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Uplifting Women In Hip Hop
"Male artists should recognize and understand the struggle certain women go through and let that be known in the lyrics. "
By Christopher Givens
Listen to this Commentary!
Chris feels there should be more uplifting messages about woman in Hip Hop music culture. He’s concerned that all too often male Hip Hop artists represent women in disrespectful ways. “What about the women who work two jobs just to support their kids? Or the women that we truly love and build relationships with?” he asks.
It’s a problem that almost every rap artist is busy portraying the role of a player or pimp in the songs on the radio. I feel there should be more uplifting hip-hop on the radio about women.
Artists, especially the ones who focuses on the negative aspects on certain women, should start focusing on the positive roles women play in our lives - such as mothers, aunts, and even the special ones who we are going to marry one day. Male artists should recognize and understand the struggle certain women go through and let that be known in the lyrics. Like how many of us grew up with single mothers who had to struggle to put food on the table? What about the women who work two jobs just to support their kids? Or the women that we truly love and build relationships with?
There should be more people in Hip-hop promoting positivity about women in radio and videos. We can learn from artists like Tupac, Ghostface Killah, Nas, Queen Latifah.
Also, There are a number of strong women already in the world of hip hop. We should support them and their work, as well as supporting men who portray women in positive ways.
There should also be more honesty in the songs that we listen to because not all people and even artists approach women the way they do on these songs. In real life, in a lot of different environments, a woman does not want a man to approach her like “hey how you doin? Let’s do it.” Most women don’t want to be treated like their easy.
And if he DOES act that way, she won’t give him the time of day. It’s true that sometimes, female groupies approach musical artists as if they’ll do anything for them. But what about the women we love and respect?
We need to work at those relationships, and reflect that in the music. Even if you are sleeping around with all of these women, it can only last so long when you start to feel lonely and want a true woman that doesn’t pretend she loves you but she really loves you. It is almost the greatest feeling in the world to hold her and feel each others’ spirits connecting. There is nothing wrong with having good times with the ladies. But that is not all there is to it. If all you’re doing is sleeping around from woman to woman and “balling”, then you live a lame life because that is all you got to live for yourself.
How does negative portrayals of women affect young people? I feel that more likely young women are going to dress like hookers and young men are going to act like they macks and disrespect the young ladies. If you approach a woman like that I don’t think you really want that woman to be in your life.
Some artists use storytelling to show the way women, especially mothers, who go through a great deal of pain.
The artist Ghostface Killah recorded a song called “Momma” where he dedicates the song to struggling mothers in welfare as well as abusive relationships.
Even if certain women carry themselves as if they do not love themselves, the artist should also cater to the women who do instead of worrying about radio and then Hip-hop will get a little bit more respect from the feminists and activists. There should also be more women artists to make a stand to empower themselves.
I am not saying that I am innocent in all of this nor am I attacking the artists who do make these type of rap songs but I do not want people who are not familiar with hip-hop to turn on to a hip-hop station and when they hear the majority of the songs is about “lick it”, “suck it”, or “shake it” to think that is all that hip-hop has to deliver. First impressions are everything. Hip-hop is a style, culture, image, and music that was created in the inner-city by the people and for the people. When someone is exposed to hip-hop for the first time I want them to think that it’s the closest they’ve ever been toward feeling emotions of the music from the soul of the artists into theirs.
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