1. Rhetoric of Gangsta Rap
Nicole
Laplante

2. What
is
Gangsta
Rap?
-­‐Sub-­‐genre
of
Hip-­‐hop.
-­‐Originated
in
the
mid-­‐1980s
with
Schoolly
D,
Ice-­‐T
and
N.W.A.
-­‐Characterized
by
heavy
beats
and
aggressive
lyrics
meant
to
depict
real
inner-­‐city
struggle.
-­‐CriMcized
for
promoMng
crime,
violence,
racism,
rape,
profanity,
misogyny,
and
drug
and
alcohol
abuse.

3. PsychoanalyMc
CriMcal
Methods
-­‐Gangsta
expresses
repressed
desires.
-­‐Not
just
anyone
can
say
some
of
gangsta’s
lyrics.
-­‐Gives
the
genre
rhetoric
appeal.
Example:
“I
be
placin’
snitches
inside
lakes
and
ditches,
And
if
I
catch
AIDS,
then
I’ma
start
rapin’
b*****s”
–Big
L
“All
Black”

4. Visual
Rhetoric
-­‐Gangsta
visuals:
music
videos,
movies,
fashion,
and
everyday
experiences
in
public
places.
-­‐Visuals
express
social
codes
that
are
well
known
but
cannot
be
spoken.
-­‐
“Gangsta
is
the
‘permissible’
expression,
verbally
and
visually,
of
the
kind
of
appalling
racist
a=tudes
that
we
have
all
heard
but
know
that
we
cannot
and
should
not
express.”
(Page
238)

5. Visual
Rhetoric

6. Marxist
CriMcism
-­‐Gangsta
presents
itself
through
a
rhetoric
of
“keeping
it
real,”
represenMng
African
American
struggles.
-­‐The
“reality”
it
presents
includes
the
racist
stereotypes
of
blacks
being
violent,
materialisMc,
and
overly
sexual.
-­‐Gangsta
thus
puts
blacks
in
a
very
low
posiMon
on
the
social
ladder.

7. False
Claim
#1:
African
American
Culture
Is
Violent
• Gangsta
uses
violent
language
and
visuals.
• Sounds
of
gunshots
are
commonly
heard
in
the
background.
• Blacks
who
try
to
replicate
the
gangsta
rappers
body
posiMons
to
be
cool
only
reinforce
the
stereotype
that
they
are
violent.
• In
reality,
blacks
have
historically
been
more
of
the
vicMms
of
violence.

8. False
Claim
#1:
African
American
Culture
Is
Violent

9. False
Claim
#2:
African
American
Culture
Is
Overly
Sexual
• Gangsta
rap
lyrics
oben
disrespect
women,
treaMng
them
only
as
sexual
objects
that
serve
men.
• Gangsta
films
and
music
videos
put
men
at
the
center
with
women
wearing
lidle
clothing
surrounding
them.
• The
disrespect
Gangsta
has
towards
women
makes
it
is
easier
for
people
to
disrespect
all
African
Americans
and
believe
in
sexual
degradaMon.

10. False
Claim
#2:
African
American
Culture
Is
Overly
Sexual
• Example:
“I'm
only
out
to
f***
a
b****,
f***
tryin'
to
charm
her.
I
treat
a
fine
a**
b****
like
dirt./
No
money
in
her
purse,
a
f***
is
all
it's
worth.”
-­‐Too
$hort,
“Comin’
Up
Short”

11. False
Claim
#3:
African
American
Culture
is
Crassly
MaterialisMc
• Gangsta
depicts
blacks
as
having
showy
clothing
and
possessions,
which
may
be
obtained
through
stealing.
• Gangsta
videos
and
images
feature
gold
or
plaMnum
chains,
diamond
earrings,
grillz,
large
houses,
expensive
cars,
and
pools.
• Product
Placement
AdverMsing
in
Gangsta
videos
and
images:
Hilfiger,
FUBU,
Adidas,
Nike,
G-­‐Unit,
and
sports
team
logos.
• Gangsta
rappers
oben
brag
about
the
money
and
expensive
products/brands
they
posses.

12. False
Claim
#3:
African
American
Culture
is
Crassly
MaterialisMc

13. Conclusion
• Gangsta
rap
confirms
racist
stereotypes.
• It
does
not
have
to
be
this
way-­‐
some
Hip-­‐Hop
groups
give
blacks
a
more
posiMve
image
or
defy
the
current
African
American
stereotypes
its
genre
promotes.
• Example:
“And
since
we
all
came
from
a
woman,
Got
our
name
from
a
woman
and
our
game
from
a
woman,
I
wonder
why
we
take
from
our
women,
Why
we
rape
our
women,
Do
we
hate
our
women”
–
Tupac
“Keep
Ya
Head
Up”
• I
think
today’s
Hip-­‐Hop
has
made
progress
in
moving
away
from
racist
stereotypes.
A
new
electronic,
fun,
and
upbeat
style
of
Hip-­‐Hop
has
replaced
the
old
intense,
heavy
beats
of
gangsta
rap,
and
with
that
comes
a
different
ideology.
• For
example,
some
of
today’s
popular
Hip-­‐Hop
arMsts
rap
about
social
issues
and
promote
peace,
something
that
just
didn’t
happen
20
years
ago.
• Example:
Macklemore’s
“Same
Love”
supports
gay
marriage
and
acceptance
of
all
people.
Macklemore
is
also
white,
showing
that
Hip-­‐Hop
is
not
just
about
African
Americans
anymore.