Thoughts on Behind the Beats and Rhymes

After watching behinds the beats and rhymes I found that my enthusiasm for hip-hop music intensified. It is strange because Byron Hurt takes a deep look into hip-hop and its culture. It is no surprise that guns are the symbol of masculinity in a society where, according to Michael Dyson, “violent masculinity is the heart of American identity.” American society is a society where violence is one of the dominating images that people see growing up. Mainly through the media violence is absorbed by everyone and becomes the norm to society. Growing up I have seen action in movies, the news, and video games. From an early age I have been raised in a culture that seems to promote violence. The violent lyrics of hip-hop are often considered to be a way for the artists to show the realities of their lives. I believe that some rappers do rap about violence because it has been a large part of their lives, but the part of Behind the Beats and Rhymes that really struck me was that the white male power structure controls the record companies. The record companies promote violent lyrics because it sells, and largely to the white community. It was said in the movie that 70% of records are sold to white buyers. When Byron Hurt asked aspiring rappers why they rap about violence, he found that people choose not to rap in a righteous way because they feel that they won't get signed by a record company. In essence the white owners of the record company want to portray images of blacks as being “thugged out”. The white record companies create an image for black society that is self-deprecating. This is a form of structural violence. It promotes false ideas about blacks, and creates a self-destructive cycle where the image of the black man is stuck in this box.