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• Short Assignments
• Papers

Cara
Whose responsibility is it to protect children from inappropriate images and lyrics of rap and hip hop? Is it even possible to keep children away?

Chris
Hip hop has diverse audiences (white, Hispanic, Asian, etc.).  Are these groups equally affected by masculine images?  In other words, are there any racial distinctions in the impact of hip hop on gender?

Allison P.
We have discussed how Hip-Hop is demeaning towards women but is it also demeaning towards men? The rappers and hip-hop artists feel that they are portraying an image that does not reflect their actual personalities.  By continually pushing this image of manhood is their an unfair image of men that if being commercialized?  

Laquan
If there is systematic violence and a history of black men denying their own frailty, does that mean it is OK for black males to die early? And is this an example of certain blackness?

Jerome
Can women use the stereotypes in hip hop to their advantage?

Danielle
Young women feel empowered by using sexuality. Are they degrading themselves in the process? Can they gain power through sexuality like men can or is it a double standard?

Marie
In this film, there seemed to be different opinions about whether or not women have it "easy" in the hip-hop industry. One woman said that she thinks women have it easier, as they get free studio time, while others feel that they get less respect than men in the business. Why is there this kind of opposing view when it comes to gender in hip-hop?

Brandon
Why do you think the African American community has become so desensitized to the problem of sexism as it relates to the Hip Hop industry?  

Meredith
How do the issues addressed in "Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes" suggest that themes of misogyny and masculinity are greater than the "polarizing" arguments they spark? In other words, how does filmmaker Byron Hurt explore the ways that hip hop lyrics uncover a "conflict" within hip hop music?

Marquis
Would it really make a difference if African Americans stopped consuming rap and reject it from part of the culture since whites are the majority consumers?

Lauren
Why do the female rappers not rap about men as much as male rappers rap about women?

Margaret
It is possible to unite all women? or men?  can we generalize that much?

Collin
How are the lyrics and style of female hip-hop artists compare to those of men during the same time? Do these women feel their music and beats are better than those of men at the time?

Jarred
Most female artist appear to approach hip hop in a very masculine way.  Does this mean that woman will always come second to men, lyrically, in the patriarchal society that we live in?

Suzanne
Why is it that mainstream popular culture has seen so little of the women rapping in "Say My Name"? Do such women respect what it is artists like Lil' Kim are doing to get famous or do they disagree with such methods? Can these women change the way people view women in hip hop through their example?

Matt
The movie consistently shows that female rappers are much more likely to succeed if they try to be sex symbols, rather than portraying themselves as legitimate artists.  Is this a function of hip-hop itself, because it has become sexist, or a product of entertainment executives that try to enforce this image?

Greg
There is a clear difference between what women hip hop artist write about and what male hip hop artists write about; however, the male hip hop industry continues to give a negative connotation on females. Women embrace the female hip hop culture because it allows them to fight back against what the hip hop industry has made of them. Is there any way for female hip hop artists to get back on top with the continued exploitation by the male hip hop industry?

Peter
Is American society responsible for the hyper-masculinity of the rapper?

Allison O.
The movie seems to make the arguement near the end of the film that it is the music labels that are pushing this type of music into the mainstream, not the rappers themselves.  Does this take the blame off the rappers and put it on the corporations?  Do you think this is how it should be?

Allison P.
In "Say My Name," Hip-Hop is described by one female artist as being a "tool for social change."  How feasible is that view? What would need to happen for real change to occur?

Beth
Can women ever truly separate their appearance from their selves?  

Tiye
Why does it seem that female rappers are more open to the idea of alternative lyrics?