John McCain: Yes We Cunt

New goal: Everytime you hear McCain you think McCunt.
Obama '08!

Hip Hop + Feminisim. Can It Co Exist?

So I am a proud card carrying member feminist, as someone who grew up (and still deals with) machismo on an everyday basis, I have come to embrace the label that being a feminist entails. No I am not a lesbian man hating bra burning woman. These are all negative stereotypes that attempt to discredit what being a feminist is all about, essentially the belief that women are human beings that deserve respect and equality.

So I digress, this post in not merely about being a feminist, but about how I deal with being a feminist who loves Hip Hop. I can admit that at times there has been a strain in my relationship with Hip Hop mostly due to the commercial friendly songs that get played over, and over, and over,and over, AND OVER again on the radio. I mean there are but so many time I can hear about some one's "bust it baby" and how in fact a woman's worth all boils down to how good her blow job is and how her ass cheeks can clap together. There have been times that I go cold turkey and go weeks without playing hip hop because I feel so disgusted with the lack of women MC's currently out and how some of these more popular songs just degrade women of color.

I sometimes wish I could give up hip hop for good, but alas I can't. Hip Hop has been with me as far back as I can remember,from singing Salt N Peppa songs that were years beyond my worldly knowledge (let's talk about SEX) to having a young crush on Tupac and rocking with Lil Kim and her "crush on you" songs. As someone who grew up in an urban area I relate to hip hop on a very base level, loving the beats, the flow, the places that a Hip Hop song can take you. Unfortunately as a woman I have also seen where hip hop can be a man's world that largely dehumanizes my entire gender. Now I understand that sex sells and sex is a part of life, I don't believe that a woman's sexuality must be her downfall and can be embraced, but it should also be embraced just as much as her intelligence, strength and determination. I honestly don't know what to do, must I give up one to be loyal to the other? Sure there are some great artist out there that give a more balanced point of view on women (Mos Def, Common, Talib, Lupe) but they are few and largely don't get that much exposure. And what about female MC's? Where the hell have they all gone? Why is Hip Hop a genre of music that has such a limeted amount of women in it?

I really would like to hear other people's opinions on this both male and female. I don't think I have a concrete answer as to whether the two can coexist. Does loving Hip Hop make me hypocritical to my own pro feminist cause?

I leave you with this clip of a documentary that seems very interesting and opens up discourse on the supper masculinity that seems to be a requirement in Hip Hop.

Music = Love

http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s125/thinkbyonddabox/saltnpepa.jpg


So every now and then I discover a little known artist that does not get radio play (mainstram U.S radio that is) but is literally FIRE.I obsess about said artist by buying their album (as opposed to getting bootlegs for those that really don't need anymore of my money *coughKanyecough*) and posting them on my myspace page. My most current obsession has been SantoGold who is fucking AMAZING. She is so versitile and talented, you really can't label what type of music she is. i just discovered that she is MTV's artist of the week which is really great exposure for her, but also means that my obsession may wain b/c of her sudden rise to fame (which she SO deserves) so here I leave my favorite song of her's.




P.S She is NOT like M.I.A, if you listen to her whole album she goes places that M.I.A has not. No diss to M.I.A, bitch is FIERCE and is still one of the best. I am just tired of people claiming that Santo is trying to be like M.I.A.

Every moment wasted looking back keeps us from looking forward...

I ran as a daughter who benefited from opportunities my mother never dreamed of. I ran as a mother who worries about my daughter's future and a mother who wants to leave all children brighter tomorrows.

To build that future I see, we must make sure that women and men alike understand the struggles of their grandmothers and their mothers, and that women enjoy equal opportunities, equal pay, and equal respect.

Let us …resolve and work toward achieving very simple propositions: There are no acceptable limits, and there are no acceptable prejudices in the 21st century in our country.

We go back like babies and...

So I would not label my self a real "Mariah Fan" or anything like that. I would not stand out in the rain waiting for concert tickets, get a butterfly tattoo, or make her a scrap book to show off on MTV cribs. But honestly I grew up on the woman! I hear a song and can distinctly remember major events in my life. So gearing up for her new album (don't hate) I was going back and looking at some old music videos. I can't really chose a favorite, but this one really stuck out for me. It did not get much air time, and if you think about her greatest hits you would prob not mention this song, but it defines my middle school/freshman highschool life. I love it, aint no shame in my game. And the limo scene reminds me of the Fiona Apple song Criminal, which is fucking A-Mazing! That is a whole nother post, but I really was never able to appreciate that song (criminal) until my college years.

Here is the Mariah video...enjoy.