Rap's Long History of 'Conscious' Condescension to Women

bassiebassie 11,710 Posts
edited August 2012 in Strut Central
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. "

  Comments


  • Hotsauce84Hotsauce84 8,450 Posts
    I can't stand Lupe, but I think he got it right for some people. No one will ever make any song right for everybody. Some women hate this, some women think he's the greatest rapper in the world for making this. I don't think he intended it as an end-all, be-all. Then again, dude comes off as an arrogant jackass so maybe he really believes it is.

    That said, from a straight up Hip Hop rap nerd perspective, the song is lousy. Awkward ass rhyme patterns.

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    zzzzzzzzzzz.......

  • Options
    I think it is kinda hypocritical....

  • ReynaldoReynaldo 6,054 Posts
    What Herm said. Women aren't a monolithic group. Some prefer honest disrespect, some prefer superficial lightweight consciousness. Most are conflicted.

  • bassiebassie 11,710 Posts
    Yea,while I agree with a lot of the article, this line is weird to me:

    "There are, of course, some strong, if rare, examples of rap songs that get women right."

  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
    bassie said:
    Yea,while I agree with a lot of the article, this line is weird to me:

    "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.

  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    "I appreciate your invitation to discuss the topic of gender, but I must decline."
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