Black College Women Take Aim at Rappers

[BERIGAN]

Ever see BET's UNCUT?????

By KRISTEN WYATT, Associated Press Writer

ATLANTA - Maybe it was the credit card that rap superstar Nelly swiped through a woman's backside in a recent video. Here at Spelman, the most famous black women's college in the country, a feud has erupted over images of women in rap videos, sparking a petition drive and phone campaigns.

AP Photo

Nelly planned to visit Spelman earlier this month for a charity event enlisting students for a bone marrow registry. But the rapper canceled the appearance after hearing that a protest was in the works because of his videos — especially "Tip Drill," the one with the credit card, which also shows men throwing money between women's legs and women simulating sex acts with each other.

Misogyny in pop music, especially hip-hop, has been around for years. What's new, students say, is an explosion of almost-X-rated videos passed around on the Internet or shown late at night on cable channels like Black Entertainment Television, also known as BET.

Never before, students say, have the portrayals of black women been so hypersexual and explicit.

"It's very harsh. This is something we have to see and listen to on a daily basis," said senior Shanequa Yates. "Nelly just didn't want to come here and face the criticism for the choices he's made."

Not all students agreed that rappers are to blame, or that the images were harmful to society. At a recent meeting at Spelman to decide what should be done to protest rap music, some pointed out that women in the videos know what they're doing and are paid to do it.

The issue especially incensed some men studying at Morehouse, a black men's college closely affiliated with Spelman. "These are grown women. I'm putting the blame on the women," said Kenneth Lavergne, a senior who was loudly booed by the 300 or so women at the meeting.

Another student, Bradley Walker from Clark Atlanta University, talked about the credit-card swiping. "Bottom line, a woman let him do that," he said. "I do think sometimes the total blame is put on artists themselves."

Nelly's record label agrees. A spokeswoman for Universal Records, Wendy Washington, complained that the charity event fell apart just because women at Spelman were looking for a scapegoat. She said the feud unfairly made Nelly an example to fire up urban radio stations and music writers across the country.

"He did not think it was appropriate at all for students to use that as a forum," Washington said. "I think he was profoundly frustrated. He was not the first, certainly, to do a video like that."

Spelman women have low hopes of getting a change from BET, which shows bawdy videos with genitals and breasts fuzzed out on "BET Uncut" at 3 a.m. ET.

The network has no plans to stop running it. "'Uncut' has developed an almost cult-like following because of the freedom of artists to express themselves," said network spokesman Michael Lewellen. "It is specifically for adults. These are music videos whose content is too strong for our day points. We exercise more scrutiny than is required."

That sums up the basic message Spelman women have gotten from rappers and TV executives — if you don't like it, don't watch the videos or listen to the music. But the student activists insist the stereotypes in rap music hurt black people even if they don't listen.

"Black entertainers have become the new myth makers, showing gangsters and bikini-clad women with hyperactive libidos," said Zenobia Hikes, vice president for student affairs. "For non-black children it creates a gross misrepresentation of the black experience."

The next move is a petition drive, and a campaign to phone complaints to TV networks and radio stations that run offensive material. If Janet Jackson (news)'s breast sparked such a crackdown on indecency in the media, the students say, surely a woman shaking so violently her bikini bottom pops off should anger people, too.

"We need to organize and say no to this stuff, this nasty, disgusting stuff," said Beverly Guy-Sheftall, director of the school's Women's Research and Resource Center.

It won't be easy.

"I don't see a solution as long as you have people willing to do it," said senior Nikole Howard. "You have to demand respect, but I doubt these women even thought they were being disrespected. It makes me sad, makes me realize how much work we have to do to educate women."

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=...rap_3&printer=1

[RainyDay]

Finally.

[PHILLYQ]

Here's a related column from Stanley Grouch. Usually I disagree with him, but I think he has a point here:

Hip hop takes a hit

Black women are starting to fight rap's degrading images

You never know in America. Just when you think something bad is going to go on far longer than it should, signs of its being brought to a sudden halt appear.

Nelly, a rapper from St. Louis who is notorious for his hedonistic rap videos and dehumanizing images of black women, has been stopped in his tracks by a group of concerned young women from Spelman College and young men from Morehouse College, two historically black schools in Atlanta.

The rapper chose not to appear at a recent fund-raiser in Atlanta for a bone marrow project to avoid being confronted by these students, who deem the images of women in his videos indefensible.

This was a first, and a long time coming - and it may be just the tip of a mountain that has been hidden from view by all the excuses made for rappers based purely on the big money they make.

A brother is just out there working hard to make some cash, say the apologists. All a rapper is telling us is what he is seeing. And nobody is forcing those women to roll their behinds at the video cameras. They are just trying to make a little money like everybody else.

The women at Spelman were not having it. They were tired of being referred to as bitches, as 'hos, as freaks. They demanded a change of direction and content. It is an issue of respect.

This should be a revolutionary moment in popular culture - the fire starting to get free. No group other than black women has sat in silence while being constantly dehumanized for so long a time.

That dehumanization has reached a level that makes the old-time movies full of giggling, handkerchief-headed black maids seem child's play.

How long could we expect women to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the obvious hatred of their sex expressed in rap videos? How long would it be before women grew angry at being perpetually depicted as hopped-up sluts willing to do anything for a chance to party next to young men with money?

I am seeing signs that what happened at Spelman and Morehouse colleges is far from an isolated reaction.

About a month ago, I was brought (coincidentally) to Atlanta by Leatrice Ellzy, a cultural producer who runs a lecture series called "The Intellectual Underground." One gives a talk and entertains questions from the audience. I made my usual attack on the new minstrelsy of rap and got a very good response.

Earlier, in February, I spoke in Minneapolis at the request of composer Bill Banfield, and got a similar response. Clearly, folks are getting sick of seeing women constantly insulted and degraded.

In the June issue of Essence, Diane Weathers, editor in chief of the magazine, takes a very serious swing at this media monster. Essence is the oldest magazine for black women in this country, and it is exciting to think of its taking on something as injurious to civilized male attitudes as hip hop.

I also have heard from various sources that we may see conferences being held on women and the crisis in hip hop and that protests in a number of places are in the planning.

Oh, happy day! Black women have been so important to so many things that have bettered our nation. If they move on it, they will bring this monster down.

Originally published on April 22, 2004

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LEFT

[Chrome]

"It makes me sad, makes me realize how much work we have to do to educate women."

It makes me sad that she seems unwilling to let others think for themselves.

[RainyDay]

Stanley Crouch says a lot of stuff I don't agree with but he is right on about rap. Right on big time.

[chuckyd4]

I'm probably one of the few big fans of hip hop around here - good hip hop - including some excellent female rappers. But I'm glad to see someone stupid like Nelly getting taken to task for kinds of stupid things he says/does. Nelly is hip hop like Kenny G is jazz, but unfortunately both of them seem to represent their respective genres in the public mind. So it's good to see some people saying this it-shay isn't acceptable.

[Noj]

"...sisters with good minds, get no respect when

Their ass is all hangin out, playin the bar section

of the club shake what your mama gave ya, back to the lab

I drop the truth, cause rhyming is more than just my craft

Or a way to get ass, or fast cash, or blasted

Black women, make sure you're respected...

...Knowledge, wisdom, and understanding is the key to wealth

Put some clothes on that ass if you respect yourself

With those hooker type wears hon you're, playin yaself

With those skin tight jeans baby you're, playin yaself

Everything all exposed you're, playin yaself

You're, playin yaself, you're, playin yaself

Everything all exposed you're, playin yaself

With those skin tight jeans baby you're, playin yaself

With those hooker type wears hon you're, playin yaself

You're, playin yaself, you're, playin yaself"

--Jeru Tha Damaja

[Alexander]

I really prefer the politically concious rap from the late 80s/early 90s to a lot of the stuff today. Give me some Public Enemy or Arrested Development anyday over Chingy or Nelly. And as for 50 Cent, the Gangsta thing is so over...

Yeah, the images of women in hip hop videos has gotten out of control.

[jack]

About time! Yes it is time that women start fighting against this degradation. What I find hard to believe is that some women actually fight to be in these videos. Many just don't have the mindset to see that they are making themselves look bad and portraying to the world that this is the way things are. I have to tell two of my goddaughters constantly that this is not real life. One who is 15 gets it. The other who is 13 does not and I don't think she wants to get it.

[RDK]

Anyone ever catch any of those Girls Gone Wild informercials/videos?

[Brandon Burke]

About time! Yes it is time that women start fighting against this degradation. What I find hard to believe is that some women actually fight to be in these videos. Many just don't have the mindset to see that they are making themselves look bad and portraying to the world that this is the way things are. I have to tell two of my goddaughters constantly that this is not real life. One who is 15 gets it. The other who is 13 does not and I don't think she wants to get it. 

Listen, Jack. This isn't a negative response to you. Seriously....

I just wanted to say that (1) I agree that dudes like Nelly present awful images of women as sexual objects but, more importantly, (2) women "fighting back" against this sort of image portrayal isn't exactly late-breaking news. It just so happens that someone at the AP chose to write a story about it this time. Queen Latifah's "U.N.I.T.Y." came out eleven years ago.

First verse:

"Instinct leads me to another flow

Everytime I hear a brother call a girl a bitch or a ho

Trying to make a sister feel low

You know all of that gots to go

Now everybody knows there's exceptions to this rule

Now don't be getting mad, when we playing, it's cool

But don't you be calling out my name

I bring wrath to those who disrespect me like a dame

That's why I'm talking, one day I was walking down the block

I had my cutoff shorts on right cause it was crazy hot

I walked past these dudes when they passed me

One of 'em felt my booty, he was nasty

I turned around red, somebody was catching the wrath

Then the little one said (Yeah me bitch) and laughed

Since he was with his boys he tried to break fly

Huh, I punched him dead in his eye and said "Who you calling a bitch?"

Edited April 24, 2004 by Brandon Burke

[JSngry]

Hadn't heard of B.E.T. Uncut until this thread (the price of working nights, I suppose), but I tuned in last night just in time to see Mighty Casey's "White Girls" video. In this case, the Mighty Casey does NOT strike out... Offensive, yeah, but truer to life than many might care to admit, and done with morethan a little tongue-in-cheek humor lyrically. Coulda done w/o the blatant fellatio scenes though. Think I'd enjoy the song more w/o the video, but some research tells me that both are hits, so what do I know?

That one, however, was an exception. It's often a thin line between "cutting edge", "keepin' it real", "street", etc., and being downright stupid, animalistic, and vulgar. Most of what I saw on the show last night was dangerously close to the latter, with one video (something about a booty-poppin' contest featuring the previously mentioned throwing-money-in-the-crotch shots) being unambiguously so. But the jokes on everybody - there ain't no ho's without no tricks, and it takes a lost soul to be either.

Go get'em, crusaders. We the peole need to be confronted, challenged, awakened, and all that good stuff, but we the people don't need mass media images of men thinking with their dicks (and nothing else) and women eager to sell their coochies just to get some bling glamorized as the height of human potential. That's what porn is for. Leave it there.

[connoisseur series500]

Typical good sense coming from Sangrey.

I don't disagree with what people have been saying here, but Americans are too easily offended it seems. Let's make everything so politically correct that we can no longer say anything in art.

That's a general statement and general concern folks. It may or may not apply to the video discussed here.

Granted I haven't seen the video nor am interested in seeing it, but I do like to see a lot of leeway in art. I am always leery about public perception trying to homogenize all our images.

[Rooster_Ties]

Anyone ever catch any of those Girls Gone Wild informercials/videos?  

Reminds me of a series of three articles I saw on Slate last month. Won't go to the trouble to 'cut-n-paste' them over here (mostly because they look better in their native format, with pics and links, etc...).

I found these facinating to read, and I plan to by the author's new book related to the subject, due out next year. from...

Dispatches From Girls Gone Wild

by Ariel Levy...

Ariel Levy is a contributing editor at New York magazine. Her first book, a nonfiction exploration of the rise of raunch culture and the fall of feminism, will be published in spring 2005.

From: Ariel Levy (part 1)

Subject: Girls Get Naked for T-Shirts and Trucker Hats

Monday, March 22, 2004, at 1:17 PM PT

Link: http://slate.msn.com/id/2097485/entry/2097496

From: Ariel Levy (part 2)

Subject: The View From the Sidelines of the "Sexy Positions Contest"

Tuesday, March 23, 2004, at 12:52 PM PT

Link: http://slate.msn.com/id/2097485/entry/2097653

From: Ariel Levy (part 3)

Subject: Spanking on the Beach

Wednesday, March 24, 2004, at 12:38 PM PT

Link: http://slate.msn.com/id/2097485/entry/2097739

I had thought about posting these here sometime, but just never got around to it -- and this thread is as good as any to discuss them. Do give them a read, they're very interesting, IMHO.

Edited April 24, 2004 by Rooster_Ties

[RainyDay]

About time! Yes it is time that women start fighting against this degradation. What I find hard to believe is that some women actually fight to be in these videos. Many just don't have the mindset to see that they are making themselves look bad and portraying to the world that this is the way things are. I have to tell two of my goddaughters constantly that this is not real life. One who is 15 gets it. The other who is 13 does not and I don't think she wants to get it.  

Listen, Jack. This isn't a negative response to you. Seriously....

I just wanted to say that (1) I agree that dudes like Nelly present awful images of women as sexual objects but, more importantly, (2) women "fighting back" against this sort of image portrayal isn't exactly late-breaking news. It just so happens that someone at the AP chose to write a story about it this time. Queen Latifah's "U.N.I.T.Y." came out eleven years ago.

First verse:

"Instinct leads me to another flow

Everytime I hear a brother call a girl a bitch or a ho

Trying to make a sister feel low

You know all of that gots to go

Now everybody knows there's exceptions to this rule

Now don't be getting mad, when we playing, it's cool

But don't you be calling out my name

I bring wrath to those who disrespect me like a dame

That's why I'm talking, one day I was walking down the block

I had my cutoff shorts on right cause it was crazy hot

I walked past these dudes when they passed me

One of 'em felt my booty, he was nasty

I turned around red, somebody was catching the wrath

Then the little one said (Yeah me bitch) and laughed

Since he was with his boys he tried to break fly

Huh, I punched him dead in his eye and said "Who you calling a bitch?"

I really like this song. Not just the message either. It sounds good. I can understand why she moved on but she put out some decent music for a while and it's too bad her voice is missing from hip hop.

Edited April 24, 2004 by RainyDay

[jack]

About time! Yes it is time that women start fighting against this degradation. What I find hard to believe is that some women actually fight to be in these videos. Many just don't have the mindset to see that they are making themselves look bad and portraying to the world that this is the way things are. I have to tell two of my goddaughters constantly that this is not real life. One who is 15 gets it. The other who is 13 does not and I don't think she wants to get it.  

Listen, Jack. This isn't a negative response to you. Seriously....

I just wanted to say that (1) I agree that dudes like Nelly present awful images of women as sexual objects but, more importantly, (2) women "fighting back" against this sort of image portrayal isn't exactly late-breaking news. It just so happens that someone at the AP chose to write a story about it this time. Queen Latifah's "U.N.I.T.Y." came out eleven years ago.

First verse:

"Instinct leads me to another flow

Everytime I hear a brother call a girl a bitch or a ho

Trying to make a sister feel low

You know all of that gots to go

Now everybody knows there's exceptions to this rule

Now don't be getting mad, when we playing, it's cool

But don't you be calling out my name

I bring wrath to those who disrespect me like a dame

That's why I'm talking, one day I was walking down the block

I had my cutoff shorts on right cause it was crazy hot

I walked past these dudes when they passed me

One of 'em felt my booty, he was nasty

I turned around red, somebody was catching the wrath

Then the little one said (Yeah me bitch) and laughed

Since he was with his boys he tried to break fly

Huh, I punched him dead in his eye and said "Who you calling a bitch?"

I like this song. Forgot I even have the CD. Yes, I believe some efforts were made long ago. I think now more of an effort is being made to change things and that effort is being bright to the light more.

[Dr. Rat]

About time! Yes it is time that women start fighting against this degradation. What I find hard to believe is that some women actually fight to be in these videos. Many just don't have the mindset to see that they are making themselves look bad and portraying to the world that this is the way things are. I have to tell two of my goddaughters constantly that this is not real life. One who is 15 gets it. The other who is 13 does not and I don't think she wants to get it. 

Listen, Jack. This isn't a negative response to you. Seriously....

I just wanted to say that (1) I agree that dudes like Nelly present awful images of women as sexual objects but, more importantly, (2) women "fighting back" against this sort of image portrayal isn't exactly late-breaking news. It just so happens that someone at the AP chose to write a story about it this time. Queen Latifah's "U.N.I.T.Y." came out eleven years ago.

First verse:

"Instinct leads me to another flow

Everytime I hear a brother call a girl a bitch or a ho

Trying to make a sister feel low

You know all of that gots to go

Now everybody knows there's exceptions to this rule

Now don't be getting mad, when we playing, it's cool

But don't you be calling out my name

I bring wrath to those who disrespect me like a dame

That's why I'm talking, one day I was walking down the block

I had my cutoff shorts on right cause it was crazy hot

I walked past these dudes when they passed me

One of 'em felt my booty, he was nasty

I turned around red, somebody was catching the wrath

Then the little one said (Yeah me bitch) and laughed

Since he was with his boys he tried to break fly

Huh, I punched him dead in his eye and said "Who you calling a bitch?"

Yeah, but then next day Latifa's just playing ball with other artists who do all the same things she complains about. Which is why this thing at Spellman seems so different.

--eric

Edited April 26, 2004 by Dr. Rat

[mke]

From: Ariel Levy (part 3)

Subject: Spanking on the Beach

Wednesday, March 24, 2004, at 12:38 PM PT

Link: http://slate.msn.com/id/2097485/entry/2097739

Wow, the third story is really horrific.

[J Larsen]

Nelly is hip hop like Kenny G is jazz

Who gets to decide this? When I stayed with a friend briefly in Harlem, I heard a hell of a lot more Nelly and Eminem being blasted at the late-night street parties than anything else. I have an enormous hip-hop vinyl collection (and Nelly is most certainly NOT featured in it), but I'm 0% hip hop and the guys throwing those parties are definitely 100% hip hop. Sometimes things just aren't what we want them to be...

[Brad]

I've never seen any thing related to rap where women, if they're not being put down, are merely viewed as sex toys. To me rap is not only degrading to women but presents a very negative view of African Americans in toto. I find rap to be a blasphemy in its entirety. It's sad that this country which has produced jazz and soul has come to this as a form of musical expression.

[RainyDay]

About time! Yes it is time that women start fighting against this degradation. What I find hard to believe is that some women actually fight to be in these videos. Many just don't have the mindset to see that they are making themselves look bad and portraying to the world that this is the way things are. I have to tell two of my goddaughters constantly that this is not real life. One who is 15 gets it. The other who is 13 does not and I don't think she wants to get it.  

Listen, Jack. This isn't a negative response to you. Seriously....

I just wanted to say that (1) I agree that dudes like Nelly present awful images of women as sexual objects but, more importantly, (2) women "fighting back" against this sort of image portrayal isn't exactly late-breaking news. It just so happens that someone at the AP chose to write a story about it this time. Queen Latifah's "U.N.I.T.Y." came out eleven years ago.

First verse:

"Instinct leads me to another flow

Everytime I hear a brother call a girl a bitch or a ho

Trying to make a sister feel low

You know all of that gots to go

Now everybody knows there's exceptions to this rule

Now don't be getting mad, when we playing, it's cool

But don't you be calling out my name

I bring wrath to those who disrespect me like a dame

That's why I'm talking, one day I was walking down the block

I had my cutoff shorts on right cause it was crazy hot

I walked past these dudes when they passed me

One of 'em felt my booty, he was nasty

I turned around red, somebody was catching the wrath

Then the little one said (Yeah me bitch) and laughed

Since he was with his boys he tried to break fly

Huh, I punched him dead in his eye and said "Who you calling a bitch?"

Yeah, but then next day Latifa's just playing ball with other artists who do all the same things she complains about. Which is why this thing at Spellman seems so different.

--eric

I beg to differ about Latifa. She made this song at a time when Dr. Dre, the impressario everybody just drools over, pounded the crap out of a female DJ less than five feet tall for not giving his latest work a glowing review. He really hurt that young lady and to this day, he isn't even man enough to take responsibility for what he did and continues to brush the incident off as nothing. So I think Latifa making a song like that when she did is quite significant.

[RainyDay]

I've never seen any thing related to rap where women, if they're not being put down, are merely viewed as sex toys. To me rap is not only degrading to women but presents a very negative view of African Americans in toto. I find rap to be a blasphemy in its entirety. It's sad that this country which has produced jazz and soul has come to this as a form of musical expression.

Spike Lee got creamed in reviews of Bamboozled but I applauded the spirit of the film. An awful lot of black entertainment being produced by black folks is of minstrel quality, black face. It's degrading, disgusting, and ignorant. If white people were flooding the market with this trash, the NAACP would have an entire movement around the issue. An awful lot of Hip Hop/Rap exploits women and makes men look like completely backward, ignorant asses. I never thought I would live to see the day that black people would cheer on images of blacks as buffoons. The most perverse excuse put out there is that it's employment opportunity for black youth. It used to be that education was what would set you free. Now it's shaking your ass and boobs in front of a camera or digging in your crotch like a five-year-old.

You can't have it both ways. How can you expect anyone to treat you with respect if you don't even respect yourself?

[PHILLYQ]

What Rainy Day said!

[Noj]

I found Bamboozled difficult to watch, yet very well done. Other film-makers would shudder to approach such a story. Not my favorite Spike Lee joint, but a good film which accomplishes the very difficult task of addressing complex social issues within the entertainment industry.

Rap is not "a blasphemy." Rap has splintered in a lot of different directions, which have led to the recording of many different rappers representing many different value systems. Often the only press rap gets is bad press.

Rap often celebrates irreverence, childish humor, derogatory dialogue...low brow dirty humor. Is it a backlash against feminism? An equal and opposite reaction? The lyrics in a lot of the offensive raps are just men saying what some men say to each other when ladies aren't around. Very disengenuous stuff--comedy to some.

This is the legacy of rappers like Too Short, 2Live Crew, NWA...is it funny? Or is it wrong?

This issue is so much larger than it seems. Attitudes toward women are a major point of departure between many cultures and religions. People make value judgements about each other over this stuff. I'm on the fence here.

Edited April 29, 2004 by Noj

[Jazzmoose]

Rap is not "a blasphemy." Rap has splintered in a lot of different directions, which have led to the recording of many different rappers representing many different value systems. Often the only press rap gets is bad press.

I agree, but it's because the only rap that gets the press is bad rap.

The biggest problem with rap is that, like most popular music, all anyone cares about is what sells. What the group 2 Live Crew did as satire, rappers now do without the satire, because the sales are there. But then I'm just an old fart who misses Grandmaster Flash; what do I know...