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Introduction
The music industry has never been particularly kind to women and their plight for equality. Indeed, popular music is filled with ideas and concepts that popularize objectification to a significant degree. While it would be a mistake to claim that the contemporary music industry makes it impossible for women to focus on their musical talent and not solely their appearance, the existing stereotypes clearly do not make the process of change any easier.
The situation becomes slightly worse in the musical dimensions that were initially deemed as males, such as rock or rap, and it culminates in the trap music (Elizabeth par. 4). Although modern female trap singers attempt at making the genre more diverse by introducing challenging ideas, the need to incorporate the necessary visual and verbal elements of the genre posits whether they reinforce the status quo by doing so.
Main body
The specified problem becomes particularly explicit when considering female DJs that have been working in the trap music industry. A closer look at the target environment will show that there is currently only one example of the specified phenomenon that is known on a statewide level, whereas the rest of the industry is dominated by men (Whitlock par. 2). Known as Krewella and represented by two sisters, the duo has not been enjoying as wide popularity as their male counterparts, although being just as prolific and talented (Cameron par. 4).
The specified issue can be explained by the fact that, in the trap music culture, women are typically viewed as a commodity and not a unique human being, let alone a creative voice. Indeed, on the further scrutiny of the problem, one will see that the issue of female DJs in the trap music domain
In light of the specified argument, one may infer that abandoning the trap genre is the only possible way for women to manage the identified concern. However, the specified argument invalidates the fight for equality and equity in contemporary society (Kimmel 76). The idea of restricting the ideas and notions that pertain specifically to toxic masculinity and misogyny to a specific niche might seem reasonable since eradicating the specified concepts can hardly be eliminated from the social setting in their entirety.
However, the identified measure should not be seen as a shield against problematic ideas in contemporary music, either, since it only provides a means of avoiding the issue temporarily (Zimbardo 91). Furthermore, after having gained impressive popularity in the popular culture in the late 2000s and the early 2010s, trap music has built impressive influence over audiences globally. As a result, the ideas that can be deemed as questionable in regard to gender equality have gained a global platform, which should be seen as problematic, at least, and troubling, at worst.
Therefore, defining trap music as intrinsically chauvinistic and excluding the chances for women to alter the specified genre to promote more contemporary ideas in it is invalid at its core. In order to ensure that gender equality becomes a norm in modern society, one will need to introduce change and the relevant ideas to every area, including the ones that have been known to maintain rather rigid and less progressive views.
Furthermore, the fact that trap music is a rather recent trend in the global music industry deprives it even of the modicum of excuse that it could have to defend its position. While older genders with established philosophies could be seen as more difficult to change, the trap music industry, which emerged in the late 90s, does not have the rudimentary principles of misogyny and gender profiling that it could use as the justification for the current trends. Therefore, it is critical to incorporate new ideas associated with the liberation of women and the subversion of harmful societal stereotypes.
The specified issue intersects with the problem of female artists and especially DJs in the electronic music industry. Belonging to the EDM genre, trap music shares the problem of the lack of female DJs with electronic music, in general (Exposito par. 2-3). Although the number of female DJs in electronic music, in general, is rather large, they rarely obtain the same amount of attention and receive the same extent of acknowledgment for their accomplishments as men (Hansen 4).
The specified phenomenon shows that gender profiling does not exist in a vacuum and that women suffer from oppression in the realm of entertainment just as badly as they do in other areas. Particularly, women seem to be judged for adopting the roles that are deemed as intrinsically male and behave in the manner that is traditionally perceived as masculine. Seeing that trap music, by its nature, represents compressed range and anger, for the most part, female performers and DJs are often blamed for adopting the same roles as their male counterparts do, such as the image of a bossy and self-assured person (Exposito par. 5).
The dilemma of choosing between an emotionally challenging standpoint and succumbing to the stereotype that is less demanding in terms of the public response also extends to the representation of gender in trap music, in general. Furthermore, one could argue that the problem of women DJs in electronic music, EDM, and trap, in particular, is more profound than the presence of social and gender-related bigotry in a particular niche. The specified issue can be explained by the fact that, due to high levels of objectification and the tendency toward the commodification of women, the trap music industry does not leave any opportunities for them to play the roles that imply any amount of leadership.
When considering the possibility of addressing the questionable aspects of female objectification in contemporary trap music, one should embrace not only the cultural elements that are specific to music but also broader ideas that will appeal to more diverse groups and encourage the introduction of female-friendly and even feminist ideas into the trap music. By allowing the trap genre to fuse with other musical styles, one will encourage not only rapid but also very natural change in the overall trap music philosophy and enrich it with innovative and challenging ideas (DeFrancisco et al. 188).
The specified suggestion, however, makes one question whether future changes to the trap music and the encouragement of feminist-oriented shifts in it will lead to the erasure of the trap culture as a concept and whether the specified erasure should be encouraged. On the one hand, the current environment of trap music cannot be seen as progressive when viewed from a feminist or gender-related perspective (DeFrancisco et al. 187).
Quite the contrary, most of the modern trap songs nurture the stereotypes that have been persisting in modern society for decades. On the other hand, the specified music niche also has a specific cultural value and a philosophy verbalizing which should be seen as the right of its proponents.
Nonetheless, the current trap music environment needs an urgent change as far as the promotion of gender equality and the modern gender agenda are concerned. While it would be wrong to claim that the specified genre purposefully abuses women by disregarding their dignity, one must admit that the trends in the specified genre are detrimental to the positive representation of gender identity. Trap glorifies gender-related stereotypes, applauds the stereotypical portrayal of a woman as a commodity, and reduces the chances for women to advance in rap and electronic music as DJs or authors of any kind.
Conclusion
Therefore, it is critical to revisit the current gender principles within the trap music industry and redesign the image of a woman that it upholds as the standard. Particularly, diversity-related ideas and feminist concepts will have to permeate the core of the trap music industry to alter the status quo and encourage a positive change. Although the identified genre can be seen as intrinsically aggressive toward women, it, in theory, has the potential to become the ground for introducing change to the contemporary music industry, in general.
For instance, with a positive example that can be introduced into the realm of a genre as intrinsically aggressive and masculine as a trap, one will be capable of gradually altering the perception of women in music on a larger scale. The specified shift in people’s perception will lead to the reduction in the rates of objectification in the modern music industry and the introduction of additional opportunities for female singers, rappers, and DJs to be noticed. As a result, a positive trend in the realm of entertainment will emerge.
Works Cited
Cameron, John. “Exclusive Interview: Rain Man Talks Substances, Krewella and His Next Single.” WeGotThisCovered.com, 2015. Web.
DeFrancisco, Victoria Priun, et al. Gender in Communication A Critical Introduction. 2nd ed., SAGE Publications, 2014.
Elizabeth, Jordannah. “The Feminist Guide to Trap Music.” The Dowsers, n.d. Web.
Exposito, Suzy. “How EDM Insurgents Discwoman Are Taking on Gender Discrimination.” The Rolling Stone. 2017. Web.
Hansen, Daniel Lund. The Underrepresentation of Female Personalities in EDM. 2017. Web.
Kimmel, Michael. Guyland. Harper Collins, 2008.
Whitlock, Matt. “10 Female Hip Hop DJs Keeping the Culture Alive.” The Source. 2014. Web.
Zimbardo, Phillip. Man, Interrupted. Newburyport, CA, 2014.
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