Degradation of Women in Caribbean Music Essay -- Music

As one moves past the initial onslaught of swinging beats that calypso has to offer, it is difficult to miss the way in which it reverberates with negative and demoralizing images of women to their male counterparts. Whether it is within the lyrics of Sparrows Drunk and Disorderly or Squargon Ones My Ding-a Ling, an ample number of verses are often dedicated to making lewd comments about the female body and the declarative body language described through thinly veiled rhymes and puns, can be offensive depending on the listener. The half naked models being displayed on the discordant album covers of calypso, soca and rap mix tapes further reinforces these negative connotations. This bandwagon has been jumped upon by many, including the rap genre in the last two decades, wanting to capitalize on a marketing strategy that generally purports to flag consumer attention, playing on their sense of eroticism. The sections titled Music, Sex, Sexism and Woman Rising within Peter Manuels text Caribbean Currents, come down into the many issues surrounding gender within harmony as well as female portrayal specifically in calypso. Observations can be do simply by reading through the textual comparisons. Many aspects of this subject area allude to the fact that the issue of gender portrayal in music can be construed differently depending on who the critical listener happens to be. With the increased awareness and heightened sensitivity to the way in which females are portrayed in habitual media, it is important to reflect on the impact these lyrics have on male-female relationships within the communities who most often enjoy this music genre.The parallels between musical and linguistic boundaries are obvious as stated in author Peter M... ...ages of women. Ultimately the purchaser and listener of all kinds of music, influences the pace of this movement. Work CitedBilby, Kenneth. Largey, Michael. Manuel, Peter. Caribbean Currents- Caribbean Music From Rumba to Reggae. tabernacle Univ. Press. Philadelphia, 2006.Ember, Carol. Ember, Melvin. Encyclopedia of Sex and Gender. Vol 2. Springer pubChicago. 2005Female Degradation must not be Tolerated. The Marquette Tribune. Staff editorial- stick on November 8, 2007. www.marquettetribune.com Accessed April 12, 2008Jones, Tiffanie. Video girls Bare all on Music Industry. New Orleans News PeriodicalDated September 23, 2004. Accessed April 12, 2008Mayer, Andre. Booty Rhapsody-Pop musics obsession with the female posteriorPosted January 16, 2005. www.newsworld.cbc.ca/arts/music/booty.htmlAccessed April 12, 2008