Rap's Long History of 'Conscious' Condescension to Women
bassie
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Rap's Long History of 'Conscious' Condescension to Women
"Of course, "Bitch Bad" is only one song, and Lupe didn't arrive here on his own. Hip-hop is littered with examples of men, most of whom mean well, treading into the lives of women and getting it flat wrong. The Atlanta collective Goodie Mob is one of the most talented and thoughtful groups to emerge in the mid-1990s, but even their ode to black women, the targets of the vast majority of the disrespect in hip-hop, falls short. In "Beautiful Skin," group member and eventual solo star Cee-Lo offers up this lament:
At one time my mind couldn't conceive, a woman had to dress a certain way to believe.
But in the same breath, allow me to say, that
If you believe young lady, you wouldn't dress that way, and I,
Was attracted to yo' class, I could not see all yo' ass, and I was very content
The chorus then says that "you got to respect yourself before I can," invoking the destructive notion that women who dress "provocatively"???a term whose definition is always in the eye of the beholder???aren't ever deserving of respect. "
"Of course, "Bitch Bad" is only one song, and Lupe didn't arrive here on his own. Hip-hop is littered with examples of men, most of whom mean well, treading into the lives of women and getting it flat wrong. The Atlanta collective Goodie Mob is one of the most talented and thoughtful groups to emerge in the mid-1990s, but even their ode to black women, the targets of the vast majority of the disrespect in hip-hop, falls short. In "Beautiful Skin," group member and eventual solo star Cee-Lo offers up this lament:
At one time my mind couldn't conceive, a woman had to dress a certain way to believe.
But in the same breath, allow me to say, that
If you believe young lady, you wouldn't dress that way, and I,
Was attracted to yo' class, I could not see all yo' ass, and I was very content
The chorus then says that "you got to respect yourself before I can," invoking the destructive notion that women who dress "provocatively"???a term whose definition is always in the eye of the beholder???aren't ever deserving of respect. "
Comments
That said, from a straight up Hip Hop rap nerd perspective, the song is lousy. Awkward ass rhyme patterns.
"There are, of course, some strong, if rare, examples of rap songs that get women right."
Yeah, kind of ironic, given the topic of the piece.
The best I can say about Lupe under any circumstances is that he comes across as somewhat insincere. When he isn't coming across as needlessly asshurt, that is.