Starting Six: On Your Bitch

After reading Imani Perry and Rana Emerson’s pieces on womanhood in hip-hop, I immediately thought back to a music video that was produced by a group of kids I knew in high school: Starting Six. The group is comprised of (you guessed it) six members all two years my senior. Their lyrical content usually revolves around alcohol, sex without a condom on, and general partying. The initial video that I wanted to discuss was one called “Thirsty” (see below), a party song that focuses on the members all trying to get the same woman’s number with the chorus “your bitch is thirstaaay.” Thirsty, as Starting Six uses it, has a dual meaning of 1) thirsty for alcohol and drinks, and 2) a desperation for sex/the men of starting six. I thought I had plenty of material to use, what with the spraying of alcohol on the video girls, specific angle shots of a the main woman in a shower, etc. Though, when I was looking for the video I came across their most recent production, aptly named: SOD (Sit up On a Dick).

To begin, the camera follows Aliky’s (the female guest star) behind as she walks up to Nic Nac’s house and knocks on his door. The opening dialogue goes as follows:

Aliky: Nic you invited me over here there’s nowhere to sit. You have no furniture…

Nic Nac: Yeah, uh, about that. You could sit on this dick?

Aliky: Ok

The rest of the video, as Nic Nac, Goose, Bread, and Big Steve rap, shows scenes of women in thongs, being covered in alcohol, being shot with toy guns, being violently spanked, sucking and playing with dick-shaped lollipops and dildos, miming use of said dildos; biting of women's underwear, mock humping of sex doll--the list goes on and on...

  This video seems to me like the very epitome of the heterosexual male gaze—rivaling Nelly’s “Tip Drill.” The female behind is the largest central focus in the camera’s gaze.

As Imani Perry states: “Even the manner in which the women dance is a signal of cultural destruction…The women who appear in [this video] are usualy dancing in a two-dimensional fashion… more reminiscent of symbols of pornographic male sexual fantasy than of the ritual, conversation, and sexual traditions of black dance” (137). The women in this video exist for one purpose only: to act as visual representations of asses of which the male viewer can imagine to “sit up on his dick.”

What’s interesting about “SOD,” though, is that most of the women exhibiting these seductive and two-dimensional dance moves are in fact not black women. In fact, the “blackest” woman in the video (in strictly terms of pigmentation), would be Aliky herself, who’s arguably showing the least amount of skin the 3 minute shoot. Aliky starts off her verse with: “I’m a bad bitch/ you a bad boy/ got a fat ass/ I’m like your play toy.” Aliky is not only complicit in the oppressive narrative being constructed, she is one of the main actors in creating it! “The video is an apt metaphor for her self-commodification…” and is a explicit form of internalized sexism.

If you're interested in more, here's "Thirsty."

Enjoy....

two little black boys sitting in a closet...O-U-T, I-N-G?

Deep Dickcollective. The focus of most writer’s discussion on the gay rapper scene have proven to be most open, willing, and conscious of the topic.

Please see the video by Tim’m West (a member of Deep Dickcollective) and Anye Elite.

*note how they are in the category of “Gay Rapper” in the video.

He is open about being gay, with one of the lines dealing with “two little black boys sitting in the tree – K-I-S-S-I-N-G.” He is open and blatant about his sexuality. This is not what is “right” in Hip-Hop culture; which is why it is categorized as “Homohop” (Chang, 198), unless, you know, you stay in the closet due to your “fear of being outed – [and not being] a ‘StrongBlackMan’” (Hill, 388).

What does this help when you are who you are, no matter what; I am guessing Hip-Hop is a place where one can not be themselves to fit in. This is how Hip-Hop is relatable to the earth and HomoHop is “LaLa Land” – as our teachers and elders explain us being in our “own world.” Unfortunately, this “Homohop” world is considered to be a “consequence of spiritual malevolence” (385). This doesn’t fit.

Chang edits in his article interviewing Tim’m West and Juba Kalamka of DeepDickCollective that Hip-Hop is “stubborn” (Chang, 200), we are not aware of our history, and we are “lazy think[ers]” (201). ---peep that cover title: "sissies"--> 

-       To begin, those who keep and are “glue” for <--- Hip-Hop (i.e. fashion designers, video directors) have been seen as homosexual, and that has never been a problem. But you only hear about them some of the time; or when they’re straight. It’s funny how when a homosexual person is identified by their name, it is followed by “the gay one” or some slur of that sort.

o   Women have also been the heads of companies that push this acceptable heteronormative music (i.e. Debra Lee of BET) (insert picture).

§  So why is it so hard for a man to display feminine qualities and still sell records? Is there a problem with our women as well?

Another interesting point that should be addressed is that these people known as: “queers, faggots, dikes, and lesbians” are also used as tokens in the media. These words are the go-to for insults with rappers. Even today, you have rappers like Tyler, The Creator, who I am a fan of; said faggot 213 times in his songs. (http://www.towleroad.com/2011/08/tylerthecreator.html)

There are 213,000 other words to say. Hip-Hop relies on faggots and dikes. It’s distasteful how the base of the connotation of a faggot or dike (being homosexual) is so popular, yet so hated; but loved at the same time?

Tell me what you think!

To get back on the subject, this game (Hip-Hop) is all about how a person is seen in the media anyway, right? That is why being in the closet (“outing”) is seen as a “performance move” (394). It is to protect your cover, but when your cover isn’t you; how are you comfortable with it? Why does a “gay man [have to be] in denial?” (395). Fuck Hip-Hop if you can’t be you. Fuck “Homohop” as well. If Hip-Hop really is what it is: “a revolution [with] discontents and all” (Chang, 208).

-       This brings me back to the point of Hip-Hop being confused and proves our lazy thinking.

Times have proved to change, however. Look at Frank Ocean and his story!

o   He came out as bisexual, then dropped an album the next day ("Channel Orange")

§  The album sold over 100,000 copies in its first week. 

·      #REVOLUTION

 (http://music-mix.ew.com/2012/07/18/album-sales-frank-ocean-zac-brown-band/)

In saying this, there is help, however groups like Deep DickCollective had it rough. I respect them more than ever, with the fact that they stuck with what they love. They kept it real, as rappers should. As HUMANS should. Public Enemy & Busta Rhymes problems with these homosexuals and saying that they do not belong within the umbrella of Hip-Hop to me deals with fear, as well as the fact that they were pro-Black – they realize “gay” relates to being white (Chang, 202), and white doesn’t correlate with Hip-Hop.

(but Lil' Wayne is Hip-Hop?)

I believe the “Homohopper’s” kept it just as real as P.E. or Busta & the Leaders of the New School. It’s a weird topic. Please respond on here, hit my email (malik_coburn@redlands.edu) or call me: 773.807.9223 to ask more or let me know what I left out.

This topic is crazy. 

Also, it seems as if shows need a gay dude. Omar from the Wire! one of the hardest guys on the show....

See clip below. #rolesarechanging / #therealhomothug

Amber London: Referencing '90s Female Rappers

After watching a video of Queen Latifah's early material in class, I immediately thought of Amber London.  She is a member of the Raider Clan, which is a group of young hip hop artists that are reviving 1990's hip hop style in both style and lyrical content.  This song in particular really captures her stand-offish attitude and delivery.  She is drawing from a myriad of female rap predecessor's styles to craft a unique character that is both dangerous and feminine.  Amber makes it clear that she can hang with the boys, but also take care of business on her own when they're not around.  Addressing the competition as "fake b*tches", it is clear that she doesn't want to be associated with any of the softer female hip hop acts of the moment.  Her video is a clear tribute to the "dirty South" rappers of the early '90s such as Fat Pat and Lil Keke.  Not only is she talking about the same material as the DJ Screw Southern crowd, but she is also driving a car similar to their style, as well as being dressed in very militant all black outfits.  Her posse is close to her side, representing the solidarity between friends in her crew as well as discouraging new entrants to the female hip hop world.  She has found her niche in the nostalgia for the golden age of hip hop, but one can only sustain for so long when the main attraction is reference to an older style.

DJ Post-Women Rappers and Sexual Politics

Interpretive Community
Jaqueline Bobo defines the concept of interpretive community as a movement that is made up of the black female cultural procedures, critics and scholars, and cultural consumers. Women in Hip Hop have created spaces in which they are able to deliver powerful messages from black female and black feminist perspectives. The classifications of women rappers are based on the constructions of an interpretive community based on the recorded performances and personal interviews. There are four distinct groups or categories that women rappers fall under in rap music performance. They are the “Queen Mother”, “Fly Girl”,  and “Sistas with Attitude”,

Queen Mother
Queen Latifah is one of the biggest icons in defining the queen mother. For starters she was the first independent female artist to commercially record under this title of “Queen”. This category is comprised of female rappers that view themselves as African centered icons. Women in this category “ adorn their bodies with royal or kente cloth strips, african headdresses, goddess braid styles, and ankh-stylized jewelry. their rhymes embrace black female empowerment and spirituality, making clear their self-identification as african, woman, warrior, priestess, and queen.” and thus can often be identified through their dress and intellectual abilities. The image is often one of maturity and seeming to be well grounded. Queen Latifah being the ideal example for this category portrays this mature and grounded stature, and in result (often with any strong headed woman) fans view her as a person to revere or at times, fear. Patricia Hill recognizes that some women in the African American community are viewed as “othermothers”. These community othermothers, “work on behalf of the black community by expressing ethics of caring and personal accountability which embrace  conceptions of transformative and mutuality”. In other words the community othermothers are identified as power figures through furthering the community's well being. Queen Latifah’s othermother persona is greatly influential and reflected through her songs, “the evil that men do” and “ladies first”.

Fly Girl
To be “fly” is to be in chic clothing, working fashionable hairstyles and wearing expensive and flashy jewelry. This style sprouted from the blaxploitation films of the 1970’s era. The Boogie Boys describe a fly girl as a woman who wants to be known, all for her name, game, and ability. To do so “she sports a lot of gold, wears tight jeans...has voluptuous curves, but speaks her mind.”  Yo- Yo and Salt-N-Pepa are two examples of what it means to be a fly girl. Audre Lorde’s theory of erotic as power gives way to sculpting ones own persona and body esteem. Salt-n-Pepa describe themselves as, “ women who have worked hard to keep their bodies in shape: we’re proud to show them off.” Another aspect to the fly girl persona is independence, this was promoted by TLC and their espousal of being fly and sexually independent as well as expressing some degree of sexual responsibility. An emphasis later made by fly girls was being sure they were recognized for their rapping skills as well. A current day embodiment of the fly girl would be Nicki Minaj.


Sista with Attitude
“Tude” can be defined as an aggressive, arrogant, defiant or negative disposition. Da Brat and Roxanne Shante, Bytches with problems (BWP) are two examples of this category that are grouped in accordance to their “tude”. Sisters with attitude comprises female MC’s who value attitude as a means of empowerment and present themselves accordingly. Many of these sistas have, “reclaimed the word bitch” making it out to be a more positive term when thrown around in the right manner. The word bitch has always been problematic depending on who uses the term, how it is employed, and to whom one referring to. In addition to reclaiming the term bitch, the bad girl persona was adopted to sistas with attitude. Where sistas brag about their drunken night of partying or smoking with their men. It parallels the “badman” often talked about in the toast. This theme is seducing, repressing, and sexually emasculating to male characters. Artists classified under this category are not considered to have creative skills, but are viewed to misuse sex and feminism and devaluate black men. Although a rugged category, sistas with attitude have an acquired respect by their peers through their “mastery of figurative language and rhyme.”



These categories are interestingly all very much ways of typifying women, and insinuate that they cannot intersect with one another. When black women challenge the patriarchal mindsets of Hip-Hop culture, they are generally shrugged off or treated as "angry black women". Yet another category black women are expected to fit into, these women are treated as if their anger is unreasonable and irrational, while ignoring the intersectional realities of them facing both racism and misogyny. In the hip-hop culture where men can openly express themselves in a variety of ways, women’s mode of expression is incredibly limited by the culture itself.