The Female Rap Movement Needs To Happen Now

The Female Rap industry has exploded lately. Spearheaded by current rap veterans like Nikki Minaj, and other superstars like Miley and Beyoncé that have made a genre switch, the rap industry is headed towards new leadership. Along with the newer contributors like Lil Debbie, Iggy Azalea, and Brooke Candy, the future of the rap industry looks bright and open for female domination. Being one of the areas of the music industry that heavily contributes to female objectification, this shift in female-rapper status is exactly what our society needs.

With all of the #YesAllWomen buzz currently happening, it is important to acknowledge the power of the positions these female rappers hold. Breaking into the rap genre as female holds heavy implications. As a huge fan of rap music, it’s become an increasing struggle to support an industry that normalizes the dehumanization of females as a whole. The lyrics of the average male rap song spout off words that reduce women to nothing more than, for example, a “big-booty hoe,” with video additions that only add to the vulgarity. I’ve reached the point where I can rarely watch a video for a rap song I like because they focus solely on the rappers being surrounded by hoards of women with camera focus only on the female bodies, and rarely even focusing on their faces.  So, as female rappers, these women have been put in a position to prompt the shift away from the norm that shows the place of females as nothing more than a toy, or something to be ogled at.

However, properly executing their power as female rappers can be tricky. It is important that these individuals do not exercise behavior that is counterintuitive to this movement. For example, radios everywhere are playing “Partition” by Beyoncé non-stop right now, but we need to consider what this song is saying. The chorus of the song states: “Take all of me, I just want to be the girl you like, the girl of girl you like”. What is wrong here? The entire internet never shuts up about how Beyoncé is queen, so as queen is seems she holds the aspirations of becoming only what some man wants, and in turn, putting herself in the position that all men put all women in. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a killer song, but the belittlement of women has become so commonplace that even the queen is contributing to it.

It all boils down to the issue we’ve worked at for so long; equality for women. Modern society has experienced some profound, positive social change lately. But as with any social change, the responsibility lies within each and every individual, and the way they choose to conduct themselves. It’s time for each and every one of us to take responsibility for enacting change. We’re getting there, don’t stop now, and don’t slow down.