BFmastermind

No one is trying to say you are completely wrong so there's nothing to be sorry about. Each is entitled to their own view and opinion of a subject inluding you.

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N.Y._Soulja

OK, but not all rap is degrading, mostly "harcore" rap
for example, look at Will Smith, he raps. and eh made a cd, tell me is it degrading at any pace?

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BFmastermind

Only a few people claimed that all rap music is degrading but as we all know that isn't true. Ryke 12 mentioned Talib and Kanye West. I think someone else mentioned Common and you have just mentioned Will Smith. There are more examples of rap done the non degrading way but there aren't as many artists who rap that way. It's usually the creative rappers, who can find plenty of other things to rap about, that don't have to rap about women in a harmful way.

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sukotsu9

This is the point I was trying to avoid from fear of getting off topic. This is the underlying reason for the troubles we're discussing in rap music. Sexuality has become mainstream to the point that women in bikinis washing cars for a hamburger is accepted on network tv at prime time. I'm not being prudish, but there's a LOT of skin on TV and film. A 13 yr old boy isn't going to consider Sarah Jessica Parker's motives for jumping in the sack; he's just waiting for the flash of skin.

The over-sexation of media has subconsciously hypercharged the public's sex drive. Once that's done, you can degrade women as much as you want; who'd complain? Rap videos (including Latino rap videos, even racier) do border pron. So do some TV series; not just Fox, the reality TV shows actively use the blur feature. And music videos are getting a bit much. CMT may have less beer-spilling than rap videos, but you'll see a girl in hotpants get groped in regular rotation.

While I don't expect various races to stand up for reformation of their cultural media, at least women (and a male or two) are still aware that there are limits (ex: this thread). Pron has its place (restricted from youth), but I don't want to see it on the top 10 countdown. While grandma may not understand what "skeet" means, I'll turn off Lil Jon when she rides with me.

KnightofNi

as far as using the words bitch, slut, hoe, whore-its apart of the lifestyle that these rappers are promoting, yes, the words have definition, but if the word is used in repeated context and conversation, then people become used to the word and its usage. Remember, all of rap songs being played are nothing more than a person pushing that type of lifestyle, which is very hard to pull off. It represents an idealized fantasy world where normal people can't reach. Thats the reason why people like this music, it represents a higher state of economy with which most people cannot reach. This is the reason why guys like it, here again-what normal straight guy wouldn't like to have money, women and sex. Its nothing more than a lifestyle and most people don't use it in their normal speech. Here again, my mother would slap me if I called her a bitch, however, if I did it on a normal basis, she would get used to it though it may cause more psychological damage than normal. As far as the term nympho goes. That word has been twisted by the sex industry. Nymphomania is a psychological disorder in which a woman is obsessed with sex, she cannot get enough. Calling a woman a nymphomanic means that she psychologically enjoys sex to an excess. This term is a layman's term for it, the clinical term is hypersexuality. As far as the term pornography goes, that is open for debate, mainly because of the words determined to be obscene, just what is obscene in a person's mind, one person's obscenity is anothers pleasure. As far as the women who appear in these videos, they are professional dancers, just like the back-up dancers for Brittany Spears or any other music star, they are professionals, they get paid to dance around, and every person when making the video is very professional, the women don't see it as them being degraded, they see it as a paycheck. It is wrong to say that these women enjoy being degraded because they are not in fact being degraded, noraml people who watch these videos assume that this is real life, this is how they should act and they act accordingly, but hey whatever sells the most records.

An interesting point to make, maybe the reason why women are called nymphos is because the thought of a woman having more sex drive than a man may cause the man to become defensive and use the term to make is ego feel better saying its the woman who is abnormal

Source for Nymphomania:
Nymphomania

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Kiri79

Well, racism is still goin on for black people-well for all races
All the rappers yous are listing, Kanye West, Talib Kweli, Common, are more hip hop. Rap/Hip hop had a good name until gangsta rap came along. Wasn't the gangsta rappers were N.W.A?

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oOLittleFairyOo

it all depends on the song! rap in GENERAL is not degrating to women...just certian songs.

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Joe Mage

Is rap degrating? Yes, some rap songs are degrating and just because a woman in a rap video is dressed in a short skirt or bikini and is almost dancing erotically; doesn't give anyone the right to degrade her. If I see a woman dressed in a bikini,washing a car to make a buck, I accord her the same respect that I would accord any woman. It's about respect for others and respect for oneself. Yes these rap artists are degrading themselves as well as women. They are portraying themselves as overly-hormoned adolesents who are too immature to understand and respect a woman and her feelings. Mind you I'm not saying that that's the way they are, I'm just saying that's how they are portraying themselves. They don't seem to respect themselves or anyone else. As for the racism, let's look at our Native American brothers and sisters, I think we can all agree that they, quite possibly, have had it the worst of just about any race in the Americas. Not only were they enslaved, but had their land taken from them. Yet many of the one's I have interacted with bared no animosity towards today's generation of white people for what happend in the past. I think that that takes great courage and I respect that. And words can hurt and badly just as they can make you feel like you're in the clouds. However, certain rap artists are just that, artists. They make with words what a painter makes with his brush and that's often how they feel at a given moment. Not that I'm trying to use that as an excuse, I'm just trying to help people understand why sometimes they write what they write. I have much respect for certain artists like Tupac and Eminem for that reason. Not that they couldn't have used a little tact with their words, but I guess sometimes; in order to get your point across; you have to use a "good hard slap" rather than a soft voice. But that still doesn't give anyone the excuse to put down anyone regardless of race,sex, sexual preference, or creed.

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