Rap & Hip Hop: Sexual, Not Sexy

Part of show business is involves outdoing the person before you, shocking audiences with something they’ve never seen. These days, the most common (and arguably easiest) way to shock the crowd and gain their attention is with sex—the act itself, or just by being attractive. But there’s a difference between putting on a sexy performance, with lyrics that make women swoon, and one that just overtly shows the act.

Case in point, Waka Flocka Flame’s new single, “Bust.”

According to Hollywood Life, the sexual scenes in Waka Flocka Flame’s new music video for “Bust” borderline on that of the modern day celebrity sex tape—exactly how Flame intended. Towards the end of March, Flame was teasing his followers on Twitter, posting messages that made is seem as though someone was releasing a sex tape of him without his consent. It wasn’t until April 1st, when the actual music video was posted, that he revealed the whole thing to be nothing more than an April Fool’s joke.

Still, even though it’s not actual pornography, the music video is still very sexual. But, calling it sexy may be an overstatement.

As a performer, Waka Flocka Flame’s doesn’t scream sexy—at the very least he probably won’t be contacted for People‘s “Sexiest Man Alive” edition. But what about the genre he sings for? Just like Flame’s “Bust” video, rap music videos are known for being an overtly sexual genre, with scantily clad video vixens and lyrics that describe sexual acts in detail, all while adamantly avoiding any artistic synonyms for vulgar acts.

What’s interesting however, is that even though rap and hip hop are arguably the genres most synonymous with sex, neither ranked well among couples’ top choices for bedroom background music. According to an infographic on the relationship between drugs, sex, and music from Adam & Eve, only 4 percent of survey participants responded that they listen to hip hop while having sex and/or while getting into the mood for sex. The survey found that 25 percent preferred rock, 8 percent preferred classical, 5 percent country, and 21 percent “other.”

Instead, for most people, the sexiest music genre is one that doesn’t mention the act at all. Instead, most people (29 percent) preferred to put on “easy listening” music, otherwise known as orchestral pop. For those who aren’t quite sure what that genre consists of—don’t worry you’re not alone—it’s a blend of soft rock and instrumental music, usually without vocals. Because of their similarities, the genre is commonly confused with elevator music. You’d certainly be hard-pressed to find a well-known music video for a song in this genre, let alone one that’s remotely sexual.

Sure, what you like in the bedroom is just as personal as what you like playing in the bedroom. But it just goes to show that when it comes to music, for most people, sex doesn’t always equal sexy.

So, what songs do you have on your sex playlist?

Text by Tom White