ABSTRACT
In addition to the “purely musical” aspects of rap, particular facets of the culture have also been commodified. Among these, black gender stereotypes are perhaps the most prominent. Prior to the 1990s, hip hop had space for diverse representations of masculine and feminine. As the major labels gained more and more control over rap music, gender in hip hop became more narrowly defined, with heteronormativity and hypermasculinity becoming the point of reference for any other expressions of gender. Women played an important role in the early days of hip hop. They rapped about many of the same topics as their male counterparts, but through a woman’s perspective. Gender in hip hop is both dialogic and intersectional: that is, gender performance emerges as interactions take place both within and across gender roles. Intersectionality acknowledges that individuals can be subjected to multiple forms of oppression, such as racism and sexism.
