(music)
>>When we're talking about hip
hop culture, about the role of
women and the image of women and
the way that they're used in hip
hop culture, the lack of female
artists, even though that this
year has been one of the most
fruitful years for women within
the culture, so what's your
reflection on women in the-
>>Female artists?
>>You see, you know how you said
this year it like expanded, but
the context in which they're
saying it, it is made even worse.
Like the females, the things that
they're saying in it-
>>Women.
>>Women, sorry. Women, like a
woman artist.
>>This is off the chain, man.
>>They're saying some crazy
stuff like.
>>Rapsody, one of the greatest
female rappers ever to me, never
will get as much love as like a
Megan Thee Stallion or like a
Nicki, even though Nicki can
spit, and Nicki Minaj. Because,
like you got to do what sells and
what sells is like the
oversexualization of like their
bodies. So like, I don't know. I
can never clown somebody for
like, like make fun of somebody
for like getting, trying to like
get their bag, get money because
like you got to do what you- like
you're doing something you love
to do, like you love rap. I
really believe in like you doing
something you feel like isn't a
job, like you'll never
technically work like a day in
your life. So like at some point
I understand, like, you've got to
make money, like take you like
Cardi B, for instance, like she
was a stripper, like she, she
would go to like she was in high
school and she would cross the
street to a strip club to work to
pay money to like survive like to
make money to survive. And like
her body got her where she is.
And like me for me to knock her
on something like that, when I
think would be like, how could I
judge someone when I've never
been in that situation to the
point where I felt like that's
what I needed to do. And at the
same time, I'm kind of like
contributing to the... the over,
like, oversexualization of women,
because at the same time, like,
like "Bodak Yellow" all those
songs sold, like they went
platinum for a reason. People
thought like it was dope, like
people listen to it. So like, I
can't I can't, I can't. I will
never sit here and be like, how
dare she? Or like, wow, that's
wild they're saying crazy things,
because it's like I'm feeding
into it.
>>No, I understand that. But
when I say it's crazy, like you
said, I would never knock someone
for the hustle. You got to make
your ends meet. Like you said,
her experience. Like, I can't
relate to that.
>>Yeah.
>>So then you got to get out if
you can. And also just to see
that statistically she could have
been in a worse predicament and
she made something out of
herself. I, I will always respect
that and say she made it out, she
found a way and I'm always gonna
like respect that. I'm just
saying it's crazy as in like, you
know, I've got like, you know, in
the future, if I had a daughter
or whatever, I wouldn't want her
to say that. And I would, I would
hope that I would not put her in
a position that she had to grow
up and do those things in order
to make ends meet.
>>But what if you had a son and
he was rapping about the, like,
the stuff too? So like you saying
like if your daughter rapped
about her body, that's like a no.
But if your son was rapping about
stuff you did, what what would
that be OK to you be? Be honest
though. That's what I'm saying,
like, you're contributing to that-
>>He paused real hard.
>>You got to speculate.
>>Nah.
>>But that's the thing. It's, so
let's think about this double
standard, right? Like we're, like
we notice the content of the
music of the, of women who are
artists in hip hop. But we don't
necessarily hold the content of
male artists up to the same
standard of critique. Right?
Because there's this image that
we have of women that there's
supposed to be perfection and
they're not supposed to talk
about this. But why is that?
>>See, I'm glad you said that.
I'm glad you said that and that's
why, truthfully, I believe in
self confidence. Like, I don't
think that no one is better than
me because there's only one me
and there's only one you. I don't
think anyone's better than me.
But overall, in general, and
maybe it's because I just grew up
with like, like a single mother,
to me, I feel like in general a
strong woman or like if you take
like a man and a woman, I just
feel like my expectations for a
woman is higher.
>>Your expectations?
>>I just feel like I hold like a
strong woman in a, in a higher
pedestal than a male. That's
because I like how I grew up,
like a single mother and just
seeing how strong she was and how
she raised me to the man I am to
be. So that's why I always say
that it's different for me
because I value overall I feel
like women and women in all aspects
are just in a higher pedestal to me.
>>But so and so when we when we
do that and I think we remove the
agency from women to make choices
for themselves. Right? And so we
talk about like feminism and hip
hop to say that a woman shouldn't
rap about this because they're a
woman is removing agency. Like if
we, we say that people should be
able to choose the way in which
they exist in their life, then
they should be able to rap about
the same things. Right? And so
some of the other critiques, I
think that that come up is that
there is a lack of variety.
Right? So what you have, like
Magan Thee Stallion, Cardi B,
that they get to kind of be the
shining examples of what a female
hip hop artist is-
>>And then you got Young M.A.
>>and Rapsody doesn't get that
shot.
>>Or Young M.A. who is also top
notch.
>>Yeah, but what I'm saying is
there's a lack of variety, like
of representation. I think that's
part of the issue.
>>Yeah, like, Young M.A., I feel like she,
like we don't even talk about her
when we talk about female
artists, I think for the most
part. I feel like that's 'cause
she, she doesn't really appeal to
like that type of experience.
Like her experience, I feel like
any guy that listens to Young
M.A. I feel like they're like,
yo, like that bar was hard. But
like if you're listening to Meg
Thee Stallion or like, like Cardi
B, like, I'm less likely to say that.
>>It's like you said like she
like she can spit, but people
don't, you're not going- like
you're when you're listening to
Young M.A. you're listening for
bars, like you're listening for
the quality of the music, not for
like the sexualization of her,
because, like hip hop culture,
especially speaking about hip hop
culture, there's like a general
standard of one, like,
homophobia, transphobia, like a
lot of like toxic -isms and-
why'd I say -isms? -phobias as
well.
