Feminism: Hip Hop and the Woman’s Role

For my book review, I read the book Pimps Up, Ho's Down by Tracy Denean Sharpley-Whiting. Prior to reading this novel, I found myself viewing women as nothing but victims of the hip hop culture. Yet, as I read through the pages of her book, my opinion of the relation of the two slightly changed, or in other words, evolved. Don't get me wrong, I still feel that in many ways women are victims in the hip hop culture. They are indeed taking advantage of in many ways and are portrayed more as items rather than human beings. However, I have come to terms with the realization that women do play a huge part and huge role in the way they are portrayed in the hip hop culture. I will admit that I find no positivity in the way women are presented in mainstream hip hop. Unless one wants to say that the fact that we are the master's of our own destiny as being positive. Yet, the fact that we keep making our destinies "jacked up" by making the wrong decisions outweighs that as being positive in a great manner.
Women play a huge role in the way they are presented in mainstream hip hop in several ways. Many women who have a complex relationship with hip hop try to justify degrading themselves as being a job or a means of making money. They have found what they see as an easy way to make means meet without looking at other options. This is in fact sad, but still reality. Some women see doing so as a means of getting ahead in life. They express that they are in control, because “pussy is power”, “pussy rules the world”, and so on. If it is only powerful enough to get you five minutes of fame, then I think someone needs to reevaluate its net worth. Yet, the lyrics provided by male hip hop artist do not add any good to the buildup of women. Unless one wants to claim that having a “fat ass” or “big tits” as being a compliment then there is a different story to be told. Most lyrics constantly exhibit women as tools and so forth. Women and hip hop just really don't mix well in most cases.
After reading Dr. Sharpley-Whiting’s book I found it even more compelling how women go beyond physically degrading themselves and step more into the world of self-inflicted verbal abuse. So many women hip hop artist go out their way to mimic male artist. That even includes the whole refusing to build up women that I discussed earlier. They are attempting to give the fans of the hip hop culture what they think the fans are used to and what they feel they want the most. So when it all boils down the question is do women even belong in the world of hip hop if all they got to give is a “bad body” or some “good head”?-Brittany Hill