An Open Letter to Hip Hop
Aww, Ludacris is such a cutie, playing with his daughter Karma in the park.
She’s so adorable with her afropuff. So sweet, so innocent. I wonder if Luda lets his little girl listen to his music?
“Shake, shake, shake your money maker, Like you were shaking it for some paper. Took your momma 9 months to make ya, Might as well shake what your momma gave ya.”
And that’s just a radio-friendly example.
Don’t get it twisted, I don’t mean to pick on the Ludameister as the representation of all rappers. But he’s one of my favorites. What can I say, I love wordplay and he’s a master of the art. But “Money Maker” is one of my least favorite songs by him, it’s just uninspiring and I think he knows that.
I get the impression that Ludacris’s daughter could be the impetus for him to change. With a name like Karma, I have faith in her power to do so. “Runaway Love” was another step in a better direction. But it’s a small drop in an increasingly large bucket.
Casual misogyny in hip hop goes back a long way. Perhaps even as far back as Rapper’s Delight (“hotel, motel, Holiday Inn; if your girl starts actin up then you take her friend”). Another early example I can think of is “La Di Da Di,” which was one of the very first songs I made an effort to learn all of the words to. Slick Rick was one of the first “naughty” rappers in my household; I had a cassette of The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, and it was all about me and my nine-year-old friends giggling at the most scandalous lyrics of the era. Treat Her Like a Prostitute, Indian Girl, and Lick the Balls come immediately to mind. But then there was Hey Young World — an instant classic. One of my top fifteen favorite rap songs of all time, a timeless rap song with a message anyone could get behind. And I think that imbalance of misogyny and hope set a blueprint for the next generation of rappers.
I live in Miam-uh, city of the booty bass. And I love it. I would be a hypocrite if I didn’t admit that I listen to all kinds of rap, from the most uplifting to the most degrading. I’ve got quite the Three-Six Mafia collection (36 albums and counting. No, I don’t listen to all of them). I still bump NWA on a regular basis. I listen to screwed and chopped music. I have love for Luda, Trick Daddy, Lil Wayne, and you can catch me getting crunk on my way to work sometimes — yes, I’ll rock to Lil Jon, Lil Scrappy, and TI. I’m even feeling the Rich Boy tracks that I’ve heard. So no, I don’t believe that hip hop needs to do a complete 180, but the balance needs to shift. Big time.
So hip hop, here’s what I want from you.
1. Give me a beat I can ride to and a message I can get behind. I don’t know about y’all, but I don’t notice a lot of cars down here blasting “Runaway Love,” or “Kick, Push,” or… man, I’m drawing a blank on recent, positive rap songs here. Which kind of illustrates my point. But when Shawnna’s “Getting Some” dropped, it got A LOT of airplay. “Throw Some D’s,” “Go Getta,” “Pop, Lock, and Drop It”, and “Rock Yo Hips.” That’s all I’m hearing these days. I just want to hear some songs getting heavy rotation on 106th and Park that say something AND have that hot beat at the same time. A tiny handful of positive songs every year isn’t nearly enough.
2. Rappers, pick an image and stick with it. If 95% of your album is all about bitches, hoes, and how trill you are, how much money you’re making, and how good you are in bed, don’t come at me with that one “Dear Mama” track at the end of the album. I’m not feeling that. That doesn’t demonstrate range at all. And so many rappers are talking about the SAME ish. I don’t give a damn how much money you have, or why you’re hot, or about the exclusive designer stuff that you can buy. There is so, so much more to say. I want to see rappers stop limiting themselves to money, hoes, and clothes. Wanna set yourself apart from the pack? Talk about something real that people can relate to. Struggling against poverty, or trying to stay positive in a negative world. Anything’s gotta be better than “This is Why I’m Hot.”
3. Somebody, ANYBODY — get me a good female rapper STAT. Because all of the popular female hip hop stars I’m hearing right now have the exact same things to say. And no offense; but it seems pretty obvious to me that dudes are writing some of these lyrics. Can we get at least ONE female MC who either writes her own lyrics and says something meaningful, or just recites meaningful lyrics that someone else has written? I mean, come on now. You don’t all have “42 flavors of this bootylicious bubblegum.” You can’t all make a Sprite can disappear in your mouth. It seems to me that all of these female MC’s are talking alot but not saying anything. I’m still waiting for that breath of fresh air. Glad I didn’t hold my breath for it.
4. Leave the club anthems at the club. I assumed this would have been obvious but I’ll tell you — I was shocked the first time I heard the Ying Yang Twins’ “The Whisper Song” on the radio. SHOCKED. And I’m not a particularly prudish individual. That song was crazy popular, defiantly freaky, and on the radio constantly when it came out. When did it become OK to play a song with the refrain “beat the p$%*y up” on the radio? Why not leave the most adult material where you can be assured that only adults will hear it? That was part of what pushed me away from listening to the radio, the music and the repetitive playlists. I’d like to see radio stations take their listeners into consideration and add more positivity and variety to their rotations.
Those are my four simple and humble requests. Many of you cats aren’t young anymore. Busta, Dre, Timbaland, Jay-Z… all grown-ass men. Many rappers are fathers and if you can’t see the effects of the same music, the same messages over and over again on the younger generation, you must be blind. As the leaders of the hip hop scene, it’s up to you. You can get the critics off your back by actually trying to switch your game up. It’s as easy as that. Look at your kids, and think of the messages you want them to receive. Then be brave enough to speak up and make a difference.
I’ve strayed far from beauty reviews this week, but this controversy has gotten me heated. I’ve been following this Don Imus thing closely. I read all the comments you made on my site, and the comments on many of my favorite black gossip sites. Compare those to the comments on TMZ, where readers who I assume are white — 821 comments at the time of this post — are bashing the black community for what they see as a double standard. Well, there IS a double standard at play here. I’m tired of the same. We need to make a change.
I’ll be back to the beauty reviews over the weekend, I promise! Look out for a new Ask Afrobella tomorrow, and another addition to the Lost Ones series. For now, here’s an old school jam for hip hop heads who have had enough. This is one of my favorite hip hop songs of all time. There’s not enough like this one, if you ask me.
“Black women, make sure you’re respected.” That says it all right there. What do you want from hip hop, bellas and fellas?
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Nichelle, your article is a fantastic read, and I learned A LOT from it. Bellas, definitely click on Nichelle’s link, it will open your eyes. I was JUST listening to Tupac bash the hell out of C. Delores Tucker on one of his tracks, too. Now I’m rethinking everything.
Thanks Bella.
It’s really hard avoiding a lot of rap with good music because the lyrics are so vile. No one is perfect, but is it really that hard NOT to be so degrading?
Oprah is having townhall meetings on the Imus debacle and tomorrow, the rap community will respond. Common and Russell Simmons have been named as guests so far.
I’m immediately apprehensive because I have the feeling that these things will happen:
1. A lot of lip service is going to be paid to the degrading images/lyrics and chalked up to the rappers just “expressing” what they feel and see everyday.
2. Black women as a whole will be blamed for the black women that choose to perpetuate the bitch/ho image – either as rappers/singers themselves or willfully participating in videos. Since they elect to do this, it’s as if other black women don’t have the right to complain.
Remember the Spelman women? Why aren’t black women lumped in with them more instead of the women who elect to do videos?
3. The whole thing will be dumped in the lap of white people.
Yes, racism is alive. Yes, Don Imus is responsible for what he said. Imus is also responsible for every other vile, racist thing he’s said for the last 30 years. Did you know that Howard Stern was once his intern? Ignoring him wasn’t doing the trick because look at what he spawned.
My issue as far as we (black people) are concerned is that we will not hold our own accountable. If we do, we are being “disloyal,” and I find that troubling.
Hi Bella, I just found this article over at racialicious.com. Seems like some really BIG wigs of the industry were gathered. I wonder what, if anything, came of the meeting?
http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlny/scandals/imus_fallout_russell_simmons_hiphop_and_record_industry_leaders_call_closeddoor_meeting_in_new_york_57260.asp
Well, here’s some good music to listen to if the regular ‘ole hip hop is getting you down.It’s not all perfect, but it’s alot better than the “popular” stuff…
Download Lavish Magazine’s FREE summer music mix:
http://www.zshare.net/download/lavishbrooklynsummer1-m4a.html
1. Roy Ayers- Searching
2. Harlem River Drive- Bobbi Humphrey
3. Mos Def- Universal Magnetic
4. Lilly Allen- Smile
5. Fela Kuti- Lady
6. Ladies Love Cool Jay- Around The Way Girl
7. Talib Kweli- The Blast
8. Babel Gilberto-Céu Distante (DJ Spinna Mix)
9. Zhané- Hey Mr. DJ
10. Faith Evans- Lucky Day
11. Shakara- Fela Kuti
12. Bonga- Sa Ka Mache
13. Magali- Source Band ft. Abdoulaye Diabaté
14. Senegalese Mbalax
15. Senegalese Mbalax
16. Les Nubians- Sourire
17. Gregory Isaacs- Rude Boy Dub
18. Collie Budz- Come Around
19. Dead Prez- Hip Hop
20. DJ Cam- Mad Blunted Jazz
21. The Roots- Proceed
22. HiTek w/ Mos Def ft. Vida- Det ta Steppin’
23. Tribe Called Quest- Find A Way
24. John Legend- Heaven
http://www.zshare.net/download/lavishbrooklynsummer1-m4a.html
http://www.lavishmagonline.com
l love your article!!!
I truly love the beat of the music but the words can be so meaningless. Give it to me with some real meaning and I will be happy.
you all kill me. okay, so when the rap videos stop, your kids are gonna be left with slutty looking white women to watch on videos, like britney spears. your kids watch miley and she has a grown ass boyfriend. you trust oprah an she been living in sin with that man for years. how children perceive themselves, should be based on values learned at home. so while you sit and judge rapper’s for your lack of parenting skills, stay at home your damn self an raise your own children instead of letting the television an radio do it for your lazy asses. now as martin(the comedian) said, run tell that! i’m out.
Here’s a 2 year late reply but I feel I have to say something.
You obviously aren’t searching hard enough to find good hip hop.
Here’s some contemporary hip hop you will enjoy. Great productions and even greater lyrics:
CunninLynguists – 2006 – A Piece of Strange
Atmosphere – God Loves Ugly
Saul Williams – Saul Williams & Niggy Tardust (2 albums) < the guy is an actual poet, he really writes poetry and reads it out in cafe's
Brother Ali – The Undisputed Truth
Aesop Rock – None Shall Pass < I admit I can't follow a word this guy is saying. Even after reading the lyrics
Dälek – 2004 – Absence < VERY experimental, you might not even like it. It's basically noise which slowly turns into a beat. The more you listen to it the more you will learn to appreciate it. The lyrics however are hardhitting and true. Mostly they're about society.
Sene – A Day Late and A Dollar Short
Atmosphere – God Loves Ugly
MC Hawking's Greatest Hits – A Brief History of Rhyme < a guy uses the computervoice MC Hawking uses to rap about religion. Antireligious and pro science rap, VERY original stuff in the hip hop scene.
El-P – I'll Sleep When You're Dead
P.O.S – Ipecac Neat
MF DOOM and all his alter ego's < raps about nonsense and cartoons. Very weird, but much appreciated by everyone because of his sillyness. In some songs he doesn't care about the rhythm and just keeps rapping on and on about weird metaphores.
Jedi Mind Tricks: Rapper Vinnie Paz can unusually aggressive, misogynistic and anti-catholic on all the club bangers, but the songs that are serious are really REALLY good. Check out these lines from I Who Have Nothing, they're very clever:
"Intersections in real time
The unbroken circles and dimensions of the mind
The tie that binds
The eternal tie that defines
The vanity of my insanity in due time
Will shine
Like the night seas under the moon
The haunted corners of familiar rooms
Yet i'm consumed
With vanishing into thin air
The realization that this shit is my cross to bare
So where
Did I think I could run away to see
The people that decided to leave without asking me"
As far as female lyricists are concerned.. I don't know a lot but I do know that YOU know about Ladybug of Digable Planets fame. There's also Dessa from Minneapolis' Doomtree label.
P.O.S is on that label too, and he's easily the biggest artist there. Doomtree works a lot with Rhymesayers, the label Atmosphere and Brother Ali are signed to. As far as labels go, be sure to check out the above mentioned, Definite Jux, and QN5 (Tonedeff and CunninLynguists are on that one)
Here are some youtube clips to help you on the way. These are not all on the mentioned albums though, the albums I listed are considered the best (or my favourites)
Also be sure on the lookout for Pharoahe Monch, from Organized Konfusion fame. He still puts out quality stuff.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8zwE3qkhTA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEZseJ1Wuq8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fS_Q2l7YEU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeiA8EhQTws
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxUQ07NXB4c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DIK7QFtQjQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kyjmt0Llrz8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n02rLKw_jtY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEBGCOCxLgA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GozVJluWbp4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77vCx_J9YyQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89jt7zJzkNQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCMCiokExJk
I want to say Atmosphere and CunninLynguists are my favourite artists, also outside hip hop (I listen to a shitton of different genres). They're the ones who grew the most from the time they started. I've seen both groups live and it was great. People actually start pits with this kind of hip hop, and it's great when the rappers jump in with the crowd and give YOU, the fan a rough push deeper into the madness of the pit.
Please email me back if you happen to read this and tell me what you think! Take your time too
I've just realized how much stuff I've typed down. PFFFFFFFF