On June 11th, PeopleTV posted an interview they did with legendary music producer/record executive Jermaine Dupri. He was there to promote his upcoming documentary called Power, Influence, and Hip Hop - The Rise of So So Def that will air on WE-TV on July 18th. During the interview, JD spoke about his artist Da Brat which led into a question about the current female rappers. The hosts asked JD if he had a favorite female rapper right now. In an attempt to lead JD's answer one of the host added rappers, "Cardi B, Nicki, Megan Thee Stallion". JD hesitated to answer and then the other host blurted out, "Not a Cardi B fan?". Now this is where I call bullshit. It appears the hosts were trying to create a headline by getting him to pick Cardi B. Cardi is the current media darling, even though the public appears to be growing tired of her act. JD didn't take the bait and responding by saying,
"The reason I can't say is because I feel like they are all rapping about the same thing. I don't think they are showing us who is the best rapper. For me, it's like strippers rapping. As far as rap goes I am not getting who is the best rapper".
JERMAINE DUPRI HATE TRAIN
So after the interview many took offense or at least acted liked they were offended by JD's comments. Some thought JD was talking about ALL female rappers, some just Cardi, while others thought he was just talking about those female rappers being pushed by the media. I am in the last group. What I find funny about this social media outrage is that before July 11th, the narrative around female rap was that all they do is talk about their pussy. So why are people really upset with what JD said? Is it because the media darling and most coddled rapper in history, Cardi B, spoke out? Is it because people felt like they had to protect Cardi? I have a feeling that if Cardi's name was not brought up and it was just the two Black female rappers mentioned, Nicki Minaj & Megan Thee Stallion, JD would be celebrated for speaking "facts" right now.
So, now I am seeing Hip Hop publications celebrate the pussy rappers. It is now women empowerment. Women/Artists who usually have sticks up their pussies are asking what is the big deal if women want to rap about their pussy. Watching this narrative shift is hilarious. But it is a shift that I do welcome and I hope is real, even though I have doubts.
JD did deserve criticism but not for echoing social media. I can respect that JD wants to see women prove they are the best RAPPER, but to say that because their topic may be sexual in nature they can't prove they can rap is silly. There are men who rap about the same shit all the time (Hello Rick Ross, etc) and no one says because they rap about the same thing, they aren't good rappers. What they lack is diversity. Even with that argument, we do not ask the men to be diverse. If a male rapper's niche is being emotional and crying over IG girls, we'll listen to every single song about that IG girl with little critique. Megan Thee Stallion can rap rap....period. I don't need to hear Megan rap about politics to know she can rap.
CLAP, CLAP , CLAP FOR THIS PUSSY NIGGA
Now you know we can't have a discussion about #femalerappers and pussy without talking about Nicki Minaj. For the past year, the media as labeled Nicki Minaj as simply a pussy rapper. You would even see other females in the industry/media get on their high horses when talking about Nicki Minaj. Well, after seeing social media's response to JD's interview, it appears Nicki Minaj is yet again on the right side of history. It doesn't matter if all she want to rap about is her pussy because 1) it's her right and 2) that's what the fans want.
First off, let's be honest. Nicki Minaj is far from a pussy rapper. Her catalog speaks for itself. She gave us Super Bass, Starships, Pills N Potions, Your Love, Moment of Life, LLC, Ganja Burn, Crying Game, and more. Nicki Minaj is one of the most diverse rappers in the game. In fact her diversity has hurt her within the Hip Hop culture because it may be too diverse for some. But, this is where I will agree with Cardi, ya'll want the pussy rap. So, Nicki's more sexual raps get more attention from the Hip Hop crowd. With that said, even if Nicki was this so-called pussy rapper that the media has painted her out to be...IT DOESN'T MATTER! Nicki can talk about whatever the fuck she wants to talk about just like the men. That also goes for Megan Thee Stallion.
We will see if people were being real or just riding a wave. We will see if people only cared about Cardi's feeling or were they really standing up for female rappers.
What are your thoughts about what JD said?
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