Recently i rediscovered an old favorite by Ab-Soul called ‘Threatening nature‘ (lyrics) and it prompted me to think more deeply about the sexism present in the music i was consuming. The reason being is that this rap song was one of the first ever overtly feminist rap songs i stumbled upon.
This is by no means the first time i have pushed a tentative canoe of thought in this direction but it is perhaps the first time I’ve attempted to lay down my ideas into a concrete series of words (i admit i still think I’ve failed somewhat). However if you’re interested in the meandering thoughts of a feminist who loves rap and finds herself in a somewhat confusing subject position do continue reading. Although be warned i can’t offer you a definite answer just some vague ideas from the eternal fence sitter (myself).
Lyrics from ‘Threatening nature‘
“Way back when I was in grade school, I learned about history
But what about her-story—did anybody ask? “…….
“And we don’t speak on sexism much as we really should
The black man could vote before the woman could
You singin’ hymns in church, I’m lookin’ for the her’s
In 66 books in the Bible, they ain’t let a lady say one word
Hilary Clinton is out somewhere
Tryin’ to get ahead in the Senate”
“Bitches ain’t shit”
This specific phrase, along with a host of other degrading lyrics, is very common in rap songs of both the past and preset. Dre’s album was hardly the first and most certainly not the last to use such a phrase, however, it is one of the most well known songs that degrades women, and well the title kind of says it all.
A commonly cited excuse for these degrading lyrics is the distinction between “bitches and hoes” and “other women”. Rappers claim that such songs are aimed at “Bitches and hoes” and not women in general and that therefore the general public must not view it as hate against women in general but instead a very particular type of woman. ( I have attached Tu Pac’s Hot 97’s Angie Martinez 1995 Interview below as he very clearly illustrates this point by going on to say “I love women, but I hate bitches” clearly drawing a division between the two).
I’m not in anyway saying that women are one homogeneous group, and I get that many women do dress provocatively and are promiscuous and perhaps may even like being identified as a hoe. I in no way believe in ‘slut shaming’ and I do believe that every woman should be free to be whoever she wants to be. What I do however call bullshit on is the fact that male artists suddenly think they can degrade these women through their lyrics because of how they choose to represent and carry themselves. I do not believe that their choices in any way give anyone the right to tell them that they “aren’t shit”. That in my eyes is not okay and so I call complete bullshit on this commonly cited excuse of the song addressing a particular type of woman and not all women as I do not believe it is okay to tell women they “aren’t shit” because of how they choose to represent themselves.
Women in the industry
Nicki Minaj is one of the most successful women in music history. Whilst i personally don’t appreciate her music or listen to her, this is not an opinion it is mere fact. She recently took to twitter re the sexism in the music industry and i believe it to be very telling of where female artists are currently at.
Nicki says that male hip hop fans should put some respect on her name just like they do her male counterparts. This got me thinking about my own personal playlists and the distinct lack of female artists on there – surely i as a female should identify with and listen to female artists more? yet I don’t. And perhaps this is a cyclic problem. There is sexism in rap because its a completely one sided male industry and so we only get male viewpoints and no counter female views. And at the same time there are no women in hip hop because of this sexism and because of this we only get male views hence more sexism. It is therefore a conscious effort of mine to search for and listen to more female voices. (because lets face it you have to really search as the industry does not support them).
Societal problem – ‘art imitates life’
In many ways I think that the sexism present in rap lyrics is merely a reflection of a societal problem. We live in an increasingly sexualized and money driven society and this is very much present in the lyrics. Although these elements have been present from the start, as an avid hip hop consumer I believe it is actually getting worse. This is perhaps because Hip Hop is moving towards mainstream and this is what sells. This is not to say there is no conscious rap or decent lyrics anymore, however mainstream hip hop and rap is heading towards even more objectifying and sexualizing of the female and therefore degrades women more than ever before.
To end off…
I hate to paint a totally bleak picture and I promise there is still good rap out there. I absolutely love rap and it is by far my favorite genre. My approach to this issue is to just avoid listening to music that degrades women and focus rather on more socially conscious rap. This is hard to do in an industry that is constantly producing degrading lyrics however I assure you it is far from impossible and there are some amazing artists out there. Leave your favorite artists that value in the comments and perhaps we can all help each other build up some decent playlists.
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