Hip-hop has long been a space for artistic expression and social commentary, yet it's also been criticized for perpetuating misogynistic themes that objectify women and normalize gender-based violence. I have a similar thought to the other two fellows. Some may argue that hip-hop is based on the violence in hoods, and misogyny is rooted in their culture. If so, why is the hippo so popular all over the globe and not being banned from mainstream?

I’m curious whether misogyny in hip-hop appears across all cultures. From what I understand, hip-hop originated within a Western cultural context, and as it emerged from the streets, misogynistic lyrics were part of its early development. However, when hip-hop spread to other cultures — ones with completely different social norms from the West — it raises the question: did they simply adopt the misogynistic aspects of Western hip-hop, or did they develop their own interpretations of the genre that, perhaps inevitably, ended up resembling the Western model?

I had a similar thought to Toshith; I find it hard to think that misogyny could be apart of a culture. Of course, there's various cultures where the women is traditionally inferior to the man. However, this always stems from a system that was built off of patriarchal standards. I agree with your point that if one doesn't like the music, they shouldn't listen to it. But this is the music that shapes the future generation and like Toshith said, it's important to recognize the effects of such a thing and what gets made from it.

One thing I was thinking about is how people often defend misogyny in hip hop by saying “it’s just the culture.” But that makes it harder to call out real harm. I think it’s important to talk about how the music industry and audience also play a role in what gets made and not just the artists.