The year is 2014 and the world waits with bated breath as Beyonce is about to take the stage at the MTV Video Music Awards. Our expectations, high as they were for the queen, couldn't have prepared us for what was about to happen.
For me, the most memorable moment of the 15-minute performance was when Bey performed "Flawless," which if you did not know, sampled lines from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian author and feminist. Behind her on the screen, lines from the poem illuminated the stage and then one single word: Feminist.
At this point, you might be wondering what this has to do with rap. Well, in case you've forgotten, Beyonce Knowles-Carter is married to none other than music mogul Shawn Carter, better known as Jay Z.
If a feminist like Beyonce could love Jay Z, despite writing and rapping misogynistic things (i.e. "B*tches & Sisters"), then girls like me shouldn't feel bad for jamming along to "Famous" by Kanye or "Loaded" by G-Eazy, right? Well, the answer isn't exactly clear-cut, and the blatant misogyny found in most rap songs is always a bitter aftertaste. But I take it in anyways, because rap is clever, it's upbeat, it's poetic. And this is what got me ever since I really started listening. It amazed me how poetic it was, that rhymes and bars could be used to transform someone's experiences into fast-paced, witty and snappy lyrics.
I'm going to be frank. Writing this week's article was tough. Because on one hand, I'll feel like I'm a "bad feminist" for condoning lyrics that perpetuate a certain image of women. However, on the other hand, there's the idea of being a sellout, of rejecting something I enjoy - and have the right to enjoy - because that's what I'm supposed to do. But, we owe it to ourselves and to our fellow ladies to listen responsibly. I will continue to listen to Drake, Kanye and countless other artists because, frankly, I enjoy them. Should I feel guilty for saying that? No, because - let's be real - rap isn't the only genre that perpetuates sexism. There are countless examples of rock, country and pop artists using their music to demean women and put them in a box. Don't believe me? Listen to "It's So Easy" by Guns' N Roses, "Cruise" by Florida Georgia Line, and let's never forget the train wreck that is "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke. Different genres, same message: girls are only good for one thing, and that thing usually doesn't involve our brains.
The truth of the matter is, misogyny isn't just threaded into rap and hip-hop, but rather it is tied into the music industry as a whole. It's a by-product of that age old adage that sex sells. It's been like that for decades. However in lieu of the recent and ongoing realization that women exist when they're not being ogled at, people have started to take note.
How do we fix a problem that is so ingrained into our pop culture, though? We could always start with realizing that one entire genre isn't to blame for the ongoing misogyny. But then what? How do we move forward? Since we are merely onlookers in this societal spectacle, the change doesn't inherently lie with us, but with the artists and producers themselves. While it seems like we cannot do much, being aware is better than ignoring the issue. So, I'll still listen to Drake and jam along to "Baby Got Back," but not without remembering that it's part of something bigger.
