Originally my thesis idea was a cloud of seemingly clashing thoughts that I was trying to fit and piece together. These clashing thoughts ultimately highlighted my interest in almost everything creative and the process of connecting concepts that seem far-fetched was exciting to me. Thus, I defined my idea as “a mixture of fashion, tech, music, culture, multimedia and maybe even the idea of empowerment and how it relates to the Black community.” Since then I’ve found the connection between the keywords that floated through my mind and I have narrowed down my idea to hip hop feminism and its ability to empower young Black women.
I envision my completed thesis to illuminate the instrumental power that lies within the hip hop industry for Black women. Overall the purpose of my thesis will be to deconstruct the stereotype of hip hop being detrimental to society and instead showcase it as a musical genre that supports Black women living under a Eurocentric male-dominated society. In the past, hip hop has been used to express experiences with oppression while also serving as a means for coping with that oppression. And black women have long used the spoken word to challenge racial inequality and sexism. I hope to prove that despite its limitations, hip hop can be emancipatory for Black women and empower them as well.
My research will not only study the current state of the hip hop industry and contemporary feminism, but will also look into the history of both. I also plan to dissect lyrics and various elements within music videos (including fashion) of performers, Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj. By analyzing them, I seek to answer the following questions: How are Black women in the hip hop industry redefining modern feminism through their music? And how is this modern form of feminism (hip hop feminism) empowering and inspiring young girls and women?
The sources I want to look into might include something on the evolution of feminism, the evolution of hip hop and the black woman’s role in the fight for women’s rights (at a time when they were also fighting for their own civil rights). I would also love to read something about how society can empower and inspire young girls and women especially Black ones.
