Black College Women Take Aim at Rappers

[EdwardKnoxII 0]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/a...elman_vs__rap_3

 

Black College Women Take Aim at Rappers

Fri Apr 23, 1:55 PM ET 

 

By KRISTEN WYATT, Associated Press Writer

 

ATLANTA - Maybe it was the credit card that rap superstar Nelly swiped through a woman's backside in a recent video. Here at Spelman, the most famous black women's college in the country, a feud has erupted over images of women in rap videos, sparking a petition drive and phone campaigns.

 

Nelly planned to visit Spelman earlier this month for a charity event enlisting students for a bone marrow registry. But the rapper canceled the appearance after hearing that a protest was in the works because of his videos — especially "Tip Drill," the one with the credit card, which also shows men throwing money between women's legs and women simulating sex acts with each other.

 

Misogyny in pop music, especially hip-hop, has been around for years. What's new, students say, is an explosion of almost-X-rated videos passed around on the Internet or shown late at night on cable channels like Black Entertainment Television, also known as BET.

 

Never before, students say, have the portrayals of black women been so hypersexual and explicit.

 

"It's very harsh. This is something we have to see and listen to on a daily basis," said senior Shanequa Yates. "Nelly just didn't want to come here and face the criticism for the choices he's made."

 

Not all students agreed that rappers are to blame, or that the images were harmful to society. At a recent meeting at Spelman to decide what should be done to protest rap music, some pointed out that women in the videos know what they're doing and are paid to do it.

 

The issue especially incensed some men studying at Morehouse, a black men's college closely affiliated with Spelman. "These are grown women. I'm putting the blame on the women," said Kenneth Lavergne, a senior who was loudly booed by the 300 or so women at the meeting.

 

Another student, Bradley Walker from Clark Atlanta University, talked about the credit-card swiping. "Bottom line, a woman let him do that," he said. "I do think sometimes the total blame is put on artists themselves."

 

Nelly's record label agrees. A spokeswoman for Universal Records, Wendy Washington, complained that the charity event fell apart just because women at Spelman were looking for a scapegoat. She said the feud unfairly made Nelly an example to fire up urban radio stations and music writers across the country.

 

"He did not think it was appropriate at all for students to use that as a forum," Washington said. "I think he was profoundly frustrated. He was not the first, certainly, to do a video like that."

 

Spelman women have low hopes of getting a change from BET, which shows bawdy videos with genitals and breasts fuzzed out on "BET Uncut" at 3 a.m. ET.

 

The network has no plans to stop running it. "'Uncut' has developed an almost cult-like following because of the freedom of artists to express themselves," said network spokesman Michael Lewellen. "It is specifically for adults. These are music videos whose content is too strong for our day points. We exercise more scrutiny than is required."

 

That sums up the basic message Spelman women have gotten from rappers and TV executives — if you don't like it, don't watch the videos or listen to the music. But the student activists insist the stereotypes in rap music hurt black people even if they don't listen.

 

"Black entertainers have become the new myth makers, showing gangsters and bikini-clad women with hyperactive libidos," said Zenobia Hikes, vice president for student affairs. "For non-black children it creates a gross misrepresentation of the black experience."

 

The next move is a petition drive, and a campaign to phone complaints to TV networks and radio stations that run offensive material. If Janet Jackson (news)'s breast sparked such a crackdown on indecency in the media, the students say, surely a woman shaking so violently her bikini bottom pops off should anger people, too.

 

"We need to organize and say no to this stuff, this nasty, disgusting stuff," said Beverly Guy-Sheftall, director of the school's Women's Research and Resource Center.

 

It won't be easy.

 

"I don't see a solution as long as you have people willing to do it," said senior Nikole Howard. "You have to demand respect, but I doubt these women even thought they were being disrespected. It makes me sad, makes me realize how much work we have to do to educate women."

[Guest slacklet]

Misogyny in pop music, especially hip-hop, has been around for years. What's new, students say, is an explosion of almost-X-rated videos passed around on the Internet or shown late at night on cable channels like Black Entertainment Television, also known as BET.

 

I agree.

 

For non-black children it creates a gross misrepresentation of the black experience.

 

I think it's black youth mimicking the videos that causes the skewed perception of African American culture.

 

The issue especially incensed some men studying at Morehouse, a black men's college closely affiliated with Spelman. "These are grown women. I'm putting the blame on the women," said Kenneth Lavergne, a senior who was loudly booed by the 300 or so women at the meeting.

 

That's a valid point. Bitches be trippin'.

 

The next move is a petition drive, and a campaign to phone complaints to TV networks and radio stations that run offensive material.

 

Alright, just leave poor Howard Stern alone.

[Hektik 0]

I saw this video on BET one night and I thought it was pretty risque. But i'm not easily offended so I had no real problem with it.

 

The next move is a petition drive, and a campaign to phone complaints to TV networks and radio stations that run offensive material. If Janet Jackson (news)'s breast sparked such a crackdown on indecency in the media, the students say, surely a woman shaking so violently her bikini bottom pops off should anger people, too.

Janet was on network television which is considered public airwaves. BET is Cable which means they can show anything they want because they are not regulated by the FCC. I am all for them having standards on the 6 Broadcast networks but I am against regulating cable. At the end of the day, it is still a choice to get cable.

[razazteca 0]

If you have seen BET Uncut you would know why Ludachris was not involved with Pepsi commercials.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

the black experience

 

I want some black people to comment on this. What do you think is the best representation of the black experience?

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

the black experience

 

I want some black people to comment on this. What do you think is the best representation of the black experience?

Easy. It's Ripper mowing my lawn.

 

Well as long as white rappers are free to exploit black women in videos I'm not going to say anything bad about these college chicks doing what they're doing...

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Maybe it was the credit card that rap superstar Nelly swiped through a woman's backside in a recent video.

Brilliant. Seriously.

[Jorge Gorgeous 0]

Pretty much all music is about sex one way or another (except that "I Wanna Sex You Up" song, that song is about share cropping in rural Maryland in the mid 1800s.) The only thing that these videos are doing right now is cutting through the bull. Black music in America is especially steeped in sexual messages. The difference is that the swing and jazz musicians had to communicate it through innuendo and double entendres. If these girls don't like the videos, fine, but spread that message by embracing it, spreading it to your family and friends, and hope it takes off from there. They need to stop this censorship nonsense, find comfort in the fact that these black artists are saying and showing things on TV that would get them killed in much of a America 100 years ago, if not 50. Free speech isn't limited to the tasteful.

[The Czech Republic 0]

Pretty much all music is about sex one way or another (except that "I Wanna Sex You Up" song, that song is about sharecropping in rural Maryland in the mid 1800s.)

This is a good new poster.

 

 

I'm personally not a fan of these music videos that degrade women and give people a reason to get all pissed off about everything. BET would be better off not showing these music videos, I feel, but at least for all the smut overnight, you can get some Wynton Marsalis/J@LC concerts on as well, which is always good.

[Guest Mindless_Aggression]

The Tip Drill video is so over the top ass filled that it becomes hilarious around the 5 minute mark. Seriously, it's like 7 minutes of the same chorus and random rappers grabbing ass cheeks. Someone drunkenly declare the thing "art" already.

[NoCalMike 0]

Honestly, as long as it is adults watching/listening, I can care less how violent, lewd, disgusting, etc...music/music videos are. The problem I have is when I am out in the public and see kids imitating this or adopting it as the way they are going to act all the time. I admit I act lewd/cuss a lot with my friends, but there is a time and place for it, and I know how to turn the switch off and on. It just seems like the youth today is not being taught the fundamentals of behavior at a young age anymore. Or am I just getting old!?!

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

I didn't know they even had colleges that only had black women, let alone enough that this particular one could be called the most famous.

 

Pretty much a lost cause this is.

[Ripper 0]

More bullshit if you ask me.

 

See the thing is, if women would get to the understanding that its okay to shake your ass if you want to. I don't think it is disrespectful to women as a whole if some girl wants to shake their ass. Its when you get in a uproar and pretend that they are representing the whole is when it is bullshit.

 

 

I don't get why when most rappers don't wear shirts in thier video its okay, but a woman basically wearing more clothes is taking down their entire sex. I didn't stage a protest when 50 cent was doing crunches In Da Club. I didn't care when naked ass Diangelo was asking how does it feel. Hell, nelly in this same video is wearing a bathing suit the whole fucking time. I hate when people only look at it as degrading women. Like when people say porn treats women like a piece of meat when the men are the ones LITERALLY treated like a piece of meat.

 

Baiscally it is a video of people at a pool party having fun. Maybe they should have been wearing sweaters and doing the Electric Slide the whole video.

 

The only thing someone should be upset about here is the fact that Nelly is allowed to call that shit a "song" That is probably the worst excuse for music I have ever seen.

 

I think they are just really pissed because the girl in the hot tub humping the other two girls went to their school.

[SamoaRowe 0]

I say it's high time someone got upset over this. I've only been whining about this for years and wondering how so many women seem to take enjoyment in the degradment of women in some hip hop videos.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Go swipe a credit card through someone's ass and you'll change your tune.

[ant_7000 0]

Ripper, I agree with you. I wasn't up in arms D'Angelo did his video naked, and numerous times that LL or 50 didn't wear shirts. Don't blame the rappers, blame the video hoes for shaking there ass. Rappers have casting calls and these women want to be in the videos. They have BET uncut that comes on like 2 in morning, so it shouldn't be an issue if it affects lil kids. I wonder why the women don't go after some of these female rappers like lil Kim and Trina who portray themselves as sex vixens and shirtless men shaking their asses in their videos.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Of course, if some group of guys caused a stink about "their people" being exploited in a lil Kim video, etc., they'd be laughed off the face of the earth...

[Ripper 0]

I think the problem is this whole "video hoe" attitude thing.

 

that is the problem with society. If you don't live like I say you should live you should be vilified. I am sorry, but anything that is victimless and effects only the person at hand is perfectly fine in my eyes. A girl sitting in a dress down to her ankles is no better or worse than a girl shakin dat thing in a nelly video to me. It all goes back to my thing of saying that the main cause for most mysogyny is women them selves. They are the first ones to call another woman a slut or a hoe, but let a man say it and they are degrading women.

[Ravenbomb 0]

Black College Women Take Aim at Rappers

 

*insert "Rappers getting shot at" joke here*