Its no big secret that the image of the woman has been dragged through the mud in hip hop over the past 17 years. In the July 2008 edition of Rolling Stone, President Elect Barack Obama call Russell Simmons, Jay-Z, and Ludacris "great talents and great businessmen." He went on to say, "I am troubled sometimes by the misogyny and materialism of a lot of rap lyrics...It would be nice if I could have my daughters listen to their music without me worrying that they were getting bad images of themselves."
We have seen this trend move from name calling "bitch" and "ho" to images of women being led around on leashes like animals in the 50 cent video "P.I.M.P.". However, I think the image of women as conveyed through hip hop is back on the upswing. Artists are realizing that not only women and our elders, but the majority of the population is really getting sick and tired of hearing misogynistic themes and side-notes in music. While flipping through the radio (which I try to do as little as possible) you may hear more positive depictions of females like in Independent by Webbie featuring Soulja Boy and Lil Phat from 3 Deep:
"Independent do you know what that mean?
She got to her own house
She got her own car
Two jobs work hard you a bad broad"
Or perhaps in Ride by Ace Hood ft Trey Songz:
"See mama, all I want you to do is hold it down for me
I want you to be my ride or die
while I go get this money, I promise Im get us out the hood baby"
I know what them girls like by Ludacris ft Chris Brown is another positive example. No these examples are far from perfect and generally don't leave out their eagerness to get them into bed, but hip hops got to start somewhere.
Rhythm and Blues (R&B) music has consistently been a more woman-loving, baby-making style of music, therefore this trend has not been nearly as apparent. However, songs like Ms. Independent, and the even better Ms. Independent/She got her own Remix with Ne-Yo, Jamie Foxx, and Fabolous has has overwhelming success and popularity as Ne-Yo attempts to bring focus back to the image of the gentleman. Let's all hope this is not a fad but is an new attitude that is going to stay.
mai
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I was just talking to my mom the other day about how I don't want much rap or hiphop played at my wedding reception because there will be older people there who might get offended, but I've found some exceptions.
I LOVE "With You" by Chis Brown, and "Closer" by Ne-Yo isn't bad.
"Ms. Independent" is pretty good, but no so much wedding reception material. And other good ones anyone knows of?
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/srhs-bandchic
^^^^ Take a peek ^^^^
Congrats on your pending nuptials! Now I'm thinking back to my own wedding.
Well the songs you've mentioned so far are R&B so here are some more in that genre: long walk by jill scott, love of my life by erykah badu, don't ever wonder by maxwell, and just about all songs stevie wonder ever made lol (ribbon in the sky, as, etc...)
For a lil hip hop try: come close, the light, and God is love those are all by common, feel that way by blackilious is lovely!, summertime by will smith is a classic-fun-dance-family, everyday people by arrested developement
Many blessings for your wedding day, and more importantly your marriage
When you can chk my blog I Do: Marriage 101
Peace
Mai
Nice choices. Some of your songs took me back. I'mma have to download half of those already. It just made me realize how everyone seems to forget the good songs (even me, a lover of true Hip-hop), but the most controversial ones will always stick around, and that's probs what started some of the mysoginistic and materialistic lyrics Pres. Obama was referring to. The problem is, we're so used to it, it's not even questioned anymore: there's no shock value.
i definitely think you have something there, we are desensitized to the bad stuff, and i think it has been so bad for soooo long that when its just "kinda bad" "kinda mysoginistic" "kinda materialistic" we are like... "wow, i'm just glad you aren't worse" and i worry that is going to lead us to having low expectations of our musicians in hiphop and that's not good.there are goods and bad, i hate that some artist mumble their words, i think that has some deeper implications of insecurity, and many youth in urban cultures imitate that, but then again you know the hook on Soulja boy's Bird Walk its hard to hear what they are saying cuz that "gutta" mumble, attitude, and dialect can be hard to decipher, but it sounds kinda cool the way he says it, it kinda exemplifies a swagga "watch me hit my bird walk, watch me do it"
Yeah I'm glad that women hating seems to be getting played out, and it's about time. In reality none of the songs ever really kept it real about how men feel about women and ultimately made it tougher for the different genders to expose their true feelings about one another. Now that audiences are demanding a different product , the record industry is changing up. Let that be a lesson to us, we make the demands. If we demand good music and real representation they'll give it to us because they want to sell records.
I'll also admit that the cycle is also coming back around of party rocking emcees. Moving the crowd to dance. Alot of this stuff just innately moves your body without thought, which can not go ignored. Now if we could get some people who could do that and spit like they got some skills we would have a new golden era on our hands.
Here's hoping, rather demanding!
I'll watch you do your bird walk but I sure won't buy your album.
Love-Health-Awareness-Wealth
Mjh