Culture
The Double Standards Between Women And Men In Hip-hop By Sydney Taylor The Hip-Hop industry continues to see an insurgence of Black women in rap in recent years. Rappers such as Lil’ Kim, Salt-N-Pepa, Missy Elliott, Nicki Minaj and more paved the way for multiple aspiring women artists. Now, the music industry is starting to take notice. “I remember [ten] years ago, there was always this discussion about where the female rappers went and because I was involved in so many communities, I’m like, ‘They’re right here,’” Shalayah Washington, a Boston Hip-Hop artist known professionally as Red Shaydez, said in a Zoom Interview with The Intersectionalist. “In the mainstream...there was only like one or two. Now there are so many because the masses do like it.” What was once considered a maledominated industry is slowly turning into a space for women to express themselves as artists. Within the last few years, women rappers have showcased their different styles and produced music that topped the Billboard Hot 100. For example, in May 2020, the remixes of “Say So” and “Savage” claimed the top two spots on the Billboard charts. This transition toward women
rappers is partly owed to TikTok, which has popularized many songs written by Black women rappers, according to XXL Magazine. At its original release in March, Megan Thee Stallion’s song “Savage” debuted at No. 98 on Billboard Hot 100. However, after TikToker Keara Wilson’s dance of “Savage” became popularized, Megan Thee Stallion’s song jumped to No. 20. “Social media has created a scenario where people can choose what becomes popular and what does not and what rises to the top and what does not,” Ademir Monteiro, a junior at Emerson College and president of the Hip-Hop Society, said in a Zoom interview with The Intersectionalist. “You see a whole lot of artists from underrepresented groups starting to rise to prominence, [which] is a huge sign that the people who need to listen to their music are listening.” However, despite this resurgence of popularity, the double standards of women rappers remain the same. While the Hip-Hop industry has been scrutinized as a whole for its vulgar lyrics and language, women rappers receive harsher criticism and are more sexualized than their male counterparts due to gender discrimination.
Julissa Pinckney, a woman rapper known as MALiA The Model from Boston, said it is important to understand society’s gender discrimination and double standards because they are also pervasive in the Hip-Hop industry as well. However, despite the ongoing gender discrimination and misogyny in the music industry, she urges other women artists to keep going. “You just need to just adapt,” Pinckney said in a Zoom interview with The Intersectionalist. “When you are an artist, you just have to have tough skin. If you believe in yourself, that’s all that matters.” An example of this double standard is the criticism of sexual music from Black women rappers. In August 2020, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion released WAP and faced severe backlash because of the sexual lyrics, according to All Things Considered on WYPR. While women rappers are scrutinized for embracing their sexualities, men rappers who make music about the same topics are deemed more “socially acceptable.”
“Women can’t be hard, or women can’t be angry, or women can’t be as extreme as men can be,”
Dani Jean-Baptiste, a senior at
