The Dark Side Of The Rap Game: Hip-hop

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The dark side of the rap game: Hip-hop
Introduction
“Every black man that goes in the studio has two people in his head: him, regarding who he is, and the thug that he feels he has to project.” Indeed, Byron Hurt’s Hip-hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes confirm this statement beyond any reasonable doubt. The documentary discloses pressing issues such as representations of manhood in hip-hop culture, women and violence in rap music, homoeroticism in hip-hop, and what rap lyrics reveal to their listeners. In contrast, produced by a self-proclaimed “hip-hop head,” the documentary gives insight into the complex intersection of gender, culture, and commerce through interviews with hip-hop fans, aspiring rappers, and established rappers.
Summary of the documentary
Hip-hop was an important part of Byron Hurt’s life that he feels guilty criticizing it. Nevertheless, several questions have to be addressed: Why is this type of music, which is closely related to black people, uses lyrics that signify violence, belittle gays, and discredit women status? However, Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes provides a fascinating analysis of sexism, homophobia, and manhood as portrayed in the hip-hop culture. Producer Hurt described the documentary as a "loving critique” of disturbing trends associated with the world of hip-hop music (Hurt, 2006).
Furthermore, during the interviews, Hurt encounters mixed reactions from the respondents. For instance, hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons makes a joke of Hurt's question before giving a lame answer. On the other hand, Steve Hill, who was the BET programming executive “just passed the buck” Interestingly, the young women and men at BET's Spring Bling weekend, had no objection to the anti-social lyrics. The young ladies say they do not mind being referred to as bitches because they do not think it applies to them
As a result of these discussions, masculinity, culture, and sexism appear to be behind the motivating factors in hip-hop music.
Furthermore, the documentary features cultural experts such as Beverly Guy-Shetfall, Michael Eric Dyson to increase its level of understanding. Consequently, just like any other hip-hop fan, Byron Hurt pays tribute to hip-hop as a genre of music. However, he still challenges the hip-hop music industry to take responsibility for its destructive stereotypes regarding manhood.
Discussion of themes
One of the main themes in the documentary is the culture of promoting violence. The producers indicate that it is that violence like the culture that attracts the youths. In the music videos, the rappers are presented as hard and tough men with tattoos all over their body. In extreme circumstances, the guns are portrayed as normal toys. As a result, shooting seems to be the order of the day. Also, baggy clothes are preferred, which is a symbol of the prison-like conditions. Therefore, any upcoming hip-hop rapper must go through this prison-like conditions to be successful.
On the other hand, the executives admit this culture is bad, but they still use it since it generates revenue for their businesses. Therefore, the documentary tries to signify that hip-hop music is just about money. As a result, some societies around the US have adopted this culture and thus are very dangerous to live in.
However, irrespective of this violence, race seems to be an important element that plays a huge role. In the documentary, Carmen Ashurst, a former executive at Def Jam indicates that the rise of gangster rap music occurred when the hip-hop industry consolidated its resources. Therefore, certain elements had to be added to the industry to make it more appealing to their audience. Consequently, the hip-hop industry found a hugely receptive audience with the black race. Although there are some elements of truth in this argument, there is also a limit to what industries can offer to convince the unreceptive audiences. In other words, the documentary identifies that hip-hop music ...