ABSTRACT

In an early discussion of sexism and violence in rap, Lott (1992, p. 79) claims, “As a dominant infl uence on black youth, rap music articulates the perspective of a black lumpenproletariat.” However, he almost immediately adds the following: “Th is underclass status of rap, however, tends to conceal the fact that it has certain social and political dimensions that suggest that something other than pathology is occurring.”