Ladies, do not take this as me downplaying the misogynistic attitudes you have to face on a constant basis in both hip hop and nearly every other sector of the media (not to mention life in general), but I merely want to examine another side of misogyny that we don't often think of, or at least present it in a way we haven't thought about before. 

How often in rap songs have we heard somebody called a simp, lame, punk, "b*tch n*gga", ho, or any other synonym you can think of because they don't tote guns, f*ck multiple women, or aren't down for some type of controversy? The image of a typical hip hop artist is one of a very macho and rugged person who is scared of no one and nothing, is a player, and has a "don't give a f*ck" attitude. Anything less than that is not considered legitimate or authentic.

On Saigon's debut album, Greatest Story Never Told, he mentions on multiple occasions that he is there to stop the fights, but also claims that he is the "Martin Luther King that'll knock out some teeth." Even through the desire to maintain peace, because of this standard of masculinity, Saigon must still prove his toughness by ensuring anybody listening that he can still knock somebody out. Another example from this same album that represents the concept of this reverse misogyny is the song "Give It To Me". While nearly every song on the album holds a message of upliftment and inspiration, "Give It To Me" is still one of those hypersexual songs that asserts the narrator as simply wanting to conquer the me most sacred part of a woman. Even on a more conscious level, not only are women still victimized, but men are forced to play these roles of players and sex machines. Saigon certainly isn't the only artist that represents this, but his album is a more recent and obvious example of what I'm talking about.

Men in relationships, without weapons, not having sex as often as possible, and not down to do something that may jeopardize his future in the name of friendship are all seen as weak characteristics in hip hop. That is why even though most of your favorite artists are married, you will hear them give countless stories about their romantic encounters with other women (and hardly ever any mention of their wives). Guns and weapons aren't just for protection, but they are carried because that's just what a man does. Friendship is now equated to doing anything asked of you with no questions asked as opposed to doing what you can when you can. That is why you see very few, if any, male artists that represent all of these traits at the same time.

There is also the common good guy/bad guy debate and which one women prefer. Although most women will say they want the good guy, often times they will end up with the bad guy. Could that be considered a form of misogyny, as well? Will most women only engage in a relationship with a man that fits certain criteria in terms of masculinity?

Just two blogs back, I did a post about homosexuals in hip hop and why we shouldn't be surprised that they are part of our culture. If a highly regarded artist came out and said he was gay, would hip hop stop supporting him, even if you "couldn't tell" he was gay? If so, would it be out of homophobia or out of some form of misogyny because males in hip hop just aren't supposed to be gay? 

The old role for a man of simply providing and protecting your family is just one of several misguided roles that we need to examine. There are very few men in hip hop that are willing to shed some of these images (player, gangsta, etc.) and just be a male and have people relate to those struggles. There are now these extra layers that have us acting as if thug = male or pimp = true man. Let's work on defining new definitions of what it takes to be a man and I'm sure we'll see changes in many other areas, as well.

What do you think? Is there the altered or reverse form of misogyny in hip hop? Are the roles we have defined misguided? Do some of these things actually qualify you to be a male? What are other things not mentioned you think define men in hip hop; right or wrong? Leave all your thoughts and opinions below. You can also send any e-mails to straightouttahiphop@gmail.com.


Peace.