(ThyBlackMan.com) My Sister and I were talking about how female lyricists can be given an unworthy crown or position when it comes to how they represented or represent women. We as women have an issue with confusing sex with power, so when a woman speaks about sex in an aggressive manner, or as my Sister said seems to push the envelope sexually and challenges stereotypes about women’s sexuality they are seen as a champion for women.
When I was in high school the most popular female emcee’s(that pushed the most vulgar lyrics were) were:
Trina
Lil Kim
Foxy Brown
Of course Trina’s biggest hit was “Baddest Bitch”
Part of the lyrics to that song are:
“I got game for young hoes
Don’t grow to be a dumb hoe, that’s a no-no
See if you off the chains
Stay ahead of the game, save up buy a condo
Sell the p*** by the grands
And in months you own a Benz
Another week a set of rims
See if I had the chance to be a virgin again
I’d be f*** by the time I’m ten”
Think about that, and think about the women from my generation that hailed that track like it was anthem that have PRODUCED children. First of all she is referring to women as “hoes” which I suppose is appropriate since her entire song is about prostituting your body for condos and cars. Secondly, she isn’t saying If I had the chance to be a virgin I’d wait for marriage…she is saying she would be having sex by the time she’s TEN. That is one of the MOST negative messages to young women I have seen in a song. Think about the ten year olds that ARE having sex, or doing things a ten year old has NO business doing, yet
in that song she makes it fair seeming.
Regarding LIL Kim, majority of her songs were about sex… oral sex…how her sex game was tight enough to get whips. “I’m drinkin babies, then I cracks for the Mercedes”.
Then we have Foxy Brown with the Ill Na Na where she poses the question “who got the illest ____ on the planet?”
All three of this Women promoted sexuality, fornication, prostitution but so many of us as women deemed them as “powerful”
And the latest pied piper to lead our girls straight to Hell is Nicki Minaj. Not only are her lyrics vulgar, but she also promotes homosexuality by prancing around stage wearing an adult toy but also in her lyrics;
“Man I been did that, man I been popped off
And if she ain’t trying to give it up she get dropped off”
Nicki Minaj is also guilty of promoting self hatred as well, by calling herself “Barbie” and her fans “Barbz” when it is common knowledge that the Barbie is a doll that was originally manufactured with blond hair and blue eyes, which was (supposedly) the “standard” of beauty. She has also continued the use of the word “hoe” that Trina started, switching out the words “young, and dumb” and replacing it with “silly”.
How can we talk about misogyny in hip hop if we as WOMEN are and have been downgrading ourselves? All of the above have been hailed as contributing to some women’s movement…but what was the movement about? Nothing BUT SEX! We do have power in our wombs, the beautiful power to create LIFE, but what these women did was turn God’s laboratory into the Devil’s playground. Every time we use our wombs for manipulation, entrapment, a bargaining tool or a down payment we are doing ourselves a grave disservice. Music is influential because lyrics can become nestled in our subconscious and ultimately what we listen to begins to play out in our actions.
I understand that these types of songs also gain popularity because “sex sells”..well Sisters…some of us have really discounted our wombs. Tell me, how can a car, a rent payment, shoes, purse, or whatever else we barter our wombs for, ever equate to the value of giving LIFE? We have really cheapened our wombs…and sadly with some of us…it costs NOTHING; we give you the keys to kingdom for FREE.
I say with PRIDE that I am not the baddest bitch, a boss bitch, “that” bitch, HIS bitch, YOUR bitch or otherwise. What I am is a WOMAN who REFUSES to place myself on the level of a dog, when has God has placed me on a much higher level and I compel you all to do the same.
Being the “baddest bitch” only brings out the WORST in us as women.