Watch This: Bitch Bad, Woman Good

Note: I almost always refrain from swearing because I see no need for it.  There are more descriptive words out there that are underused.  But, the word "bitch" is used frequently in this post because it is necessary and, I think, appropriate.

I had a post planned for today.  It was 90% written, the links were all corrected, labels inserted...but plans change.


Lupe Fiasco changes things.  When I saw this "Bitch Bad" music video earlier today, it was all I wanted to talk about.  It is supremely well-made, worth at least three re-watches.

unfortunately, the mv's quality is no better than 480p right now.

Through this song, Lupe examines the connotations of the word "bitch" and questions its value and psychological impact, especially in the world today.  He frames all of this around the story of a boy and a girl; the boy hears it when his mother is singing along to a song, and the girl dances to songs with that word on repeat.

Yeah, now imagine a group of little girls nine through twelve,
On the internet watchin' videos, listenin' to songs by themselves.
It doesn't really matter if they have parental clearance;
They understand the internet better than their parents.
Now, being the internet, the content's probably uncensored -
They're young, so they're malleable and probably unmentored;
A complicated combination, maybe with no relevance,
Until that intelligence meets their favorite singer's preference.
"Bad bitches, bad bitches, bad bitches,
That's all I want and all I like in life is bad bitches, bad bitches."
Now let's say that they less concerned with him,
And more with the video girl acquiescent to his whims.
Ah, the plot thickens.
High heels, long hair, fat booty, slim,
Reality check, I'm not trippin'.
They don't see a paid actress, just what makes a bad bitch.

When she stood up and started dancing in the video, I felt a wave of déjà-vu wash over me.  I used to be that little girl.  Who hasn't done that in their youth?  Granted, we probably weren't dancing to and singing along to words like "bad bitch," but that desire and goal to emulate remains the same.

screen capture from the music video: pound the alarm.

In fact, the most striking example of this for me is Nicki Minaj's new song, "Pound the Alarm."  In it, she sings,

If you need a bad bitch,
Let me call a few.
Pumps on and them little mini skirts is out.
I see some good girls, Imma turn 'em out.
Okay bottle, sip, bottle, guzzle,
I'm a bad bitch, no muzzle, hey?

The message here is clear: she's a "bad bitch," and proud of it, since she parties harder and is more attractive than the goodie-two-shoes.  Young girls all over the world listen to songs like this, as evidenced by Sophia-Grace and Rosie, and who knows how much value they place in those words?  I mean no offense to Nicki Minaj - I was rapping along to "Super Bass" when it first came out, and I adored her collaboration with Rihanna for the song "Fly."  But it's lyrics like those in "Pound the Alarm" that give me pause and wonder if there may be something wrong with our music industry.

thoughtful man. photo.

I cannot speak for other countries, but the word "bitch" is tossed around as much as "love" or "beautiful" in the United States' music scene.  They are all words that once carried heavy meanings, but now have been diluted from years of overuse and abuse.  Since when did referring to oneself as a "bitch" become a positive, something to aspire to?

This song and music video is layered with thought and meaning, and I cannot hope to delve into it all and do it well.  However, another striking imagery Lu introduces is blackface, by making the two main players in the video apply it toward the end.  To me, he is insinuating that the people ( especially African-Americans) of the hip-hop and R&B industry are merely actors that play the role of what is expected of them.  The men seem hyper-masculinized and uneducated; the women are loud and obnoxious.  This makes me wonder: is Nicki Minaj in blackface in all her music videos?  She is a beautiful woman with an incredible rapping talent, so are all those artificial additions and blatant sexualization of herself her mask?

there's nothing wrong with your browser.  this album cover is literally all black.  all black everything.

Lupe's new album, Food and Liquor II, drops September 25th.  If this is the first time you have heard of him, I highly encourage you to listen to "State Run Radio," "Kick, Push," or his most popular song, "The Show Goes On."  He is a brilliant rapper, and the one who actually made me give the genre a chance.

ps.
If you made it this far with the post, thank you for reading it. I hope this post hasn't offended you in any way, and I mean no slurs against the hip-hop industry as a whole.  Rather, I question certain facets of it, just as I would any other industry.