Reading between the lines of hip-hop song lyrics

Hip-hop might not have been born in L.A., but it’s definitely taken up a permanent residence in this city. It’s no wonder that our parties are teeming with the newest hip-hop tracks and albums. When that song comes on, the crowds go crazy and everyone sings along to the lyrics — the dirtier, the better. I’m not here to judge music taste, because quite frankly, it would be a lie to say that I don’t listen to artists such as The Weeknd or Jeremih.

But what I’m really curious about is how hip-hop can get girls at parties to sing lyrics like Rae Sremmurd’s, “Come here hoe, mistletoe….Lil bitty b**ch wanna jump on this d**k”. Let’s reverse the situation and consider this: could we ever get guys to enthusiastically sing about songs that talk about them degradingly and disrespectfully?

Probably not. Unfortunately, misogyny is one of hip-hop’s hidden (but not so subtle) labels. Maybe it’s because this misogyny is excitingly subversive in our relatively forward-thinking, modern-day society. Or, considering that the large majority of hip-hop consumers are non-black, maybe it’s also a way that mainstream society likes to view black culture. There are countless theories for this misogynistic attitude is so rampant, but the real question is — will it ever change?

Though sexism in hip-hop culture is well and alive, the rise of female hip-hop artists like Nicki Minaj and Iggy Azalea might actually be good for the feminist cause. Sure, they’ve both dedicated many songs to their curves and female parts, but as women, they wield the sexual power in the song. There might be a lot of contention over lyrics like Nicki’s, “Yeah I got a big fat a**,” but the concept of flaunting female sexuality does not and should not be unfeminist. If men in hip-hop can be proud of their sexual prowess, then why should we judge women for it?