Decades of Masculinity Dynamic Portrayal in R&B Music

Abstract

Sexual signification traits are combined and presented distinctively in particular genres and contexts (Björck, 2011). To this day, the masculinity culture in R&B portrays a concept against femininity of highly sexualized manhood (Dhaenens & Ridder, 2014). The study analyzes how R&B music portrays masculinity dynamics in four different decades using the semiotics approach by Roland Barthes and a critical paradigm in understanding the complexity of the ‘real world’ environment. With purposive sampling, the selected samples are Get A Job by The Silhouettes (1958), I Wanna Know by Joe (2000), OMG by Usher featuring Will.I.Am (2010), and Blinding Lights by The Weeknd (2020). The sample selected is R&B or Doo Woop genre, sung by black male artists, ranked in the top 10 Billboard Hot 100 Singles Year-End, and released within the selected decades. The study shows a fluctuation in the masculinity portrayal in 1958, 2000, 2010, and 2020. The hegemonic structure can become less hierarchical and allows other forms of masculinity to be adapted by men. Although some non-hegemonic embodiment was tolerable at the end of the 20th century, public consumption in popular music in the 21st century remained grounded on hegemonic masculinity, disregarding race.