Why do some men rap and sing about women like they’re objects? Why do they write words glorifying sexual violence against women? Is it because they respect women, want to protect them, and have no desire to be sexually violent? Logic leads to the answer no.
“When it comes to hoes I be pimping like I supposed to … Now the moral of this story is cuff your b—-.” R. Kelly released the song containing these lyrics in 2007, five years after being indicted on child pornography charges and 12 years before the release of Surviving R. Kelly, a docuseries covering the various sexual abuse allegations against the R&B artist.
On September 27, 2021, Kelly was found guilty on nine counts, including sex trafficking. One of his most popular songs discusses him “pimping,” so why is anyone surprised by this conviction? Why would someone claim to pimp women if they don’t, at the very least, see prostitution as something to be admired?
R. Kelly is certainly not the only musician who objectifies women and has been accused of sexual abuse. A lawsuit filed against Snoop Dogg this month alleges he sexually assaulted a woman in 2013. Lyrics from the artist about using women like they’re property are plentiful.
In a 2013 article from Rolling Stone, Snoop Dogg, legally named Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., said he went on tour with a bus of 10 women and brought them to cities where professional athletes were playing before allowing some of the athletes to choose women to sleep with for a specified price.
“As a kid I dreamed of being a pimp, I dreamed of having cars and clothes and b—–s to match,” Broadus Jr. said. The popularity of music containing references to prostitution only perpetuates the exaltation of this lifestyle in listeners.
6ix9ine pleaded guilty to “using a child in a sexual performance” in 2015, and in 1991, Dr. Dre beat a journalist following a disagreement with her coverage of N.W.A. XXXTentacion confessed to beating his girlfriend. These are a few of many examples including well-known names from the music industry.
R&B artist Chris Brown, who in 2009 beat his then girlfriend, Rihanna, also has many lyrics that degrade women. “Tie it up. Put a chain on it. Make you tattoo my name on it. Make you cry like a baby.”
Why do we act like men singing about sexual violence has no further implications?
Studies published as early as the late 80s and as recently as 2021 show people repeatedly exposed to violence become desensitized to it, even if that exposure is through media. Much of this research is in regards to violence against women, especially sexual violence.
People who consume content that normalizes sexual violence are more likely to accept rape myths and less likely to sympathize with victims.
If this is the case for those who consume such content, there’s no reason to believe it wouldn’t be so for those who create it. When a man gets high fives for singing and rapping about women like they’re sexual belongings, we shouldn’t be surprised to find out he treats women like they’re sexual belongings.
It’s hard to believe men would write these things about women if they didn’t personally objectify women and take pleasure in treating women in derogatory ways. When they share this dehumanizing view of women through music and are met with praise, of course they feel emboldened. They feel like they can get away with it. And they’re usually right.
Women have been reporting R. Kelly’s abuse since the ‘90s, yet his sentencing will not come until May of this year. We all know what Chris Brown did to Rihanna – and even though he pleaded guilty, he didn’t spend a day in prison – but its time in the headlines was brief, allowing for a quick sweep under the rug.
History makes clear that these men don’t just say they abuse and degrade women but do abuse and degrade women.
We need to start holding these men accountable and stop promoting works that glorify female objectification. We need to stop pretending songs that normalize sexual abuse don’t encourage it.
Allison Bliss is a junior majoring in print journalism and political science.