Masculinity In Hip Hop Culture

Manhood in western societies is pre-programmed, pre-packaged and forced-fed to boys from birth to adulthood. Historically the purest example of a real man was the military standard. Military manliness dictates that a man must be strong, both physically and mentally, a man must be unfeeling and must be loyal to their fellow comrades. Military manhood favors the heterosexual man and believes that he should not gay or exhibit feminine behaviors if he is to be considered a real man. Above all else they must protect what is theirs, the bloodier the better. This idolized and ideal expression of masculinity is losing much of its relevance in the ever-changing and evolving modern world but, it will always have a platform in Hip- Hop culture.
Hip Hop, in industry and product, has adopted the martial formula for a “real manly man” and perpetuates a hypermasculine idea of manhood. Manhood in the military is dirty, difficult work that is made only for the strong and savvy. A man must show unyielding loyalty to the men in their group, squad or platoon, and even more so when lives are at risk. Loyalty is shown in the form of, “no man left behind” or sustaining the memory of a fallen brother. The realistic novel “ The Things They Carried” by Tim O'Brien, embodies the meaning of loyalty.“The Things They Carried” a retelling of the Vietnam War centered around Lieutenant Jim Cross and his company. In the retelling of these men's lives, the ordeal they went through and their deaths keep the memories of these fallen soldiers alive. In the story one of the soldier, Ted Lavender is killed in action and after he dies the other soldiers “wrapped Lavender in his poncho” and “carried him out to a dry paddy... until the chopper came” (O'Brien 347) By carrying Lavender's body to the chopper to be taken home instead of leaving him where he died shows the men's loyalty and respect. Much like the military, Hip Hop places extreme importance infidelity and honor amongst other men in the industry, so much so, that to be disloyal and trustworthy can result in rejection, in shunning and dependent upon the circumstance, death. Artists are first and foremost loyal to the person who signed them and their label. As an artist, a man must always “represent” or pay homage to those who influenced him and came before him. “Representing” can be shoutouts, label promotions, or acknowledgment during award ceremonies and interviews. In addition to the industry, there are thousands of song that focus on sincerity between the male artist and the group he associates with. Songs such as Clique by Kanye and Ruff Ryders by DMX talk about being affiliated with a group and doing anything for the betterment of the group or squad. When the proper loyalty is not displayed dis records, public and private brawls and friends are usually the outcome; for this is reason loyalty is so important and in the Hip Hop culture it is intensified. To be a real man in society, a man must be a ladies man.
The presence of multiple women is essential to masculinity in the military and in Hip Hop and the absence of them will raise questions about a man's sexuality. According to historian George Chauncey in the article “Manhood in America”, “Middle-class men increasingly conceived of their sexuality- their heterosexuality or exclusive desire for women are one of the hallmarks of a real man.” (100). The ability to be a claim and conquer as many women as possible is the pinnacle of being a man. To be a gay man was abnormal and unnatural. Homosexuality threatens to destroy manhood and the what it meant to be a man. In the military, it was especially damaging to be gay or suspected of being gay because up until the present it was assumed that gay men were on a mission to turn every straight “real” man gay. This assumption was, of course, false but in predominantly male fields as Hip Hop and the military, in addition to the powerful influence of group think and mob mentally straight men essentially feared for the gay men and fear easily became hated. Even men who were perceived as acting feminine were ostracized. Both Military men historically and Hip Hop men today believed that to prove their manhood and make a clear distinction between them and the “other”, the Military man and the Hip Hop was and is to flaunt sexual prowess and dominance over women. This meant frequenting brothels, whorehouses, strip club, wherever women were in abundance and were sexual objects. In Hip Hop, there has always been deeply rooted discrimination against that has not changed since the birth of Hip Hop. Hip Hop's homophobia makes being gay or being suspected of being gay is career damaging. In the event that a male artist is confirmed to a homosexual, it is career and social suicide. As a result, male rappers keep their sexuality a secret and keep a woman around to be their “beard” or female companion to keep up public
appearances. For men who may not gay make a point to feature many women in their music video and act emotionally neutral or overly tough to make sure that they act as manly as possible. In the article, “Manhood in America”, a sailor states,” To be considered a real man, one had better make sure to always be walking around and acting “real masculine”(100). Men in Hip Hop try to walk and act “real masculine” every day to the point it compromises their humanity, ie being void of feeling because feelings are women and gay men. Men in Hip Hop never openly associate with a known gay man for fear that they will be gay by association. Homosexuality is such a serious problem that the music produced is homophobic or oversexualize. The music has to be “hard” like gangster rap, mostly violent and extremely misogynistic; an “I fuck bitches and get money” mentality. Drake is one of the few artists that can make a song about love and heartbreak as well as show a softer side to men and still be respected. Regardless of respect that Drake has, he, at many points in his career been called soft, “pussy ass nigga”, a “fagot ass nigga” and other horrible names. Hip Hop remains to stagnate in its views about sexuality because the response to those who try to challenge the norms is overwhelmingly negative. The homophobic attitude and negativity in Hip Hop are fueled, but the-the rigid paradigm set by historical martial masculinity. Being loyal and not desiring the company of other men sexually are ways that a man is able to perform his manhood but the true essence of being a man is to be a protector and provider. A boy or young man who joins and serves in the armed forces meets and exceeds the requirement of manhood. There is no greater honor or privilege to fight and die protecting not only one's love one but protecting one's nation. If dying for a country and protecting its philosophy is the ultimate measure a man worth as a true man, then military masculinity is undoubtedly the path to perfect manhood. Hop Hip, while men do not go as far as to risk to lives for their country, they will do absolutely any and everything to protect their families, their brand and their money, all the things that they love most in this world. Rappers, gangster rappers mostly, make songs retelling and detailing their lives before fame. In these songs, they recount time where they have risked their lives and freedom hustling to provide for their families. The rapper that rap about their struggle and their hustle have robbed, stole and killed to give their families the necessities and desires. Many have been shot and left for dead in the process. These rappers display the same dedication when breaking into the music industry, whether that involve promoting their name and brand or increasing their money flow. The Hip Hop man's methods of providing and protect what is theirs are not different from the action of the Military man protecting his country. Both men place themselves in danger to ensure the safety of their loved and livelihood. Both men will shed the blood of their enemy if needed and take comfort in knowing that they killed to save others. Where the Hip Hop man deters from his noble cause is when his actions become excessive. Men in the hip hop industry will allow ego to cloud their judgment and their "protect and provide" mission will be tainted by pride, causing them to be over zealous. Such overzealous behavior results in unnecessary altercations and petty conflicts over comments made in the media and social media, especially twitter. The military man will protect by any means as will the Hip Hop man, however, the Hip Hop man will over perform and become immature and childish. Martial masculinity has a few basic rules: be loyal, be a ladies' man, fear the homosexual and ultimately be a protector and provider. Hip Hop as an industry and an art follows and in many cases exceed far beyond the rules of martial masculinity. Martial masculinity says to be loyal, hip hop will