Bitches Ain't Shit but Hoes and Tricks: Sexism, Feminism and Denial in hip hop

“Never lettin’ ya leave, never lettin’ ya go.” – Amerie, Can’t Let Go (All I Have)

Early in Chris Rock’s Black Ambition Tour set, he jokes about his uncomfortable relationship with hip hop. Especially now that he has a daughter, he thinks more about the words. He notes, however, that women are always the people that seem to get the most amped when those misogynistic songs blare through the speakers. The lyrics could be

Stick it in her ass
Stick it in her ass
Hoes always love it
When you stick it in they ass

and what is seemingly every woman in the club saying as they grind up on their man or dance with their girls? “That nigga ain’t talkin’ about me. Shiiiit. Holla!”

In LA, it’s pretty much standard that you must rock something from the Snoop Dogg/Dr. Dre Chronic era in your old school set at the hip hop club. Probably the most misogynistic song on either the Doggystyle or Chronic albums is Ain’t No Fun (If My Homies Can’t Have None). Nate Dogg sings the smoothed out chorus over a silky 70s style soul loop on a song about passing a woman around like she was a joint.

The girls go wild. Every damn time. They laugh. They joke. They high five. “That nigga ain’t talkin’ about me. Shiiiit. Wesst Side bitches. What?!”

The key women in hip hop seem to only broach the subject of this rampant sexism by suggesting their own sexual dominance. Missy Elliot’s most recent hits all deal with her demands of men in the bedroom. On Ghostface Killah’s Tush she says,

I really like you baby
Do you know how to wife this lady?
Give me what I want don’t talk don’t touch
Unless you got a bank account to make my face blush

Now shush
Eat my bush
And I can give you what you want
Make a wush

The implication being that she’s as sexually aggressive as the men and, unless you’ve got the money to back up your bravado, you better do what she asks. That’s great and all and I love a strong, sexually aware person but shouldn’t women be demanding that same respect outside the bedroom? Li'l Kim and Foxy Brown have never gotten past the sex as a weapon ideology either. According to them, the only power women have is in the pussy.

Jean Grae and Ms. Dynamite aside, is the most accessible feminist voice in hip hop a man? Talib Kweli regularly broaches the subjects on his records. He consistently looks at the plight of black women in the world, if not in hip hop specifically, and rarely, if ever, makes sweeping generalizations about women in his word choice and metaphor. Is there anyone else out there challenging hip hop, challenging young black minds to consider women as something other than hoes, tricks, chickenheads, your baby’s mamma, or big mamma?

Maybe it’s Erykah Badu whose Worldwide Underground album might be the preamble to the future of hip hop anyway. From the outset, she has been a soul singer intricately tied to her love of hip hop. She challenges the hip hop generation to always re-evaluate what is accepted as true. On the single from Worldwide Underground, Danger, she looks at a common archetype in hip hop, the drug dealer, and showcases what the woman at home is doing while he’s away or on lockdown. No hoes or tricks here just a strong woman taking similar risks as her partner whether she gets acknowledged for what she does or not.

But, perhaps, the truest commentary on where women in hip hop are takes place later on her album on the Love of My Life Worldwide remix. The guests on the track are Bahamadia, Queen Latifah, and Angie Stone - 3 powerful female MCs who haven’t put out relevant commercial hip hop releases in 5, 10, and 20 years respectively.

But the ladies in the club are dancing and cheering. “That nigga ain’t talkin’ ‘bout me.”

Who is that nigga talking about then?

“Excuse me, miss. What’s your name?”

Related:
hiphopmusic.com: Hip Hop Blogs - Blind to Gender Issues?
diesel nation: Hip Hop Hates Women
a day in a life: Black Females are Valued by No One

Comments

[Robin]

Thanks for that great post. I have been listening to hip-hop since the mid-80's (not to give away my age or anything) but in the last couple of years I have realized that dancing/singing along with misogynist songs is not conducive to a postitive self-image.

I have been trying to find more political/feminist hip-hop, but have been having a difficult time. I think Sarah Jones addresses a great deal of the problems in "Your Revolution" but other than that....hmmmm. Not much around.

There probably is lots of stuff going on locally, (there is here in my small East Coast Canadian City) but not at the commercial level, as record producers seem to want to market a very particular brand of hip-hop to the masses.

Robin

[Prime]

JT's BACK!!!

Very thoughtful post for a topic that seems to be taboo in the hip hop world.

[Toussaint]

You forgot to mention Lauryn Hill. But I as an Black Male do agree that people should be putting more out there on the respect issue (in general) of women as well as other people.

[tiffany]

ah, the ongoing internal struggle with being a black female hip-hop fan.

but it's part of a deeper issue with gender in american society. there's a hypermasculinity present in hip-hop, but it's not out of sync with the male-as-brut role of american culture.

so for me, the question is: how can we change the larger culture?

[Rocka]

Wow, you presented a lot of great points, Where is the resurgence of female MC's, it seems no one other than Missy, is really reppin the ladies these days...

[nakachi]

psst.

happy belated.

[a.]

definitely thought-provoking...

[hardCore]

ahhhh, misogyny. on the chronic and doggystyle it's stewed to a perfection!

jokes aside, my point of view has always been that every voice is important. i don't have a problem with a rapper making a misogynistic album, cause that is ONE man's perspective, and he like any of us, deserves his right to say what he wants. my problem is with dj's, and radio stations, who ONLY play that one voice, without letting the jean grae's of the world be heard. if you listen to underground hip hop, or attend any open mic, you can hear that the voices of the people are against what we are being fed. the only problem is, those voices aren't being offered up for mass consumption. one.

[lynne]

why can't they see this is not just about hip-hop? it's bigger than hip-hop? it's so much bigger. it's about white male patriarchy among so many other things. it's about black male and female relationships about so many other things. it's about women and men in general. it's about youth.

my love/hate relationship with hip-hop so conflicts me on this issue. hip-hop's gotta' have it's 360 degrees, it can't all be conscious. problem is though the balance that would allow the negative to exist in the same space as the positive doesn't exist on the mass consumer level.

dig this? hip-hop is most likely america's largest export. therefore, worldwide, hip-hop comes to represent youth, particularly black youth, but all youth. it goes out to represent america. think not? check the ringtone market, how much ringtones are comsumed by youth worldwide, and that hip-hop music is the driving force of this market.

there's cultural representation at play here. there's gender politics at play here. there is so much at play here, i can not even go into it all, b/c the topic is beginning to wear me out - b/c so many people are brushing their shoulders off on this one. dudes i thought i respected in the blog space, saying they're not in a position to speak up for women. what? that almost sounds like some racist shit.

i am so glad this discussion is happening. sooooo glad.

[Lauren]

What about Blackalicious? Not in the mainstream, obviously, but worth mentioning. Their lyrics are wide-ranging, thought-provoking, and progressive, and the beats are deeply funky and very danceable. And their first album, Nia, includes a very woman-positive track -- "Ego Trip" by Nikki Giovanni.

[the other Lauren]

Off topic, but Nikki Giovanni writes some seriously good poetry. Shows in the above-mentioned song, as well.

[Erika]

Black women should be rescept we ain't no bicthes,hoes,or tricks no matter what we do and we don't like shit stuck in our motherfuker asses

[Hip Hop]

Hip Hop Lyrics...It's kind of like the marijuana trade.

It's big business that the government knows about but looks the other way. The community knows it's illegal, but it's still easier to get than 800mg Ibuprofen.

As long as hip hop is in the mass media eye, the only ones that can change it are the artist. If your waving a million dollars in a persons face, and they in turn are waving it in the face of women who are MORE than willing to portray the role, then the artist is GOING to talk about it. I'm not condoning the lyrics at all. But I work in clubs and concerts.
I know strong women, and I know women that portray those lyrics. Welcome to America.

[dennis]

Negro please... if you don't like the music, don't listen to it. Then spend some time with your kids instead of working and going to that spa you like so much. Your time is more important than your money to your kids. My point? If your not gonna do anything but bitch... then shut up and sit down.

Peace-