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Hip-Hop Culture and Social Counsciousness - Reconciling Value Conflicts by Valerie L. Patterson, Ph.D. Background In this module students are challenged to explore the ethical implications of the misogyny and sexism that are pervasive in "commercial" rap music and its impact on those who embrace hip-hop culture. Since its inception a myriad set of ills that plague communities-of-color, particularly African-American urban communities, have been attributed to Hip-Hop. Examples of these ills include higher crime rates, higher incidences of sexual activity among young teens/adults, misogyny and homophobia in lyrical content, higher incarceration rates, higher drop-out rates, and even Don Imus' insult of the Rutgers' Women's Basketball Team. While this module does not cover all of these ills, its emphasis on misogyny and sexism encourages students to become informed consumers whose consumption is based on more than a "perfect beat". This generation of high schools students may not be aware of the origins or history of Hip-Hop culture and rap music. This module through blogs, articles, audio and video footage explores the evolution of Hip-Hop culture from a focus on inequity, racism, and self-empowerment to the current emergence of what is described as the "bling" era. The word bling has invaded the lexicon and reflects an excessive and conspicuous display of wealth in the form of expensive jewels (conflict diamonds in some instances), luxury cars, expensive champagne and the ability to live a "jet-setting" lifestyle that allows the male who possesses "bling" to spend it lavishly on very beautiful and voluptuous young women, who are portrayed as objects for possession. This module will offer examples of current existing attitudes toward Hip-Hop culture which reveal that it continues to be perceived by older generations in a negative light but remains a tremendous example of the transformational abilities of a "youth movement" to successfully challenge the status quo. The spread of Hip-Hop around the globe and its successful utilization by youth around the world as a method of resistance and empowerment, suggests that there are overarching ethics and values beyond misogyny and sexism, that may be useful for younger generations. Although there are several topical areas within hip-hop culture that could be examined in an ethics module, this module will focus on the ethical implications of the misogyny and sexism pervasive in commercial/mainstream hip-hop lyrical content and visual imagery. This focus is timely/timeless in light of the existing controversy surrounding the firing of Don Imus after he used derogatory sexist and racist terms to describe the women's basketball team at Rutgers University. Don Imus partly blamed his ethical lapse on the pervasive use of the terms in rap lyrics and hip-hop culture. This module will provide an opportunity for students to examine the influence of rap music and rap music videos on their own attitudes and behavior. While a majority of black youth indicate that they view music videos on a daily basis, survey results collected by researchers at the University of Chicago for the Black Youth Project reveal that many black youth are turned-off by the misogyny and sexism displayed/portrayed in rap videos. This module is designed to develop student skills in deconstructing, interrogating, and engaging the ethics and values of hip-hop as a youth movement. Students will develop their creative and critical thinking skills as required by the Florida standards, to identify both the positive and negative aspects of hip-hop culture and by also developing skills in recognizing, articulating, and challenging the inherent value conflicts that exist in hip-hop, as related to the manner in which these value conflicts shape the individual ethics of their peers and themselves.

Hip-Hop Culture and Social Counsciousness - Reconciling Value Conflicts

by Valerie L. Patterson, Ph.D.

Background

In this module students are challenged to explore the ethical implications of the misogyny and sexism that are pervasive in "commercial" rap music and its impact on those who embrace hip-hop culture. Since its inception a myriad set of ills that plague communities-of-color, particularly African-American urban communities, have been attributed to Hip-Hop. Examples of these ills include higher crime rates, higher incidences of sexual activity among young teens/adults, misogyny and homophobia in lyrical content, higher incarceration rates, higher drop-out rates, and even Don Imus' insult of the Rutgers' Women's Basketball Team.
While this module does not cover all of these ills, its emphasis on misogyny and sexism encourages students to become informed consumers whose consumption is based on more than a "perfect beat".

This generation of high schools students may not be aware of the origins or history of Hip-Hop culture and rap music. This module through blogs, articles, audio and video footage explores the evolution of Hip-Hop culture from a focus on inequity, racism, and self-empowerment to the current emergence of what is described as the "bling" era. The word bling has invaded the lexicon and reflects an excessive and conspicuous display of wealth in the form of expensive jewels (conflict diamonds in some instances), luxury cars, expensive champagne and the ability to live a "jet-setting" lifestyle that allows the male who possesses "bling" to spend it lavishly on very beautiful and voluptuous young women, who are portrayed as objects for possession.

This module will offer examples of current existing attitudes toward Hip-Hop culture which reveal that it continues to be perceived by older generations in a negative light but remains a tremendous example of the transformational abilities of a "youth movement" to successfully challenge the status quo. The spread of Hip-Hop around the globe and its successful utilization by youth around the world as a method of resistance and empowerment, suggests that there are overarching ethics and values beyond misogyny and sexism, that may be useful for younger generations.

Although there are several topical areas within hip-hop culture that could be examined in an ethics module, this module will focus on the ethical implications of the misogyny and sexism pervasive in commercial/mainstream hip-hop lyrical content and visual imagery. This focus is timely/timeless in light of the existing controversy surrounding the firing of Don Imus after he used derogatory sexist and racist terms to describe the women's basketball team at Rutgers University. Don Imus partly blamed his ethical lapse on the pervasive use of the terms in rap lyrics and hip-hop culture.

This module will provide an opportunity for students to examine the influence of rap music and rap music videos on their own attitudes and behavior. While a majority of black youth indicate that they view music videos on a daily basis, survey results collected by researchers at the University of Chicago for the Black Youth Project reveal that many black youth are turned-off by the misogyny and sexism displayed/portrayed in rap videos.

This module is designed to develop student skills in deconstructing, interrogating, and engaging the ethics and values of hip-hop as a youth movement. Students will develop their creative and critical thinking skills as required by the Florida standards, to identify both the positive and negative aspects of hip-hop culture and by also developing skills in recognizing, articulating, and challenging the inherent value conflicts that exist in hip-hop, as related to the manner in which these value conflicts shape the individual ethics of their peers and themselves.