Why do people listen to rap?
We all listen to rap music. A lot of the rappers mentioned in the video we listen to and know pretty well as performers. I have always liked the confrontational aspect of gangster music. I listen to anything from country, to classic rock, to gangster rap. Being a football player rap is my music of choice when in the weight room and before a game. Music that talks about rolling up on a rival gang and stomping them out appeals to athletes especially contact sports, because in some sense that is what you are doing when you step on that field. It is your squad versus their squad. Also that mean and ruthless music can put you in a “zone” that makes you a different person.
Why are women portrayed the way they are in rap?
The way women are portrayed in rap videos offends some women and I see why. They are seen as property not people. But with that said the women in rap videos are typically the hottest women out there. Their bodies are perfect and they typically move really well. They are sexy and they know it. I believe that men and women both enjoy making their spouse happy and for women part of making their spouse happy is being sexy. I know that women like to feel sexy sometimes. Just like I know that men like to dress to impress sometimes. Rap videos display these beautiful women in scantily clad outfits to show power. If you’re a loser you do not have 10 or 20 hot women dancing behind you. Rappers want to show themselves living in a fantasy world which there is nothing wrong with. That is why people follow stars because they live “the life”. And men talk about women in rap sometimes in derogatory ways because that is how men talk about women to each other, but I guarantee you they do not talk to women like that when they are one on one with them. If they did they wouldn’t get any girls. There are plenty of rap songs out there that praise women “I'm good all by myself. But baby you, you make me better.”(Fabolous) is just an example of women portrayed in a positive light.
The one thing that stuck out to me way more than any of the lyrics or videos was the way the guys were acting at the spring break trip. It is one thing to say or think something, but to do it is completely different. The way they were acting (groping women) was completely inappropriate and disrespectful. None of those guys will ever get with a girl if they act like that. I understand the powerful effect that music has on people, but it is no excuse to act like an idiot. It still is just music, people always have a choice.