I was deeply bothered by a performance I attended just 24 hours ago, and my voice should be heard. I was at Firefly, one of the largest music festivals on the East Coast. Famous artists play each year over the course of four days, and attendees have the choice of whose concerts they'd like to see. As a country music fan, I didn’t know many of the artists or bands playing there this year. I figured I would go to Firefly for the camping experience, hanging out with friends, party atmosphere, and maybe hear some new music. I would like to acknowledge the fact that Firefly had some amazing performances, and I was very impressed by many of the entertainers. Everyone I’d seen was pretty good up until last night when I saw the rapper A$AP Rocky.

First of all, I am aware that everyone can choose who and what they listen to. I am aware that if a person doesn’t like it they don’t have to listen. However, this is not a matter of taste in music. I am speaking up against the type of message being sent to A$AP’s fans and to anyone who happens to hear his music as I did last night.

I went to A$AP’s show at Firefly because my group of friends wanted to go. Like I said earlier, I was kind of lost when it came to the artists there, so I was just giving everyone a fare shot. I was pretty excited to hear A$AP Rocky’s music because everyone was saying how fun it was going to be. He came on stage and the lights were flashing and the base was pretty solid. I thought it might actually be a cool concert. It wasn’t long, however, until his performance started to take a very uncomfortable turn. I quickly realized I had heard some of his songs before, such as “F***ing Problems.” Other songs of his include “Lamborghini-High,” “Everyday,” “Multiply,” “Fashion Killa,” “Pussy Money Weed,” and many more. The reoccurring theme was undeniably sex, and to be more specific, sex with a lot of different women. Song after song had some aspect of derogatory language aimed at women. Women were mentioned many times in ASAP’s songs, but only when it was about sex.

I understand that sex sells. I know that many songs from different artists have lyrics involving sex. A$AP’s performance, however, was almost entirely about “F***ing b******.” The way he referred to women was so blatantly insulting and degrading. I stood among thousands of people singing along to his lyrics, “I got hella hoes, I got hella hoes”. To say I was disgusted was an understatement. All I could get from this so called music “artist” is that he has sex with many women who's names are not important and are called either “b******.” “h***,” or “p****.” With every song played, there was a video playing on the screen to match. One was of a naked gold woman walking seductively toward the camera. Another was of a woman and a man in old fashioned clothing smoking and getting high. The one that stood out to me the most was the one of a beautiful woman wearing very little clothing and smoking a cigarette. I guess the cigarette was meant to make her sexier, but all I could think about was the message being sent out that women who smoke are sexy. The vulgarity was not just reserved for the songs he sang or the videos being played. In the middle of A4AP’s performance he called a young woman out in the audience and started saying how attractive she was. He also made a point to stop and look out at the audience and make a statement about how many ladies there were. It was as if the only thing on his mind was finding a woman in the crowd and hooking up. I felt very uncomfortable. I felt objectified.

At one point, A$AP Rocky had the entire audience jumping up and down screaming “F*** that sh**!” over and over again. He then instigated the crowd to start a mosh pit in which me and my other female friend were violently pushed out of the way as a bunch of drunk men began ramming into each other. I was stepped on and scratched and decided I had had enough. I pushed my way out of the crowd until I was finally in some open area where I sat down to catch my breath. I was relieved when A$AP announced that it was his last song. What really enraged me was how he left the audience. He had thousands of people’s attention. He could have said anything. He had a chance to say something worth while, something to make a difference in the minds of thousands of young people. I was stunned when the very last thing he said as he exited the stage was “I’m going to go f**** somebody’s girlfriend!” The crowd cheered as though he had just demanded world peace.

This concert left me angry. I am upset at how many people go along with this kind of music and think it’s OK because its popular. I believe people think that since A$AP Rocky is a famous rapper, that the words, images, and actions he does are acceptable. At one point I was the only person around me who was not jumping up and down to lyrics like “left her sleeping on a separate mattress, I think her body makes for better practice” and “Cause I'm the nigga, the nigga nigga, like how you figure? Getting figures and f***ing b******” and “that b****, know we poppin' so she boppin' on this d***.” I want to stand up for women everywhere and say that this is not ok. Women are more than just a body to have sex with. How dare A$AP refer to women in this way. The hateful words and disrespectful light cast upon women by his songs should not be tolerated in an era when women are still fighting to be equal. That “hoe” he is singing about is someone’s daughter, someone’s sister, someone’s cousin, maybe even someone’s mother. Have some respect. Women who go to attend a concert should not feel as though they are part of the entertainment. We are more than just objects. We are human beings with names. How can we expect to end violent acts against women such as rape, assault, and verbal abuse when songs and artists are still putting women into the category of sexual bodies? How can we expect young men to treat women with respect when artists they look up to do the opposite? Someone with so much influence over young minds, such as A$AP Rocky, should use his power to make the world a better place. My hope is that after reading this, some people will think twice about the kind of message they support. If a lyric in a song doesn’t sit right with you, stop listening to it. If an artist acts a certain way that offends you, don’t contribute to their success. Use your voice. Speak up against sexism and the disrespect against women. Just because it is popular doesn’t mean it is OK.