Hello fellow Hip Hop Heads!
It's Dorian P.! Like my teammate Megan, I'm going to focus my post of my fictitious event for class as well because it is actually an issue that concerns me. My event is called, "Hip hop is Not Dead", which will be focused on hip hop mogul, Russell Simmons. FAMU's Hip Hop Institution has invited Russell Simmons to our school to promote his new book, My Life as a Hip Hop Mogul, and also to speak to the students about what hip hop means to him and how it is influenced him and been apart of his long journey to success.
As I was planning this event, i thought of a lot of interesting things I could do. On June 30, 2009, there will be a listening opportunity for aspiring hip hop artist at my event. Russell Simmons and a celebrity guest panel including P.Diddy and Jay-Z will listen, and choose a winner. The winner will be granted to prize of a meeting with Russell Simmons and DEF JAM recording company. FAMU's Hip Hop Institution will also be there to promote awareness of the new and up coming institution and to suggest enrollment.
As I was planning my event, my professor threw a curve ball at me. I was asked to prepare a backgrounder that would focus on a woman's concern of having this event on campus due to the negativity hip hop portrays in women. I instantly was interested in doing the research for this document because this is an issue that has been being dealt with for some quite time now.
When it comes to how women are portrayed in hip hop, the majority of people would say that hip hop belittles women, and portrays them in a disgusting and derogatory way. Most hip hop videos include women dancing around tow or three men with a bathing suit on or less. Lyrics in hip hop don't do women any justice either. Lyrics found in hip hop songs suggest women as "sluts" and people with low morals.
It's Dorian P.! Like my teammate Megan, I'm going to focus my post of my fictitious event for class as well because it is actually an issue that concerns me. My event is called, "Hip hop is Not Dead", which will be focused on hip hop mogul, Russell Simmons. FAMU's Hip Hop Institution has invited Russell Simmons to our school to promote his new book, My Life as a Hip Hop Mogul, and also to speak to the students about what hip hop means to him and how it is influenced him and been apart of his long journey to success.
As I was planning this event, i thought of a lot of interesting things I could do. On June 30, 2009, there will be a listening opportunity for aspiring hip hop artist at my event. Russell Simmons and a celebrity guest panel including P.Diddy and Jay-Z will listen, and choose a winner. The winner will be granted to prize of a meeting with Russell Simmons and DEF JAM recording company. FAMU's Hip Hop Institution will also be there to promote awareness of the new and up coming institution and to suggest enrollment.
As I was planning my event, my professor threw a curve ball at me. I was asked to prepare a backgrounder that would focus on a woman's concern of having this event on campus due to the negativity hip hop portrays in women. I instantly was interested in doing the research for this document because this is an issue that has been being dealt with for some quite time now.
When it comes to how women are portrayed in hip hop, the majority of people would say that hip hop belittles women, and portrays them in a disgusting and derogatory way. Most hip hop videos include women dancing around tow or three men with a bathing suit on or less. Lyrics in hip hop don't do women any justice either. Lyrics found in hip hop songs suggest women as "sluts" and people with low morals.
Women like Karrin Steffans (above)During his speech, we asked Russell Simmons to address this issue and express his feelings on what he thinks of hip hop and women, and to give examples of how women are shed in a positive light in hip hop. I think that hip hop does embrace many positive women. I think that Queen Latifa, T-Boz of TLC and Kimora Lee Simmons are all positive hip hop figures who are women.
and women like Eryka Badu(above)
How do you feel about the way women are portrayed in hip hop? Can you name some positive women in hip hop today?
This question should bring a lot of responses, because there are many different views on this topic.
ReplyDeleteI feel that in some lights women are portrayed in a negative light in many hip hop videos, but can we say hip hop is portraying women this way or that women are portraying themselves in this light. Yes I understand everyone needs a paycheck, but if you don't have respect for yourself, then neither will the person that is signing that check. So that may come at the price of shaking everything God gave you into the lense of a camera, then that is one you.
I have respect for women in other areas of hip hop, like women like "Beat Freaks" a b-girl dance group that competed on America's Best Dance Crew. They are woman that have love for the hip hop culture and show it through a style of dance.
MC Lyte will always be one of the first women that come to mind when I think about women in hip hop, she is strong and drives what she does in a positive way.
So I feel like it’s up to us as WOMEN to say, NO I won't shake my butt for 2 hours at the video shot. NO I won't buy an album that calls me a name that my mother & God did not give me. And NO I won't be looked at as a piece of meat, because I have morals, standards, and requirements and until you met them (hip hop) we can't be friends...
I completely agree with the first comment. It is up to the women to let these hip hop icons know that "degrading myself is not an option." But a lot of women get a thrill out of being in videos with T.I. or Lil Wayne. They jump at a chance to "pop, lock and drop it" and expose themselves to the world. So doing the unimaginable seems to be their choice.
ReplyDeleteThere are people like Melissa Ford who have created a name or themselves without personifying themselves in a negative light. But most women see videos as the beginning to a great career. I mean...look at Karrin Stephans. She aired all her dirty laundry and wrote a book about all of her naughty adventures. Now, she has millions. She didnt have to partake in any of it, but she chose to.
So I think the real question is: Why are these women choosing to let hip hop personify them in a negative light?
In many hip hop videos women are portrayed in a negative light. To often the hip hop artist is bashed for it but noone holds a gun to these women head and make them be in these videos half naked and acting less than a woman. I feel there is nothing wwrong with being sexy but there is a big difference between sexy and trashy. On the other hand there are positive hip hop artist out there such as Beyonce she is a true definition of being sexy rather trashy. She may show skin in her video but the way it comes off it completely different thean a women doing it in a Luke video. Keisha Cole is another positive hip hop artist and Monica. There are positive hip hop artist out there, but its far more negative ones than positive ones.
ReplyDeleteWomen are viewed quite poorly in hip-hop. They are paraded around in the smallest amount of clothing while grinding on the artist and entourage. On the contrary, there are a lot of women in hip-hop who keep te stereotype going. Artists like Trina and Lil Kim add to the overtly sexual image that women in hip-hop are viewed with.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe only three people commented on this wonderful post!
ReplyDeleteThe portrayal of women in videos, particularly black women in hip hop videos, is such an important subject and one that impacts so many other aspects of a woman's life.
"Sex sells" has always been the mantra when it comes to marketing and advertising certain products and services. However, the hip hop industry really pushed the envelope and went from sexy to just down right poor taste and judgment...and the black community seems to have followed right along with them!
I think so many young ladies are treated horribly today because the young men of today think that the only acceptable women are the women they see in videos. This portrayal has really made it difficult for young ladies to hold fast to their own morals and beliefs because there is constant pressure to show cleavage, navels, butt cheeks, and more.
Some young ladies who go into the business think they have to do this to get in the industry. The truth is that the women who have really made their mark in hip hop have done so without degrading themselves.
Hasn't anyone noticed that the young men in the videos NEVER take their clothes off? If anything, they are extremely covered up with big, oversized tee shirts, baggy pants, big shoes, caps, sunglasses, and bling.
If you think about the message these kinds of videos send, it's really disgusting not to mention surprising that more people haven't stood up against it.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone. Women have the choice to be the respectable girl in the videos fully clothed or to be the tramp dancing around in less than nothing.
ReplyDeleteThe type of song usually determines how half naked the women will be, other times it really doesn't matter the directors just want a naked woman in the frames.
Honestly, not too many female artists have refrained from taking their clothes off, even if their songs are positive, i.e. Monica, Keyshia Cole, even Mary J at one point in her career. I can count on one hand those who haven't taken off their clothes in their careers.
It all goes back to having respect for yourself and what you will allow to happen.
I believe in choices but I also believe that family is very important. The saying is “raise a child in the way they should go , and where their old they wont depart from it…” If a young girl is raised appropriately, then she will grow up respecting herself and her body. I think a lot of the problem is that these women don’t respect themselves enough, that they value the money and the attention more than they do representing themselves.
ReplyDelete