Hottentot Hip Hop II
I refuse to believe that we have grown to a point where you have to completely bare all of your ass and titties to get recognition as a female rapper. A part of me still holds on to the thought that people still choose lyrics over the baseline and that society is not this vain and horny. I remember when the female rapper represented a powerful yet feminine strength that was tough enough to contend with the “big boys”. If she was lyrically hard enough to make u bob your head, she automatically gained your respect ie: Roxanne Shantae, Eve, Missy Elliot, Salt & Pepper, MC Lyte, Da Brat, and Rah Digga. That’s why the “first lady” title is/was everything to most “units”. It seems like back in the days of music, people actually looked forward to what the “queen” or 1st lady had to say. It was more about her craft and less about her physical “assets”. Today….. You have to show all kinds of parts just to be taken seriously. Diversity is becoming a rarity in today’s breed of female rappers. Just spread them cheeks and keep it moving.
The seemingly successful female rapper is manufactured today. She is a modern day Hottentot Venus. It’s funny when you think about the story of Sara Bartman and how she was considered a freak or spectacle because of how her body was built. She was the center of a European freak-show. She died and untimely death and was humiliated until the end. Even after her death, her physical remains weren’t buried. Her sex organs/remains were still left of display in a museum. She wasn’t buried with dignity and respect until decades later at the request of Nelson Mandela… Flash forward to 2014 and we, the black woman, the femcee just WHAM!… We subconsciously (and who knows, maybe even consciously) display ourselves as Sara Baartman voluntarily. We are basically saying, “Hey,this is all the black woman is… The statements: “If you got it flaunt it” , “Use if before you lose it”, and “I’ma bad bitch” are weak, tired, and unoriginal. Those phrases even sound dumb when they are said aloud with the utmost sincerity. Why does the female rapper feel the need to over-expose herself and do all this “extra” stuff that she didn’t have to do before? Today, you HAAAAAVE to show something as a woman to reach a certain level. It doesn’t matter how good or gifted you are.
The female rapper in Hip hop goes back farther and deeper than ass and titties. True, Lil Kim and Foxy Brown both showed skin however, there were other ladies rapping at that time that weren’t doing that, yet they were wildly successful ie: Lauryn Hill. It wasn’t always like this… Hollywood has gotten the female rapper twisted. Now the aspiring female rapper is doing all kinds of stuff to get put on or stay “hot” in addition to dropping that a** including: changing her physical appearance through some of the most invasive cosmetic procedures. We’re wacking off our noses and injecting/implanting all kinds of stuff into our bodies with the quickness. All of this in hopes of obtaining the “gold”. Not saying that female rappers didn’t do this before, because some, not all, did. However, it’s like…. You have to make a crazy physical enhancement and the booty must be large regardless if it is proportioned to your body or not.
This is not an article encouraging the female rapper to dress like a nun and turn off all of their sex appeal. I am all for embracing your sexuality and loving the fact that you are a woman. However, Ladies: WE MUST DO BETTER. This is a plea to simply leave something for the imagination to go on. I’ll say it again for clarity: There is nothing wrong with taking pride in your body however; it would be nice to see more women respect themselves. The art of mystery is no longer enforced when it comes down to the female temple.
What makes it so bad is…. Nicki Minaj has a following– A very loyal following at that. She can drop the utter-most wackness (Like Anaconda) and her fans will still back her. Her following has been pretty strong ever since she dropped “Go Hard”. With someone who I thought has a vivid imagination, I would think that she would do something more creative than just show her complete bare ass on her album artwork. I mean, all we see is two strings. But hey, this is the same chick who took a picture of Malcolm X holding and AK while peeping out of his window, and slapped, “LOOKIN’ ASS NIGGA” on it. You can’t blame everything on “The Team”…. At the end of the day, Nicki Minaj or any female rapper shouldn’t have to do this to sell records. Let’s be real, Iggy came along and is giving Nicki some competition in regards of winning over the popular audience.When I first saw this picture of Nicki Minaj, I couldn’t help but think about Sara Baartman’s plight and humiliation. It’s not just Nicki Minaj that Is guilty of this…
I refuse to believe that conscious lyrics can’t go hard in the club or in your stereo system. I also refuse to call redundant lyrics and an overpowering baseline real music. It is okay to actually say something in your music. That’s how it all started back in the day. We had something to say. What is going on in the world of music today? There is so much more to a woman than just her body. It’s crazy how music has changed. Why isn’t creativity celebrated musically the same way that it once was. What happened to creativity and quality. Hell, what happened to the art? The transitions that have happened within hip hop baffles me. I never thought that would see a time where the art form that once inspired me would literally churn my stomach.
