Ann linked this piece from Davey D's blog of an interview with KRS-1 where he discusses the lack of women in hip-hop:
CP: What do you think is missing in hip-hop today?
KRS ONE: "I am not just saying this because you [a woman] are asking the question, this is my real answer: More women. More women. Not just emcees or b-girls, but women taking control of hip-hop. Let me be culturally-specific- hip-hop's women should teach hip-hop's men how to speak to them. Because when we learn how to speak to you, we can learn how to speak to the whole business world. It's not just about respecting you...it is...but it's deeper than just respecting another human being. Everytime you degrade a person, you degrade yourself, because you are standing next to that person. You can't diss a person, and not diss yourself...I should say 'she's a queen.' And what does that make me? A king. So now at the end of the day, what's missing in hip-hop? Knowledge of self, that should only come from women. I know that sounds feminist, but that's real talk.
And KRS is right, mainstream hip-hop (as in the stuff that is on the radio and sells the most) should take a cue from feminists, from the women that also broke hip-hop ground and take to task some of the blatant sexism and misrepresentation offered by mainstream acts such as Lil Wayne, Jeezy, Fabolous, Nelly, etc. But blaming individuals is not always productive, suggesting women should teach men and men should listen, dig deeper, empower themselves and empower the women around them are great suggestions, but that can't happen successfully if record companies don't show some diversity in the acts they push and the women they support.
Last month legendary music label Def Jam was honored for 25 years of producing some of the most amazing (and not so amazing, let's be real) hip-hop. Nylon notes that in an article in CNN honoring Def Jam, they left out Rihanna, along with some of the other women that have been signed to Def Jam over the years, including Amerie and Foxy Brown. They also left out honoring the first woman signed to Def Jam, Nikki D. Via Urban Daily,
Nikki D, the first female rapper signed to Def Jam Records posted a video on Facebook expressing her displeasure with this year's Hip-Hop Honors broadcast."You talk about creating history, 25 years of Hip-Hop and we begin to erase it ourselves," she says via her video blog.
In 1989 Nichelle "Nikki D" Strong was signed to Def Jam and in 1991 released the album, Daddy's Little Girl which contained the hit single of the same name.
"I'm really disappointed in the people who put together the Hip-Hop Honors. I've known you Nelson George (the producer of the show) forever. I've known Russell (Simmons) even longer. So it baffles me that no one called to ask me if I wanted to go to the (expletive) show. Nobody even sent me an invite to the show."
Also, at the bottom of the article a dope little slide show of female hip-hop acts over the years.
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Just something I figured some heads might be interested in, this two part comp titled "Fly Girls! - B Boys Beware: Female Rap" dropped earlier this year on Soul Jazz records (who put out the % Dynamite! reggae comps and some pretty mean dubstep tunes). Some forgotten classics on it. It's only on vinyl which is how it should be, IMO. Here's a link to part 1:
http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=155744
How is the hip hop scene divided along gender lines in other countries? I can name several female Japanese hip hop/hip pop writers and artists off the top of my head (Amuro Namie, Bennie K, Heartsdales, LISA, not to mention m-flo's hip hop collaborations with non-hip hop artists), despite Japan's lousy record of gender equality in general.
If you are looking for good female emcees then I suggest listening to these artists:
Invincible
Jean Grae
Tye Phoenix
Amanda Diva
EyeASage
Hopie Spitshard
Melina Jones
Mystic
Mae Day
Ms. L.U.S.T.
Mz Jonz
Psalm One
Conscious Daughters
IB3
Maria Isa
Stacy Epps
and the many many other talented female emcees out there. i also have a blog http://wheremyladiesatwomeninhiphop.blogspot.com/
where i highlight female emcees. if anyone ever wants to do a guest post on issues women face in hip hop just email me.
"I know that sounds feminist"
Well god forbid.
I'm curious to know, since the whole music industry is in crisis, whether it would be more receptive or less receptive to gender parity, though the cynical side of me knows that reaching for the lowest common denominator is empowering only to the bottom line.
so im bothered by the end of KRS-1's argument to include women in hip-hop... he says:
"I know that sounds feminist, but that's real talk."
He's basically dismissing feminism in that one statement, equating feminism with some crazy way of thinking! Ugh.
so im bothered by the end of KRS-1's argument to include women in hip-hop... he says:
"I know that sounds feminist, but that's real talk."
He's basically dismissing feminism in that one statement, equating feminism with some crazy way of thinking! Ugh.
I blogged about this after hearing about it yesterday on feministing, though my take on it is less eloquent:
KRS-One Talks Some Feminist 'Real Talk', Do We Want to Listen?
I don't know much about KRS-One, or hip hop in general. But I'm glad that I'm not the only one who felt like his statements were a bit problematic.
To people up in arms about his comments about feminism - c'mon people. He clearly has an audience in mind, and it's not you or me. And it's not a rhetorical move that dismisses feminism, either - if he's thinking about how people are going to receive his anti-sexist message, why not acknowledge that they might be turned off because it sounds "feminist." Clearly it's a moment to check people on their attitudes. That should matter a lot more than seeing our own notions of feminism accurately represented by everyone who uses the term.
@thenderson
Thanks for the props to the lady MCs. Keep spreading the word. I am working on a book documenting women in Hip Hop doing dope things. I would love to guest blog for you! Mt email is rebecca@bfreshphotography.com Could you send me some info?
@ liv79 and amsterling
A clarifying point: I conducted this interview with a friend of mine, Cheverly Council, in Minneapolis. After he said the statement, I followed up with the following question (which is in the initial interview post, and was somehow omitted from this post):
CP: But men can be feminists, too.
KRS ONE: No doubt. But they are scared. They’re cowards.
I do hope this clarifies, and gives a little bit more depth to his statement about feminism. Realistically, it is not "cool" to be a feminist in Hip Hop-it just isn't. It takes people like KRS One to agree that men can be feminists, it takes journalists like myself and Cheverly to go out on a limb and ask challenging questions (especially of men in Hip Hop), it takes MCs like Maria Isa to stand up and say "I'm a feminist" on stage, it takes other men in Hip Hip to take a stand, as well...
Let's continue to challenge the status quo with our own actions, and support others who are willing to have the conversation.