Hang tight while we fetch the video data and transcripts. This only takes a moment.
Connecting to YouTube player…
Fetching transcript data…
We’ll display the transcript, summary, and all view options as soon as everything loads.
Next steps
Loading transcript tools…
Hip-Hop is...Capitalist, Sexist, & Full of Bops | Khadija Mbowe | Khadija Mbowe | YouTubeToText
YouTube Transcript: Hip-Hop is...Capitalist, Sexist, & Full of Bops | Khadija Mbowe
Skip watching entire videos - get the full transcript, search for keywords, and copy with one click.
Share:
Video Transcript
I literally stopped and looked into this
minutes like what all right the hippity
hop the Rap City [ __ ] rap rap city
[ __ ] they never said [ __ ] did they the
love of my life you are my friend it's a
genre of music that has solidified
itself in the cultural Zeitgeist and all
over the world I mean girl let's be
honest cuz you don't get K-pop without hip-hop
hip-hop
and lots of other styles people across
countries have taken an art form that
started in the Bronx and
now it's all over the world and for good
reason it's a genre that is all about
self-expression that is all about a sort
of braggadocious nature that's all about
creating your own lane that's all about
defying the odds that's all about
flexing and doing things out of spite
and because you like it that's about
partying that's having a good time
hip-hop is fun and can be very cons
conscious oh we back words Kadija can't
say again what cons conscious thank you
it can be liberating it can be
therapeutic it can be conscious lifting
it can be a party it can be so many
things but one of the biggest things is
that it is a lay in the black and brown
people started out for themselves and we
love to see that however this wouldn't
be my channel my brand my me my me if we
didn't address the expense and costs
that it had on women the men
self-actualizing and building a lane and
a legacy and a genre all for themselves
and making Global impact we didn't
really you know we do and by we I mean
black women fam do talk about this but
we don't talk about it that much so Hip
Hop's in 50 years old now I think we're
allowed to to have some some hey girl we
got to have a little chat especially
because not trying to remove women's
Agency on there cuz you know we don't
like to do that on this channel either
women have also fed into this women in
hip-hop and outside of it fans of
hip-hop a big female rap fan and so it's
caused me to sit and think about this
for a while what does it mean to have
reclaimed tropes in a feminine body what
does it mean to assert yourself in a
male-dominated field like this what's
there to be gained but also what do you
have to sacrifice what about being a
minority within a
minority that's just intersectionality
but we'll talk about that later I guess
how do female rappers use oppression sex
and masculine energy to empower themselves
I don't know but let's find out bonam hi
my name is Kadija if you're new feel
free to take a look around SS out the
vibe I just sit in my living room and
talk about whatever I want and today I
want to talk about sex gender and hip
hop hip hop real hip hop I'm sorry for
this introduction please don't please
I'm sorry you know how this section goes
the general idea is that hip hop
originated from the heart of the South
Bronx in the 1970s its roots Trace back
to several cultural social and economic
factors and in the book can't stop won't
stop by Jeff Chang he cites social
policies of quote urban renewal that
were pioneered by disgraced city planner
Robert Moses and the quote benign
neglect of the Nixon Administration as
one of those social and economic factors
no matter how it started like many
genres before it where young people
young marginalized people of a specific
Hue are into it like jazz like rock it
wasn't really taken that seriously at
first until label started realizing the
money-making possibilities and leaned
into this rebellious genre now I said
rebellious because that's kind of how
these underground genres always start
they're defying Authority they're like
listen we want to do our own thing we
want to create something new we're not
getting our needs met or our desires or
we're just doing some [ __ ] we're just
having fun we're improvising we're just
shooting the [ __ ] having a good time
it's inspired by other things but we
made it our own thing we made it
something completely original and it's
different and not everybody knows about
it and that's what makes it cool but the
more people that get involved in stuff
like that the more they take it and make
it their own too so you have hip hop
that's about cultural identity that's
about centering issues around poor black
and brown folks issues that poor black
and brown people have dealt with
violence poverty crime sexual harassment
assault mental health but [ __ ] that [ __ ]
this trying to kill me bro my mind
playing tricks on me is one of my anyway
and resilience through the face of all
struggles AKA The Struggle AKA coming up
from the mud but while you're having
that resilience and stuff I've talked
about the anti-authority elements the
rebellious nature of hip-hop but also
another thing I should add is the fun of
it because like people love to
party hey hey across the diaspora okay
we love a party if you've never been to
a gambian wedding girl a week long a
week long why cuz we like to party okay
I'm not trying to stereotype we are not
a monolith but if we're the rumor is
true about hip-hop starting at a house
party it just makes sense you've seen
all the music videos especially the ones
from the 9s and early 2000s the way
older Millennials and Gen X talk about
clubbing in the early 2000s I'm like
girl God damn it if I could be in a club
here in Hot
and Hot and here and I've been at clubs
where they played it but not when it was
first released not when it was like at
its peak you know this is like years
later at like a throwback party so all
of those themes make hip hop interesting
fun unique and a genre that has been
able to stand the test of time so far
through the 80s and '90s Hip Hop had all
the themes that I mentioned above
rebellious nature the Consciousness
lifting talking about the struggle
talking about resilience talking about
partying and having fun the women in
hipop and we'll get to them even more
but the women in Hip Hop at this time
people like yoyo Queen Latifa MC light
roxan Shante who as I've mentioned
before on this channel is the uh the one
we have to thank for the disc record I'm
just a devasta always rocking always had
the pocket everybody know me the r yeah
Roan's Revenge she said and she was a
little teenager but Queen Latifa saying
Who you calling a [ __ ] Who you calling
a [ __ ] through the ' 80s and '90s you
see all of these themes but then in the
'90s good old American prosperity and
all that I guess' 80s too another theme
that you see emerging even more is this
American Dream theme this is where you
see even more capitalistic themes start
to enter the hip-hop era you think of
groups like Run DMC with their gold
chains even Flav of flave with that big
ass clock yes it's not an expensive
clock but like the jewelry around it it
started to shift into this idea of oh
we're starting to make money in this
genre we're moving culture forward
people are really starting to recognize
the power of Black Culture the monetary
power of black culture and one of the
main ways that we're seeing it is
through this genre of music before we
continue Lydia has something she'd like to
say girl we practice this this is
embarrassing one
second it's really not that hard Lydia
okay sorry this video is brought to you
by straight hair on you news but for
real what is straight arrow news well if
you're new here straight arrow news is
an app and website that I have been
working with that brings you news from
the left WR try to be as unbiased as
possible facts down the middle to let
you do what you want to do with the
information the dolls over at straight a
news are like girl we don't care just
that's the information you doing what
you want with it anyway you get the
point let's be honest guys it's looking
like another tumultuous year and it's
only been 30 minutes so if you want to
stay a breast to all the INF
and feel like you can parse through and
get down with straight A on news click
the link in my description or go to
s.com Cadia to check it out either way
if you do you're supporting me and the
journalists that work over at straight
arrow news so thank y'all very much Sam
and thank you to supporting an
organization that supports this channel
let's get back into it I sometimes think
about this chicken or egg situation of
did the money start coming in so execs
noticed and started pumping more money
in or the other way around and when
Rainer was researching and factchecking
this she pointed out that there uh was a
New York Times article from the 9s that
was talking about how label heads wanted
to a sign rap artists and in this
example like Eric B and rockim from
distribution deals with small labels and
move them up to big ones and then B buy
up existing Indie hipop labels and then
either absorb them completely or create
their own hip-hop labels that were
actually just offshoots an immediate
example I think of is like Beyonce's
record label I think it's under Colombia
if I'm not mistaken like Parkwood is
actually under Colombia this is what I
always think about when I say that Chris
Rock joke of Oprah is Rich the man who
signs her checks as wealthy and this was
years ago before Oprah was a certified
billionaire and also when she was still
on television but it's giving that very
in a lot of black spaces when you're
talking about black excellence and all
this other stuff it's like there's the
illusion of excellence and power because
of the money and the status you've been
able to reach and this American Dream
this reaching that high place but you're
only going to get butt so high because
there's somebody else above you that's
actually in charge of this [ __ ] that's
actually signing your checks that's
actually in charge of what gets moved
forward and what isn't allowed to be
seen just some food for thought so yes
you have the Inception of hip-hop in
the' 70s ' 80s and '90s it's starting to
build itself up as a genre there are
different types of subsets and offshoots
coming out of it it's implementing
itself into fashion into black media and
just everyday media it's inspiring
people all the way over in Korea to
start different genres and groups and
all that [Music]
jazz it's starting to have real world
appeal and there are women that are in
the genre for sure and there are women
sprinkled throughout music videos and as
a love interest and just kind of dancing
around in those super high cut bikinis
thinking of Tupac round and around I get
around I'm thinking of that video
specifically but black men were still
largely the face of this genre but again
as I said before Unfortunately they
weren't in positions of power to really
control or move the genre how they
wanted they were beholden to White execs
and according to some sources 70% of
hip-hop listeners are actually white we
should be aware like in the states white
people make up more of the population
anyway so that's also a factor it still
stands you have mostly white execs and a
mostly white audience with black faces
at the front and that's where we start
to get into this problem of the gender
of it you start to see this very it's a
man's world these men are still a
minority they are still black men cuz we
do have to talk about intersectionality
even when it's not on women I know some
feminists don't want to hear that but
yeah intersectionality not me being so
rude anyway but these men are a minority
are marginalized and still the face of
this genre of music that is so popular
but is still being deeply controlled by
these white execs and consumed mostly by
a white audience According to some
sources right so then you start to see
more men kind of punching down on women
in this genre to assert some kind of
control and let me just say the misogyny
would have existed with or without the
white exec the white audience all this
stuff I'm not trying to say that because
these men were in this genre and didn't
feel like they had any control they
wanted to assert it over women in this
one way I'm saying this is one of the
ways that it manifests and this video is
about sex gender and Hip Hop so that's
the focus it always always makes me
think of that James Baldwin Nicki
Giovani conversation where she's saying
because I love you I get the worst of
you you lied when you smiled at that
Cracker down the job right lie of me
smile treat me the same way you would
treat him I can't treat you way treat
him you must you must of course he
doesn't know you're unhappy you gr at
him all day long you come home and I
catch y because I love you I get least
of you I get I get the very minimum and
I'm saying you know fake it with me is
that too much of the black woman to ask
of the black man when you're around the
white man you can fake it you can
pretend you can do all this stuff but
you can't with me and so because I love
you because I stick with you because I'm
loyal to you all the things you fake it
for everybody all day outside and then
you come home and I catch hell that's
how I would think of my relationship and
how I would Define my relationship to
Hip-Hop Hip-Hop real hip-hop when male
rappers are rapping I love y'all I love
black men I want to stand with y'all and
be with y'all even though some people
call me a Mis Andress I'm like girl stop
throwing that word around stop it that's
not funny but I also know that black men
because of my loyalty to them and
whatever and because I'm going to calm
it down my loyalty to them but kind of
my dad is black okay and I have two
black Brothers anyway because of all of
that I am a bit more like get behind me
you know in a sort of way and that can
be difficult when I listen to rap and
Hip-Hop Hip-Hop real hip-hop for years a
lot of us have done the
compartmentalizing of well they Ain
talking about me that Chris Rock thing
if you mention to a woman that the song
is misogynistic they all give you the
same answer he ain't talk about me some
of my favorite songs have the worst
lyrics I'm going to be honest but it's
still hard to not consider and think
that sometimes especially as I get older
listening to this music seeing the way
these men are being exposed in their
everyday life it's like okay you don't
need black women to make the genre of
hip-hop successful as we've seen from
the demographics of most listeners but
wouldn't you want to just cuz you're
you're a minority too the punching down
since this genre is All About Face and
ego and
being often times it can come at the
expense of the women in this genre and
women in general often times it's not
necessarily the sole intention or the
purpose like I'm not sitting here
thinking men are sitting around a room
going how can we talk the most [ __ ]
about these women no one's ever
intentionally not no one but most people
aren't ever intentionally
thinking the bad thing but we tell on
ourselves and if you're trying to be in
control of your image you're this you're
that and you feel like you don't have as
much of that control but you have
control over being able to say [ __ ]
ain't [ __ ] but hoes and
tricks then you might say that because
you know well here we go again the p
word that patriarchy bit of the men
doing these things and I said this in my
Drake video less about how he went from
a nice guy to a misogynist in under a
decade it's less about him trying to be
a misog
even though that is the result and more
about him really trying to impress other
men and be as dominant as possible in
situations around other men even if
let's say he isn't a executive producer
he doesn't own a music label he doesn't
have that sort of power in these things
but he has a sort of power in this genre
but we've talked enough about the
history and the men so let's talk about
the ladies a bit more and how they have
managed to get some of them some of this
power kind of [Music]
[Music]
if we're looking around at a patriarchal
society where men are more focused on
impressing being in charge and being on
top of other men not all men but a good
portion or are told that they have to so
they're doing this thing that maybe they
don't even want to do but think that
they're supposed to because that's the
gendered script they were assigned at
Birth how do women get that sort of
power and let me be specific in my
language how do black women get that
sort of power being a minority within a
minority especially in a genre like hip
hop that has already decided men are in
control men are in charge and the women
are set decoration or if we do have a
female rapper she is a part of a mostly
male crew and she's the like one
princess in the group there can't be too
many women at one time because then
people aren't going to take the Hip Hop
seriously The Hip Hop people aren't
going to take it seriously enough
because we know we don't take femininity
seriously we just don't because
patriarchy anyway anyway so how do you
find some power how do you get you some
of that well if we've learned one thing
throughout Society throughout our time
it's that men's one weakness that women
have that they cannot have by themselves
that they need to have with the women's
is LX we've seen it throughout history
examples like ma Harry she was a
cortisen and she was famous for using
her sexuality as a power to manipulate
men and she was allegedly a spy this
kind of ties into that Fem idea of women
being taught to sell the idea of sex to
get what you want because girl if they
can't focus and they're over here
messing around I might as well just fake
a little something something so that
they can give me what I actually want I
Fain the idea of sex feain the idea of
this have someone in your power and yes
and this is kind of a double-edged sword
because the claim is that men are
obsessed with sex and lots of men will
fall victim to a a baddy who just you
see a baddy it's over it's over and a
lot of these women are also showing not
better than these men but anyway so it
then feels like it's your only channel
to assert a sort of power to get a sort
of recognition in this industry and in
hipop in the 9s and early 2000s
especially we saw this and we cannot
talk about the sexual prowess
the without talking cuz that's how I describe
describe
that without talking about one little
Kim never a
flaw a different Dr kind of high you
know feel me on
this Lil Kim came out with her album
hardcore in 1996 and she was the queen
bee of explicit lyrics of sexuality and
empowerment that album became certified
platinum and it was also known for its
runchy lyrics and its Unapologetic sex
appeal and it really was a defining
moment for female sexual agency in
hip-hop her debut album hardcore was
exactly as the title stes an abundance
of sex money and violence sprayed across
53 minutes her aesthetic was equally
mindblowing colorful minks with wigs to
match designer threads all wrapped
around a tiny under 5ft tall frame so
Lil Kim was that [ __ ] little Kim
celebrates sex and the single girl on
her debut solo [Music]
[Music]
album I talk about the realness which is
sexuality there were other female
rappers coming out around the same time
as well that were also selling the sex
appeal Foxy Brown is one of them we
cannot deny an element of colorism in
there but Foxy Brown was quite popular
as well are the queen bee of Junior
Mafia Little Kim and P the Pam Greer
inspired Foxy Brown their latest solo
albums can either be interpreted as
genuine musings on money and sexuality
or just attempts to sell records by
explicit exploitation that degrades both
artist and listener both of them were
friends for a bit and then they be for a
bit and then I think they're friendly
now but I'm not 100% sure feeding into
the you know women have to be pitted
against each other when it's a
male-dominated field because there can't
be too many women because uh-oh 2025
looks like it's going to be the year of
female rap I'm just saying but that was
their fear right being overtaken in the
genre anyway kidding but Lil Kim and
Foxy Brown were both very sexual in
their delivery in their display in
everything unapologetically feminine
unapologetically masculine in their
attitudes foxy and Lil Kim LED with
their sexual appeal as a result there
were other quote unquote offsprings
let's say Trina I'm the bad who's bad
who who's bad I'm the best you know n ho
been the places I've been for about five
or six best friends you know n
ho and I just want to say this isn't the
first time women have said explicit
lyrics ever back in the day Lucille
Bogan and I mean back in the day she was
singing stuff like this you can [ __ ] my
C love my [ __ ] leave my [ __ ] alone honey
has his all night long oh it's crazy
this isn't to say all of a sudden in the
'90s women had party mouths girl but it
is to say that there was a different
sort of appeal with it it was masculine
and feminine energy a hardcore I know
what I want I get what I want I'm just
as tough just as strong just as uhuh as
these men but packaged in a feminine
sexy but I'm pretty and cute and small
and and don't you want to give me money
somebody y all know I do sex work
adjacent stuff and I'm not going to lie
it feels pretty powerful feels pretty
powerful to have people in the palm of
your hand when you're just it's like
what like you making eye contact with
somebody and they're like transfix girl
it's a power it's a
power the art of sensuality man it's
it's I think it's important the thing
about this unfortunately though that we
do have to add in the leading with the
sex appeal in the leading with the
raunchiness is that people don't always
look past the surface people don't
always look beyond what you're first
presenting them so with Lil Kim you saw
this from Janette leech hardcore is
remembered first off for its
explicitness but it doesn't take much
listening for the fantasy Sheen to rub
off and this is where Lil Kim's past
trauma bleeds through the quote high-end
side chick facade the sex on the album
isn't all Pleasant or consequence-free
nor is it all located in porno unreality
there's plenty of pubic hair there's
venial disease there's premature ejac
ulation it's the fleshy stuff of real
life this tone wasn't surprising as Kim
was going through her own consequences
while in the studio she was pregnant
with biggy's child I already knew the
kind of relationship that Biggie and I
had and I knew that having a child was
something that couldn't take place she
said in 1999 she terminated the
pregnancy and the darker aspects of
Hardcore about death disease and
violence reflect her turmoil I think of
Megan the stallion's trauma Zen her
saying you know it was really an album
for herself because she went through
this thing this traumatic thing and
people just wouldn't stop making fun of
her taking her cuz we don't take
femininity and women seriously taking
her seriously trying to act like because
she wasn't the perfect victim that she
deserved to get shot what y'all are
weird strange lack compassion lack
understanding lack consideration for
other human beings very weird very very
unnecessary but she created Music trying
to heal through her trauma to me traum
Zine basically means like facing
yourself accept what you've been through
and come out on the other end compared
to her other albums I'm not sure how
that one did besides people wanting to
hear the mess but people want to hear
the body y y yty they don't come here
for that other their stuff because they
don't want to look beyond the surface
and when you start by selling sex people
know that of you and expect that of you
selling sex and party and F these
[ __ ] and I'm getting money and
all this stuff people know that of you
so they don't want to hear you having
your feelings they're not going to look
past that not everybody but most people
and you might say well maybe if you
started that if you mixed it in people
would but this is where we get into that
term shea butter artist and this is
where we get back to the money is the
rule of the game because y'all remember
when cardi B said people be lying cuz a
lot of people were making fun of her cuz
she was a stripper I've been following
cardi B since Tumblr when she had her
teeth not fixed and she was wearing a
blunt bang before ganga [ __ ] music
volumes 1 and two when she was on Tumblr
going suck a dick be nasty yeah that was
my first video her and I was like who is
this queen cuz I love female rappers
I've always always loved women being in
their femininity or anyone really not
just women but being in their femininity
and offering sensuality I've always love
the art of teas and that that's just
always been something that's been
fascinating and interesting and all that
so her being a stripper and all that was
great on top of that though people were
making fun of her because of this when
she came out when she released bodak
yellow and it was a hid and all this
other stuff and she got super popular
people were just like all you ever talk
about is shaking ass all you ever talk
about is this that whatever and then she
called them out she straight up said
y'all don't care about me doing
conscious rap if I was in here in a
turtleneck or a freaking MooMoo rapping
about well actually mooo would be kind
of funny she did a video twerk in a
anyway if she was dressed covered up she
was rapping consciously like Queen Latif
and them were back in the day like other
rappers are still doing now people like
noname people like chica y'all don't
want to put them forward because you
have this expectation and/or you just
like a certain look from women in
hip-hop and you don't want to unpack
that maybe don't want to examine that
and also maybe you just don't like
conscious rap in general it doesn't
matter whose body it's on you just want
to have fun and that's fine but then
don't act like when one of them is just
selling ass that that's all they have to
offer and it's whatever it's like all
the ice spice discourse I'm like y'all
created ice spice so why are you so
shocked that she just stands on a stage
shakes her ass and says I 100% believe
in pretty privilege y'all stay safe
obviously she's not going to be evolving
or doing much else because y'all never
expected that of her that has to be a
deep desire within herself but if she
knows she's pretty and she's going to
make money in this genre rewards thick
light-skinned baddies making money shaking
ass y'all say that's not all you want
people to offer but you want them to
lead with it but you don't want them to
only lead with it come on we got to
examine ourselves but anyway because
this also then furthers pitting female
rappers against each other because you
have people that are like quote anti-
cardi B artists or anti- Megan the
salion artists they are the ones that do
conscious music when do she first was
becoming more popular to everyone last
year at the end of last year people
saying Harriet Tubman slave music
whatever and it's like DOI shakes ass
has fun shows a multitudes of her
personality she is a fully realized
person and shows that and wants to show
that I feel like some of y'all just
don't get it me that's that's the essay
y'all don't get it I'm kidding I'm
kidding I'm kidding we need to be more
honest with ourselves as consumers about
the type of music we like and the type
of Imaging we like because at the end of
the day the packaging is what gets us in
the door is what gets us to see someone
the aesthetic I am in drag right now to
me this is drag to me I have a blonde
buzz cut up under this wig and maybe
sometimes I'll wear it if I feel like it
but for the most part I put all this
feminine phenomenon stuff on and I'm
like okay I'm ready to go and it's fun
and it's playful and it's where I like
to live sometimes but not always but I
know that I have to lead with that
because so many people comment about my
looks to be honest like I'm not saying I
don't care because I know it does get to
me to an extent but it's not necessarily
like a you guys are bothering me don't
comment on my looks I just know that
people are going to comment on people's
looks I've just kind of made peace with
the fact that people care a lot about
the outward the aesthetic the this and
they make their judgments and their
Impressions on that first and then maybe
change and alter them once they get a
bit deeper but when it comes to music
and Hip-Hop and entertainment people are
looking at the visual the spectacle
first and foremost and then trying to
sift through the other stuff we can't
act like songs like [ __ ] didn't have the
cultural impact they had because of the
lyrics they were singing about and look
at the way that they were dressed and
how they looked they were leading with
sex and sensuality they were leading
with the thing that we as a society tell
young women and condition young women to
believe all the time men are super
powerful men are in charge men are this
and the only way you can have some sort
of power over them apart from being
their actual mother
is being able to rule your sex over them
being able to have sex as Julia Serano
talks about you have sex and you can
choose to give it and that's why men try
to take it sometimes right we teach
young girls to shame I'm kidding we
teach young girls men are powerful and
then the only way to have your power is
to have the thing that is their one
weakness sex and that sensual raw
feminine draw is their one weakness so
if you can wield that and control that
you can control the most powerful people
and if you can control them then you're
actually the one in charge and then we
get confused when songs like [ __ ] come
out and have the cultural impact that
they do
okay and it's not to say that we only
want to hear [ __ ] and stuff like that
obvious viously not people change their
opinions change sometimes you want to
hear more conscious raising stuff
sometimes you don't sometimes you just
want to shake ass you want to have a mix
whatever but the popularity the most
popular rappers will be the ones that
sell a bit of sex appeal that sell a bit
of that you can talk all day long about
people appreciating DOI now and she's
not dressing for the male gays and stuff
and she's not and she's queer she's by
she dates whoever but she's very
beautiful people comment a lot about her
looks even if you don't dress hyper
femininely or whatever there's still a
look that people are attracted to the
outward matters so for a lot of women in
hipop you have to care about the
aesthetic you have to care about your
look and how you package yourself and in
the entertainment industry in general
but even more so as a woman it's why so
many of them talk about getting bbls or
getting certain operations and surgery
and all this other stuff because there's
an expectation about the type of body
you need to have you need to be a thick
baddy you need to look like the video
vixens that were set decoration for a
while and we're some of them getting
paid real good still but you need to
look like a video vix and be able to
sell that but then also be able to
actually have talent and make people
interested in what you have to say but
don't be
too talented because then people will
question if you actually even make the
stuff that you do or write the stuff
that you do or do the stuff because
there's no way you could be that pretty
and that bad and also be that talented
but then if you don't lean into your
talent people will say well you don't
actually have talent and all you ever do
is shake your ass and nobody actually
cares and they're only interested in you
because you're attractive so you know
what actually do whatever the [ __ ] y'all
want let's talk about the closing
remarks Who you calling a [ __ ]
let is hip-hop bad for women I can't say
that I can't say that it's bad for women
and I can't say that it's good for women
I can't say that female rappers are
better for women or worse for women
honestly I can't tell you what to do or
what to think and I don't want to what I
think and how I feel is as somebody who
works in this art of Desire seduction
teas as somebody who has found a lot of
empowerment in being able to be half
naked on a stage and dance around and
feel no shame about my body or my things
I can tell you that there is an
empowerment there but also it's
something that I've spent a lot of time
thinking about it's a decision that I've
made consciously it's stuff that I do
and I'm very picky about what I do and
what I don't do because I know that
there is a line that I have to walk even
if men that I've known my whole life
will say oh if I was a girl I'd make
money easy I'd be out here on only fans
I'd be here doing whatever want one it's
not that easy trust me two even if it
was the price you pay for doing sex work
for doing any of that stuff by choice or
because you have no other choice because
you don't have options because you have
to the stigma that you face for that is
not something most men can handle yet
they say that if they were women they
would be that it's like no you wouldn't
because you don't feel the societal
shame of people judging you before
they've even known you because of what
they presume you are based off of what
you sell the job that you do but I've
had to walk this fine line because I am
also aware of everything I said at the
end of the last section that you have to
be able to be pretty and presentable and
this but not too much and people would
say well why would you try to be this
that and whatever blah blah blah blah no
someone on my Instagram messaged me to
tell me that their daughter had asked
them randomly about pole dancing they
hadn't seen me or anything but they had
asked them randomly about pole dancing
and so the Instagram follower and their
partner looked at each other and we're
like okay let's show them Kadija so they
showed their kid my video the kid really
liked it was like oh I want to do that
and then they both kind of I think we're
left with this feeling of like huh I
don't know if this is a good or a bad
thing and I had to sit and go I don't
either at the end of the day
unfortunately it's up to all of us if
something is a good or a bad thing
philosophically here we go I personally
don't think it is I've been in poll
classes pole gym classes we have
teachers at the studio that will bring
their kids in sometimes and the kids
just see fun they just see a poll that's
fun and something to play with I've seen
kids on the street here playing on polls
like trying to do tricks and flips and
stuff who knows where they saw it first
the internet makes everything so much
smaller people are going to see things
child locks are hard whatever but kids
see fun for the most part they just see
entertainment they see something that
they can play with and I think adults
also have that fun element cuz anytime
I've had a poll or been around a poll
and people that have never done it are
around they want to play on it they want
to test it out they want to see what
it's about men women everybody men in
particular Le get real excited about
getting on a poll y'all get really
excited and that's cool I'm not saying
that to judge y'all or point the finger
sorry I'm saying that to say that should
be allowed we as people get to decide
and make up the rules yes there does
need to be an element of talking to of
yeah this person is doing this thing but
it doesn't exist in a vacuum what is an
age appropriate way to talk to a child
about sex work to talk about sex first
and then sex work a child is a child
because I'm not an adult so what can
they handle what can we do to guide them
and not try to rule over them but then
also let them know hey here's the thing
this is a sport this is an activity it's
come from this history It's associated
with this that and the third and there
are different styles and different Vibes
and if you want to lean into a more
sexual sensual nature maybe you can do
that but you have to be aware of the the
just the way the world is the
consequences of that the way people will
look at you the opportunities you might
or might not get the way people will
judge you and perceive you that's
something that like I know I can handle
more at the age of 32 than I could have
handled at the age of 20 and it's not to
say that somebody in their 20s can when
I was interviewing sex workers sex and
capitalism there are different videos
and things coming out related to the
topic I don't [ __ ] know anyway but I
was at some point surprised at how young
some of the people I was talking to were
and the older people that I was talking
to how young they were when they got
started and for me just sex in general I
waited till I was 21 I had been with
people and I had done stuff you know I
wasn't like I never had any experiences
but I was just kind of like I knew that
I wasn't ready and when I was was when I
would do it and this is the same thing
with this I've always had a reverence
for strippers I've always had a
reverence for just thick baddies that
can be strong and feminine and flexible
like those are to me ballet is the same
thing as stripping is the same thing as
ice skating is the same thing as the
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders to me I look
at them all the same anyone who told me
they did any of them I wouldn't judge
them more or less for any of those
because to me you're doing something
that is incredibly physically demanding
difficult challenging it requires a lot
of time energy patience training and
you're looking so damn beautiful while
you're doing it oh women
women
women women makes sense that they'll
have somebody powerless you ever lock
eyes with somebody and just have a
conversation with them like really look
them in the eye you ever have somebody
do that [ __ ] that [ __ ]
is that's a power move actually
this is a power move I'm kidding okay I'm
I'm
like there needs to be information and
real consideration for the fact that
yeah maybe only fans or the the sex
selling that a lot of female rappers are
rapping about it can be great it can be
fun and all that but also you have to
live in the real world and know that
there are a lot of real world
consequences for that type of life
there's a lot of ashiness and irritation
and yes that's any job but when your
body's is involved in a sexual way it
can be it can be kind of mentally like
uh you know and I know more people are
online and stuff so maybe Street based
sex work I talked to a few people that
did and were still kind of doing Street
based sex work or on and off and you
know it's been documented that people
that do that work experience traum not
just the sexual nature of it but the
poverty exposure to violence all of that
the vulnerability of that kind of work
and some people like I said before do
Choice sex work and others have to
because this is like the last option
this is the only thing they have to do
and the more marginalized you are the
more likely that's an only option for
you right so I think we need to realize
that the images of sex and sex appeal in
hip-hop by female rappers maybe might
have emerged from Men sexualizing Women
in the genre and being dominators in
that field and deciding what women
should be dressing like and looking like
to sell more music to make more money
but it's also become something that a
lot of women have agency in in that
genre and everyday life and
unfortunately just because some women
have agency doesn't mean all of us do
and just because some women get to
choose how they want to commodify their
bodies and when they do it and who they
do it with doesn't mean all of us do
there needs to be a realistic sort of
mindset about that as well I don't think
that it is inherently wrong or bad to be
a sensual sensuality love to I'm saying
sell but not even necessarily sell just
like that's like the The Art of
Seduction and tease and desire I think
that those things are great cuz I do
those things but I think it's also
something that I have come to the
conclusion of and I'm fortunate that I
was able to have choices and decide what
I wanted to do in terms of if I wanted
to lean more into this and I'm at an age
my big age where I don't give a [ __ ]
what other people think anymore not even
my parents they might not like it but
I'mma still do what I want cuz it's my
life and I get to do that but just
because I am doesn't mean it's for
everybody and all that anyway I'm
repeating myself a lot there are more
videos that I'm working on about
unpacking women in Hip Hop and the
selling of sex and what it means to sell
sex and femininity and all that stuff
cuz it's just stuff I'm very fascinated
in but what do y'all think let me know
your thoughts below do you think it's
another blame the men and the patriarchy
for at least the inciting incidents
maybe of this genre going less from
conscious rap women being the lead or at
least being in in more senior positions
replaces into sex selling like do you
think it it doesn't really matter
because the women do it to themselves so
whatever are you still going to shake
ass do you think people like see chy
with her fem dom type rap is a different
way forward or is it just selling more
of the same but in an even more feminine
body in an even more extreme of I'm
going to sell sex and [ __ ] men it's no
[ __ ] you you dirty little shitty little
[ __ ] little dog get on your knees and
grease my feet she talking about your
daddy anyway anyway thanks so much for
watching as always be sure to feed your
plats water your PLS and remember you
can always change your mind because you
can and you can always get a tote that
says you can always change your mind or
feed your PL water your PLS at let
fla.com I will see y'all in the next one
one
bye also I'm going to tell y'all a thing
my posters here the reason like my old
apartment and my original setup they
actually were here because I wanted to I
wanted to nod and wink to like worlds
within worlds just because I think it's
kind of funny like I talk into this
camera and I talk to people I don't know
but like it's still real and has real
impact but it's also doesn't feel real
cuz the internet doesn't feel like a
real place but anyway so some of you
noticed the posters and the things and
I've seen some of the comments I
appreciate y'all some of y'all notice it
so on that wall I actually moved it over
there instead of uh over here but on
that wall there's a Sick Sad World
poster thing like little small poster
and if you know or don't know the '90s
show ARA there was a TV show in it
called six ad World why are so many
siamese twins being born in this Bangkok
Hospital tonight on six ad world and it
would just play but like the graphic and
the logo just looks so cool and I also
just love the idea of six ad world so
that was a show within a fictional show
and then the other one is of course stab
because stab is based off the Scream
movies which is one of my favorite movie franchises
franchises
um yeah but the stab movies are the
movie within the Scream movie so fun and
then of course G trov because I thought
it was just so funny and if you don't
know what it is please look it up cuz I
don't think I'm going to explain it that
well cuz it's kind of confusing and kind
of pointless but if you're like a weird
maybe like choir kid theater kid type
Vibes you just hopped on the bandwagon
of a fictional movie The Gist is that
this is a movie that like doesn't
actually exist but everybody just
started talking I don't know what the
original Source was but yeah people
started talking about their favorite
scene in G trov it's kind of like with
uh Paloma Diamond how Paloma Diamond
that's not her wait what's her name on
Tik Tok that the the 1980s Paloma
something anyway it's like a show that
doesn't exist but people in the comments
will always be like oh my God back then
I remember when Paloma was on the cover
of XYZ magazine you know Paloma trained
XYZ days and did this cuz back in the it
was a bit weird you know they fell out
after this you know during this scene in
commentary like people just letting
their imaginations run wild I love that
it's so fun for me so this poster I saw
it and I immediately was like I must
purchase this cuz I think even Martin
scorsese's daughter was like asking him
about it or if he'd seen it and he was
like ah yes gond a classic of mine I
don't know if that's something fact
check that do you guys think that
Franchesca explained to her dad mon that Tumblr
but yeah I just like the creativity of
creating a world within a world because
it means youve really thought about the
world I guess not all the time but like
Click on any text or timestamp to jump to that moment in the video
Share:
Most transcripts ready in under 5 seconds
One-Click Copy125+ LanguagesSearch ContentJump to Timestamps
Paste YouTube URL
Enter any YouTube video link to get the full transcript
Transcript Extraction Form
Most transcripts ready in under 5 seconds
Get Our Chrome Extension
Get transcripts instantly without leaving YouTube. Install our Chrome extension for one-click access to any video's transcript directly on the watch page.
Chrome Extension