It seems like our American culture has always had a problem with misogyny in the rap music industry. But is our culture introducing a new level of misogyny? Where rappers objectify and reduce women in a more disturbing and brutal way. Are rappers taking once-good music over the edge? Recently, over the past few months, rappers have been releasing new singles about raping women and mistreating them. It seems that Rick Ross has created a fair number of songs about rape against women (ieueno gun play and Sanctified). However, rap is a way for rappers to express their daily struggles and say what they want; (due to the first amendment, which provides for free speech), it still doesn't give rappers the authority to take advantage of this amendment and demean women in their songs (and/or) lyrics. "Some say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice, I say the darker the flesh the deeper the roots", this was a lyric from the rap song, "keep ya head up" written by the most respected rapper in the world world, Tupac Shakur. This rap song was created to uplift people's spirits. It was to encourage people to keep their heads high during the struggles of the 90s. In the song, Tupac assures listeners that everything will get easier and brighter if you keep your head high. Shakur emphasizes that even if you're fed up, you have to keep your head high. Rap music was born in the 1970s in the Bronx, New York. Rap music was inspired by funk music. It was created in the ghetto and seen as a positive influence on the black community, it was used to uplift the black community from the struggles they were facing. It was referred to as poetry for teenagers who were ignored because of their race and social status. It was primarily an…paper medium…active art form. Both authors delve into the Don Imus incident which caused many controversial discussions in the rap music industry. On April 4, 2007, during a debate on the NCAA women's basketball championship, Imus classified the women's college basketball team, Rutgers, as "tough players". While Bernard McGuirk, its executive producer, replied that it was "uncensored h-". The conversation continued with Imus labeling the women as “nappy-headed h-s.” Imus dismissed the insult as a funny and silly comment. Imus said "diaper-headed h-'s" is a term the rap artist uses to describe African-American women. Russell Simmons banned three racial and sexist epithets, namely the use of b---- and h- as well as the n-word. Wiltz and Johnson concluded that people blame the rap genre for society's downfalls.