Rap’s Infatuation with White Girls is Hurtful to Black Female Fans
From The Grio – By the time I was 11 years old my next-door neighbor, who was a few years older than me, had given me Nas’ 1996 It Was Written album. Knowing that the explicit content would send my mom in a fury if she found it, I insisted she keep it, but she refused to take it back. Frightened, I sneaked it into our two bedroom apartment to add to the rest of my mostly R&B music collection. When I eventually popped it in to my CD player, I was in awe. It was that moment I fell in love with Nas’ music — and more in love with hip-hop. That was 16 years ago.
For so many in my generation, hip-hop has served as the backdrop to our childhoods. Its appeal was not only the heart-pounding thump of the beats, or the coolness of the women and men rapping. Finally it seemed like someone was telling our story. Rap music spoke our language in a way nothing else did. It was the true essence of giving the voiceless a voice.
theGrio slideshow: Hip-hop’s most infamous haters
Since then, feminism has changed my relationship with my beloved hip-hop. As much as I love it, I hate how it treats women. Hip-hop and black women have an abusive relationship in a sense. Its lyrics advocate violence and sexual assault against women; and it often reduces us to gold-digging “hoes” unworthy of respect.
Hip-hop “brainwashed” by infatuation with white women
As I plow through Tom Burrell’s book, Brainwashed: Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority, I think about how the black inferiority complex (BIC) plays out in pop culture and music, particularly rap.
One of the things that has become more prevalent in hip-hop is the adoration of white women, juxtaposed with its seeming hatred of black women in rap lyrics. Historically, white women had been off-limits for centuries — black men were literally lynched; killed for allegedly whistling at white women. Therefore, snagging a white woman was the ultimate slap in the oppressors’ face — a “look, I’ve made it and I have one of your women!” statement of sorts. Now, instead of rappers, en masse, toting white women on their arms, they parade them on wax.
Kanye West, whose music I happen to love dearly, has had a longtime obsession with the white aesthetic. His music tells the story better than I could. Visually, it has played out in his videos for songs like “Runaway” and “Monster.” Why did all the ballerinas in “Runaway” have to be white? In “Monster” we see the decapitated heads of white women hanging from ropes and rocking gold teeth. Most telling of his white girl fantasies was his cover art to MBDTF. But Kanye is far from alone in this line of thinking.
“My new young chick look exactly like Rihanna/A** like Nicki, but she yellow like Madonna.” – Meek Mill
stop providing income to fools…….
Thank U! I understand the article but I refuse….REFUSE to let a segment of ignorant…self hating niglets define me. Maybe we should stop idolizing men with no morals, scrupples nor humility. These people do not read books. These rappers do not adheare to the knowledge of historians, preachers or family members telling them what is sacred and what to loose. So bascially we have glorified crazy men with deep seeded mental issues rocking the mic but somehow I suppossed to be hurt because there perception of what is beautiful does not include me. HA!!!!!!! I feel sorry for sistahs that are still looking to black men for validation. It is what it is. Most rap stars hate black women. Get over it. Move ahead and do better. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much d*ck out there for me to be trippin over these fools.
James, we agree on something.
KIR
Well, DANG! I guess I HAVE to part with my money to give to idots on stage bouncing to a beat and calling black women and girls everything but a child of God because CLEARLY there are no other entertainment options in the world except for John Mayer. #staypressed.
You seem way too concerned about what black women are doing with their money white men, and John Mayer. And you know 99.9% of white men? #staypressed.
@The comment
THANK YOU! Some Black women and girls are stuck on stupid. Oh well! Sucks for them.
@keepitrealdumb
LMAO! Never mind.
@KIR
i am confused, so you think we should jut accept being degraded by these rappers. we should just accept being called hoes bitches and every derogatory word in the dictionary, really? or are you just making those comments to get a reaction from us. what does this have to do with white men btw?
@ KIR
please tell me something.
why is it that when black women speak of not supporting black men (who clearly don’t like black women ) you guys always come back with ” them white menz ain’t checkin for ya!”?
even when we speak of not tolerating black men who are helping to destroy the black community ( as in this case) your first inclination is to tell us we have no options. but you are the same man that is always complaining about black women choosing men that glorify rap. but the only diff between thugs and rappers is that rappers actually have money. so do you give them a pass because they have money? but want to call black women materialistic? money-worshippers? the only diff is that you wouldn’t date these men but you glorify them too do you not?
@KIR
and another thing, why is it so bad when black women want to take their money, time and energy to other groups of men? you guys don’t want us so what’s the big deal? if they don’t want us either they won’t have anything to do with us , right? or are you actually afraid that some do, and will prove you wrong? in entertainment some of us just want to be entertained without being insulted , and we understand that majority of the women getting shine will be white women, they are his group of women.but it becomes a different ballgame when your own group of men not only put other women on a pedestall, but they VERBALLY degrade you and promote violence towards you. your own group of women, the people you share an experience , history and culture with???
a lot of times a black man will complain about attitude, weave, kids oow, weight etc but when confronted with a woman who has no kids, natural hair (a lot of times kinky [i mean hey it's not a weave or greasy relaxer right?])normal weight, friendly , educated, humble, etc he is usually quick to claim she is unattractive , esp if she is dark, has kinky hair, afrocentric features.and if she has *ss on top of that he may decide to hit and quit and lead her on for as long as possible using her while she is looking for something more meaningful. we know this happens.she is not good enough to marry but hse is good enough for some *ss , right? and he is well within his rights to not find her attractive. my issue is, why attack her if she decides to venture out of the race to see what might be out there?
oh mi gosh!!! is that you j-philly?! Damn you look soooo healthy and strong. I had a frail, grumpy old man in my visual!! uh oh-me likey!!!!! :)
@KIR
does it make more sense to you that she stay and grovel for a group of men that want nothing to do with her , or at least try with a small but still willing group of white men (in and out of Europe ) who love black women afrocentric features and all? what makes more sense to you?
please answer my questions.
@KIR
a lot of times a black man will complain about attitude, weave, kids oow, weight etc but when confronted with a woman who has no kids, natural hairnormal weight, friendly , educated, humble, etc he is usually quick to claim she is unattractive , esp if she is dark, has kinky hair, afrocentric features.and if she has *ss on top of that he may decide to hit and quit and lead her on for as long as possible using her while she is looking for something more meaningful. we know this happens.she is not good enough to marry but hse is good enough for some *ss , right? and he is well within his rights to not find her attractive. my issue is, why attack her if she decides to venture out of the race to see what might be out there?
@KIR
come on dude! you post dissertation after dissertation on here and claim to be open for debate , in fact you always complain about how nobody will refute you but you won’t answer any of my questions! what’s up with that?
I agree.
What is with all these shout outs to white girls?
In particular?
Despite the fact that they don’t seem to be shouting back?
And in the same song, rappers throw shade to brown/dark complexions but shout out HILLARY CLINTON who’s in her 60s (no shade to the senior citizens, but I’m sayin…)?!
Fo’ serious?
they most certainly are not shouting back. if you look at statistics about rap sales over the past 5 years it’s been on a constantly decline, and nobody can seem to figure out why….
here’s my theory: it’s because black women aren’t supporting it as much as they did in the past. think about it: white women might like a little rap from time to time, but they like their own music more (the john mayers LMFAO etc). black men don’t really *purchase* music, more likely to download. I imagine that even white men are getting weary of buying music where black men are constantly talking about white girls. and that leaves??? rap music is doomed, and they put themselves there by taking for granted the one group that was supporting them from the start with $$ – black women who used to love hip hop.
oh and btw, black women don’t forget
and this is why SOME Black women are stupid…supporting their own degradation and dehumanization and only complaining NOW, when they images and shouts seem to be changing. Any Black women like this and those rappers deserve each other.
This is one of the reasons I have maintained Kanye is lame for years. Never bought one of his albums. He’s a good producer but as a lyricist, he is garbage. Damn near every time he speaks, stupidity comes out. I’m not so sure that I can say this is prevalent in hip hop, and especially not so with anyone with any skill as an MC. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Kweli or Common extolling the virtues of white women. I tend not to listen to the BS they put on the radio, so I could be mistaken.
“Black men walking wit white girls on they arms
I be mad at em as if I know they moms
Told to go beyond the surface, a person’s a person
When we lessen our women our condition seems to worsen”
stop blaming white women for the ignorance of DBR black men.
Its not hurtful to me….I just don’t listen to that ish. I don’t understand why people support people who insult whether directly or indirectly.