I recently took an Uber home for the first time tonight and neither the driver nor I wanted to talk so we turned the radio on instead. Within two minutes I felt that same wave of awkwardness we all experienced while watching Pretty Woman with our parents. (I know I'm not the only one.)
Been around the world don't speak the language
but your booty don't need explaining.
Thank you Jason Derulo! What a relief! My 'booty' doesn't say much and when she does she certainly doesn't want to have to explain herself.
I want to take a moment to rewind and reflect on the past state of the music industry, primarily regarding hip-hop and the shape it has taken from whence it came. Remember James Brown, the father of funk, the Godfather of soul, the grandfather of hip-hop? Below is a sample of lyrics from one of his most popular songs, It's a man's world.
This is a man's world, this is a man's world
but it would be nothing, not one thing without a woman or a girl.
This message is clear to me. I am not distracted by anatomy, there is no over-sexualization. This is a message that brings awareness to sexism but is also uplifting to the female. That, though it is a world of man-made things and is male-dominated, women are necessary in this man-made world. What a positive and timeless message for us to hold onto.
I realize James Brown came from a different era so one might argue that times have changed and the music industry is only reflecting that, a sentiment I do not disagree with. I only wish the reflection weren't so dark. However, we don't even have to go so far back as Mr. Brown.
One name, two words: Tupac Shakur, a force not just in the hip-hop culture but world-wide, his influence spanning beyond oceans. Tupac's talent was unmatched and his gift with words was undeniable. Below is a sample of lyrics from his song Keep ya head up.
And since we all came from a woman
Got our name from a woman and our game from a woman
I wonder why we take from our women
Why we rape our women, do we hate our women?
I think it's time to kill for our women
Time to heal our women, be real to our women
And if we don't we'll have a race of babies
That will hate the ladies, that make the babies
And since a man can't make one
He has no right to tell a woman when and where to create one
So will the real men get up
I know you're fed up ladies, but keep your head up.
My sincerest gratitude, Tupac. What life these lyrics carry, what an encouragement to men to hold females in high regard, in treating them well because they matter. This message is also clear: women are valuable and should be treasured- another timeless and worthwhile message to share and to hear, how necessary and positive for our society and culture. Sadly, these lyrics are few and far between- a stark contrast to what we find on the radio:
Dos Cadenas, clothes are genius,
sold out arenas you can suck my ______.
Boat or jet what do you expect
her _____ so good I bought her a pet.
No need to fill in the blanks. Clearly there's a very different message the music industry wants to make sure we all hear and due to its power and influence, hip-hop has been the chosen tool for this. In comparison to where we started and have been recently regarding hip hop, where we currently find ourselves today (short of a few artists we are privileged to hear from), it is quite clear that the hips have gone weak and the hops have gone bad. What happened to the culture of hip hop that was predominantly used as a platform for artistic humanitarians and courageous-could-be politicians? (And not today's definition of politician but Wikipedia's definition of politician) What happened to the many voices that brought truth and sobriety to the many ears that heard it? Where minds were awakened and lyrics were like flashlights leading to truth. Instead of writing lyrics that bring awareness or healing to a people, our minds are being assaulted.
I want to make it very clear: I am not against hip-hop. This article does not come from a small, white, Midwest girl who thinks hip-hop is evil and that it should be eliminated from the music industry. To clarify, this comes from a small, white Midwest girl who respects hip-hop, who understands as much as she can in her small white-girl body how influential it is, how intentional it is, how powerful it is. It is because of hip-hop's power and influence that I believe it has been targeted and used for bad, why we find that more so than in any other music genre, hip hop is so inundated with perverse lyrics that do not empower and do not bring life but cut it out from our very veins.
Here's my bottom line. The beats you think you're just dancing to at the club that don't mean anything are deceiving you. If it's true that words bring life then it must also be true that they can do the very opposite. Sprinkled with subtle words of violence, perversion and anger, if we are not careful these songs and words will begin to form an anthem inside of us and a rhythm we start to live by that we would have never consciously claimed over our lives. If we continue to listen and allow these words in, they will consume us and we will start to reflect the darkness that bides to blot out the light.
And I still say long live hip hop. Long live the James Browns and the Tupacs of the world. Oh, but Mr Derulo? Please leave the music industry and volunteer at a battered women's shelter for a minimum of one year. Then come back and sing for us. I bet you'll really have something to say and something we all need to hear.
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