Kodak Black’s Zeze in which he features Travis Scott and Offset can be described as a sex lyrics song. Kodak released the song after his release from prison. The song proved to be a huge success because it ranked second on the Billboard Hot 100. There is no specific theme in the song, and it seems to have been designed for entertainment purposes. This argument is best reinforced by the video, which currently has attained above eleven million views. The video shows scenes of the directing crew, the artists themselves, and women dancing. Women in the video have been portrayed as sexual objects, who are only to be seen and not to be heard.
Kodak’s music video cannot evade criticism. Particularly, it obscures the image and role of women in the society (Howard, 2014). It also perpetuates the negative gender stereotypes levelled against women. In the video, women are given passive roles. They dance and entertain the men. In some scenes, as the women dance, one-hundred dollar notes are blown past and around them. Perhaps it is to signify that as men accumulate wealth, they spoil it on women. Secondly, the women dancers in the video are silent, a manifestation of male domination. Even when the society discriminates against them, they are not expected to speak out. Thirdly, the women dancing in the video are barely clothed. While semi-nude, they are required to dance seductively. It is a clear depiction of seeing women as valueless objects. Besides, the African American woman is depicted as a highly aggressive woman. In one of the scenes, an African American woman is heard hurling obscene words to white women.
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Hip Hop music videos such as Kodak’s could mislead many fans. It is because there a notion that hip hop music talks about the reality, which many people are reluctant to talk about. It is also essential to state that hip hop music is popular among the blacks. Therefore, it is seen as a medium through which the blacks express themselves about discrimination and social injustice (Chang, 2007). However, Rose (2008) argues that many hip hop artists have taken advantage of this notion to benefit themselves. They have to package their video and audio content to create controversy and earn cash. Kodak’s video, for instance, does not portray any ‘reality’. There are no issues of black emancipation or welfare. Rather, it incorporates images of nude women to attract viewership. The video glorifies nudity and gender stereotypes instead of agitating for change.
In essence, Kodak Black believes that perpetuating the notion of women as sex objects is ‘cool’ and ‘trendy’. The publicity elicited by the video is immense but it only benefits the artist. On the contrary, women become more sidelined and discriminated against. The mention of words such as ‘hoe’ and ‘ass’ is degrading and thwarts efforts of women emancipation. Secondly, this type of hip hop music and videos mock the blacks’ profiling instead of empowering them (Rose, 2008). Most profoundly, the black woman is portrayed in bad light as being devoid of respect and overly aggressive.
In conclusion, the purpose of Hip Hop music is seemingly abstract. Hip Hop artists argue that their music is meant to portray the reality in the ghetto, especially the black ghetto, but their actions do not reinforce that argument. Instead, their music videos seem to glorify negative lifestyles. For instance, Kodak Black’s Zeze music video glorifies the notion that women are sex objects. They have to depend on men for survival. More specifically, they have to engage in sex orgies to get cash from men. Evidently, if Hip Hop music continues to perpetuate negative gender stereotypes, it will create more problems than solutions.
References
Chang, J. (2007). Can't stop won't stop: A history of the hip-hop generation . St. Martin's Press.
Howard, N. R. (2014). I Am Not My Sister’s Keeper. Black Women and Popular Culture: The Conversation Continues , 125.
Kodak Black. (2018). ZEZE feat. Travis Scott & Offset. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfHNIPXTxy0
Rose, T. (2008). The hip hop wars: What we talk about when we talk about hip hop--and why it matters . Civitas Books.
