Spartanburg, S.C. – The Center for Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of South Carolina Upstate will present a screening of the new PBS documentary, “Beyond Beats & Rhymes: Hip Hop and Black Masculinity,” followed by a panel discussion of hip hop and black masculinity on Thursday, February 8 at 7:00 p.m. in the Campus Life Center, Room 309.
The documentary explores director Byron Hurt’s love of hip-hop culture and his simultaneous conflict with its marketing of hyper-masculine images of men of color, violence, materialism, homophobia, and misogyny. Hurt interviews a wide variety of recording company executives, hip-hop moguls, aspiring rappers, and cultural critics to lay bare the racial implications of such images, how and why they are marketed so successfully, and how they are affecting a new generation of young people.
The film’s editorial viewpoint is that hip-hop is and continues to be important because it is a source for social change, for empowering youth, and for helping oppressed voices be heard. Nevertheless, the images and lyrics associated with hip-hop require careful analysis in terms of gender bias.
For more details, contact Dr. Lisa Johnson, director of the Center for Women’s and Gender Studies, at (864) 503-5724 ormjohnson@uscupstate.edu