Well now I got a rep and they say I'm wrong I beat my broad ass and she moved back home ... Came in one night I was buzzin', Bitch tried to front me for fuckin' her cousin. She started yellin', man, the bitch got raw, I took one step back and went straight to her jaw." Kool G Rap's 1996 "Hey Mister Mister" raps about beating a woman: "Bitch why you lyin', bitch you've been cheatin'/Now I gotsta to give your motherfuckin' ass a beatin/I punched her in the ribcage and kicked her in the stomach/Take off all my motherfuckin' jewellery, bitch run it/I stomped her and I kicked her and I punched her in the face." Eminem's 1997 song, "Low Down, Dirty", contains lyrics encouraging violence against women: "Bitch getter, hid in the bush like Margot Kidder. Jumped out (RRRAH!), killed the bitch and did her ... Slap dips, support domestic violence. Beat your bitch's ass while your kids stare in silence". DMX's 1998 song "X is Coming", from It's Dark and Hell Is Hot, contains lyrics normalizing physical (including sexual) violence: "Tryin’ to send the bitch back to her maker. And if you got a daughter older than 15, I’mma rape her". In 1999, Eminem released "Kim". where he vividly narrates an altercation leading to the murder of his then-wife, Kim. His lyrics wrote: "Baby, you're so precious, daddy's so proud of you. Sit down, bitch! You move again, I'll beat the shit out of you!"
2000s Eminem's 2000 song, "Kill You", contains the following lyrics: "Slut, you think I won't choke no whore 'til the vocal cords don't work in her throat no more?" Ja Rule's 2001 "Always On Time" alludes to drugging women: "I got two or three hoes for every V and I keep 'em drugged up off that ecstasy." Jadakiss' 2001 "Fuckin' or What?" contains the lyrics, "It's damn near 4 in the morning ain't shit to discuss. Til you ask which dick do you suck." Jay-Z's 2002 "Bitches & Sisters": "You ain't no better cause you don't be fucking rappers. You only fuck with actors, you still getting fucked backwards." Esham's 2003 "Ex-Girlfriend": "I used to love her, too bad I had to put a slug through her. Dumped her body in the trash like I never knew her. Blood runnin' down the gutter into the sewer. Her body stunk for weeks like horse manure." In G-Unit's 2003 "Lay You Down", from Beg for Mercy, Lloyd Banks wrote :"I laugh at a snotty chick, bitch I don't argue I'll leave a print in your ass from a karate kick." Big L released Harlem's Finest - A Freestyle History, which included "Stretch & Bobbito '95 pt. II", that year. The track contained the lyrics, "So we can never be a couple hun. Fuck love, all I got for ho's is hard dick and bubble gum." In 2009, rapper Q Strange released Rare Cuts 2: The Qurrupted Sessions. The album cover depicts a bloody, underwear-clad woman in a body bag. One of its songs, "Slap Dat Hoe" contains the following lyrics such as, "And I snap and I grab a stupid bitch by her throat.Then I smack that broad silly yeah I crack fuckin' hoes. Yeah I know 'What a tough guy he hits little chicks.' Damn straight, she talkin' shit, I punch that bitch in her lip."
2010s In 2010, Nicki Minaj and Eminem released "Roman's Revenge". Part of Eminem's verse includes the insinuation that he and a woman are in a violent relationship: "Who just spit in my fuckin' face and called me a fuckin' tightwad so finally I broke down and bought her an iPod and caught her stealing my music so I tied her arms and legs to the bed, set up the camera and pissed twice on her, look, two pees and a tripod!" Tyler, the Creator released "Bitch Suck Dick", featuring Jasper and Taco, in 2011. Jasper alluded to physical abuse: "Beat your bitch in her mouth just for talkin' shit, you lurkin' bitch? Well, I see that shit Once again I gotta punch a bitch in her shit." Lloyd Banks released "Love Me in the Hood" that year, with lyrics suggesting more abuse against women: "Hit the after-burner, Ike Turner, how I drop a bitch." In 2013, "U.O.E.N.O." was released by Future and Rick Ross. Ross's lyrics allude to date rape: "Put a molly in her champagne, she ain't even know it. I took her home and enjoyed that, she ain't even know it." Robin Thicke released "Blurred Lines" that year. The song, which was on the Billboard Hot 100 for 33 weeks, contained lyrics by guest rapper T.I. which alluded to rape: "I’ll give you something big enough to tear your ass in two".