The Portrayal of Women in Rap Music.

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Articles
What the Industry Is Saying
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Questions to think about...
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Conclusion: Critical Essay

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Look at the music charts today; what music genre is dominating them? The answer is rap music. 

 

According to Wikelpedia.com rap music is “a style of popular music. It is composed of two main elements: rapping (also known as MC'ing) and DJ’ing; along with break dancing and graffiti, these are the four components of hip hop, a cultural movement which began among African Americans and Latinos in New York City in the early 1970s. The term rap is sometimes used synonymously with hip hop music, though it is also used to refer specifically to the practice of rapping, which is just one component of hip hop.” 

 

Rap music is reaching more people then any other genre therefore the messages and images imbedded within this music is reaching more people then ever before.  With such a large audience we must be aware of the effects of these messages and images on the audience it is reaching.  

 

This site examines more specifically how rap music portrays the female body as a physical entity and as a conscious entity through the mediums of photographs, print, lyrics, and opinion, and how these mediums perpetuate a cyclical image to be produced, reproduced, and sold.

This website was a product of a class project (Women Studies 224/ University of British Columbia).  We were given the freedom to create a pop cultural project and a critical analysis dealing with the image of the body as portrayed in pop culture.  I have chosen to examine the portrayal of women in rap. Some of the content you may find controversial, some of it you may agree with others you will disagree... but in the end you will have reflected more on your opinions and stance on the issue.

This site is dedicated to the examination of the portrayal of Women in Gangster Rap.  The site includes links to a page quoting some of the most important people in the rap world on this very topic.  Photos, lyrics, critical questions and notable essays and articles on this topic can be found in their subsequent links at the left of the page.  Finally I have written a critical essay on the portrayal of women in gangster rap, which can be found through the Conclusion link.  Enjoy! And don't hesitate to send me an email with any comments.

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Lil Kim is one of Hip hops most successful female artists; with several plastic surgeries under her belt she has transformed her image. 

Comments? Email: Dtape@interchange.ubc.ca