GWSS Blog Post #2

GWSS 241 Blog Post #2

Adubbs

As we dive deeper into the culture of hip hop, I can’t help but think about all of the monumental contributions that womxn of color have made and often without acknowledgement and proper compensation. Womxn of color have been present in music predating hip hop yet, they fail to be at the forefront of discussion, and they continue to be objectified and policed. This negative and harmful treatment has led directly to the emergence of Hip Hop Feminism. Defined best by Tuesday’s Wikipedia readings, hip hop feminism focuses on issues beyond misogyny to also encompass “social issues such as racism, sexism, capitalism, and heterosexism as overlapping and interlocking systems of oppression”. Hip hop feminism empowers womxn, especially young black womxn, to participate, respond, and own their self-identification. We’ve seen and read about trailblazing artists like Erykah Badu, Missy Elliot, Lauryn Hill and even modern-day emcee Nicki Minaj, who have helped further this reclaiming of the self in response to these problematic hypersexual and heteronormative narratives. The interlocking systems of oppression were resurfaced for me as we read about “The Rise of Seattle Hip Hop” and how despite Sir Mix-A-Lot’s contributions to putting “Seattle on the map in terms of rap”, Macklemore is the person who first comes to mind when they hear “Seattle rap”. While I appreciate some of the messages that Macklemore’s music sends (especially regarding the queer community), it is evident that his whiteness has helped afford him a lot of his success and national recognition.

The two songs I would like to include in my DJ selections are BIA’s “Hollywood” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiIru76XGnI and Megan Thee Stallion’s “B.I.T.C.H” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BF8TE5qsOCs.

To me, these artists and songs represent the reclaiming of self that we read about regarding hip hop feminism, and they both follow in the footsteps of Nicki Minaj. The attitudes of these two artists, the lyrics they sing, and music videos accompanying my selections demonstrate the ways in which they embrace their femme-hoods and assert their dominance. For example, in BIA’s song “Hollywood”, one of the things she is seen doing is mocking Hollywood by casting a video alongside a handful of other womxn with a lineup of three older men. The womxn stand around directing the men to strip off certain layers of their clothing, while performing provocative movements. Further, in Megan Thee Stallion’s song “B.I.T.C.H” we see her riding around the city sticking out of the sunroof in a luxury car while rapping. She sings about not being able to be controlled, being treated with respect, and she reclaims the word bitch with a sort of radical acceptance.