Masculinity

After World War II life became somewhat hard for most Americans male, who find themselves tied in a life where they had to provide for their families in a tough economy. Marlboro sought in his popular ad a way to provide some sort of escape for its male-dominant market by selling the idea of the "cowboy." This loner, solitary man, who walks his own path, yet always astute and devoted to his ideal. His ideal being nothing else than just be free, free from all the pressure the metropolitan world could bring. The cowboy is then the image of a masculine man who uses his muscles to provide, he is stress-free in a world where everyone seems to have things to worry about. 

Rap music came along inspiring itself to that idea, where at first rappers sought in rap  a way to talk about their problems, their struggles and everything happening around them. just like the cowboy, rappers became these poet who freely expressed their mind. however, when the rap game became so big that money flowed into it, masculinity and what it represents took a drastic turn. Masculinity became being the biggest baller, the one dude with the big bucks and flashy tangs. In music video, women became objectified and spoken into in a very subjective way. Masculinity was redefined to suits the taste of records label to sell more songs.