Pissed-Hop

Ooh Oprah you done, done it now.

You've opened the floodgates and started ::gasp:: dialogue!!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously, thanks to Imus and Oprah, there is genuine dialogue between media outlets and the Hip Hop community.

Sorry, but poo-poo on those whose ire is up because the dialogue was refreshed because of Imus.

Honestly, can we never be satisfed?!

Are we seriously saying we refuse to dialogue simply because it didn't take place, in earnest, the first time it was brought up when rap music took the turn down Misogyny Lane?

For all those who feel this way, you're free to leave the building. If you're going to grouse about how the dialogue was started versus eye-balling some solutions, we don't need ya' at the table.

For the rest of us...this morning, Russell Simmons was on 92Q and boy was he mad. He and Mark Clark, the host of the Big Phat Morning Show, were battling to be heard. It was pretty tense. But, at the end, it was a healthy discussion with both sides airing their opinions and offering the olive branch of working together on a solution.

Which seems to be a common message - that finger pointing time is over and colloborating on solutions should begin.

Agreed.

Much respect to Russell Simmons. But one of the things he did this morning, as well as on Oprah the other day, was downplay the derogatory language by pointing out the circumstances many rappers come from. The argument goes sort of like this:

The images depicted by the "poets" (Russell's words for rap artists) are systemic in nature, rooted in poverty and what these artists see on a daily basis. Images that are largely ignored by the politicos and unreported by the mainstream media.

It got to the point where Oprah asked - So do we have to solve poverty before rappers stop using derogatory language against women?

Touche.

And that's the thing. Although, this morning, Russell was a bit more definitive in his argument he's got to realize that there's no real defense for a woman to be called a "ho" in a casual manner.
Our screwy institutionalized processes may have made it easier for some women to become trifling, money-grubbing [choose your own name]. But name calling isn't going to change the system.

The flip side of that?

There are some women who this shoe fits. I think the rapper's defense is "these" are the women they're talking about. Not their mama, or sister or auntie.

::shrug::

All I know is, the dialogue is sometimes loud. Many times angry. But it's happening and that's a start.