In his 2013 album “Born
Sinner,” rapper J. Cole released the track “Let Nas Down.” In this song, Cole
speaks on disappointing rap legend Nas, by writing a song that would become a
hit in Cole’s early music career. The song, entitled “Work Out”, was compacted
with a catchy hook, a head-bopping beat, and simplistic lyrics. Moreover, Cole’s
message within the single was one that perpetuated the hyper-sexualization of
the woman in mainstream Hip-Hop. Although Cole expressed his discontent with
himself on the grounds of artistry when criticized by Nas, his failure to shed
light on his hyper-sexualized lyrics in “Work Out”, demonstrates the normality of the sexualization of the woman in commercialized Hip-Hop.
Although Hip-Hop has birthed numerous artists that have
resisted the implementation of misogynistic ideals, such as Queen Latifah, and
Lauryn Hill, sex has still found its way to sell. With Hip Hop being a commodity
of mass consumption, and sex being a prominent advertising tool, the
combination of the two quickly became commercially promising for both rappers
and record labels. As Hip-Hop’s “golden
age” ended in 1993 (Aldridge 194), the employment of sexually suggestive and degenerative
lyrics would rapidly become a dominant characterization for rap in mainstream
society. For example, in Total’s 1995 single “Can’t You See,” rapper The
Notorious B.I.G exemplifies the social acceptability of hyper-sexualizing women.
B.I.G says “Give me all the chicken heads from Pasadena to Medina. Bet Big get
in between ya…What’s under that skirt? (“Can’t You See, 1995”)” Bearing B.I.G’s
blatantly hyper-sexualized and misogynistic lyrics, “Can’t You See” would go on
to reach number 13 on the Billboard chart in 1995 (“Billboard, 1995”.) Although
the rest of Total’s song did not promote the hyper- sexualization of women, the
fact that B.I.G could lyrically disrespect women on a song and still have it do well in the music industry, highlights the detrimental
effects of Hip-Hop’s commercialization on the position of woman in popular
culture.
In Janell Hobson and R. Dianne Bartlow’s article “Representin’
Women, Hip-Hop and Popular Music,” they address the establishment of the hyper-sexualized
image of women in Hip Hop culture and its evolution from B-girling to sexual objectification.
Their position on monitoring the transition of female image in Hip Hop can be
defined by the song “Anaconda” by rapper Nicki Minaj. Sampling Sir Mix-A-Lot’s original
song entitled “Baby Got Back”, Minaj furthers the hyper-sexualization of women with
her sexual lyrics on her body and sex life. Minaj says “Pussy put his ass to
sleep, now he calling me Nyquil…I wanna see all the big fat-ass bitches in the
muthafuckin' club” (Genius.com). Minaj’s Anaconda would reach Billboard’s
number one spot in 2014, firmly solidifying the idea that Hip Hop’s commercialization
came at the cost of the modest woman image of Hip-Hop’s early years.
Conclusively, it is clear that Hip-Hop’s commercialization
has transformed the image of women from mothers of the earth, to sexual
vessels. While I am sure that the next “U.N.I.T.Y” is currently being written by
a female emcee who seeks to combat her sexualized image, the fact remains, sex
is selling and Hip-Hop is selling it. As long as sex still has value, the unfortunate
reality is, women do not stand a chance in the continuation of their
hyper-sexualized existence.
Work Cited:
Alridge, D. P., &
Stewart, J. B.. (2005). Introduction: Hip Hop in History: Past, Present, and
Future. The Journal of African American History, 90(3), 190–195. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/20063997
Hobson, J., & Bartlow, R. D. (2008).
Introduction: Representin': Women, Hip-Hop, and Popular Music. Meridians:
Feminism, Race, Transnationalism, 8(1), 1-14.
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