Much of popular music in the 1990s downplayed sexuality in favor of earnest introspection. The alt-rock generation wanted to believe it was more thoughtful and sensitive than the glam rockers of the previous generation; which resulted in personalities and songs that were more tortured than tawdry. Many rappers were undeniably sexist, but in the early-to-mid ’90s, the genre had yet to succumb to the “video vixen” imagery that would largely define it as the new millennium dawned. By the turn of the century, sex was back — in a big way.
In the 2000s, the biggest pop stars in the world were as known for their scantily clad videos as they were for their chart-topping hits. Rockers had transitioned out of the angst-ridden pathos of the Kurt Cobains and Eddie Vedders of the world and were fully embracing the macho “Did it all for the ‘nookie’ ” personas of Kid Rock and Fred Durst. Rappers like LL Cool J, Nelly, Ja Rule and 50 Cent seemed to be perpetually shirtless, and every hip-hop video featured slow booty shots and oiled breast shots, delighting horny male fans everywhere. Sex had become the standard. No longer shocking or salacious, an entire generation of artists have accepted exaggerated sexuality as par for the course in pop music. This is what you do when you’re a big star. A generation of artists who grew up with Madonna as the matriarch of music can’t be expected to aspire to be Nina Simone.
