Hip-Hop and The MeToo Movement
TRIGGER WARNING: This article will deal with sexual assault and/or violence, which may be triggering to survivors. It will also contain graphic content. Continue at your own risk.
Tarana Burke is a social activist who started using the term "Me Too" in 2006 on MySpace; it took almost ten years and the endorsement of celebrities such as Alyssa Milano to get the movement to become what it has become. However, the idea truly took off when strong men and women across various mediums began calling out their abusers openly such as Kevin Spacey and Harvey Weinstein. It is now a place and a phrase that is used in solidarity with victims of sexual assault and/or violence as well as for some, a place where one could talk about their experiences. But in Hip-Hop, there were many calls to bring down the co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, Russell Simmons, who has been accused by notable figures such as Jenny Lumet, Sherri Hines and Luann de Lesseps to name a few of them. But in a genre that is known for its misogynistic lyrics and hedonistic lifestyle, why has there really only been one person who's been taken down?
To begin, the idea that some people have that rappers are all on the lookout to destroy the lives of women through glorifying themselves and amassing a body count that would make Casanova shudder isn't correct. It's not a positive practice, but it is a long standing one that precedes hip-hop, with conversations between males that tend to gravitate towards the amount of women one has had relations with being the norm. This idea was brought into the music. Therefore, I believe that removing the root cause would remove it from the lyrics. It's more a product of society than it is a product of the industry that we find ourselves in.
However, the lyrics can be both hedonistic and misogynistic, depicting women in a negative light or making light of elements of sexual abuse. I personally do not believe that it is acceptable to live out any of those things or even some of the lyrics that are written. Yet, the reason why these exist is because rappers are still artists and poets, permitting them to use poetic license to create worlds and point of views that are proper to them. Doesn't mean you have to agree to those views - all you have to do is not consume the music. I could compare it to the state of horrorcore rap today, which has been relegated to the fringes of Hip-Hop due to low consumption. We as fans and consumers are at the forefront of the decisions as to who will become a big star and who will not. Don't support Kanye West's and Lil Pump's "I Love It" in the clubs or on your phone by letting it play. However, Olive Pometsey wrote Can I be a feminist and listen to hip hop? for GQ and says this interesting thing:
"If we want to make real progress towards gender equality, then it would probably be beneficial to stop listening to music that hinders that process in any way. Even if Snoop Dogg knows his old lyrics were wrong, his modern listeners may not."
Pometsey brings up is the article's conclusion that to remove all forms of misogyny created by the patriarchy would remove a lot of our culture. What she doesn't bring up, however, is the importance of the last two words: our culture. It belongs to us therefore we can use it to shape the future. Instead of using it to just bump and grind at parties, let's also be able, when the time is right, use it as educational tools to help the younger generation understand that certain things depicted in Hip-Hop's past, including her example of Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle, aren't behaviors we should encourage but learn to do better than.
I brought all these up so that we can separate the artists from their music. The music is in it's own branch and category that can be or not be ignored, depending on the personal outlook of the listener. What the artists do outside of the studio is a different story. For artists that have been accused, such as Eminem, XXXTentacion and Fabolous, what are we to do with them? The immediate response of most would be to "cancel" them. But that won't happen, not now at least. Their legacies have been cemented and their lyrics continue to be listened to by their fans. They've created their own brands that will outlive the accusations and arguably be helped by the accusations, as all publicity is good publicity. To add to that, many have reformed and are repentant, wanting to change their outlook and their perspectives on life to make a better relationship between themselves and the women in their lives: why should we not forgive them but then preach love for everybody?
My personal opinion is unpopular, but I don't believe that Hip-Hop will attack and cancel its stars. It isn't because I believe that they are all saints. My opinion comes from looking at Nas' experience. In 2018, we saw his ex-wife Kelis accuse him of having been been both abusive and sexually violent during their relationship. However, Nas responded saying that he'd never done that and that he had proof of the opposite happening. While I believe that many women are sexually assaulted and do live horrible things, I also believe that some can lie. That's why it's important to verify the facts before attacking someone's credibility and livelihood. When I say my opinion, I've heard some people be up and arms, but no one can excuse the story of Emmett Till, who was accused of whistling at a white woman, flirting and holding the hand - which is sexual harassment - of a white woman. He was later found dead, disfigured to the point of barely being recognizable. The woman eventually said that she had lied.
I support the movement, but I pray for patience so that the truth of events can be revealed and the parties who need to be protected be justly protected.