Educational Hip-Hop
I'm all too familiar with feminist music, or so I thought. Before I really considered myself a feminist, I became obsessed with the bands that made the term "Riot Grrl" a household name in the punk rock music scene, such as the late greats Sleater-Kinney, Bikini Kill, and The (ever-so-dear-to-my-heart) Butchies. God rest all of their souls. Just when it seemed people were starting to notice, the riot grrl movement faded out. But it appears there still may be hope for feminism in music yet in an equally shunned upon and misinterpreted musical genre as punk rock: hip-hop.
I googled both genres just to see which is making a mark, at least presently, and it seems that the words "feminist hip-hop" yields nearly twice the responses as "feminist punk rock." I was shocked at these results. Surely, Riot Grrl made a huge impact on how women enjoy and make rock music today, especially with the recent revival of punk in the mainstream (if you want to call that Good Charlotte crap punk rock). I took a closer look at my findings and what I believe to be the reason behind this internet attention for feminist hip-hop music is that women and gender studies and music programs nationwide have drawn up academic curriculums dedicated to feminist voices in hip-hop music, offering entire classes on the examination of the misrepresentation of women in rap music. And I say, "Big Ups!" No, I don't because I'm too white, but yes I really do ... on the inside.
Tonight I had the opportunity firsthand to experience the types of academia universities are bringing to our youth concerning this subject FOR FREE at the Columbia College of Chicago. Three very different, very talented, very intelligent, and very outspoken female groups came from around the country to perform FOR FREE at the school, and each enlightened and renewed my passion for feminist music. The most important thing each group brought, no matter how different their media, was the unification of all women regardless of what they grew up listening to.
Clearly, the most experienced stage performer was Soulflower, a Miami-based emcee who has worked with such hip-hop celebrities as Lauryn Hill and The Roots. Her act was without a doubt well-rehearsed. Her timing was impeccable and the slew of high school kids that showed to this event absolutely loved her, which is the most important thing. Soulflower, like the other performers, want the youth to know that rap music with a positive subject matter does exist. She demonstrated this by rapping a completely profanity-free set.
Invincible came from Detroit. She drove seven hours in a snow storm to spread a positive message, and she does. In my opinion, possibly the biggest contribution Invincible makes is her appearance and persona. Dressing androgynously in baggy clothes and a cap pulled down over her short hair, and speaking ambiguously, with broken grammar and slang, Invincible blurs gender and racial stereotypes creating a new identity that crosses cultural boundaries.
For me the most memorable performance, was the spoken word, poetry slam-style, dance and acapella singing by Chicago-based AquaMoon & Tha Crew,who almost reminds me of Ani DiFranco's spoken word performances as she was inspired by African-American poetry professor Sekou Sundiata. Their act is extremely creative, without contextual boundaries, which is what makes AquaMoon so powerful and vital to hip-hop. These women are no strangers to the classroom as a venue, proclaiming their mission to bring performances into grade schools, high schools and universities to provide a "balance in hip-hop music between 'My lip gloss be poppin' and positive hip-hop."
Tonight there were women and men of all colors and ages. I know that each person who came tonight left feeling a bit more confident in hip-hop music. It was an educational experience for me and hopefully for the kids, and I hope that they, like I, will make a conscious decision to actively listen to the music on the radio and think about the musicians who are working to change the corrupt money-hungry music industry that exists. This is the music I love, the music I like to see - the underground, the indie. That's where musicians still possess the power and the drive to do what these ladies have done: promote change, make people think, and be role models for the youth.
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| The Butchies |
Tonight I had the opportunity firsthand to experience the types of academia universities are bringing to our youth concerning this subject FOR FREE at the Columbia College of Chicago. Three very different, very talented, very intelligent, and very outspoken female groups came from around the country to perform FOR FREE at the school, and each enlightened and renewed my passion for feminist music. The most important thing each group brought, no matter how different their media, was the unification of all women regardless of what they grew up listening to.
Clearly, the most experienced stage performer was Soulflower, a Miami-based emcee who has worked with such hip-hop celebrities as Lauryn Hill and The Roots. Her act was without a doubt well-rehearsed. Her timing was impeccable and the slew of high school kids that showed to this event absolutely loved her, which is the most important thing. Soulflower, like the other performers, want the youth to know that rap music with a positive subject matter does exist. She demonstrated this by rapping a completely profanity-free set.
 |
| Invincible |
For me the most memorable performance, was the spoken word, poetry slam-style, dance and acapella singing by Chicago-based AquaMoon & Tha Crew,who almost reminds me of Ani DiFranco's spoken word performances as she was inspired by African-American poetry professor Sekou Sundiata. Their act is extremely creative, without contextual boundaries, which is what makes AquaMoon so powerful and vital to hip-hop. These women are no strangers to the classroom as a venue, proclaiming their mission to bring performances into grade schools, high schools and universities to provide a "balance in hip-hop music between 'My lip gloss be poppin' and positive hip-hop."
Tonight there were women and men of all colors and ages. I know that each person who came tonight left feeling a bit more confident in hip-hop music. It was an educational experience for me and hopefully for the kids, and I hope that they, like I, will make a conscious decision to actively listen to the music on the radio and think about the musicians who are working to change the corrupt money-hungry music industry that exists. This is the music I love, the music I like to see - the underground, the indie. That's where musicians still possess the power and the drive to do what these ladies have done: promote change, make people think, and be role models for the youth.
posted by Mandy G at 7:41 PM
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