Portrayal of Females in Hip-hop

The first episode of this so called reality show lays out the platform of what is to be expected throughout the show.  It is no secret that when it comes to the entertainment industry  women are regarded as second rate due to a few reasons which I find to be very insulting to my intelligence. Listen to how ridiculous this sounds, from the video The Mic is Nice a few hip hop producers claim that the lack of females in the industry is because it cost more money to maintain their needs. So in essence the millions male rappers and R&B singers splurge on cars, jewelry, women, and liquor is still less expensive because women are going to require millions in make up? Of Course “sex sells” Love and Hip-Hop Atlanta does an excellent job of making sure no stone is left unturned when it comes to the stereotypes depicting women. The introduction to the show introduces us to every type involved in the hip-hop industry, spanning from the artist herself to the significant others of the male producers (notice I didn’t say wives). Though all the positions are very diverse there is one root they all share in common, which is submission to their male “superiors. The girlfriends are branded with the gold digger role and the artists are overly sexualized while the actual talents are downgraded to second on the depth chart.

 With a slight idea of the show let’s get to. Like I stated early, each character demonstrates a different stereotype and the “star” in my opinion is M s. Joseline Hernandez. Joseline is a rapper, singer, and dancer and in her own words “an entertainer all across the board”. When I first began watching the show through the first six episodes Joseline did not rap a single song or performance once but her body was of course on display. Not only is she shown in garments that accentuate her robust figure but she is also involved with her producer and manger Mr. Stevie J (who is in another Relationship which she is aware of). In the article Who Am I? by Imani Perry she makes  a statement that embodies Joseline as a whole, she states, “ It is extremely rare that  women are shown displaying any signs of thought, humor, irony ,intelligence, anger or any other emotion”(137). Joseline is shown as Stevie J’s toy in which he claims he created and will end if she steps out of line.  In a way I don’t not fault Joseline for the way she acts, coming from a dysfunctional family and being on her own at a young age she has now found someone to provide for her and give her a life she never had. We are taught that success is what we must strive for, Joseline might be considered for a lack of a better word stupid to be with a man that cheats on her regularly but she has to make a living right?

A very interesting character is Mimi who is Stevie J longtime girlfriend of 15 years and the mother of his daughter, now Mimi is a contradiction because for all the reasons we believe women stay in dysfunctional relationships she is on the other side. Mimi seems like an educated women but she is still tolerating Stevie J not because of his Money so why does she continue to put herself in an impossible situation because as she states “Stevie will never change”. The answer to this question goes back to the olden times “even when women don’t need men, they need men”. They have a daughter together so even when she finds out Stevie j has been sleeping with his client; Joseline, rather than walking away since this wasn't the first time he had done this, she asks for a percentage of Joseline’s contract because she knows that Stevie J cares more about his money then he does for her. She comes out and says in a code I cracked that Stevie J cares more about his “wallet” than her but then states that she cannot stay mad at him. Mimi’s Character is a contrast between dominate and weak because she can provide for herself but in our society no women can be completely dominate without begin labeled a male so Mimi is given weak spot in the form of her lover Stevie J.

Television and all of entertainment in general require all women who going to be granted the privilege to be in the spotlight to be very attractive period, or moderately attract possess a very robust figure. As the black industry a women must possess a very curvy body if you know what I mean. The black females in hip-hop have to clear a whole different set of hurdles. Imani Perry states, “Video after video was the same, each more objectifying then the net. Some were in strip clubs, some at the pool ,beach, hotel rooms but the recurrent theme was dozens of half-naked women”(137).  All in all Regardless of whether you are Alicia keys, Adele, or Joseline Hernandez society cares more about what you look like when you speak than the actual words coming out of your mouth.

Citations:

Byrd, Ayana. "Claiming Jezebel: Black Female Subjectivity and Sexual Expression in Hip Hop." The Fire this Time. 1-17. Anchor Books, 2004. Web.

"My Mic Sounds Nice: The Truth About Women in Hip Hop." Dir. Ava DuVernay. BET Networks. USA, 30 Aug. 2010. Web.

Perry, Imani. “Who(se) Am I?: The Identity and Image of Women In Hip-Hop.” 2^nd Ed. Gender, Race, and Class in Media. 136-148. Sage Publications, 2003. Web.

"The 'A' List." Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta. 12:50-13:15. VH1, 2011. Web.

Images:

http://kbreezy.tv/2012/07/10/love--hip-hop-atljoselines-new-single.aspx
http://everythinggirlslove.com/2012/12/twitter-files-mimi-faust-puts-stevie-j-on-blast-2/