We've Come a Long Way, Baby, Just to Turn Back Around

I'm watching "My Mic Sounds Nice: A Truth About Women in Hip Hop" on BET. The topic comes up about the lack of female MC's today. In the 80's , there were only a few and then the number exploded in the 90's. So, it would seem that women had finally broken into the business and established themselves as serious artists. However, a decade later, there are far less women in the game than before. And what is the reason the MC's themselves give for this disappearance? Women require a lot of hair and make-up maintenance and they are emotional (miss home and have relationship issues).

Are. You. Kidding. Me?

If this is true, I'm mad that labels are willing to let such superficial reasons stop them from signing new artists. And if this is not true (which I suspect it isn't; I think the reasons are so much deeper than that) then I'm mad because these women thought of these superficial, sexist reasons for their discrimination and didn't seem upset about them. I thought hip hop was supposed to be about protesting the powers that be.

Wow.

What The Heck?

I try to avoid most music videos like the plague. And as I'm driving my children home today, politely listening to the benign NPR, what do we hear? A story about "Stanky Leg"! Somehow, my daughter already knows what it is and how to do it. I can only guess some child at school doesn't know how little I care to have my child engaged with hip hop at age 3. And then this "stanky leg" pops up on little ole NPR!

Have mercy!

Huh?

Okay, I have a son. I have the highest of hopes for him and for his life. Now, I can say that the sky is truly the limit (thanks President Obama; that's true for my daughter, too, by the way). Here's what I don't think I'll be needing, though--Rapper T.I. as messianic role model.

T.I. is performing 1000 hours of community service as part of a court mandate. In addition, he thought it wise to also film a reality show that will chronicle his activities before he serves a prison sentence. Here's what I don't understand: why would I want him talking to my children? What is he going to say? Of course, one of my major issues with rappers is that that refuse to pronouce the entire word when they speak. I know I'm from the South, but come on; we can manage to say most of the word most of the time. Aside from the way he speaks, though, is the question of exactly what he'll say and why anybody thinks he's going to scare children straight. Don't they think he's cool? And is this reality show really going to be part of his redemption? How?

What kind of fool do you think I am? He's trying to redeem his image so that somebody will buy CDs after he gets outta the joint.

I think this is ridiculous.

Sit down somewhere . . .

You're right on it, TD. This kind of thing just screams, "Look at me, please!" It's nonsense, and, when they get through jumping up and down, I predict that no one will care. And perhaps no one will buy this record.

Your point about the topics for songs reminds me of the stark differences between other genres, namely country music, and hip hop and her sisters. Country music tells engaging stories in thoughtful, funny, clever packages. The topics are wide ranging and creative. Solange's little trick here is not clever or engaging; it's just sensational. I don't care. I hope nobody else will.

The Guy Who Makes Family Movies?

I'm no fan of Hip Hop. I never have been. I know that I am supposed to be a child of Hip Hop but when I watched the movie Brown Sugar, I felt none of the love Syd and Dre professed to feel. DH chides me all the time because I don't know the songs or the artists or, as he says it, "what's good." (I pick Kool Moe Dee over LL every time!) I say this to say that there is no nostalgic love between me and Hip Hop which makes it easier for me to denounce it as a scourge today. Okay, that's harsh. But I do see quite a bit of negativity in it. Crass materialism, ubiquitous misogyny, senseless violence, foolish anti-intellectualism--all detriments to the community. Whatever its historical value in giving voice to the people is obscured by its current influence.

But I could be wrong.

It seems that older members of the Hip Hop community are making turnarounds in positive directions. Ice Cube stands out the most for me. He was all gangsta in NWA, but now he is the star of several family movies (Are We There Yet?, Are We Done Yet? and The Longshots). What gives? Then there's Ice T who caused a hullabaloo with "Cop Killer," now playing Detective Odafin Tutuola on Law & Order: SVU. Now, Master P, who wants to be known as P. Miller, has done a one-eighty and is starting a television network Better Black Television (BBTV) that he says will provide positive, family-friendly programming. (I assume since it is Better Black TV, it is meant to be better than our current Black network, BET).

I think these changes are good, but I wonder what prompts them. Are these artists looking at the current state of Hip Hop and its influence and trying to find a way to counteract it? Are they just too old to keep moving the way they used to move? Or, are they becoming more mature as they age? Whatever the reason, their actions are enough to make me re-evaluate my perceptions of Hip Hop, at least, my perception of the old heads. I still can't find anything positive about "Soulja Boy."

What do you all think? What do you make of this change in image of Hip Hop artists? Will you watch BBTV?