What do you think about those rap videos on MTV?

Question

do they empower or hurt women?

Answer 1

They show videos on MTV?

The rap videos I see on MuchMusic, MTV's slightly improved Canadian equivalent, are not empowering to any extent. The scantily-clad women writhe about in silence while the guys throw money at the camera. What kind of message is this? "I'm rich and hot women like me?"

Answer 2

They do not empower, for sure....but I am not sure that they hurt women specifically either. I think that maybe they used to only hurt women, because people actually thought that the videos were really a representation of the rapper's life...like they were really always surrounded by women and their life is so great etc. and women were just eye candy. Now though, I think that many of the rap artists out there represent something that black culture is ashamed of and not just the women who are in the videos, but the men as well. Bill Cosby just wrote a book called "Come on People". Basically Bill says that many of the things that are raised up in black culture are really the things that are keeping the kids back, and keeping them in a bad social status, bad educational status, fathers abandoning their children, etc. 70% of black children are born to single moms. Many black men are continuing the cycle, since their fathers may not have been around. Women are portrayed as just a good time, sex, a 'problem' once it goes past sex, etc., and when things get messy (kids) then they bail. Basically the good ol' double standard...we both had sex but now that you are pregnant it is your fault, you are a slut and I am not having anything to do with it. This might hurt women, but it hurts society as a whole in the long run. Many young men look up to and actually aspire to be rich, womanizing rappers instead of educated professionals. It is a problem and there doesn't seem to be an easy solution.

Answer 3

Thats funny how the RAPPERS are always singled out for dressing women scantily. I have seen these same types of women in all types of music videos. Some of the videos were by female artist. Why doesnt anyone bother Beyonce or Janet Jackson, Madonna, Cristina Ag, Brittney Spears, and so on and so forth, not only for being half A S S naked but also for dressing other women half A S S NAKED! Oh I know why cause people also blame men for that S H I T TOO......dont they!?

Women have long been empowered to do, or simply not do these types of videos, but they choose to. Most of these H O E S are money grubbing B I T C.....S who would do anything for a "FIST FULL OF DOLLARS"! They could care less about what anyone thinks of them. Besides there reputations are not hurt at all, you can only hurt your reputation when you have a good reputation to begin with.

Answer 4

The argument that it doesn't hurt the women in the videos is ridiculous. If you started off in a poor community where no one believed in you to begin with, so you didn't go to college, and therefore had prospects of making 7$ an hour and going hungry many nights, you might think being a stripper sounded like a good idea. More money for just taking your clothes off...

The men there treat you like dirt, you may even get beat up a few times, but you see your friends struggling to get less than half the money you have, so you put up with it.

You audition for a rap video, get it, make some more money, but now the millions of people who have seen that video think of you as a ho, and still treat you like garbage. You may have money, but look at the level of self confidence this could result in.

OK...that was a total side rant...

Anyway, yes it does affect women. I see it every single day in my life. I see how those images have turned potentially successful women into welfare moms in short shorts. And the dads? They are not in the picture. They don't want to be "stuck with that ho" the rest of their lives.

Answer 5

I think MTV in general dumbs down and tries to pigeonhole youth culture. Rap AKA Grime in the UK is not as bad, and in my opinion is much better musically. The rap videos on MTV are just stereotypes of a culture that don't exist in real life, that creates unrealistic ideals and does hurt the image of young women. I am sad that even BET is just as lame now. I used to watch BET when I was a kid because it was different, now its just as pop as MTV with stupid dancers and live shows. I have heard some black academic contemporaries call the new wave of popular rappers that have come out in the last 10 years a revival of minstrel as it plays up black stereotypes to ridiculous proportions.

I wish people would listen to more underground Hip Hip where people still rhyme, talk about things that matter, and make funky a$ S beats.

Answer 6

I think that people look way too much into videos and music....just because these rap artists say hoe and slut or whatever, doesn't mean that EVERY girl in the world is one.... as a girl don't get offended if a rapper uses the word ho, because is he talking about me no, all they are doing is talking about their previous experiences with women, and if a girl wants to be a video vixen that's really her business

Answer 7

MTV plays videos?

I don't think they play them enough to actually have an effect on women. Maybe women that still watch MTV... but anyone that'd actually spend more than 20 seconds watching that junk is already do underpowered to begin with, that it'd be ludicrous to say it's the fault of MTV.

I'd be more inclined to believe it was lead paint chips or mercury poisoning depowering anyone that cares about MTV in the first place.

Answer 8

They're pretty degrading and sexist. The sad thing is that the women who appear in those videos actually compete with each other to get on them so they can stand around and shake their asses, lie on their backs and spread their legs, and put their hands on their butts to spread their butt cheeks. These women actually believe these videos will lead them to successful careers in entertainment. Instead, it usually leads them nowhere. To be a successful entertainer, you don't just stand around and hope you get discovered. You have to be able to offer a lot more than that and you have to compete with thousands of other people who want the same job.

Answer 9

I don't like rap.

Neither, the only thing that empowers or hurts women is what they produce in regards to their own behavior. The news is the most powerful factor when I judge the actions of females from media (not entrainment) and when I meet them in person or communicate online.

Try Jimmy Eat World, that's real music.

Answer 10

they hurt women, but the women in those videos chose to pursue that career...i mean, there are always going to be people who put money, fame, ect. before their own reputation and respect for themselves - not to mention the well-being of women all over the world. Rappers are definitly sexist and view women as objects and money-making tools, i don't care what they do with all their cash or how they spend their free time, that doesn't make up for the crap that they pollute our culture with. Having said that, yea rap videos are disgusting for the most part...but those women are choosing to do it, and making the rest of us pay.