Sexual Content in Rap and Hip-Hop Videos: An Increase over Time - Research Paper Example

? 09 November Sexual Content in Rap and Hip-Hop Videos: An Increase Over Time A friend of mine recentlyreturned to the United States after living in Asia for 15 years. Many aspects of American society shocked my friend, but perhaps none more so than the amount of sexual images and language pervading the television screen and other forms of media. This perplexed me as well, primarily because I think we become desensitized to an increase in such sexual innuendos when we are bombarded with them on a daily basis. Only when we take a step back and really analyze the content of music videos, for example, do we really begin to see what has happened over time. It is amazing to consider the influx of sexual images in rap and hip-hop videos during the course of the past 25 years. There has been much made in recent years about the impact that media has on society. This is perhaps no more true than when we consider the effects of music videos on young people. The problem is so perplexing that this author chose to analyze sexual images present in rap and hip-hop music videos over three decades. Videos will be viewed from the 80’s, 90’s, and 00’s. The question to be studied in particular is: Has the sexual content, in particular in regards to clothing, increased during the time period of 1985 to 2012? As this question is pondered, particular emphasis will be placed upon current literature that details the effects that sexual imagery in such videos impacts the thoughts and actions of those who view them. This author anticipates discovering some interesting ways that the media impacts our actions and proposing some possible ideas as to how we can possibly encourage the music industry to be more socially responsible in the future. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK The theoretical framework for this content analysis is based on a sociological perspective. The media has long been considered an agent of socialization. From an early age, we begin viewing television programs and become exposed to all sorts of literature. Music videos are a big source of entertainment for young people. Such videos communicate to young people what the latest fashion trends are and, to a large extent, how women are to be looked upon in society. This has grave sociological implications. The perception throughout American society is that the sexual imagery portrayed on television and in videos is reflective of how ‘real’ people behave and are treated. The music industry has come under increased scrutiny in recent years. With the increased amount of sexual and other graphic images and language present in may rap and hip-hop videos, this content analysis and research study is designed as an effort to understand the true impact of this form of media. This particular study will examine other key research studies being conducted regarding the impact of media on society. By examining this issue from a sociological perspective, this author can better understand how these videos impact our society at large. While a general review of research will be conducted, particular emphasis will be placed on literature that discusses the effects of rap and hip-hop videos on the people that watch them. In particular, studies will be examined that focus specifically on the changes in sexual imagery in such videos over the course of the last three decades. LITERATURE REVIEW Ever since MTV aired back in the early 1980’s, music videos have become an important part of American culture. During that time, countless Americans have grown up spending hours with eyes fixed to the television screen as they watch their favorite artist or group mesmerize them with the latest dance moves and technical imagery. It is perhaps these images and visualizations that have impacted our society like no other media outlet in history. The age group that is perhaps most affected by the sexual images they view on television are adolescents. As Wright points out, “Adolescents spend a great deal of their discretionary time attending to mass media known to possess sexual content” (182). In essence, what a teenager views as being acceptable often comes from what they see and hear on the television. Because this age group overwhelmingly spends much of their time watching music videos, this particular form of media makes them vulnerable if sexual images and degrading lyrics increase over time. It is important to note the differences in sexual content between different musical genres when conducting any content analysis of this sort. As studies have been conducted since 1981, many such differences have been noted between rap, soul, country, heavy metal, pop, classical rock, and alternative rock. While there are often sexual overtones in each type of music portrayed in videos, rap and hip-hop videos are considered to be the most overtly sexual in nature by far (Tapper 104). Tapper, through his research, went onto discover that many adolescents gain much of their worldview through their watching of music videos. Not only that, many of these same adolescents point out that they learn a great deal about themselves and how they should act toward others based on what type of music videos they watch (106). This becomes particularly alarming if the majority of these videos contain sexual images that are less than flattering. Kistler supports this claim by pointing out that, “Teenagers rank entertainment media as a key source of information about sexuality and sexual health” (68). As studies have been conducted since 1981 (the year that music videos first came into the mainstream), the focus has been particularly on how females are portrayed. Many music videos, especially those based on rap or hip-hop videos, feature one or more men performing. They are usually clothed quite respectfully, often with expensive jewelry. In addition to this, they then have beautiful and minimally dressed young women by their side. In the hip-hop videos of today, these young women often “dance and writhe lasciviously” (Kistler 68). The women almost always have fewer clothes on than the men and appear to be mere props, while the men are seen more as the star of the show. This trend became so apparent as far back as 1997 that Congress initiated a special study to determine just how largely rap and hip-hop music videos influenced an adolescent’s view of sexuality. What they found was startling. A full 65% of youth ages 13 to 18 prefer hip-hop videos to any other genre. This is regardless of the teen’s ethnicity. Of these individuals, a majority claim that they gain much of their sexual knowledge and health from what they perceive as reality in the videos that they watch (Zhang 788). Another area of concern is the rampant access that nearly every person in America has to these videos. It is important to study this issue from a social perspective. Music videos are available on demand to audiences. No longer is MTV the only show in town. There are several major music video networks on television, and music videos are readily accessible and free on the Internet. It is estimated that by the age of 15, the amount of time an adolescent listens to music actually exceeds the amount of television that they watch. Perhaps even more alarming is that, for the 11-14 year age range, their preferred ‘show’ on television is actually the music video (Aubrey 361). Music videos are actually unique because in just a few minutes, the images on the screen can arouse stimuli in the viewer that can rarely take place in a mere television show of movie. They contain “adult concepts related to gender and sexuality” (Aubrey 362), yet they are directed at the average adolescent viewer. It has become imperative to study the effects of the sexual images seen in rap and hip-hop videos to best determine their effects on society in general. Through his research, Wright discovered the potential effect that viewing music videos have on adolescents. One study in particular found that the average 9th grader watches 10 hours of music videos a week (182). These same teens rated such media as their third most important source of sexual information. This ranked movie videos above such sources as parents, religious leaders, counselors, and therapists in terms of where they get their knowledge about sexual issues. So, what an adolescent views taking place in a rap or hip-hop video is likely what they view to believe is proper sexual behavior. Kistler used this information in his own research and discovered that teens who view an inordinate amount of rap and hip-hop music videos are more likely to engage in sexual intercourse than those who have limited exposure to such media (69). These studies continued by discovering that adolescent males who spent a great deal of time watching these same music videos were much more likely to be exposed to “visual sexual themes and to view women as sexual objects” (Kistler 70). Wright continues this theme by pointing out that, “Studies confirm that sex is a ‘staple’ in music videos” (187). As videos have been studied throughout the years, it has been discovered that behaviors exhibited are more often than not sexual in nature. The act is, therefore, left up to the viewer’s imagination. This can be particularly important when we are talking about adolescents and college students. Wright discovered, through his research, that 90% of sexual scenes in rap and hip-hop videos involved acts such as pelvic thrusting and stroking. Only about 4% contained images of overt sexual acts such as the fondling of breasts, touching of genitalia, or sexual intercourse (188). As such, due to the sexual nature prevalent in these videos, many viewers actually gain their sexual values through what they see acted out on the screen (Aubrey 371). These same videos, through their actions, promote instant gratification, as opposed to “sexual commitment, intimacy, or responsibility” (Wright 188). One aspect that many studies examine in regards to this important issue revolves around how females are portrayed sexually in rap and hip-hop videos. Turner mentions that, “Music video producers gain young people’s attention by making the models attractive” (174). This may seem like common sense, but from a social perspective it is extremely important to consider. If an adolescent already considers what they are watching to be relevant to how they view themselves and the world, then they will further assume that they need to look like the actors in these same music videos in order to fully be accepted into society. Music videos, perhaps, carry more influence in this area than even mainstream television or the movies. This lies in the fact that the average ‘actor’ in a music video is relatively unknown. While teenagers understand that a famous movie actress is a superstar and ‘one in a million’, they do not feel that same way about the women portrayed in music videos. They see them as equals. They are dancers and everyday people that have gained the attention of a musical genius. In essence, they feel they can be that girl if they just do a bit more to look and act like them. Young men, consequently, feel that the average female is just like those seen in the rap and hip-hop videos and should be treated, sexually, as such (Johnson 598). The issue, then, becomes how viewing these music videos truly affect the sexual behavior of adolescents and college students. As Jacob Turner researched this particular aspect of the socialization of adolescents through music videos, he discovered an alarming statistic. It is reported that teenagers and college students who are exposed to rap and hip-hop videos in large doses are more than two times likely to have multiple sexual partners. Perhaps even more troubling is the notion that these same young people are then 1.5 times more likely to acquire a sexually transmitted disease, as opposed to those whose exposure to the same music videos are limited (Turner 175). As Tapper points out, adolescents who view these videos are exposed to all kinds of sexual stereotyping. In support of other literature studied, he points out that, “Females were provocatively dressed in more than half of all rap music videos and 60% of the videos contained explicit sexuality” (108). That, coupled with previously mentioned studies about the increase in sexual activity amongst teenagers who are viewers of rap and hip-hop videos seems to point to a reality that what is seen on screen is seen as acceptable behavior amongst young people. Another aspect of this issue involves female body image as a result of viewing these particular music videos. Sexual content is common in many rap music videos. In these same videos, female participants are shown to be sexual objects. To a large extent, these videos place a heavy emphasis on physical appearance and sexual attractiveness (Zhang 789). It was discovered that the female body shape was important in order to attract male rap stars. Women “tended to have thinner body images in rap videos and these videos showed thin female characters behaving provocatively and submissively around male rap stars” (Zhang 794). This provides all kinds of mixed messages to those who predominately watch such videos. In order to have fame, women feel that they must be thin and behave in a sexual manner. Males, consequently, believe that women want to be viewed as sexual beings and to feel power and have wealth. It is a never-ending cycle that seems to go on as long as an adolescent views rap and hip-hop music videos. There also seems to be a difference in racial attitudes in these music videos. Turner discovered, for example, that African American music videos featured much more sexual content than music that was predominately Caucasian (180). This has grave implications on attitudes towards African American females. In communities that are already ripe with sexual violence, music videos only seem to be perpetuating the problem. Over exposure to sexual behavior and action in music videos can be directly linked to the dehumanization of the female body to such an extent that low self-esteem and the willingness to participate in sexual acts often occurs. Those who are not exposed to such videos seem to have an easier time overcoming these social obstacles and have a higher awareness of their own body image and are less likely to allow themselves to be viewed as a sexual object to be conquered (Wright 184). Wright continued this line of research and discovered that “Males on teens’ favorite music videos are often preoccupied by sex to the point of distraction and are frequently portrayed as valuing females primarily for their physical appearance” (Wright 185). Interestingly, as time has evolved and music videos have become more and more sexual in their overtures, males have started to be viewed as sexual objects as well. Whereas males were largely clothed in these videos in the 80’s and early 90’s, they are now seen shirtless, pants hanging low, with a muscular build. If they look like this, the implication is, then the ladies will flock to them. So, we now have a new generation of adolescents striving to look like rap stars in order to become a sexual being craved by females with the same body images as are seen in the videos watched by so many young people (Aubrey 363). Aubrey also discovered that “Undergraduate college students and teenagers exposed to rap and hip-hop music videos featuring sexual content are more likely to endorse casual and stereotypical attitudes about sex” (364). From a social perspective, when sex is viewed as being a casual activity, risky behavior often becomes the result. As has already been mentioned, such teenagers who view sex in this way have a higher incidence of sexually transmitted diseases and, as a result, are more likely to engage in other risky behaviors as well. Certainly, music videos are not the only social factor causing these trends, but statistics seem to bear out that they can possibly be considered a primary culprit amongst young people who are exposed to this media in large amounts (Kistler 70). Researchers have also studied music videos exhibiting little to no sexual behavior and compared those with videos exhibiting high incidences of provocative and overt sexual behavior. It was discovered that sexual attitudes did vary significantly based on the type of videos watched. Teenagers who watched non-sexual music videos were much more likely to view sex from a more serious perspective than their counterparts who watched sexually oriented videos. These same teenagers also were more likely to seek out other sources of information for sexual knowledge and did not point to the media as being the most influential aspect in their lives for shaping their sexual attitudes (Wright 188). Finally, it is important to mention that music videos across all genres feature sexual behavior. This has been increasing since 1981 and the trends indicate that this will continue in the foreseeable future. Rap and hip-hop videos, however, seem to be the genre that features more sex than any of the others. While actual intercourse is rarely seen in such videos, the implications of sexual behavior are obvious and apparent. Little is left up to the imagination, even in the minds of young adolescents. Teenagers begin to view sex as an acceptable and ‘easy’ part of life that should not be taken seriously. Much of these attitudes come directly as a result of viewing music videos, in addition to other forms of media (Zhang 792). As music videos are analyzed for their content, careful attention must be paid to the clothing that is present (or the lack thereof). What does this communicate about acceptable behavior? What are the attitudes towards sex that are displayed as a result of the clothing that is worn? Are there indications made in the videos that communicate to young people that sex is a casual action that should not be taken seriously? If these aspects of our society are present in a music video, what does this communicate to adolescents and other viewer about what is acceptable behavior in our society? In other words, the aim of this type of research is to determine how rap and hip-hop music videos have truly become an agent of socialization in our culture and what warning signs we need to be aware of as we try to reshape the sexual attitudes of young people across the country. METHODS A sample of rap and hip-hop music videos were located on the Internet site ‘You Tube’. Three videos each were located from 1985, 1995, 2005, and 2012 in order to gain an accurate picture of how sexual images differed, or did not differ, by decade. The main audiences of these videos are adolescents, both by nature of the music, and by a general review of the comments made about each video. This was the best source to locate these videos because of their ease of accessibility and the fact that many young people now use the Internet to gain access to media, including music videos. To determine which videos were best representative of what viewers were watching during each time period, a simple Internet search was conducted. The top three music videos during each year (1985, 1995, 2005, 2012) were chosen as the basis for this content analysis. The dependent variable used in this content analysis is the amount of sexy clothing worn in each video. ‘Sexy’ clothing is defined by such areas as females having bare arms, bare shoulders, bare legs, or having their midriff or cleavage exposed. The independent variable used in this study is the time period during which the music videos were filmed and became popular. The purpose of employing this methodology is to look at how the independent variable of time affects the dependent variable of sexy clothing worn by females. Specifically, I looked for whether or not the sexiness of clothing in these videos increased over time. To accomplish these goals, I employed a system of coding to use while each video was viewed. I created categories for bare arms, shoulders, and legs. In addition, I created additional categories to note if a female’s midriff was exposed, and another category if the cleavage was exposed. One further category was created to note if the females in the videos participated in any type of sexual behavior, either implicitly or explicitly. Anytime such behavior was exhibited in a video, a check was placed in that category. In this manner, the amount of sexual behavior and clothing exhibited over time can be seen to increase, decrease, or remain the same. The hypothesis forming the basis for this study is that the sexiness of clothing worn by females in rap and hip-hop clothing has increased over time since 1985. Viewing random music videos in each of four decades since 1985 in an effort to determine how, if at all, the clothing worn in such videos has changed over time, will test this hypothesis. This hypothesis will then be compared to a current review of the literature that was previously examined prior to completing this content analysis. RESULTS The first time period studied was 1985. The three most popular rap and hip-hop videos during this year were “Nuthin’ But A G Thang Baby” by Snoop Dog, “It’s Like That” by Run DMC, and “Can I Kick It?” by A Tribe Called Quest. Snoop Dog’s video is about 5 minutes in length. There are actually no major female actresses present in the video until the two-minute mark when, at a party, every African-American American female has bare shoulders and legs. The majority also has their midriffs showing. There is limited cleavage, if any, on display in this video. In addition, there are no overt sexual connotations present in the video, even when they are dancing. It is important to note that the lyrics are sexual in nature, but the video is not representative of this. The next video analyzed from 1985 was Run DMC’s “It’s Like That”. This video contains a dance-off between males and females. The females are fully clothes and their shoulders and legs are covered. There are also no overt sexual overtones throughout the video. The focus in this video is more on the rap and the dance moves than on the sexiness of the attire. The final video watched from 1985 was the popular “Can I Kick It” by A Tribe Called Quest. This is an amazingly clean hip-hop video with not one female present throughout the nearly 4 minute clip. In fact, all of the males in the video are fully clothed and exhibit no sexual innuendo of any sort. By analyzing these three videos from 1985, it is apparent that, while the lyrics certainly contain sexual overtones, there is little to suggest that females overwhelmingly were encouraged to wear sexy attire in the videos. Only Snoop Dog’s video had a sexiness factor worth mentioning and this was minimal. In addition, sexual acting out on the screen was almost non-existent during the 1985 genre of hip-hop music videos. The three most popular music videos of 1995 were “Gangsta’s Paradise” by Coolio, “Runnin’” by Pharcyde, and “California Love” by 2 Pac. I began by analyzing Coolio’s video first. “Gangsta’s Paradise” This particular music video was made for the movie “Dangerous Minds”. The females present in the video, at school, mostly had bare shoulders and about half had their midriffs showing. No cleavage was showing and no sexual innuendos were present during the dance scenes. The second video studied was “Runnin’” by Phracyde. Once again this particular music video was relatively clean cut. It contains a series of African-American men dancing and making various political statements. There are very few females in the videos, but towards the end they do appear by the pool. Three females are showing with bare shoulders and legs, but their midriffs are not showing, nor are any cleavage. There is no sexual activity implied at any point in this video by Pharcyde. The final video analyzed from 1995 was “California Love” by 2Pac. Many consider this to be one of the most popular rap and hip-hop videos of all time. This video seems to buck the trend of other videos analyzed to this point. Nearly every female is sexily dressed, showing bare shoulders legs, with extremely short skirts. Nearly all had their midriffs showing and quite a few were showing cleavage as well. I counted five different scenes where there was pelvic thrusting evident during the clip, creating a sense of sexual activity taking place. Moving into the 21st century, three popular videos from 2005 were viewed. These were “Stay Fly” by Three-6-Mafia, “Hip-Hop 101” by Aasim, and “Hate It or Love It” by The Game. The first of these that was analyzed was “Stay Fly” by Three-6-Mafia. This video opens with scantily dressed women in a hotel room. Bare shoulders, legs, and much cleavage is showing. The implication is that sexual activity just occurred. As the video continues, most of the girls present have bare shoulders shown and very tight fitting jeans. In the nightclub scenes, nearly all females have their midriffs and cleavage showing. There are also numerous scenes with pelvic thrusting taking place. Similar to the video by Three-6-Mafia, all of the women present had their bare shoulders and legs showing throughout the video. As the video continued, there were multiple scenes of implied sexual behavior through the various dance scenes, mostly in the form of pelvic thrusting. During each of these scenes, midriffs and cleavage were showing. Finally, the video “Hate It or Love It” by The Game was viewed. This particular video seems to buck the trend of other such rap videos from 2005. Telling more of a story, “Hate It or Love It” has mostly all male actors, normally dressed, with no ‘sexy’ dressed females. There are no scenes in this video that carry sexual innuendos. The three videos analyzed from 2012 were “Ride Like That” by Travis Porter, “No Church In the Wild” by Jay-Z, and “Work Hard Play Hard” by Wiz Khalifa. There were no fewer than 8 females prevalent in the video by Travis Porter. All of them were dressed in sexy clothing with the shoulders and legs showing. A great amount of cleavage was also present. In each of the scenes, the girls were behaving in a sexually provocative manner with male rappers. Contrary to the previous video, “No Church in the Wild” reverts back to the format present in earlier hip-hop videos. This video appears to tell the story of the song and there are no sexual connotations present. Females are not dressed in ‘sexy’ clothing and there is no sexual innuendo. The final video analyzed from 2012 was “Work Hard”. Once again, this particular video does not have any females displaying sexual clothing or attitudes. There are several females towards the end of the video, but they are working and are dressed in a normal manner. Even the dancers present in the video have their shoulders covered and are wearing normal length skirts. There is no pelvic thrusting in this video. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION My reaction to this particular analysis is mixed. While there are certain indications that the attire worn by females in rap and hip-hop music videos has become sexier by the decade, it was not to the point that I expected. As recently as this year, the clothing worn in the most popular videos were not remotely sexy. In fact, two of the three videos analyzed did not have any overt sexual behavior at all taking place during the entire clip. This would appear to be in contradiction to much of the literature studied for this project, but that is not the complete picture. The sampling size for this content analysis is likely too small. One cannot deny the feelings and finding of adolescents who view music videos. These young people, as studied, overwhelmingly claim that such videos are sexual in nature and that they gain much of their sexual knowledge from them. One possibility is that this comes more from the lyrics than the videos themselves. As I watched each video, I was struck by the sexual content of the music, but the scenes on the screen did not reflect that. More study would be needed to test whether or not this is the case. In essence, the hypothesis that the sexiness of clothing worn by females in rap and hip-hop music videos has increased over time since 1985 is supported by this content analysis. I will add, however, that the results do not appear conclusive and that the sexiness of clothing is not as apparent today as I thought it was before undertaking this project. While the literature supports the addictive aspects of music videos on today’s youth, I feel that problem my be overstated and that much more research is needed to determine the effects of music videos, as opposed to lyrics, on today’s adolescents and college students. One possibility is to study rap and hip-hop videos more extensively. Instead of just looking at the three most popular videos of a particular generation, a random sampling of, perhaps, 100 videos should be examined. In this manner, trends can be examined and the true sexual nature of such videos is likely to be discovered. Such a study would be beneficial in showing the music industry just how powerful their influence can be over young people. In conclusion, studying the effects of media on behavior in society is certainly a worthwhile endeavor. All types of media carry a certain power over our minds and actions. Music videos, due to how often they are viewed by today’s young people, are a particular area of concern. If adolescents replicate the sexual behaviors exhibited in these videos, then I fear the consequences of these actions. Risky behavior abounds in our society today and, if this behavior has been influenced by the rap and hip-hop culture, then my hope is that these industries will take responsible action moving forward. Works Cited Aubrey, Jennifer S. “Check That Body! The Effects of Sexually Objectifying Music Videos on College Men’s Sexual Beliefs.” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media 55.3 (2011): 360-379. Print. Johnson, James. “Differential Gender Effects of Exposure to Rap Music on African American Adolescents’ Acceptance of Teen Dating Violence.” Sex Roles 33.7 (1995): 595-605. Print. Kistler, Michelle. “Does Exposure to Sexual Hip-Hop Music Videos Influence the Sexual Attitudes of College Students?” Mass Communication & Society 13.1 (2010): 67-86. Print. Tapper, John. “Variations In Music Videos as a Function of Their Musical Genre.” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media 38.1 (1994): 103-114. Print. Turner, Jacob. “Sex and the Spectacle of Music Videos: An Examination of the Portrayal of Race and Sexuality in Music Videos.” Sex Roles 64.3 (2011): 173-191. Print. Wright, Paul. “Sexual Socialization Messages in Mainstream Entertainment Mass Media: A Review and Synthesis.” Sexuality & Culture 13.4 (2009): 181-200. Print. Zhang, Yuanyuan. “Female Body Image as a Function of Themes in Rap Music Videos: A Content Analysis.” Sex Roles 62.11 (2010): 787-797. Print. Read More