Blog #2

Marques Chacon

It seems that the common theme in this week’s readings is hip hop’s evolution. With regards to the reading “The Stage Hip Hop Feminism Built”, it discusses how hip hop artists pushed the boundaries of the genre, while simultaneously forcing people to question the current narratives of feminism. I found it inspiring how women would challenge the premise of respectability politics through their work. The reading states “...Nicki Minaj, did not receive the same love, however, when she commented on her own bisexuality” and then attributes this inequity to “The persistent investment in respectability politics”. This quote made me respect artists like Nicki
Minaj, who don’t abide by respectability politics, which is something I particularly do not like. Meanwhile, the article “The Rise of Seattle Hip Hop” discusses how hip hop evolved in Seattle, starting from DJ Nasty Nes and Sir Mix-A-Lot to the post-”Thrift Shop” rappers that gained visibility following Macklemore’s success. In particular, the article mentions several rappers based out of the Seattle area who are pushing the boundaries of hip hop. For instance, it mentions how the indie record label Sub Pop ushered in the current era when they signed Shabazz Palaces. The article mentions that “Grammy-winning rapper Ishmael Butler, already a man prone to star-gazing proclivities, exited his celebrated former trio Digable Planets for even further-reaching sonic explorations with the multi-instrumentalist Tendai Maraire, in the process crafting a sonic cosmology as obscure and obtuse as it is addictive.” This resulted in an entirely new and distinct sound for Seattle hip hop, pushing the limits of what is considered hip hop and in fact pioneering a new wave of music.

Song Selections:
M.I.A. - “Bad Girls” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uYs0gJD-LE
Selena - “Como La Flor” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsUt2jsLM1k

The first song I chose for this week is M.I.A.’s “Bad Girls”, which in my opinion is the ultimate female empowerment song. M.I.A. is an artist who challenges hip hop’s norms by calling attention to women’s issues by challenging existing norms. In this particular song, the chorus line “Live fast, die young, bad girls do it well” promotes messages of liberation and sex positivity. The music video for this song was also influential, as it showed liberated women in hijabs driving cars and basically being badasses. This drew widespread praise, where people praised it for confronting the strict driving laws in Saudi Arabia as well as giving swagger and confidence for typically oppressed women.


The second song I chose for this week is “Como La Flor” by Selena. This is an iconic song by the Mexican-American artist, as it was her best selling song at the time of its release. This song (in combination with many of her other songs) catapulted Selena into stardom and brought attention to Tejano music as a whole. What makes Selena’s story even more impressive was that she broke barriers by being a woman in a genre dominated by men. Initially, she was ridiculed for attempting Tejano music, but her albums proved to be hits among Latin Americans. This single (and its corresponding album) was viewed as her “breakthrough hit” and her rise to fame quelled those sexist biases people had of her at the beginning of her career. This increased attention also brought new interest in the genre from the mainstream public, where this particular subculture could be recognized.