Does Hip-Hop Hate Black Women?

So, I was going through some old FB messages, and came across my response to this question…I was asked this to assist in a compilation of answered featuring this, and many other topics of interest in relation to Hasani Pettiford's Why We Should Love Black Women. I said:

 

Well, let me first say that Hip-Hop is more than music; it's a way of life. And I think that there should be technicalities when using the term, because the foolishness that is popular these days is not Hip-Hop; it's rap. Most rap lacks substance, and only presents what is popular: money, cars, clothes, sex, drugs, and violence, all behind a beat. That is not music. They have become slaves to the industry and are no longer doing what they love; they're doing what sells. The sad thing is, only a small percent of the population, in my opinion, would appreciate a true MC if he came out on a purely intellectual tip. Even some of the more intellectual people deviate a bit, but because they are mostly geared towards what's not popular, they are underrated. Everybody else would rather Swag Surf.

Anyhoo, my sistahs in videos...it is truly a sad thing. It's no secret that Black women are portrayed as sex symbols who bounce their asses to the very lyrics that make them less than the queens that they are. They too are selling their souls, based on their assets. In a sense, maybe I'm selfish to say, "Well, they ain't talking about me." Just because we share the same shade doesn't mean they represent me. I'm more concerned about our children, the sponges who soak up this nonsense, and who are inevitably our future. Little boys who think it's ok to grab booty (and whatever else), and little girls who wear shorts up to God knows where, all because the songs and videos lead them to believe that this is the norm, that this is the only way to attract the opposite sex. This is where good parenting is critical, to teach our children the difference between fantasy and reality, that there are more options to life than what they see on television, that these people have real people problems behind the scenes, that not all that glitters is gold, and that just because it looks good doesn't mean it's good for you. I really wish that our little girls had better people to see on TV, but this is not what sells, so I leave with this: leave that representation to people who it represents. To those of us who DO care, turn off the TV.

 

One ♥