Combating Patriarchy with Rap

Rasheeda Page-Muir, a feminist and the founder of a debate platform called RevolYOUtion London, considers the role that rap music has in dismantling patriarchal domination in her talk on grime.

She starts out by adjusting her definition of feminism, describing it as a means of freeing culture from patriarchal thinking and domination, which opens up the narrative to bring more people into the conversation. Although she agrees that the negative affects of sexism are felt far more greatly by women, she argues that the societal expectations that are placed on men cause them to react with misplaced anger and a lack of emotion to reinforce their masculinity.

Page-Muir goes on to explain the need to destroy patriarchal domination on all fronts, for the benefit of everyone. A big part of this is having spaces to talk about personal growth and issues. One place that this is currently happening in is the grime music genre, which can be used to subvert the sexist notions that are celebrated in much of mainstream music. Although not all grime reflects feminist values, it's a platform that can be used by artists to discuss their vulnerability and be empowered by it, rather than shamed.

She concludes her talk on grime by telling her audience that rap and feminism can go hand in hand, as they both have the ability to combat patriarchal domination, and end the vicious cycle that glorifies the hyper-masculine male.