In Kyra D. Gaunts article, Translating Double-Dutch to Hip-Hop: The Musical Vernacular of Black Girls Play, she makes the argument that black womens musical experience is not perceived as central in shaping popular black musical culture, because

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Nicole Lancie

SOC 300

April 13, 2006

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The Impact Black Women Havein Hip Hop

Week Six: From Fly Girls to Bitches to Ho’s

            African American woman are rarely recognized as primary musical and influential “generators” in contemporary hip hop and black popular culture. In Kyra D. Gaunt’s article, Translating Double-Dutch to Hip-Hop: The Musical Vernacular of Black Girls’ Play, she makes the argument that black women’s musical experience is not perceived as central in shaping popular black musical culture, because there is an “emphasis on male authority, male performance, [and] social experience” (262). When in reality, black girls’ musical play such as –double-dutch, “body musicking,” hand clap games, cheers—have culturally influenced the “blackness” and rhythmic style of hip hop. Black female emcees are challenging the institutionalized male dominance in the hip hop industry by identify themselves within an "interpretive community" as a–"Queen Mother," "Fly Girl," "Sista with Attitude," or "Lesbian"—to reflect the various images and lifestyles of black women in urban culture (Keyes, 266). In Empowering Self, Making Choices, Creating Spaces: Black Female Identity via Rap Performance, Cheryl L. Keyes defines four different female rap identities and reports the powerful messages each identity delivers to reconstruct the role black woman play in hip hop and society. In this paper I will argue that by –reconstructing black female sexuality, lyricising black feminism, defining female “blackness”—African American females are challenging sexism in the rap industry and deconstructing negative stereotyping about women to create a self-identifiable persona and musical authority in contemporary hip hop culture.  

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                The “fly girl,” a stylistic female with great hairstyles and accessories, not only influenced the fashion trends of 1980’s hip hop culture, but portrayed women as self proclaiming erotic subjects rather than sexual objects. Though mainstream society has rigid standard of beauty, the “fly girl” teaches African American women that their bodies are beautiful by creating a positive “body esteem” (Keyes, 269). The “fly girls” confident expression of their sexuality can be mapped back to pre-adolescent years, where expressive dance among girlfriends taught individualized expression of self and femaleness. The hidden sexualized meaning in girl games (dance and song) acted ...

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