Mos Def

I think Mos Def is a very interesting specimen when analyzing the hyper-masculine front that hip hop artists feel they need to put on. In the documentary Beyond the Beats and Rhymes Mos Def talks about how he was a "book worm" and was forced to put on that front in order to succeed in the hip hop game. This statement stuck out to me because even though this may be true for Mos Def, he is still able to portray positive messages with his socially conscious lyrics. Alternatively, hearing other rappers like Jadakiss talk about the front of hyper-masculinity had a very different impact for me. While Mod Def recognizes hyper-masculinity and understands that rappers need to adopt that front to succeed, he still doesn't rap about murder nor does he degrade women with his lyrics.

It is clear that hip hop has had a huge impact on how men feel they should present themselves, especially black men from poverty and crime-ridden regions of our cities. And I understand it is a lot easier to sell a hip hop song about sex than a socially responsible one. However, I still think there is room in hip hop for rappers like Mos Def who reject the violence within the genre.