Sex, sex, sexxxxxxxxxxx. As long as people have been making music there has been music made about getting some. Then there was hip hop, and we all know how male hip-hop stars have been criticised for their objectification of women in their lyrics and music videos. How many of us have seen a video of some grossly unattractive rap star being surrounded by a plathora of "bitches and hos" who seem unnaturally magnetised by the man's repulsive body.
So what do we make of the overtly sexual female rappers? Lil' Kim, Foxy and Trina are rarely seen without their big boobies nearly popping out of their skimpy low cut bikini tops. Are they merely fulfilling the expectations of a misogynistic industry? Let's look at Trina,
Sex can ofcourse be empowering! Missy's "One Minute Man" was a fantastcially hormone-charged number about wanting more men who underperform. And Trina herself is clearly empowered by her sexuality. She promises to "put the pussy on you" as a call to arms for women to assert their own desires and pleasures rather than just doing it for the men. Respect! And her objectification of men in her other vids (such as "Single Again"), I like this a lot.
But who can argue that she, and others like her, aren't typecast by the the three letter word? Do female rappers have to flaunt it to make it to the mainstream?
Few openly LGBT rappers have made it to the mainstream, English-white-chav superstar Lady Sovereign being a notable expection. This shouldn't really be any shock, but considering all the rumours being flung round about many female MC's (Missy, Latifah anyone?), it's almost disappointing that not many have expressed their ladylovin' ways.
For all would-be rappeuses of the not-so-straight variety here is some inspiration:
Queen Pen rattled a few cages with this track in the late 1990s, featuring the openly bisexual Me'Shell Ndegeocello. She had some success with a few singles (including reaching #1 in New Zealand), but hasn't released an album in a decade :(
Surely we must be ready now?!?! Wave your flag ladies <3
FlyGirlsHQ is here! Check this place out for videos, soundbites, live shows, commentary, news and tweets on rap music from the grossly underrated and sometimes much maligned female MC's I've grown to love over the last couple of years.
Let's begin with Hip Hop at its finest - Queen Latifah in "Ladies First" (#35 on VH1's Greatest Hip Hop songs). The video version lacks the fun sax sample of the album cut, but Latifah is lookin' smoking with the young, fresh n' new Monie Love. Featured at the beginning are CJ Walker, Sojourner Truth, Angela Davis and Winnie Mandela.
