Hip Hop Reader Chapter 3

Chapter 3 p 107 Your Momma’s a Mack Daddy: Gender Construction in Hip Hop

I think that as sad as this article is, there isn’t much of a home for females in the hip hop industry. Women have not paved much of a path for themselves and “kept their seats warm” between artists. Back in the day there were a few who held the throne for a while. Artists like Foxy Brown, Missy Eliot, Lil Kim, Eve, Trina and etc. really did pave a road for females in the rap industry in general however the road hasn’t been kept up and now looks a little faded when a female who tries to make it in the rap industry gets to that road. She now has to continue in her path, cleaning up the “look” and “feel” of that road as she goes along, and some roots refuse to be pulled and some dirt sticks hard to the road. Women need to get together and start a movement where respect is dealt to a woman trying to make it in the industry. The whole issue of “video whores” and “sleeping your way to the top” needs to be looked down upon by strong, influential women so that weaker women follow. Women need to be lead by example, by the powerful, and any radio station you turn to, tv channel or magazine you see is women flaunting their bodies. If that changes, then women will think differently and prioritize their beliefs differently.