Chuck D from the infamous rap group Public Enemy has decided that 2009 is going to be the year of the female emcee. Making it his crusade to find female talent, he says: “In 09, my fighting the power is for women in hip-hop. Especially, groups, song writers and label heads. There are very few women rap groups, less than what we had twenty-five-years-ago.”
Apart from pointing out the obvious, Chuck D, now-turned-label-boss, is making a valid point. Female rappers have virtually disappeared to the no-career-land of hip-hop oblivion. Let’s takes a quick test. Name your top three rappers of all time. Now, out of them, how many were female? If all three, then you were clearly guilt tripped by the previous sentences. One to two, well done for applying positive discrimination. Zero, you might as well call yourself Snoop Dogg, and show how your“pimp-hand is way strong.”
The contribution that women have played in the progression of hip-hop is pivotal, but as usual but has been forgotten. Tanya Winley, daughter of Paul Winley, founder of Winley Records, (the first record label dedicated to hip-hop music) released ‘Vicious Rap’ in 1980. It was the first commercially recorded hip hop song to feature social commentary rather than just party rhymes. Such records would remain a rarity until the success of 'The Message'by Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five.
Apart from pointing out the obvious, Chuck D, now-turned-label-boss, is making a valid point. Female rappers have virtually disappeared to the no-career-land of hip-hop oblivion. Let’s takes a quick test. Name your top three rappers of all time. Now, out of them, how many were female? If all three, then you were clearly guilt tripped by the previous sentences. One to two, well done for applying positive discrimination. Zero, you might as well call yourself Snoop Dogg, and show how your“pimp-hand is way strong.”
The contribution that women have played in the progression of hip-hop is pivotal, but as usual but has been forgotten. Tanya Winley, daughter of Paul Winley, founder of Winley Records, (the first record label dedicated to hip-hop music) released ‘Vicious Rap’ in 1980. It was the first commercially recorded hip hop song to feature social commentary rather than just party rhymes. Such records would remain a rarity until the success of 'The Message'by Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five.
However, the true female pioneer of hip-hop is Roxanne Shanté, considered by many to have made the first answer song in hip-hop history. In 1984, a then fourteen-year-old girl brought out ‘Roxanne’s Revenge.’ It was in response to U.T.F.O track, ‘Roxanne, Roxanne,’ in which the group dissed the protagonist of the song for spurning their advances. Roxanne Shanté hit back by saying: “So, if you're trying' to be cute and you're trying' to be fine, You need to cut it out 'cause it's all in your mind.” The long and the short of it was that these grown men got told off by a teenage school girl. Lauryn Hill was the first rapper to be awarded ‘Album of the Year’ at the Grammy Awards in 1999. The role which women have played in advancing the genre is akin to a witness giving evidence in a Mafia murder case: silenced and never heard of again. If this is the unfortunate status quo for female rap, how can this moribund genre be saved?
The current state of hip-hop is like a sufferer of Alzheimer's. This once conscious genre has regressed to the maturity of a teenage boy on heat. Both male and female rappers are recycling the same old, clichéd sexual braggadocio and gangsterism. It seems light years ago that hip-hop had something intelligent and remotely cerebral to say. The present capitalist nature of the genre has resulted in it being stripped of authenticity and the female voice has been reduced to the ‘jezebel image.’ Female rappers of the Golden Age of Hip-hop had more poignant things to say from, female equality to safe sex. But their contemporary sisters seem more concerned about receiving oral sex. Queen Latifah’s lyrics advocated a positive feminist stance. Her song ‘Ladies First’ (with the UK female rapper Monie Love) championed respect for women.
In the late 90s MC Lyte showed that female rappers did not have to compromise their sexuality to get their voices heard. Sha Rock, part of the first rap group from the Bronx, Funky Four Plus One More, provided intelligent lyrics which proved her worth. These rappers were a product of the zeitgeist; the post black-power-generation was still in tune to Afrocentric ideas and the real roots of what hip-hop was all about.
By the early nineties, the mood of hip-hop was beginning to change. The brutal attack on Rodney King in 1991 by the LAPD and the murder of Latasha Harlins by a Korean shop owner were both catalysts for the LA Riots. The many ‘hood’ films, such as, ‘Menace to Society’ and ‘Boyz in the Hood’ brought South Central LA to national attention. Along came Warren G, Snoop Dog, Dr. Dre and Nate Dogg - all of whom were from the G-Funk (Gangsta Funk) era which was unique to the West Coast. With this area experiencing poor social housing, low educational achievement, high unemployment and continuous police harassment, what was the black male supposed to aspire to? These artists provided an alternative to the erosion of black male masculinity, with their brash lyrics that advocated violence, misogyny and the pimping lifestyle. Rap was the perfect tool for these male rappers to promote their hyper masculinity to which women were an extension of their pimping lifestyle. This in turn naturally provoked a female backlash. Salt’n’Pepper - a trio from New York, espoused lyrics which focused on sexual competence, preaching safe sex and the values of finding a good man. The female rappers from the West Coast too adopted a brooding style. YoYo told us, well, not to mess with her YoYo and Lady of Rage informed us not to annoy her because: “I rock rough and tough with my Afro Puffs.”
Women in hip-hop have been subsequently cheapened and reduced from the majestic, intelligent female rappers to the status of booty-shakers in the male rappers’s one dimensional music videos. The gangster lifestyle determined what rap was going to be about: sex, drugs, ‘the hood,’ misogyny and materialism. If female rappers wanted to be part of that picture, then they had to fit into the already male-decided paradigms. The famous “hip-hop intellectual” Michael Eric Dyson, a Professor at George Town University in DC, has written: “The success of female rappers Has suffered as a result of the prerogative of men who set the standards for what’s acceptable in hip-hop and set the lyrics, the styles and what genres will be most popular.” This is where female rap went seriously wrong - by compromising the femininity of its protagonists.
The simultaneous emergence of late 90s female rappers like Foxy Brown, Lil Kim and Da Brat set the first agenda for female rap. To get into the spot light, you must be the first and only lady of an all male rap crew. If you think about it, most of the contemporary female rappers have stemmed from male groups, such as Rah Digga from Flip Mode Squad, Eve from Ruff Ryders and Remy Ma of The Terror Squad, to name but a few. Once these females made their debut as solo artists, their careers were dependant upon the success and popularity of their male counterparts. Secondly, as a contemporary female rapper, your sexuality and braggadocio must “out male” the men. Andy Cowan, Editor of Hip-Hop Connection magazine, thinks: “The female rap cause was put back immeasurably by the brief reigns of Foxy Brown and Lil’Kim. By reducing the whole female experience to mere sexuality, in Lil Kim’s case near porn, they played into the hands of chauvinistic stereotypes the world over.”
Although, these two females subverted the roles of women in hip-hop, they also conformed to hackneyed stereotypes of black female sexuality. It was rare for females to be so sexually crass in their lyrics and to reduce men to sexual objects. But they reinforced the negative and erroneous image of the black woman as sexually lascivious and sexually deviant which has plagued black women since the days of slavery. Mimi Valdes, the former Editor of Vibe magazine, once said: “It seemed like the female artists mentored by male MCs to look and sound a different. Biggie developed Lil’Kim and Jay Z was working with Foxy Brown. I think they are strong women and took advantage of America’s obsession with sex.”
The plight of the female rap cause has been extensively ridiculed by VH1’s ‘Miss Rap Supreme,’ which was supposed to find ‘the new queen of female rap.’ The show ignominiously ended in April 2008, and the winner Reece Steele is exactly where she started off with: no record deal. Female rappers now have to contend with r’n’b artists who are literally stealing their act. The revamping of r’n’b’ music in the last couple of years has taken on a much harder, more street persona. Ebro Darren, Music Director of the US hip-hop radio station Hot 97, said in an article: “Fergie and Gwen Stephanie do not have street or emcee credibility. But they are selling the hip-hop lifestyle and that is what is getting them the audience.” If the boundaries between r’n’b’ and hip-hop are becoming increasingly blurred, where does this leave female rap?
Whether you have realised it or not, there are no females on the same level as Jay Z or P Diddy, for instance. There are no female hip-hop moguls who are influencing the genre for the commercial gain of women and overseeing how they are represented. If we had more women in rap doing the controlling, instead of being controlled, things would be much better. Ice T, one of the most famous rappers from the West-Coast- Gangster- Rap era, once remarked: “Rap is very aggressive, testosterone based, hard-core music at its base. To rap, you’ve got to stand on the stage and say I’m the best and that is what’s up. It’s very narcissistic music. It takes a special woman to be able to pull that off.”
But, contrary to what Ice T said, I think that in 2009 there are plenty of ‘special’ women who are ready to change the chauvinistic face of hip-hop. Let’s hope they come forward, because hip-hop as a genre urgently needs them.
The current state of hip-hop is like a sufferer of Alzheimer's. This once conscious genre has regressed to the maturity of a teenage boy on heat. Both male and female rappers are recycling the same old, clichéd sexual braggadocio and gangsterism. It seems light years ago that hip-hop had something intelligent and remotely cerebral to say. The present capitalist nature of the genre has resulted in it being stripped of authenticity and the female voice has been reduced to the ‘jezebel image.’ Female rappers of the Golden Age of Hip-hop had more poignant things to say from, female equality to safe sex. But their contemporary sisters seem more concerned about receiving oral sex. Queen Latifah’s lyrics advocated a positive feminist stance. Her song ‘Ladies First’ (with the UK female rapper Monie Love) championed respect for women.
In the late 90s MC Lyte showed that female rappers did not have to compromise their sexuality to get their voices heard. Sha Rock, part of the first rap group from the Bronx, Funky Four Plus One More, provided intelligent lyrics which proved her worth. These rappers were a product of the zeitgeist; the post black-power-generation was still in tune to Afrocentric ideas and the real roots of what hip-hop was all about.
By the early nineties, the mood of hip-hop was beginning to change. The brutal attack on Rodney King in 1991 by the LAPD and the murder of Latasha Harlins by a Korean shop owner were both catalysts for the LA Riots. The many ‘hood’ films, such as, ‘Menace to Society’ and ‘Boyz in the Hood’ brought South Central LA to national attention. Along came Warren G, Snoop Dog, Dr. Dre and Nate Dogg - all of whom were from the G-Funk (Gangsta Funk) era which was unique to the West Coast. With this area experiencing poor social housing, low educational achievement, high unemployment and continuous police harassment, what was the black male supposed to aspire to? These artists provided an alternative to the erosion of black male masculinity, with their brash lyrics that advocated violence, misogyny and the pimping lifestyle. Rap was the perfect tool for these male rappers to promote their hyper masculinity to which women were an extension of their pimping lifestyle. This in turn naturally provoked a female backlash. Salt’n’Pepper - a trio from New York, espoused lyrics which focused on sexual competence, preaching safe sex and the values of finding a good man. The female rappers from the West Coast too adopted a brooding style. YoYo told us, well, not to mess with her YoYo and Lady of Rage informed us not to annoy her because: “I rock rough and tough with my Afro Puffs.”
Women in hip-hop have been subsequently cheapened and reduced from the majestic, intelligent female rappers to the status of booty-shakers in the male rappers’s one dimensional music videos. The gangster lifestyle determined what rap was going to be about: sex, drugs, ‘the hood,’ misogyny and materialism. If female rappers wanted to be part of that picture, then they had to fit into the already male-decided paradigms. The famous “hip-hop intellectual” Michael Eric Dyson, a Professor at George Town University in DC, has written: “The success of female rappers Has suffered as a result of the prerogative of men who set the standards for what’s acceptable in hip-hop and set the lyrics, the styles and what genres will be most popular.” This is where female rap went seriously wrong - by compromising the femininity of its protagonists.
The simultaneous emergence of late 90s female rappers like Foxy Brown, Lil Kim and Da Brat set the first agenda for female rap. To get into the spot light, you must be the first and only lady of an all male rap crew. If you think about it, most of the contemporary female rappers have stemmed from male groups, such as Rah Digga from Flip Mode Squad, Eve from Ruff Ryders and Remy Ma of The Terror Squad, to name but a few. Once these females made their debut as solo artists, their careers were dependant upon the success and popularity of their male counterparts. Secondly, as a contemporary female rapper, your sexuality and braggadocio must “out male” the men. Andy Cowan, Editor of Hip-Hop Connection magazine, thinks: “The female rap cause was put back immeasurably by the brief reigns of Foxy Brown and Lil’Kim. By reducing the whole female experience to mere sexuality, in Lil Kim’s case near porn, they played into the hands of chauvinistic stereotypes the world over.”
Although, these two females subverted the roles of women in hip-hop, they also conformed to hackneyed stereotypes of black female sexuality. It was rare for females to be so sexually crass in their lyrics and to reduce men to sexual objects. But they reinforced the negative and erroneous image of the black woman as sexually lascivious and sexually deviant which has plagued black women since the days of slavery. Mimi Valdes, the former Editor of Vibe magazine, once said: “It seemed like the female artists mentored by male MCs to look and sound a different. Biggie developed Lil’Kim and Jay Z was working with Foxy Brown. I think they are strong women and took advantage of America’s obsession with sex.”
The plight of the female rap cause has been extensively ridiculed by VH1’s ‘Miss Rap Supreme,’ which was supposed to find ‘the new queen of female rap.’ The show ignominiously ended in April 2008, and the winner Reece Steele is exactly where she started off with: no record deal. Female rappers now have to contend with r’n’b artists who are literally stealing their act. The revamping of r’n’b’ music in the last couple of years has taken on a much harder, more street persona. Ebro Darren, Music Director of the US hip-hop radio station Hot 97, said in an article: “Fergie and Gwen Stephanie do not have street or emcee credibility. But they are selling the hip-hop lifestyle and that is what is getting them the audience.” If the boundaries between r’n’b’ and hip-hop are becoming increasingly blurred, where does this leave female rap?
Whether you have realised it or not, there are no females on the same level as Jay Z or P Diddy, for instance. There are no female hip-hop moguls who are influencing the genre for the commercial gain of women and overseeing how they are represented. If we had more women in rap doing the controlling, instead of being controlled, things would be much better. Ice T, one of the most famous rappers from the West-Coast- Gangster- Rap era, once remarked: “Rap is very aggressive, testosterone based, hard-core music at its base. To rap, you’ve got to stand on the stage and say I’m the best and that is what’s up. It’s very narcissistic music. It takes a special woman to be able to pull that off.”
But, contrary to what Ice T said, I think that in 2009 there are plenty of ‘special’ women who are ready to change the chauvinistic face of hip-hop. Let’s hope they come forward, because hip-hop as a genre urgently needs them.
No comments:
Post a Comment