Rap Music and the decline of Strip Clubs.

nickifree
Texas
Is it a coincidence that the decline of strip clubs and the rise of rap music are both simultaneous occurrences. I believe the evidence validates a strong correlation between the two. I believe that popular culture is the overwhelming influence at play in the quality of the dancers available in strip clubs. And here is why I think so.
In the 1980's the greatest musical and cultural influence on strip clubs was the videos created by popular heavy metal hair bands of the'80s. In many of those videos strippers were in those videos and they were top of the line big bosom (usually enhanced) gorgeous hot women.
So the take away here (culturally) was that to be a stripper you had to have a nice tight bod and have a beautiful face to go along with it. Now remember, I am talking the 19880's and heavy metal hair bands.

Now let's go forward by about 20 years or so. Heavy metal hair bands are laughfully outdated. And Now , rap videos are king. But now let's look at the women in those videos. They are usually black (sometimes Hispanic) and for the most part all you see is there ass shaking in front of the cameras. So now the cultural message is to emulate the booty shaking ass rap videos these girls see and bring them into the local strip clubs.
My point to you is that the 80s videos with white blonde stripper with big breast is hightly more appealing than a big black booty . But today's strippers (even white strippers) seem to think that the booty shaking and thug rap is the way to $$$$$$.

43 comments

Latest

crazyjoe
12 years ago
Its almost 2013. The 80's are done
crazyjoe
12 years ago
Different strokes for different folks. Everyone has different tastes in women
dalex
12 years ago
i prefer big booty light skinned black girl with a nice body 100 times out of 100 over a blonde with big boobs.

I also prefer rap music over heavy metal, & I think is much more fitting for strip club, & rap music is largely constructed around such things as strippers.

But that's just personal preference, we all have it.
SuperDude
12 years ago
Do the dancers pick their music? If so, it's their choice to dance to whatever turns them on. Do their selections reflect what is popular in their age group? Probably. If a customer has been around 25 years and seen the changes in dancers' musical tastes, he is most likely twice the age of the average dancer. Some of us real old farts would love to hear an occasional Motown or Beach Boys tune in a club.
dalex
12 years ago
Some clubs they get to pick, others they have no choice.
yankee428
12 years ago
On any other occasion I would rather listen to three donkey's having sex than listen to (c)rap music, but when it comes to strip clubs, I would have to disagree with you and say rap music is better for dancing.

Dougster
12 years ago
OP: "Is it a coincidence that the decline of strip clubs and the rise of rap music are both simultaneous occurrences."

Nope. I think rap has made the idea that pimping and whore'ing are no big deal. It's great! And why exactly do you call the changes a "decline", anyway?
jackslash
12 years ago
I also question the "decline." Think about today's mileage and extras and OTC.


"My point to you is that the 80s videos with white blonde stripper with big breast is hightly more appealing than a big black booty."

This is also my preference, but it is a personal preference. While I love busty blondes, others love big black booty. The last time I looked (last Friday), I could still find plenty of blondes with big breasts in strip clubs, and I don't care that other guys want something different. Can't we all get along?
motorhead
12 years ago
Kind of an interesting thought. As someone who started going to clubs in the 80's, I do prefer Motley Crüe and Poison to Nas and T-Pain. And I prefer blonde SoCal girls. But if I've learned one thing from TUSCL, everyone has their own concept of "beauty" and every guy has their own preference in women. Not every guy likes blondes with glitter.

Ok, having said that, let's apply the Pareto Principle (80/20 rule) to the strip club industry. I don't think it's a stretch to say that 20% of the customers spend 80% of the m
ney. Sure, there are a lot of guys in the club late, but are they spending money? Not from what I've seen. The truly big money comes from guys 40 to 60. So why not cater to the best customers?

Whether it's the dancers or the DJ's that pick the music, they're picking music of their on preference. What other business operates by what the employee, not the customer, wants. If my waste management company felt that, I wouldnt get my garbage picked up this week.

Just another sign the SC industry operates with a fucked business model.
gatorfan
12 years ago
I thought they call it hip hop now?
Clubber
12 years ago
I think nicki made an interesting point, and that motor expanded on it. nicki didn't mention once ones like or dislike of music or dancers, rather the cultural influence on the club scene. I think the point made is correct.
ilbbaicnl
12 years ago
The root problem with strip clubs is that most people think that only sleazy women are strippers, and that becomes partially a self-fulfilling prophesy. Most strippers, to one degree or another, tend to be associated with the criminal subculture, which of course means hostility to any sort of authority. Some clubs react to this by being really hard on the dancers, which makes you feel sorry for the ones who don't deserve it. Other clubs give up on trying to get the dancers to be customer-oriented, but then the dancers and the club make a fraction of what they could.
GoVikings
12 years ago
I don't even get why nickifree goes to clubs. Check his discussion topics and you'll see that EVERY fucking topic he makes is about him whining, complaining or bitching about something. If its not the dancers, it's the music. If its not the music, it's something else. You can't be enjoying yourself.

And this topic is bullshit because in the last paragraph you state that one thing is attractive and the other is not when that's just a matter of PERSONAL PREFERNCE!!!

georgmicrodong
12 years ago
Who says strip clubs are in decline? And who, besides you, says that the "white blonde stripper with big breast is hightly more appealing than a big black booty"?
motorhead
12 years ago
"Who says strip clubs are in decline?"

Very good point, George. Perhaps the OP should have stated why he thinks strip clubs are in decline before pointing out the reason behind it.

If one looks at "mileage" in clubs - they're certainly not in decline.

If one looks at the quality of the dancers - well, I think we have established that is purely a personal preference, so overall it may moy have not declined.

I can only speak for the handful of clubs in Michigan I regularly go to, but attendance has most definitely declined dramatically over the past few years. And from I've heard from veteran dancers (so question the validity?)their incomes have been slashed by a huge amount.

What's to blame? I can't say. It could be the culture created by rap music as the OP says, or it could just be the economy. Michigan was especially hard hit by the recession and is still in recovery. So I don't know what it's like elsewhere. But I do know dancers that used to make $800 to $1000 on a Friday or Saturday night now struggle to bring home $150.

So if dancer income being down indicates clubs are in decline - then yes, it appears to be so. But the causes are many. The economy and girls doing more OTC are certainly some reasons, and maybe, just maybe, the point the OP makes does contribute.
rh48hr
12 years ago
Motor I won't say I'm surprised , but pleased one of the older guys here knows who Nas is. I have heard many different decades of music played in the club. But many times the girls don't have a choice in what is played. So in those cases I would suggest going to the DJ to make a request. But in reality when you have a naked woman grabbing/sucking your dick who cares what song is playing??
umissedaspot
12 years ago
I'm sure that some of the big spending old farts are turned off by the rap played in clubs today. But were the old farts of 25 years ago any less turned off by the hair metal played in clubs then? I doubt it.
motorhead
12 years ago
rh48hr,

An old ATF used to regularly dance to Nas, otherwise I might be clueless. LOL.

Another point I want to make, is that I think customers want to hear music they are familiar with. Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison might be turning over in their grave hearing me say this, but I actually really like some rap and hip hop music. But it's the songs I've heard before and come to recognize and enjoy. I mean I love, "Bring it Back" (Travis Porter) almost as much as I like Black Sabbath's "Paranoid".

But I get the fact the girls are in the club every night and get really tired of playing the same old songs over and over again. They want to dance to new, fresh music. So it's hard to please us both.

I was in the club the other night...it was late, so it was filled with young guys (and women). Much to my surprise, the DJ plays, "You Gotta Fight for Right to Party" by the Beastie Boys. It's one of my all-time favorites, yet I'm thinking, these kids won't have a clue what this song is. The truth is, during that song, there was more energy in the club than I witnessed the whole night. Kids were out of their seats, dancing with the song, singing along with the lyrics. I loved it. So what's wrong with some older music?
GoVikings
12 years ago
rh48hr says "But in reality when you have a naked woman grabbing/sucking your dick who cares what song is playing??"

EXACTLY! I don't get why this guy is SO obsessed with what type of music is played in a strip club.

If you hate don't like rap music, that's fine, that's your personal preference. But that's not the point.

nickifree, you don't see to understand WHY rap music is frequently played in a strip club. The reason why is because a strip club, in a way, is sort of a party type atmosphere. Therefore, it's APPROPRIATE for that type of music to be played. Strip clubs just play a bunch of pop, rap songs with catchy beats. They don't play anything with substance.

It's very similar to when you go to a house party. Rap music is frequently played at those too. Why? Because it's APPROPRIATE for that type of event.
ilbbaicnl
12 years ago
@GoVikings because the number one best way to spend an evening is a good night at the SC, and the number two best way to spend an evening is a bad night at the SC.
Tiredtraveler
12 years ago
Fat ass strippers are my ticket for the door.
joewebber
12 years ago
After a while of listening to these offensive songs with offensive and suggestive lyrics, the girls become brainwashed into thinking that high mileage is acceptable and the norm. they all know the lyrics. they're mouthing them while they dance for you.
while it's beneficial to us as customers that patronize the high mileage clubs, it causes the other clubs to suffer, and even more girls that don't offer high mileage to quit the business.

this is a culture thing, brought on by the attitude and behavior expressed in hip-hop. it's not about race because a lot of the white dancers are either dating a rapper wannabe, or are tolerant enough to remain. the tolerant though, are out-numbered by the hip-hop requests to the dj for their stage sets, and the once predominantly white clubs are overtaken by the ghetto culture and element.
In Atlanta, this happened at The Goldrush.

The irony is that the black girls that came to work at The Goldrush didn't want to work at a black club like The Onyx because of the poor attitudes of the black clientele. The white clientele left The Goldrush because of the endless droning on of the hip-hop and was replaced with black clientele even more thuggish than Onyx could ever imagine.

as I said. it's a culture thing. we now have words in our vocabulary like "baby daddy", stacks, bands, etc. not to mention that every rapper thinks he needs a stripper girlfriend as a status symbol now because of T-Payne's "I'm in love with a stripper".

still undecided about a decline of Strip Clubs?

consider this:
why are there pat-downs and metal detectors at most strip clubs now? why are 80% of the dancers single moms now as opposed to around 30% in the late 70s thru the 80s?
why are there more pimps hanging out in the strip clubs now?
why doesn't anyone in Atlanta want to go to Shooter's Alley anymore, or hang out at Follies at night?

Hip-Hop/Rap received its early financing through drug dealers and illicit activities. why do you think Tupac and Biggie had such violent ends? Surely rapping wasn't the motive to gunning down two young men.
At least not then.
let's consider rap lyrics now versus metal lyrics from the 80s/90s

Bon Jovi

Shot thru the heart, and you're to blame, you give love a bad name.

Juicy J

All the girls poppin' pussy, i'm just poppin' bands.



nickifree
12 years ago
I see that motorhead and clubber understand the point I'm making. And that is, the whole rap videos and "in da club" rap songs have had a devastatingly negative impact on strip clubs.

It is the rap culture- violent, criminal, cruel, heartless, selfish misogynistic, racist and homophobic- that I blame for much of the decline.

I also don't believe that its simply a matter of the economy. The economy was just as bad, if not worse, in the early to mid 90's. So no it's not the economy- it's the attitude.
joewebber
12 years ago
"It is the rap culture- violent, criminal, cruel, heartless, selfish, misogynistic, racist and homophobic- that I blame for much of the decline."

you hit the nail on the head!
georgmicrodong
12 years ago
You still haven't indicated why you think that strip clubs are in a decline, or why you think the rest of us should feel that way.

Certain areas may have suffered temporary setbacks, but overall, I don't see much evidence for your alleged "decline".
Clackport
12 years ago
I definitely do not think strip clubs are in decline.
Papi_Chulo
12 years ago
“… I'm sure that some of the big spending old farts are turned off by the rap played in clubs today. But were the old farts of 25 years ago any less turned off by the hair metal played in clubs then? I doubt it …”

Times change but people often don’t; for better or worse.

Most folks feel the generation when they grew up was better than the current generation be it terms of music or society in general.

In the 50s, Rock n Roll was looked down upon. Elvis Presley at first would either not be shown on TV or would be shown from the waist up b/c of his subjective movements/dancing.

In the 60s, the hippies were looked down upon.

In the 70s, the long haired rockers were often seen as douchebags.

In the 80s, the hair bands were seen as promiscuous and druggies.

Now it’s hip hop’s turn.

20 years from now, the hip hopers may be saying, man in my day … but today it sucks b/c ….

This sort of thing seems to happen w/ every generation.
shadowcat
12 years ago
Fuck it. If the dancers are any good, the music is just noise in the back ground.

Old fart.
deogol
12 years ago
No, there is a difference going on - and it is not just in strip clubs.
dalex
12 years ago
Actually us who grew up on 90s rap music are looking down on modern hiphop music. There's genres within genres, not all hiphop is the same to the person who actually listens to it, although it might appear that way. By similar logic, when it comes to rock and related genres, I can't tell difference between regular, heavy, metal, death, and so on, it's all the same to me.
she_is_covfefe
12 years ago
Again, another "I don't like big asses, and I only like petite women with big tatas" by Nikifree.

I'm coming back to work in about three more weeks, and I wish I knew how Nikifree looks so I could see the look on his face when he sees me on stage. I'm not blond nor petite; I'm the complete opposite, for I'm brunette. I have medium boobs: as in, large in size (currently 36F, previously 36D)but they look just right for my amazon/linebacker physique. I wanna see him running out of the door once I set foot on stage; that would be the funniest thing since the time I had a 1/2 hour CR with some tiny Indian dude who was like half my size.
she_is_covfefe
12 years ago
Back on the subject, I'm not too fond of hip hop. If the club has a nice atmosphere I could put up with it. However, I'm more of a classic rock/old heavy metal and country/southern rock kind of gal.
Experimental
12 years ago
Some strip clubs are in decline, and it is usually the way they are run.
They either treat the girls or customers or both so poorly they stop showing up.

I don't mind rap or hiphop. It isn't my favorite but I like some. The music that kills me is country. I can't stand it. I think country themed strip clubs are in decline! Good riddance!!!
nickifree
12 years ago
Again- let me clarify. Its not the music but the culture. Jay Jay, as a dancer you know that it is the whole package that you are selling. If part of your package includes a negative culture then that is how potential customers will precieve you. That is, if they think you ara ho, then that will be a turn off in the clubs for many guys.

It's not about what size ass or what color that ass is. It is the idea of what you think about the person's character. The emphasis I placed on "big black booties" is that American society does not view black female bodies the same way they view white female bodies.

Rap/hip hop videos celebrate black females, but the underlying culture (rap culture) is repugnant. So for many men the representation of black bodies becomes repugnant as well.

It is the overall association with rap that does a disservice to the sexuality that strippers of trying to sell. You can have a nice booty. But tying it to the culture that rap represents is a very big turn off for the majority of male customers in strip clubs. Of course, clubs that cater to this is a different story. But more mainstream clubs with find rap/hip hop dancers unsatisfactory.

Stop trying to sell us something we don't won't.
Estafador
12 years ago
who the hell even THINKs about culture of a music that's being played in a strip club? Seriously, as far as I have seen, I have a helluva hard time even finding ONE big booty hoe in the SC and the majority of the time they're DEFINETELY playing rap, hip hop and R&B. Most of those girls on stage are WHITE, SKINNY and blonde with no ass and fake boobs. I would say the only thing difference from your preference would be the long STRAIGHT hair and not the curls. Rap culture has influenced absolutely nothing. I see a LOT of sensual dances and only SOME booty shaking on the stage. Trust me bro, there's NO assimilation going on from hip hop and rap. You either went to black oriented clubs or you just picked the wrong places. Every single club I've been to (it makes 7 since the past saturday) all the girls were about slow movements and sensual dancing. I've only met one black girl out of my entire experience so far (lap dancing meeeting I mean) and she was the only one who bounced her ass up and down on my dick. I've even seen a slim black chick on a patrol do sleek sensual movements for a lapdance (the guy was white of coure) and none of the excessive booty shaking we see in rap videos. And you still have yet to explain how exactly is it declining.

And you just switched your argument from simple dance moves from BET to personalities and just general view of women. Trust me, your a small sum of people who find the stereotypical black girl look repugnant
ilbbaicnl
12 years ago
And BTW, get off nickifree's lawn!
staxwell
12 years ago
"My point to you is that the 80s videos with white blonde stripper with big breast is hightly more appealing than a big black booty"

Is this a fact?

I'm not gonna keep saying the same thing over and over in regards to the SC music, but I will say Heavy Metal sounded like crap too to people in the 80's. But, this isn't about the quality of music, just the quality of dancers, right?

"I believe that popular culture is the overwhelming influence at play in the quality of the dancers available in strip clubs."

I doubt all the dancers back in the 80's were hot, just like not all the dancers today are any worse looking than the hot ones from the 80's. Some areas have there high spots; some low. Just like it probably was back then.

That applies to the music as well. Not all rap music is negative shit, just like not all heavy metal was power ballads and fucking girls, girls, girls.

"It is the rap culture- violent, criminal, cruel, heartless, selfish, misogynistic, racist and homophobic- that I blame for much of the decline."

Yeah, cause none of that was going on in Heavy Metal.

Heavy Metal had a whole generation living by the words "Sex, Drugs, and Rock-n-Roll!" and they weren't talking about a little marijuana when they said drugs.

Rap doesn't have anyone OD'ing on coke in the middle of the night on Sunset Blvd. People do coke now because they just want to. In the 80's it was because "Sex, Drugs & Rock-n-Roll" was the motto.

Gene Simmons slept with damn near 5,000 women.

A little more contemporary: Marilyn Manson.

Ozzy Osbourne didn't influence anyone.

Metallica doesn't make anyone wanna fuck shit up.

Don't blame the music, man. Just like you reached down for those Bon Jovi lyrics, it would be nothing to find some good rap lyrics.
Clubber
12 years ago
nicki, it isn't just a decline in the clubs. History for most everyone begins the day they are born. The young ones here have no way to compare today to my time, but I can certainly make that comparison. Oh, I'm sure they'll start kicking, screaming, and whining that of course they can compare, but that will just be their way of acknowledging that they know I am correct.

motorhead
12 years ago
I was in the club the other night and a dancer commented to me her 5 year old loves the song that was playing. He walks around the house saying pussy clappin'

She thought it was funny. I thought it was sad.
Clubber
12 years ago
motor,

Sad? I think it is more a sickness. A moral one, not a medical one.
JuiceBox69
12 years ago
Anybody talkin bout Da juice yet ?
motorhead
12 years ago
I'm sittin' in a club right now and they just played "Trampled Under Foot" by Zep.

Fuck the dancers and their rap music. I'm takin' the DJ into the VIP right now.
Clubber
12 years ago
Amen, brother!
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