Need Some Feminism with that Hip-Hop?: Understanding Women and Representation in Rap

- Veney vidi vici

In recent years, much attention has been given to hip-hop and the rap game for it's often misogynistic messages and representation of women. With the rise and rise and rise of mainstream feminism these genres specifically have been taken, deconstructed, torn apart, and deemed wholly disrespectful and inappropriate in its treatment of women. But while this message is repeated regularly and ever more vehemently, young women are flocking to castings and auditions for the "degrading" music videos, often creating their own booty-shaking content, and women are consuming these commercial and independent products just as much as men. If we are to believe that hip-hop and rap's only contribution to womanhood is the steady decline thereof, then why are so many women willing participating in these spheres?

        The answer is that it is not - and never has been - that simple. 

        First, it's important to recognize who is participating in the culture being critiqued and who are the critics. Typically, the men and women producing and being featured in commercial hip-hop and rap content are men and women of color (Black, Hispanic/Latin, Asian, etc.). Generally, the participation is consensual, though varying degrees of coercion are also present in the industry. The men and women in mainstream media who are critiquing these cultural products (because that's what they are at the end of the day) are predominantly upper-middle and upper class White Americans who practice a specific branch of feminism that does not account for the cultural difference experienced and lived by people of color in America. Much of the mainstream critique against hip-hop and rap are not simply anti-misogyny but also anti-black/anti-minority or at the vary least attempt to eliminate the concept of "color" all together. For example, mainstream feminism argues against sexual double standards that label girls who wear form-fitting or revealing clothing as sexually open, provocative, and even slutty. This narrative ignores the reality that women of color are - by the mere fact that they are an ethnic "other" - never had the opportunity to have asexual or innocent identities but have been sexualized from birth and that no amount of modesty in dress or behavior will prevent them from being seen and identified as sexual, erotic beings by men of all races and ethnicities. Leora Tanenbaum - a white feminist who came of age in the 60s - speculates (rather accurately) in her book, Slut! Growing Up Female with a Bad Reputation, that "it's the commodification of sex, not sexism, that troubles most of the offended" (Tanenbaum, 211). 

       Which leads to my second point - much of the critiques of hip-hop and rap's misogyny robs the women who take part in the media's creation of their choice and power in the industry. As hip-hop and Black feminist scholar Joan Morgan illustrates in her work Hip Hop Feminist, "Calling rappers out for their sexism without mentioning the complicity of the 100 or so video-hos that turned up - G-string in hand - for the shoot" is equivalent to victimizing those women and stealing their sexual power and control from them (Morgan, 418). As Shani Jamila highlights in her essay "Can I Get a Witness? Testimony from a Hip Hop Feminist" found in the anthology Colonize This! Young Women of Color on Today's Feminism, "Teaching women not to be sensual and erotic beings, or not to show that we are, is diminishing and subverts the locus of our own uniqueness as females" (Jamila, 393). This is not to say, however, that male hip-hop and rap artists should be let off the hook for lyrics and images that are clearly degrading and harmful to women. That would be ludicrous. Much like the artists Ludacris's track "My Chick Bad"as well as it's remix.

                                   Ludacris VEVO "My Chick Bad" [Original Version]

         

         In this video, Ludacris stylizes himself not only as the powerful rapper who's status is boosted by his "bad" chick who  is "badder than yours" and "[does] stuff dat ya chick wish she could", the rapper also presents himself in the position of the music video's director with total control over the set and the filming.  The female dancers who appear throughout the video are sometimes seen stretching in the background or are seen  in sexy costumes with their faces and all distinguishing features drowned out by tinted lighting so as not to distract from their dancing (which in itself is meant to be sensual if not provocative). Nicki Minaj, however, makes a very different appearance then everyone else on set. As usual, Minaj appears in a standout costume - this time as a female (arguably even feminine) Freddy Kruger - and while her position on the chair and the bondage wrappings can be read as sexual, Minaj is not passive in her sexuality but rather controls the gaze that is directed at her and often disrupts it. Similarly, Ludacris's remix of "My Chick Bad"  features female rappers Diamond, Trina, and Eve who all take control of the presentation of their sexuality and who's rhymes also proclaim their independence - emotional and financial. 

                            Ludacris VEVO "My Chick Bad" Remix ft. Diamond, Trina, Eve

         All of the women rappers featured in either version "My Chick Bad" from Nicki Minaj to Eve  can be identified as both Cheryl L. Keyes's "fly girl" and "sista with attitude" in that they all "deconstruct dominant ideology by wearing clothes that accent their full breasts and rounded buttocks and thighs, considered beauty markers of Black women" and "portray [...] an independent woman, but, additionally, an erotic subject rather than an objectified one" at the same time that they also "value attitude as a manes of empowerment and present themselves accordingly" (Keyes, 404 - 406). These women know that they are "bad" and use their status to their benefit. Though, it cannot be ignored that men - as well as other women - continue in their efforts to appropriate these women's bodies for their own ends.  To quote Shani Jamila again, "As women [and men] of the hip hop generation we need a feminist consciousness that allows us to examine how representations and images can be simultaneously empowering and problematic" (Jamila, 392). 

        What I am calling for is not a end to the challenge of the sexism that does exist in the hip-hop and rap industries, but rather a more critical reading of the content generated and the production and distribution forces behind them. To fully put an end to misogynistic tendencies that appear to be rampant amongst the genres, we must first understand what led to their development in the first place, as well as how they are being played out, treated, and addressed today. For example, in his book Decoded, published in 2010, Jay-Z lamented his past lyrics and the clear misogyny depicted in them. He stated that since his marriage to the famous and fiercely feminist R&B, soul, and pop queen Beyonce Knowles, Jay-Z was abandoning his former player/pimp status and refining his treatment of women in his work. However, here we are in 2014, and Jay-Z is negligently popularizing violence against women again. For those who can remember Beyonce and Jay-Z's Grammy performance of Beyonce's "Drunk in Love" on which Jay-Z is featured, the couple was censored live during their January performance; having the sound cut out on them whenever the word "shit" was to come up in the song. However, no one thought censor Jay-Z's verse where he makes several references to domestic violence; in particular, he raps:

                                               I'm Ike Turner, turn up, baby, no I don't play
                                               Now eat the cake, Anna Mae
                                               Said, "Eat the cake, Anna Mae!"

which for many should bring back uncomfortable memories of the violence inflicted upon Tina Turner (real name Anna Mae Turner) when ex-husband and former musical partner was visually documented forcing cake down Tina's throat and subsequently beating her during a celebration in the biopic What's Love Got to Do with It (1993). Instead most viewers were concerned with the eroticism of Beyonce's choreography or the disheveled appearance of her hair. Instead of worrying about her hair, we should have been wondering why she even allowed her husband to rap those violent lines on her track. And perhaps this is an example of what Morgan cites as women of color too often allowing "our back to [become the men's] bridges" in an attempt to protect the community and solidarity first (Morgan, 416).

           Leora Tanenbaum sums it up appropriately, "girls [and women] are not innocent bystanders in some grand, patriarchal battle for their souls" (Tanenbaum, 200). Neither gender is passive in the dissemination of the misogyny which is commonly decried in the hip-hop and rap spheres, and therefore we must not be complacent in our consumption but "question the lyrics and constructed identities" put forth by artists as Black Hip-hop feminist Gwendolyn D. Pough writes in her essay "Love my Feminism but Where's My Hip Hop" found in Colonize This! (Pough, 91). As Jamila writes:

                                         We shouldn't support each other to stupidity [but]
                                         demand accountability from each other [and] be
                                         cognizant of the power in this music and of how
                                         we are representing ourselves on a global and
                                         historical record (Jamila, 393).

We as a global hip-hop society must respect the multiplicity of our experience, care less about the hairstyles and wardrobes, and care more about the lyrics and images we internalize on the daily. Then - and only then - will we be able to negotiate and equality and freedom that is real, accessible, and inclusive of all men and women.

Blog #2: Multi-Ethnicity and Multi-Culturality

Timothy Dang

Link to “Question Mark” – Primary [ft. Zion T. and Choiza]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yCin5BrZ4Y

(there are english subs on the video)

Hip Hop Blog Assignment #2: Multi-Ethnicity and Multi-Culturality

Hip-hop was born through the hardships of black people living in the Bronx. It didn’t stop growing there though; Hip-hop traveled to all around the country and eventually to the many parts of the world.  Around the early 1990s especially was when Hip-hop first starting to make its way into Korea’s music scene.  In the present now, Hip-hop is widely used in K-Pop culture; although they don’t share the same experiences/hardships of the people back in the Bronx had to go through, the Korean hip-hop artists incorporate their own personal hardships in the context of their own culture (each culture in the world has its own hardships to take care of. None is perfect).
            For this assignment, I’ve chosen a song within the Korean Hip-hop scene created by Primary, Zion T., and Choiza of the Hip-hop duo Dynamic Duo (I’ll be analyzing the music video and lyrics). The title of the song is “Question Mark” which causes the viewer to create a question mark of his/her own upon first look because he/she would immediately be questioning what could the title be referring to.  As soon as the first visual images come out of the music video, we see a bunch of men here and there dressed in black, white, gray, and are wearing black sunglasses. What we can also see in the music video is that there are rooms, buildings, and objects that are black spaces being acknowledged only through the writing that distinguishes them from the rest.  If we take a look at Korea economy-wise, we would know that the citizens there live a very strict culture that puts society before them.  The similar black colors for every prop contextualizes the idea that even though Korea’s society is better off, all the buildings, accessories and objects set an idea that they represent what kind of conditions their Hip-hop takes place in.  Like I mentioned before, all the people there (with the exception of the woman not wearing black) wear dark colored clothing; almost as if they’re part of the setting and “invisible.”  In Jeff Chang’s book Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop, he stated that the youth “were invisible. But invisibility was its own kind of reward; it meant you had to answer to no one except the others who shared your condition.” (Chang, Pg. 111). All the people in the music video are somewhat blending in with the black surroundings, but they are either dancing, or rapping to the music.  It’s almost as if they know what their status is in terms of how the environment around them: they all share the same colors indicating their similar troubles, but they do their own kind of art form that is unique to them.

            In terms of the lyrics that are provided for this song, there are both Korean and English words.  The first couple lines are questions that Choiza asks (in Korean). “Should I call you or not? Should I just text? Is it too late? Will she already be sleeping?” You can immediately tell that this song is referring to some of the frustrating things referring to girls that guys in Korea go through. I know it may not seem like such a bad thing compared to stuff in the Bronx, but in this upper level of society, even the lowest of troubles couldn’t compare to the poverty.  However, the concept of Hip-hop was based on the idea of creating something out of nothing.  Through the everyday problems having to do with strict dating culture as well as cultural expectations found in Korea, Primary, Zion T., and Choiza are able to create a music video that grasps the idea of trying to break out of the similar hardships among everyday interactions.

No Hands

 I decided to write this blog on the song “No Hands” by Waka Flocka Flame featuring Roscoe Dash and Wale in his debut album Flockaveli. It was released in 2010 and was on the Billboard Hot 100. I choose this song because there are many times when hyper-masculinity is connected with money and derogatory terms for body parts. There are also many times when women are regarded as strippers as in the chorus Waka says “all I wanna do is sit back and watch you move and I'll proceed to throw this cash”. Even in the music video, the three rappers are surrounded by women in short dresses dancing suggestively around them. The hyper-masculinity and degrading of women are seen throughout this song and is an example of what sells records in the music industry.

In the song, the girls are highly sexualized and treated as strippers. In the chorus, Waka raps “you gon' lose those pants and imma throw this money while you do it with no hands”. It is an obvious reference to strippers and that women will do whatever the man wants if he pays enough. Wealth is a sign of masculinity and gives men a sense of empowerment and authority. The more wealthy have higher status and thus more authority over individuals including women. In the 1^st verse he raps “well I'm tryna hit the hotel with two girls that swallow dick”. The act of engaging in sexual intercourse with multiple partners will further enhance a male's masculinity. The strive for this pushes aside monogamy and the idea of one sexual partner. This strongly reinforces the present day attitudes and the constant belittlement towards women seen in the music industry.

In the modern music videos, women are dressed in tight fitting shorts, pants or dresses. They are also mostly seen in the background while the male rappers are rapping. They dance suggestively around them. These are all ways of sexualizing them. This is what is popular today and the music industry feeds off this by constantly portraying women in this manner. It is a marketing scheme for the artist and industry that produces millions of dollars from record albums.

In the song “No Hands”, there is constant rapping about throwing money around like it is nothing and having women strip and dance for it. There is also constant emphasis on sex. The use of wealth and characterizing women as strippers further emphasizes male dominance and represses female empowerment. But this is a constant theme in modern songs and the music industry. The constant emphasis on money, sex and women produces millions of dollars for the music industry and it will continue in this society.

Aaron C  

Takeover; Jay-Z

For my aesthetic analysis I decided to analyze the symbolic meaning of Jay-Z’s rap song “Takeover” from the album The Blueprint (2001).  The song’s meaning speaks out about the big feud with Nas and also with the member of Hip Hop group Mobb Deep, Prodigy.  After reviewing the lyrics and re-listening to the song (I haven’t touched that album since high school), I noticed that Jay-Z uses symbolic meanings through the relationship of gender and sexuality (pointed towards Nas and Prodigy).  He uses examples through his lyrics such as pointing out the hyper-masculinity of both Nas and Prodigy, includes homophopia lyrics point directly at Nas specifically, and also tries to show patriarchy towards both Nas and Prodigy. I also researched that there are also “mini beefs” in this song that include B.G. from Cash money records.

After looking over the first verse of “Takeover”, Jay-Z uses his hyper-masculinity towards the member Prodigy. An example of this is from the line “Hey lil soldier, you ain’t ready for war”.  This line is directed towards Prodigy due to the fact that he has a short stature and to me it sounds like he is demeaning his man hold (talking about you ain’t ready for what I have coming to you).  Jay-Z also uses hyper-masculinity to call out B.G.  In Verse one, he recites “your peeps ain’t strong enough, fucker Roc-A-Fella is the army-better yet-the navy”.  Cash Money considered themselves as an army and Jay-Z explains that his record branch is much bigger and strong than they are.  Jay-Z uses his strongest from of hyper-masculinity towards Prodigy in the second verse with the line “Trust me on this one, I’ll detach you. Mind from spirit, body from soul…”.  What I got out of this was the body is made up of three aspects; mind, body, and spirit.  Jay-Z implies this to show Prodigy that is he wants to test him, he’ll tear him apart through physical altercation or spiritual (lyrically) altercation. In Verse 3, Jay-Z calls out Nas explaing that “It’s only so long fake thugs an pretend”.  I feel like this is a shot towards Nas claiming he “street cred” and Jay-Z questioning it.

Through Hip Hop, Nas and Jay-Z have one of the biggest feuds of all time.  Jay-Z lyrically destroys Nas in “Takeover”; especially through homophobic lyrics and patriarchy.  For example the whole third verse is directed towards Nas.  One example Jay-Z recites “You’s a fag model for Karl Kani, Esco Ads. Went from Nasty Nas to Esco’s trash.”  This shows homophobic lyrics because Jay-Z uses the word “fag” and implies it towards Nas being a homosexual (which he is not).  He then imples it with Nas modeling Karl Kani and Willie Esco’s hip hop line.  I feel Jay-Z gets Nas with all three of the examples (hyper-masculinity, homophobia, and patriarchy) with his last bars from the third verse. It states “Because you-know-who did you-know-what with you-know who but let’s keep that between me and you (for now).  I did some research about this line because it always had me wondering what it meant. I found out through rapgenius.com that Jay-Z had an affair with Nas’ ex-girlfriend (the mother of his first child). Jay-Z uses graphic lines from his song “Supa Ugly”:

            “I came in your Bentley backseat, Skeeted in your Jeep.

             Left condoms on your baby seat... Yes, you was kissing my

             dick when you was kissing that bitch.”

I feel that this “diss” is really uncalled for.  It attacks Nas through hyper-masculinity because Jay-Z brings Nas’ child into the picture.  It also explains that he had sexual relationships in his own cars with the mother of his child.  I don’t think it can get anymore degrading in terms of manhood than that.  Through patriarchy, Jay-Z ties it into how he has control over Nas because he did all those things in his possessions (his cars and his property).   And he lastly uses homophobic lyrics through the last line “you was kissing my dick when you was kissing that bitch”.  Jay-Z uses the metaphor that because I did this with you girl, it’s like you’re doing too.

            I feel it was easy to break this rap song down because I am a fan of both Jay-Z and Nas.  I also feel that “diss songs” are great examples of the symbolic meanings of gender and sexuality in hip hop.  Even though I don’t believe in what Jay-Z is saying in this song (using homophobic language especially), It’s easier to understand that this is how some artist interpret these symbolic meanings into their hip hop culture.

-R.C.

Video Link: http://vimeo.com/12125680

Lyrics Link: http://www.metrolyrics.com/takeover-lyrics-jayz.html

Nellys contribution to Misogyny & Hip-Hop: "Tip Drill"

In 2003 Nelly released a song titled Tip Drill, which sparked a huge controversy due to his music video due to its misogynistic nature; which depicted women as sexual objections, which was not only evident in the lyrics but also the main theme throughout the music video. Just the opening line alone "I said it must be ya ass, cause it aint yo face i need a tip drill" previews the misogynistic theme of the song. One can’t help but think as to why someone (Nelly) would create such a song. It brings to light the thought of Hyper-masculinity and the role it plays in gender and sexuality in Hip-Hop. When you picture nelly as a rapper, you do not expect a Gentlemen or one who conveys himself in a respectful manner. A excerpt from Marc Lamont Hill’s article Scared Straight talks about how "Top-selling rappers like Nas, Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Eminem, Ja Rule Dmx, Nelly have all used terms like "Faggot" and "Homo" to disparage gay and lesbian people as well as emasculate real and imagined enemies". (P. 385) Throughout Hills article he discuses homophobia and hip-hop and the negative affects of outing another rapper has on their career. He even mentions how some people tend to conceptualize the fact that if rappers do not participative in anti-gay speech in raps (faggot, Homo etc.) they are possible homo themselves. It is with this premise, that I believe rappers like nelly partake in Misogynistic themed songs & music videos to not only portray their Masculinity, but to contribute to the stereotype of a rapper which is hardcore, and not soft; So treating a women with respect, you can be deemed soft or even a “Homo-Thug”. Rappers do not want this association which I why I believe they create their lyrics around the Hyper-masculine (Misogyny) themes.

Screenshot from Tip Drill (Credit Card Swipe Scene)

His Music video earned him the title “Misogynist of the Month” by Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance President Moya Bailey and Leana Cabral of Spelman College, which is historically one of the oldest colleges for Female African Americans. Nelly planned to do a bone marrow drive for his sister at the school, until the females of Spellman met him with resistance. They testified that his “tip drill” video is offensive and “dehumanizing” to black women and wanted to have a sit down with him to discuss the lyrics and videos of his song, he wasn’t having it and decided to cancel the drive.

           

Nelly fulfilling the Hyper-Masculine role. (Posing Hardcore)

            At the end of the day, it’s an endless cycle of supply and demand. These rappers create material that is appealing to the public. The majority unconsciously appeals to the themes of misogyny and its positive correlation with hip-hop, otherwise these artists would not be as rich as they are and their albums wouldn’t sell platinum. We need to change our view as a society in order for the rappers to not contribute to the stereotype of how Misogyny and Hip-Hop go hand in hand. 

Link to Nelly's "Tip Drill" Music Video (Youtube)

Rafe B.