Sex Machines: Performing and Critiquing Masculinity in the Music of Stereo Zen

Abstract

Throughout its history, popular music has in ways both challenged and reinforced traditional perceptions of masculinity. With sexual  themes as arguably core to its construction, funk music has continued to portray a more traditional notion of masculine sexuality and  hypervirility. This trend was set through the traditional masculine imagery of funk musicians James Brown and George Clinton, as well as  through the lyrical content of their music. South African funk-rock band Stereo Zen were heavily influenced by Brown and Clinton, as well  as later funk-rock bands such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Active from 2004-2014, Stereo Zen’s musical and lyrical imagery aligns itself  with the aforementioned artists’, yet their version of funk masculinity is mixed with insecurity and uncertainty over their position within  this performative gendered framework. This insecurity is voiced at times through honest portrayals of feelings of inadequacy, as well as  blustering postures of masculinity and offensive language. This paper reads the music of Stereo Zen through the lens of hooks’s concept  of hypermasculine black male sexuality, in parallel with the history and development of funk, arguing that Stereo Zen’s music allows for  nuanced interpretations of formations of masculinities, and their portrayal of these performative gendered structures speaks to a unique  historical moment within South African history.