My love/hate-moral-fight about hiphop strikes once again. Do I want to put up a show (= provide a platform and sacrifice time, energy, money, emotion – not necessarily in that order) for a rap act who uses ‘bitch’/’hoe’/etc. in their lyrics? Or – as it is just as common standard as half-naked women in advertising – do I bow down to the omnipresence and act as if that makes it okay with me?
If it was the kind of glossy hiphop that is just focussed on getting style and sounds perfect, you know, the kind to whom the sexual stereotyping of women comes as naturally and carelessly to their lyrics as the side-chain effect to their bassline and kicks, my answer was no. If they use it just because it’s en vogue, or even worse: because it’s considered cutting edge, I would say no. A few things would make that decision easy: most prominently the dilettant theory-lover in me that is well aware that language is not just a means of expression but also produces reality and the hair-tearing part of me that still can’t be but a feminist and of course the context in which I put up shows which is ‘culturally romantic’ (aka a leftist non-profit collective structure).
But now my dilemma du jour: Doesn’t it make a difference if it’s an experimental noise hiphop act that doesn’t glamourize the hoe-ification of women but whose music’s point rather is to mirror the ugliness and aggression of the world they are looking at? For me it seems to do, it’s a different kind of use that makes it okay. Or do I kid myself?
Srsly, I sometimes wish I was a nonefuckgiving gutfeelingtrusting businesstype male promoter. A fuck-morals-it’s-about-sound&doesitmakeanymoney… bromoter. If no solution there at least comes the title for this blog entry.
First I think, this is not about hiphop (as you have that bitchy issue in other genres too) or being a male or female promoter.
Furthermore I think it’s always kinda mirror of society, even if the artist does not intend to mirror. In the end, as long as you put up shows in that culturally romantic way, you shouldn’t be forced to promote any artists, which make you feel bad or which encourage an atmosphere you don’t want, cuz with this way there shouldn’t be any compulsion to make profit or to put up a show at all.
And oh yes, I think in your case ur rly right to differentiate and not putting up a principle like “any (rap) act who uses ‘bitch’/’hoe’/etc. in their lyrics and/or uses half-naked women in advertising shall be banned” and oh yes, there is no solution. Imo sometimes you can’t know before, maybe sometimes it’s just ok to try sth out – even if you have doubts about it, even if you might regret it afterwards.
Another thing I want to add is, that there is not only you and the artist you choose, which makes the difference and who are responsible, but mainly the crowd. If you have a mostly uncritical hoe-ificating crowd it will produce its atmosphere no matter what artist is performing (of course in different degrees – a super-hoe-ificating artist might push that atmosphere in a bigger degree and might also attract a certain crowd). If you have a mostly non-hoe-ificating crowd, a hoe-ificating artist won’t turn them into hoe-ificators, even if they dance and enjoy the music.
Just my poor late night thoughts about this – not knowing just thinking – no responsibility is taken for the correctness of this information.
Trust me, Hiphop is far more dominated by this than most other genres I deal with. Also I’m not forced to do anything, I wrote about why I find the decision difficult and that I hate to have to deal with it again and again and again. You’re right about the crowd but I am convinced that – at least most of the time – it goes hand in hand: If you have a taste in music that’s sensitive about things like e.g. tough guy shit it will not happen very often that you put up shows/club nights that attract the kind of crowd you hate.