In the time period when minstrelsy was popular, there were many stereotypes and connotations in the minstrel shows about African-Americans that were very degrading.  Because African-American’s needed to participate in the shows in order to make money and to escape from the rural, southern towns and move into bigger, urban cities.  In doing so, the African-Americans were degrading themselves by imitating the white-male imitator imitating African-Americans in “blackface”.    Today I think you can see this same type of concept in some of the  hip-hop/rap music that’s popular across the world.  In many of these songs, the lyrics are very condescending about the stereotypes pertaining to women and African-Americans as well.