FEATURE:
1 Problem
IN THIS PHOTO: Jay-Z has been accused of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2000. He has called for the lawsuit to be thrown out
A New Level of Misogyny and Disrespectful for Women Through Hip-Hop
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THERE has always been a huge issues….
IN THIS PHOTO: Diddy
with misogyny which has run through the marrow of Hip-Hop for decades. It is one of the last genres where there is this rife and unrelenting sense of disrespect for women. I don’t think that it has massively changed through the years. Small improvements from decades past, though very few of the men in Hip-Hop boost women or mention them in their music. Positive, empowering and respectful narratives about women. You get collaborations happening but, when you look at a lot of the lyrics of modern Hip-Hop, there is still this misogyny that is never going to shift. I don’t think the genres will ever radically change so that its men are respectful of women. I know other women in Hip-Hop can be demeaning and aggressive towards other women, though it is almost solely women in Hip-Hop who are platforming and highlighting women. Alongside misogyny is something ever darker and more disturbing. Men in the genre being accused of sexual assault. How that is slow to change. Also, when men are accusing of sexual abuse, their attitudes towards the women making the accusation are also hugely disrespectful and disgusting! When you look at Hip-Hop’s men, especially those in the mainstream who have been around for decades, there is this complete lack of positivity of basic respect for women. So many abusing through their music of reducing women to their bodies. Vulgarity and aggression. I am mentioning this because Jay-Z has been accused of rape. Alongside abuser Diddy, Jay-Z has been accused of raping a thirteen-year-old. Although it is has come to light that the victim’s story has some inconsistencies, there is no reason ever to not believe her. The attitude displayed by Jay-Z towards the allegations and victim are at best dismissive and, in reality, disgusting. Someone who has power and privilege trying to write it off.
This is not a one-off. Over the past few years, there has been a slew of men in Hip-Hop accused of sexual assault, rape and violence towards women. Nobody can say that this problem is on the brink of being resolved. So far from that are we now, it is depressingly commonplace to read a story of women coming forward about being assaulted and abused by a male Hip-Hop artist/someone in the industry. The Guardian reported on Jay-Z’s reaction to being accused of rape. How it is systematic of the Hip-Hop scene:
“Jay-Z himself isn’t a newcomer to rumours about inappropriate relationships with minors. For years, speculation about the timelines and natures of his relationships with Foxy Brown, Aaliyah and eventually Beyoncé (all of whom are significantly younger than Jay-Z and were teenagers when they met him) have put him in the category of, at the very least, “Questionable Man”.
That’s why it was even more appalling to watch the typically measured, always calculated rap mogul release a statement that was condescending, un-self-aware and smacked of the smug overconfidence of someone who has operated with god-like status for so long that they don’t know what the rules even are, let alone that they have to follow them.
For starters, Jay-Z “implored” the plaintiff to file a criminal suit, “not a civil one!!” – a nonsense request when we know just how hard it is to secure a criminal conviction in a case like this, and just how useful the civil courts have been in awarding judgments in favor of victims of old crimes.
He’s also filed a motion to deny the plaintiff’s request for anonymity, asking that either her identity be disclosed or the case be dismissed. This demand that she out herself isn’t some attempt to level the playing field in the court of public opinion like he’s suggesting – it’s a way to force her into opening herself up to scrutiny, a move that is especially diabolical considering how the world treats women who stand up to abusers. And Jay-Z of all people should know: he was instrumental in helping Megan Thee Stallion navigate the hell she went up against after being shot by Tory Lanez.
But the rapper’s hostile approach to the accusations doesn’t end with his accuser. He is also suing her attorney, Tony Buzbee, whom he accuses of extortion. Buzbee has responded, accusing Jay-Z of “orchestrating a conspiracy of harassment” against him and his legal colleagues in an attempt to intimidate and silence his client.
When it comes to public response, much of it has been predictably asinine and filled with rap legend apologia. Some Black men on social media dusted off the Bill Cosby defence playbook, gleeful to be able to call the allegations “proof” of a conspiracy to bring down one of their own.
“My biggest problem in all of this is the clown show that sexual assaults have become,” said radio presenter Ebro Darden, hedging his defence of Jay-Z as a protection of the gravity of sexual assault. “I don’t know why so many people want to see Jay-Z get torn down. It’s disgusting. People love a tear-down of somebody successful … I would say in all this [that] it still takes me back to how upsetting it is that sexual assault is a game.”
All this is to be expected: Jay-Z is arguably the most powerful man in hip-hop and our misogynistic, celebrity-obsessed culture demands that he have staunch defenders in a moment like this. What I think is more interesting are the ways that Jay-Z has situated himself within the white American establishment – his relationship with the National Football League (NFL), in particular – and what role that will play as this story continues to unfold. For his part, Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, said in a perfunctory statement on Wednesday that the league was aware of the allegations and Jay-Z’s “really strong response” to them, and that their “relationship is not changing”.
Hip-Hop is not isolated in regards to misogyny. It is as bad now as ever. When you look online and how women are viewed and discussed, you do get this sense that we are heading backwards. To some dark days. The latest case of a powerful figure in Hip-Hop being accused of rape shows that there is a huge issue in the genre. The way a lot of male artists perceive women. Thinking they are beyond punishment and can do what they like. Like women are objects and are inferior to men. I do hope that the woman who has come forward to accuse Jay-Z finds justice. Hopefully it would send a clear message that men cannot get away with this sort of thing. Sadly, it is likely that the case will be thrown out or the victim will be paid off. After the dust has settled – not that it could ever! – there needs to be this spotlight on Hip-Hop. How it is still this genre overrunning with misogyny and controversy. How women in the genre are treated and still have to fight to be heard. It is a really sorry state of affairs. Women attacked and abused and there being little in the way of hope. In terms of seeing a light. It is especially terrible when high-profile men are accused and you know they will escape consequences because of who they are. As I said, the Jay-Z case is likely to be tossed out. His attitude towards the allegations is horrible! Next year has to be one for genuine change in the music industry. Where misogyny is tackled and addressed. It is especially severe in Hip-Hop. We need to be in a place (very soon) where…
WOMEN feel safe and heard.