I have loved hip hop music since I first heard Raising Hell by Run DMC. First a fan and later a rapper myself, I have always admired the skill it takes to be a good MC. I love MCs who spit important lyrics ― lyrics that mean something to a lot of people and move the culture. And, as a rapper I tried to represent the best elements of the vocation in my songs. I made lyrical songs. I made party songs. I made songs that make you think. I was always highly autobiographical. One thing I tried my best to do in all of my songs was to avoid the misogyny that I so often hear in hip hop music when I listen to other artists. To be sure, you will not hear women called “bitches” or “hoes” on my records. I did it to set an example.
“You will not hear women called 'bitches' or 'hoes' on my records. I did it to set an example.”
I believe that the misogyny in hip hop is a byproduct of the misogyny in our larger culture. And, there is plenty of misogyny in other genres of music. But, I hold hip hop to a higher standard than other genres, because I love it so much. When I was younger I remember thinking very highly of rappers who managed to put wisdom in their clever lines. Rappers think pretty highly of themselves too. Back in the day, rappers considered themselves upper echelon thinkers. They considered themselves wordsmiths who had mastered language in a way the average person could not. Even today when mainstream rappers are more watered down, they call themselves geniuses for making hits. And, I challenge you to name a rapper who hasn’t called himself the best at least once in a song. So, why are so many songs embedded with lowest common denominator lyrics?
I remember one day on Twitter when one of the accounts I follow referenced Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle as both a heavily influential and misogynistic album. I loved that album. But, it never for one day influenced the way I interact with women. And, I do not understand how so many men who supposedly love their mothers, sisters and other female family members could allow a record to change the way they perceive women. I know hip hop is highly hypnotic, and its lyrics can permeate your thinking due to being catchy and repetitive. But, if you know strong women, how could you let your view of them change due to what you heard a rapper say on a record? We must have stronger minds than that and exercise free will.
Rappers also should take responsibility for their lyrics. It’s easy to dismiss criticisms of hip hop misogyny in various ways, but have rappers considered the effect on society that these lyrics have? Sometimes life imitates art. I would never want a person to listen to my music and get the impression that I do not respect women. I have too many strong women in my life for that. Listening to hip hop, it sounds like the only strong women rappers have ever met are their own mothers. That can not be the truth. We are surrounded by great women who deserve our respect and should be able to listen to our music without feeling demeaned.
“We can not let misogyny slide just because we like a rapper’s personality. When we support them, we are endorsing their misogyny.”
It’s not just pimp rappers like Snoop who write misogynistic lyrics. Even so-called “nice guys” like Kanye and Drake have heavily problematic lyrics and themes in their songs. And, they are very popular with women. Men and women have to demand more from our artists. We can not let misogyny slide just because we like a rapper’s personality. When we support them we are endorsing their misogyny.
I want rappers to do better. We have daily conversations about toxic masculinity and feminism on social media and all over the internet. Why is hip hop still lagging behind? I suggest that fans get serious about holding artists accountable for their lyrical content. If you do not like the content of a rapper’s songs, do not support that artist. And, do not make excuses because the songs are catchy or popular. We are caught in a vicious cycle where misogyny in society feeds misogyny in rap lyrics which then in turn feeds back into greater society’s view of women. We can break the cycle by holding everyone in our lives accountable, including rappers.