In typical Lena B. fashion, I'm the last [most late] person to speak on the real life issues[sarcasm] going on in the Hip-Hop world. But be that as it may, if something bothers me long enough-- I'll speak/write about it. As we all know, there's beef going on between 90's Rap Icon L'il Kim and newly crowned Hip-Pop Princess Nicki Minaj; if you're not familiar with the beef, there's roughly 2 years worth of interviews, parodies, cartoons, and fan commentary on YouTube to help catch you up. Bottom line? They don't like each other.
I'm not the biggest fan of Hip-Hop music, in fact, I usually go from an absolute revulsion of the stuff, to giving ear to conscious and/or underground artists (See Common, Jay Electronica, MF DOOM) that I wouldn't mind having in my Ipod. So, why on Earth would a non-fan bother with some cat fight between two women who consider themselves the best? Have you heard Nicki's Stupid H** track? That was really the tipping point for me. I'm mean, wow! Completely ignoring my own feelings about the song itself in terms of delivery and skill, I wondered, what happened to the Nicki that asked a very fair question in her Hot 97 interview: "Why in the Black Communities we gotta hate on each other...?" That was the Nicki I could respect. I tipped my hat to her in the hopes that Kim would eventually do the same. Nope.
If the goal of mainstream Hip-Hop is to be a hit-driven, money making machine, then it's clear that Nicki had won the battle. Just check out her accolades and the magazines discussing how she's made record history. So what was the point of Stupid H**? Was it meant to be the final nail in the coffin? Or was she more negatively affected by the the opinions of a 'sore loser' than she let on? Perhaps she caved under pressure from her crew or fans to respond? Only she knows the answer to that. My stance is that the act was hypocritical. In the same interview, she stated: "You don't have to feel the need to put somebody down just to make yourself feel better." Well, Nicki, isn't that what your doing? Seems like it. Hell, I don't imagine that the biggest selling female rap artist needs to put someone down in order to get a hit song--but what do I know?
I'm curious to know what happens to a person once they're caught in the net of stardom? Perhaps it does something to their insight? It's bad enough to talk about the woman who virtually paved your way to in the music business, and it's even worse to do the exact same thing that you initially accused her of doing to you. How do you speak so eloquently about the harm we do to one another in our community, then make a song calling another woman a stupid h**? Don't we get enough of that from the guys in Hip-Hop? Don't we get enough of that every single day? Well, with over 40 million views of the official video and over 400,000 'likes', it appears that we don't. Thanks Nicki.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not giving Kim any kind of Girl Scout badge. The image of Nicki's decapitated head on the cover of the Black Friday mixtape makes me sick to my stomach. Surely Kim's aware of the thousands of Black women who come face to face with death and violence everyday. Even her legendary mentor Christopher Wallace said that he'd "never wish death on anyone" yet she spouts that she'll erase a persons SSN? That is not the behavior of anyone who would be a Queen.
My biggest issue overall is what both Nicki and Kim are putting into the hearts and minds of young Black girls. Like the idea that it's cool to call your Black sister a stupid h** if she pushes you far enough. Or, the idea that in order keep your throne, someone's got to die. How do ideas like these contribute to race uplift? How can they help change the negative perception that the media's already given the world about Black women in general? It seems to me the the sentiments shared between Kim and Nicki are real, but I wonder if they've considered, regardless of record sales, whether or not this nonsense and its potential consequences are worth it? One can only hope.
Oh Lena, it seems like I am always coming to offer a counter opinion to yours. I would say arguement, but that has too much of a negative connotation to it for my liking.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the Nicki/Kim beef is dumb, pointless, but not necessarily problematic. What is problematic is that we continue to ask Hip Hop to be the sole role model/moral guide for young Black America.
Secondly, I agree with you that Nicki was hypocritical, yet she knows that a large base of her audience expects her to respond to Kim. Thats part of Rap and the rules of machismo in an industry that still operates off the dynamics of the male ego, i.e- you don't let someone disrepect you. So you're either right and sell like Jean Grae(meaning not at all) or you follow the norm. Now you may say that's selling out, but then you have to ask yourslef can you attach your expectations and value system to someone else. Because she comes from a background and a reality that says respect of your peers is vital to survival, so she has to do what she has to do to thrive. To not respond to Kim in kind would appear as weakness. Also, as you said, Kim did pave the way, and Nicki wants her spot. So to claim it she has to stand toe to toe with the competition. Whether that's right or wrong is objective.
Great Post Ms. Barker, I'll be looking forward to the next one.