Black Femme Fashion

Ahhh Twitter, the social media app where people come to yell into the dark void about frivolous things. The app where strangers argue about hypothetical situations, day in and day out. What a blessing and a curse Twitter is. You get to stay in touch with people from all around the world, receive breaking news within seconds, and have absolute strangers project their insecurities onto you. I really believe that this will not be my last post dissecting the discourse that can be found, in extremely small quantities, on my Twitter timeline. Today, I am tackling the recurring complaints about female rap. Sidenote I absolutely despise referring to women as females, a post for another time, but ‘female rap’ is how it’s been by and large referred to for decades so we’ll roll with it today.

Let’s shine a light on the situation for those who are lucky enough to be in the dark. There are people who continually complain about mainstream, that’s the operative word here and you’ll see why later, women rappers only rapping about sex, their “treasure boxes,” and twerking. There have been many different arguments formed against the mainstream varying from adding to the hypersexualization of black women, respectability politics, wanting different content from women, influencing children, etc. Let’s begin to break all of this down. 

TAILORING YOUR MEDIA CONSUMPTION

First and foremost this discourse happens like every other month, it is tiring. My question is, why do you continue to consume media that you do not like? Continually listening to a lane of music you don’t enjoy is weird. I cannot imagine willingly watching or listening to something that I know I do not like, and then run to the internet to complain about it! You do not have to consume media that is not favorable to you. We all know these apps track every aspect of our personalities in order to cater our viewing experience. What are YOU doing, who are YOU following that always ends up with you consuming media that you hate? There are people in this world that cannot tell you who some of the biggest names in music or film are, not by name, face, or project. Tailor your media consumption to things that you actually enjoy, move in the circles that appease you. This is why I said I only see minuscule amounts of the discourse on my own timeline because I move in the circles that shine a light on how contradictory and outright foolish those who complain are. Now, I will say that you may still run into mainstream female rap especially if you are a partygoer. However, there is a difference between casually running into the music and listening with the intent to complain.

IF YOU PREFER CONSCIOUS RAP MOVE IN THOSE CIRCLES

I will be using Megan Thee Stallion as the primary example in this article because lets be honest, her name has been in everybody’s mouth for the past 2 years. I’ve been a Megan girl, a hot girl if you will, since her Soundcloud days. I loved watching her get the recognition that she deserves, but the amount of misogynoir that she has experienced on her way to the top has been ridiculous and dangerous. Every time Megan releases new music the female rap discourse ramps up. The biggest uproar was definitely when W.A.P., in collaboration with Cardi B, dropped but now here we are again with the release of Thot S***. There have been varying responses to Megan’s latest release from genuine critiques, people suggesting that Megan is nothing but her body, that she’s the problem with the media’s portrayal of black women, all the way to outright condemning all mainstream women rappers due to sexual explicitly. 

Misogynoir– at the intersection of racism and misogyny; the hatred, dislike, distrust, and prejudice that is specifically targeted at black women.

Here’s the thing is, if a rapper has identified their lane and has remained in it for literal years, why would expect anything different from them? Why would you listen to a Megan Thee Stallion song and expect her to speak at length on social issues? She does address social issues and other aspects of life in her lyrics but they’re not the totality of the songs. And that is ok. If there is one thing I have been learned while developing my writing style and voice, is that you cannot create art with everybody in mind. Your art cannot and will not be for everybody, once that weight is off your shoulders authenticity can thrive.

So genuinely, if Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, Flo Milli, and company do not create music that you enjoy then stop streaming. There are plenty of conscious rappers who are women, there are plenty of rappers who do not dance and dress modestly. The problem is that you are trying to change artists who know who they are. You should be seeking out and supporting the women who embody and produce what you claim to want. But the thing is, many people do not actually care that far, because the people who have genre preferences remain happily in their lane. You wouldn’t be screaming about the underrepresentation of different types of lyrics, music videos, or fashion choices if you put in the time to uplift the rappers who are actually doing it. (I purposefully omitted Nicki Minaj because if you discredit her lyricism there is no helping you.)

DOUBLE STANDARDS

Of course, we have to address the obvious double standard that so many of those Twitter warriors choose to ignore. Their favorite mainstream male rappers, from the present and the past, talk at exhaustive length about their copious amounts of money, all the women they are having sex with, committing felonies, and their “size.” There are very few people who speak out against these staple themes when it comes to both women and men. There is not even a need for me to talk about this at length, it is straightforward. Keep the same energy. 

OUR PREDECESSORS

One thing that has boggled my mind for years whenever the discourse kicks up, is how the complaints focus on current female rappers. As if overtly sexual music made by women has not always existed. It is as if people are okay with women singing about sex in a “more feminine” sensual singing voice but not women rapping about it with confidence and control dripping in their tone. Even, older women rappers had explicit songs with the type of cadence that is still around today but that seems to get a pass for nostalgia’s sake. Let’s take for example Janet Jackson, Ms. Jackson if you’re nasty. Songs such as “Any Time, Any Place,” “Rope Burn,” and “So Excited” (a collaboration with Khia), are OVERTLY sexual. Google the lyrics I dare you. But it seems as if the masses can digest women’s sexuality in this form. Another great example of this is Jill Scott with “Crown Royal,” and “The Way.” But hmm, the media doesn’t widely objectify Jill Scott. Could it be for some of the same reasons why Missy Elliot is not widely objectified or condemned for her music either? Missy Elliot’s top streamed songs on Spotify are “Get Ur Freak On,” and “Work It.” If those are somehow not overt enough for you, she also has a song called “One Minute Man.” But I digress because that is a discussion that we are going to have on a different day. 

LET ME REDIRECT YOUR ENERGY

Here is a quick list of female rappers who make conscious or alternative rap. And won’t you believe it, it only took one google search to find what everyone is apparently searching for. 

• Rapsody
• Noname 
• Rico Nasty
• Chika
• Little Simz
• Tierra Whack
• Leikeli47
• Rocky Badd
• Ivy Sole
• Sampa the Great
• Ruby Ibarra
• Jean Grae
• JunglePussy
• Kelow Latesha
• Che Noir

CONCLUDING POINTS

Let’s rattle off a few remaining points and conclude, shall we? Concern with how the media represents black women is a valid complaint. But the goal should be to diversify the roles that they put us in, not just make one version of black women completely obsolete because that once again, would not be true representation. Sexual liberation plays a bigger part in some women’s lives than others AND THAT’S OK. If sexually liberated music is not what owning your personal power looks like to you that is completely your prerogative. But do not put other women in a box. (It is also worth noting that sexual liberation encompasses issues outside of the act of sex itself.)  People saying that the music isn’t for children ARE RIGHT BECAUSE IT WASN’T MADE WITH CHILDREN IN MIND. Entertainment can and should go past what is socially acceptable for a 12 year old to consume. I bet your great grandparents had sensual and suggestive songs that they loved, but they’d get up and turn it off around their children. So saying Cardi B doesn’t play her music around her child does nothing but show that she actively parents. Only people who are fearful of the world on the whole or those who leave the screens to raise their children want to censor the rest of the world. 

All of this to say, listen to what you like. Support the artists who resonate with you by streaming the music, following, sharing, interacting. Water the seeds which you want to grow, help them increase their platform. And as for everything you do not like, let it fly. All of the energy that is spent complaining is misdirected, do something positive with it.