Friday, July 05, 2013

Tweet: Female Image Defined By Rap



I had to repost this tweet because when I read it, I could not stop laughing.

I hope MichaelEaly and Mrizzy are friends and Mrizzy is joking because if I were on the receiving end of that tweet -- IGNORE/BLOCK would be my next move.

This stupid tweet conversation caused me to consider the implications of her tweet: WHEN YOU GON' LET ME HOLLA?

First, men speak to women like this all the time (to their discredit). Is it now a woman's prerogative to behave in the same manner? There has to be a better way of communicating than to say WHEN YOU GON' LET ME HOLLA? Just a short generation ago lyrics of songs would go something like this:
Earth Angel, Earth Angel
Will you be mine?
My darling dear
Love you all the time
I'm just a fool
A fool in love with you
If only women still thought of themselves as angels. Would that change the way we, as women, view ourselves? If we are defining who we are by the lyrics in mainstream music then maybe we should demand better music and stop subscribing to the sexist, shallow, overly sexual-lized music that is being played over the airwaves.

In recent reviews that I've made after attending two night clubs, Zanzabar and Rumours, I pointed out how I think the music being played is absolutely ridiculous. Who wants to hear all the references to female genitalia or female dogs? I don't know what the appeal is. Given that the music is an obvious context for the modern young adult that indulges in that music, it's obvious why men and women behave the way they do. Let's look at the lyrics to 2chainz' Birthday Song:

2chainz
They ask me what I do and who I do it for
And how I come up with this shit up in the studio
All I want for my birthday is a big booty ho
All I want for my birthday is a big booty ho
When I die, bury me inside the Gucci store
When I die, bury me inside the Louis store
All I want for my birthday is a big booty ho
All I want for my birthday is a big booty ho

Kanye West
She got a big booty so I call her Big Booty
Scrr.. Scrr.. wrists moving, cooking, getting to it
I'm in the kitchen, yams everywhere
Just made a jug, I got bands everywhere
You the realest nigga breathing if I hold my breath
Referee, with the whistle, brrrrt, hold his tech
Extendo clip, extendo roll
When your girl leave me she need a hair salon
Hair weave killer going on a trapathon
See I done had more bombs than Pakistan
Dope bomb, dro bomb, and a pill bomb
See nigga, I'm balling, you in will call
When I did, bury me inside the jewelry store
When I die, bury me inside the Truey store
True to my religion, to everything I'm too different
So when I die, bury me next to two bitches

It was pretty difficult to get through reading that. Deciphering its meaning is just beyond me. I'm not sure why this music is appealing to young people. The beats and the constant whine of the "hook" of the song is probably a factor in hypnotizing young people into buying in. Add to that the degrading lyrics and we have modern "urban" culture. It certainly lends some insight to how women behave and dress in the club and that, in turn, influences how their relationships are fashioned.

This post started from a simple tweet I observed in tweet-dom and has evolved into whatever it has become. To conclude, there is only one thing I wish women would come to realize - we are not commodities. We dictate who and what we will tolerate. EVERYTHING in our world begins with our choices. I/You don't have to dress like a stripper to attract a man. In fact, doing so may attract more trouble than its worth. There is a definite place for lust and desire especially when selecting a life partner but it cannot be the ONLY thing that we use in determining if there is a match. When we say enough is enough, the whole world will bend to our desire.

Think on that and decide if you still "wanna holla'!

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