Overlooked: Feminists Impact on Rap

Since rap music began to grow in popularity and became “the record industry’s highest-grossing genre of music,” feminist’s accomplishments are under minded according to Katherine Cheairs’ Radical Women: Women, Feminism & Hip Hop. 

The development of rap music has overshadowed women’s barrier-breaking accomplishments in hip-hop.

As rap music’s explicit content became notorious for its uncensored misogynist lyrics, obsession with 

materialism and fashion; the importance of hip-hop’s origin faded away.

Early femcees, such as Lauryn Hill, Queen Latifah, and Sojourner Truth, spoke out against the racist and sexist views in the rap industry. These revolutionary femcees used the genre of music that was dominated by masculine ideals and used it to empower themselves as well as the objectified African American women.

The lack of respect men show for the Black female body is rooted back to slavery. Black female slaves were judged and sold on their physical appearance which displayed the woman’s ability to produce more unpaid workers.

Dating back to 1851, Isabella Baumfree, also known as Sojourner Truth, gave her “Ain’t I a Woman” speech during the Women’s Convention in Akron, Ohio, highlighting the out-dated chivalrous description of how women should been treated.

Not only does she point out the death of chivalry towards women, but she’s aware the definition of a woman is already being challenged, altered, and perceived differently. Below is an excerpt from her speech.

“That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a woman?”

Cheairs compared the timeliness and impact of Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I a Woman” speech and Queen Latifah’s single “U.N.I.T.Y.” stating that both addressed social inequalities women strived to overcome.

Yet, rap music attempted to eclipse women’s resistance against the preconceived notions about their image.

Rap music did this by perceiving women as sexual objects in its lyrics and videos. Outraged Black women began revolting against the rappers who promoted the sexualized image of women.

For example, African American female students from Spelman College protested rapper Nelly’s scheduled school concert due to his blatant lack of respect for women shown in his music video to his song “Tip Drill.”

The music video showed Nelly swiping his credit card between the butt of a video vixen with no recognition of the reality of how demoralizing his action was.

The women’s protest not only worked and cancelled Nelly’s performance, but gained media recognition as well. A major part of the protest not highlighted in the media’s coverage was the presence and support female protestors received from male students.

Resistance shown in protests, like the one in Spelman, is the forward step feminist took in attempts to suppress the ugly side of rap. Although, there is little revolt against the corporate enterprises that funnel money into rappers whose lyrics are predominately about sex and violence.