Soul Cynic
Let's Expand the Criticism of Sexism in Hip Hop Beyond Who Rocks the Mic
As a thoroughly politicized woman who is keenly sensitive of gender inequities both in music and in, you know, life, I am deeply invested in the recent rise in discussion about women emcees. It's always been an issue, and expressing the concerns about the lack of prominent women behind the mic will remain important until it becomes a non-issue. I worry when the question where women are in Hip Hop fails to reflect the multidisciplinarity of Hip Hop today and how it has affected the sexism therein.
Hip Hop is bigger business than it has ever been and has been effectively integrated into all aspects of our lives -- a true global, cross-generational phenomenon. It's safe to say that women are, to some degree, represented in most aspects of this industry of Hip Hop, they too suffer against the predominance of men in jobs that may never require them to step behind the mic: producing, sound engineering, criticism, brand consulting, clothing design...the list could go on. Our critique of sexism in Hip Hop needs to account for the complexities the culture -- the industry -- as a whole, even if the emcee is arguably the most visible and easy to investigate.
Tags: female mcs, hip-hop
Comments
@ nova and ill mami: preach!
@ Belve: men need to step up and start denouncing the flagrant sexism the culture perpetuates. It's foolish to think that Hip Hip is a meritocracy at this point in the game, and (temporarily lifting moratorium) swagger alone does not ensure success.
Ro | October 16, 2008 2:13 PM | Permalink@ Belve:
Re: your statement "But the industry is not male driven because men hold all the cards. It is because men show a interest in what happens."
ill Mami | October 16, 2008 12:13 PM | PermalinkI couldn't disagree with you more. I hope you're not implying that women don't care about Hip Hop. Because we do. Is the technical business of music in general a male-dominated field. Of course, it is. The problem, and this goes for men as well, is that everyone wants to be the diva in front, not the supporting cast in the back. Which are equally if not more important than those in the front. Not everyone was born to be a leader. I just wish more people in Hip Hop would realize that and stop trying to hawk mediocre mixtapes on the internet that we are all bombarded with 20 times a day. At this rate, I would rather have one strong, dope female emcee than 20 paltry ones.
Nova, you should run for office:) I agree with u 100%. Sista's who want to be in the rap game should form a consortium, i'm sure Oprah and other women of power would support positive rap that shows women as more then tits and ass. Bravo Nova
stoneyisland | October 16, 2008 10:33 AM | PermalinkToo many recent female MCs are attached to crews of some sort. And the thing that sickened me the most is that a lot of them chose to beef with one another, like there are that many to choose from. Seems to me, the smart thing to do would be for these women to form a consortium maybe, and become power brokers that affect change -- in front of and behind the scenes. These women need to detach themselves from the culture and the trends that have been defined by the men.
In the popular realm, many of them are mimicking what the guys do and are simply replacing the names of body parts in the lyrics. That's not enough. They are so concerned with being the "one and only" that they burn out too quickly. Women in Hip Hop need to seriously look at what's going on and start making power moves. There needs to be a dialogue about how they can build. How they can bust the door down. How they can balance the scales, increase opportunity and visibility, and make that paper.
Then they can start tearing each other to shreds.
nOvaMaticWhile I respect stoneyisland's sentiment, this isn't a discussion about how good or bad the rap/ Hip Hop music industry is as a whole. Not only that your argument that because it is bad for women so women should dismiss it and leave it to the men is downright wrong. You can not affect change by turning your back on the issue and complaining that it wasn't for you anyway.
Men in this industry are just getting their collective feet in the door also and most are basically self-taught and creating their own space. I think women should be pushing to do these things. But the industry is not male driven because men hold all the cards. it is because men show a interest in what happens. Most of the greatest producers of hip hop are very much self-taught. If a woman was to put forth the same effort I don't think it would matter what sex the person was.. same as color doesn't matter. The music industry doesn't care about black or white unless it is soundscans.. what counts is green.
Belve | October 16, 2008 2:34 AM | Permalinkexcellent topic!!
Ro, real talk.....What intelligent educated woman would want to work in such a hateful, degrading business such as the rap industry? I mean come on, real hip hop is a beautiful thing but I wouldnt let my daughter anywhere near this field of employment. I have mad respect for any sista or brother making that legal paper but there are certain things in our day and age that I wouldnt want my babygirl doing...stripping & rap music. Sexism in hip hop will never end until sista's start respecting themselves. You cant blame a man for Khia or Lil Kim's raps, nobody put a gun to their heads and made them spit that overtly sexual bullshit, sista's have to start holding each other accountable for the shit that they spit and allow brothers to say about women. Lauryn Hill got her props for being a dope MC, not because she had fake breast and dressed like a stripper:) sometimes women are their own worst enemy.
stoneyisland | October 15, 2008 3:32 PM | Permalink