Image via Nicki Minaj’s YouTube channel
Sexism and misogyny are major parts of mainstream Hip Hop, subjects heavily tied in to violence. There is a slow rise of female artists, however male emcees often still feature misogynistic content and female rappers tend to be over-sexualized, two popular examples being Nicki Minaj and Iggy Azaelia. While it can be argued that it is freeing for female rappers to show their bodies as a display of empowerment, these displays often reinforce the misogynist messages taught by popular male rappers. Dehumanization, like violence, is a major factor in the issue of misogyny in rap music. In Nicki Minaj’s “Stupid Hoe” music video the female rapper can be seen rolling around barely clothed in a cage while repeatedly singing the title, revealing two glaring issues in modern Hip Hop. Minaj herself is seen animalized and dehumanized; her body, a subject of mass plastic surgery, is seen almost entirely revealed while the artist is caged. During these scenes images of a caged monkey are flashed rapidly between frames of a caged Minaj painted as an animal. The lyrics only reinforce the messages displayed in the video. Minaj, like many of her male counterparts such as Lil’ Wayne, is heard dehumanizing her fellow women. MTV described the song as “an anthem to her female haters,” and while it could be understandable to defend yourself and your art, it is important to consider lyrics in the current climate of Hip Hop (Vevo).
Like violence, we can look to independent rap to see a rising solution to misogyny in Hip Hop. Sims (Andrew Sims), a P.O.S. label mate features loving and empowering lyrics about his girlfriend on the track “LMG.” The Bad Time Zoo track features lyrics discussing the attributes Sims finds attractive:
I need someone a little stronger than a Suicide Girl in this do or die world
where the suicide rate has got me sitting sideways
high stakes, and two of us thinking that it’s
too much is too much
I need a girl about as bad as Badu
not just pissing off Daddy with those back tattoos (Sims)
The line “bad as Badu” references Erykah Badu, a female soul singer and activist who heads the charity organization B.L.I.N.D., a charity that provides development for urban youth through music and the visual arts (“Erykah Badu”). Hip Hop by nature is ingrained in music and visual arts, utilizing poetic lyrics, music videos, and large stage shows. Emphasizing this to young listeners can encourage an interest in the arts and a healthy outlet for emotions. While violence and misogyny have had their controversy in the genre for decades, a problem the had laid dormant for years came to the forefront: the use of narcotic references in lyrics.
