Recently, radio DJ Don Imus found himself in hot water and jobless when he referred to the Black female members of the Rutgers Basketball team as 'nappy headed hos'. Imus was taken to task by the Black community with activists like the Reverand Al Sharpton (pictured with Imus above) spearheading the campaign. Now, in a very expected twist, the tables have turned and the debate rages on against the Black community with Whites asking, 'Why can't we use those terms to describe Blacks, if they use those terms to describe themselves in their rap videos?'I think Whites have a point and by the way, I'm Black.
Unfortunately, many rap musicians feel that the words 'bitch' and 'ho' should be used in their music to describe Black women, citing that the usage of those words give authenticity and street cred to their message. This, in my opinion, is utterly ridiculous. It is possible to make rap music, without derogatory terminology, that still tells an authentic story. The fact is that if young Black males choose to describe young Black females this way, why wouldn't other cultures feel they have the right to do the same? Doesn't America stand for freedom of speech?
Rappers do argue that record deals are made and broken by White record executives who urge them to be 'more black' by using half naked women and crass terminology to describe those women, but pressure aside, if the Black rap community stood together and firmly refused to use those terms, the establishment would have no choice, but to make some changes. Also, there are many Black musicians who choose to do just that and send out a positive message and image about their community to the world, the problem is they do not receive the same airplay and marketing dollars as their down and dirty counterparts.
In the end I believe not only are the rappers and the executives to blame, but so are we. Gone is the era when Black music was made with respect and tact, that goes for most music actually. I'm not trying to be old fashioned, but just listen to the radio. Most of the artists are not genuinely talented, they are a product of studio sound equipment and lackluster producers who just want the next big hit. They keeping banging out sub par material and for some reason we just keep buying into it.
Here's my advice:
Black rappers, shape up. Black women are not fodder for misogyny and making them into big booty caricatures of themselves does not further any cause except ridicule. Get a bloody backbone and shut pushy execs down by standing together.
White execs, get a life, being Black doesn't mean bling, booty and bangin' rims. Your negative stereotyping may earn you dollars, but it destroys the image of a race to itself and the world. Slavery is over, don't use rap to revive it.
We the public, stop buying into bad music! You're only encouraging the music industry to make more of it! Take an active stand like the ladies of Spellman College in Atlanta, Georgia who protested the scheduled concert of the rapper Nelly at their institution because of his less than complimentary portrayal of women in his videos. The concert was cancelled and sent a message to Nelly that not every woman wants to 'take off all [her] clothes' for him, no matter how hot it gets. As consumers and listeners we do have a lot of power and a lot more taste than the music industry gives us credit for.
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