Sexuality has shaped hip-hop since the dawn of its existence. The validity of an artist is based on his/her ability to produce music at a high demand and their ability to maintain a fan base. Traditionally, hip-hop was created to cater to the auditory needs of hyper-masculine men. This is evident in the frequent objectification of women and in its constant demonization of homosexuality. Nevertheless, hip-hop today portrays that both these issues can actually propel one's career into stardom. The evolution of sexuality in hip-hop is evident in fashion and the means one takes to reach the proverbial “top”.
The systematic dimension of gender-sexuality in hip-hop considers artists who aren’t hypermasculine “soft”. (McLeod 171) Fashion, for the most part, has remained a sexual indicator of femininity. Conventionally, men in the genre are usually “cloaked in, fabric often from head to toe.” (Penney 325) However, artists today tend to challenge the fashion norm that had become synonymous with the hyper-masculinity of hip-hop. Penney would argue “such a move would violate the established gender conventions of hip-hop fashion, calling the very sexual identity of these men into question.” (Penney 327) Nonetheless, Young Thug changes the way we presume men in the genre. For instance, his sexuality isn’t questioned despite the fact that he sported a Hooters tank top on his official video to Checks. The official video to his single Best Friend contains a homophobic innuendo in which his face is on the body of the woman who’s lying in bed on top of him. Lastly, he interviewed on MTV News where he openly admitted to 90 percent of his clothing are women’s clothing. The reason why these innuendos don’t stick is because Young Thug has established himself as a hyper-masculine artist through music and violence. The shooting of Lil’ Wayne’s tour bus by an affiliate of Thugga insinuates that he is really about the life he raps. The demonization of homosexuality does not affect Young Thug because there is no such thing as bad publicity when you constantly drop quality work.
Hip-hop has mutated sexuality in the sense that it has reinstated the belief that it is a man’s world. The objectification of women is not right in any way, shape, or form. However, women have learned to play with this objectification in this man ran world. Joan Morgan speaks about how she got her start as a writer as a result of her capturing the sexual attention of a man who had the ability to make her a writer. (Morgan 416) Similar situations occur in hip-hop; for instance, Keyes introduced a category of female rappers whom would be able to make a living in this patriarchal world of hip-hop. The “Sista with Attitude” would exemplify an artist who would work with what she is dealt and make this “man’s world” hers. “ Whether it’s calling oneself a “queen” like Queen Latifah, or “the baddest bitch” like Trina, or “the boss bitch” like Lola Monroe, or “the illist pit bull in a skirt” like Eve, they all serve as linguistic gestures of grabbing the mic.” (Lane 778) Grabbing the mic essentially refers to assimilating with the objectification of women but instead repossessing it and making it there’s. An example of a woman who “grabbed the mic” would be Cardi B. She made the jump from stripper to having a couple tracks released because she understands that sex sells in this misogynistic market. She reclaimed degrading terms such as “bitch/ho” and repossessed them and made them work for her (some attitude from that sister). When confronted by man she is all about the empowerment and progression of womankind. Evident during her confrontation with Peter Gunz during the reunion of Love and Hip-Hop: New York Season 6.
Lastly, sexuality in hip-hop is essential to the attention an artist gets regardless of sex. Whether it’s the use of objectification to promote one’s self in a male dominant hip-hop world. Or even the use of personal style to differentiate an artist’s individual persona from his peers in a hyper masculine genre. Sexuality can be used as a positive vehicle in hip-hop.
Works Cited
Penney, J. (2012). “We Don't Wear Tight Clothes”: Gay Panic and Queer Style in Contemporary Hip Hop. Popular Music and Society, 35(3), 321-332.
Lane, N. (2011). Black Women Queering the Mic: Missy Elliott Disturbing the Boundaries of Racialized Sexuality and Gender. Journal of Homosexuality, 58(6-7), 775-792.
Lil Wayne Tour Bus Shooter Receives 20-Year Sentence. (2015). Retrieved March 23, 2016, from http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/lil-wayne-tour-bus-shooter-receives-20-year-sentence-20151120
Young Thug Finally Addresses Lil Wayne's Tour Bus Shooting. (n.d.). Retrieved March 23, 2016, from http://www.mtv.com/news/2285424/young-thug-on-lil-wayne-and-wearing-womens-clothing/
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