Panel explores issues with portrayal of females in hip-hop

Jay-Z probably didn’t see this coming.

Tonight, UCLA’s Cultural Affairs Commission will host a panel as part of its Hip Hop Appreciation Month. The panel, titled “99 Problems (and ‘B****’ Is One)” as a nod toward the rap star’s famous anthem “99 Problems,” will focus on the portrayal of females through hit singles popularly danced to at parties but ignored for the sexist issues this event will address.

Notable guests will include hip-hop legend Lana Moorer, who goes by the stage name of MC Lyte, and Gaye Theresa Johnson, associate professor of Black Studies at UC Santa Barbara, who will discuss their perspectives on gender roles within the hip-hop industry.

Kausar Mohammed, third-year communications and international development studies student and one of the organizers of the event, said that in tangent with Hip Hop Appreciation Month’s theme of redefining hip-hop, the panel is focusing on how female artists can redefine their roles within the industry and reclaim their presence within the genre.

“There’s been tons of research on the obvious and how there aren’t as many female MCs in hip-hop,” Mohammed said. “This panel is about acceptance and how (we as the audience) can listen to female artists and not put them in a box of being oversexualized or hyper-masculinized.”

In looking at mainstream media, Mohammed said the most prominent female rapper is currently Nicki Minaj, who falls into the stereotype of being oversexualized and is an example of how mainstream female rappers can be pressured to maintain an image for radio play.

Johnson said that the issue lies within how mainstream media chooses to portray women, a decision-making process that unfortunately gets entangled with major label politics and motivations to capitalize on what will make the most money.

“Look at Lauryn Hill. Here is someone who is partly able to break out with these righteous messages because people are poised to hear it and she (was able) to tap into that demographic,” Johnson said.

But while it may be easy to blame the major labels for the perpetuation of these derogatory images, Johnson and Moorer both agree that the responsibility of what is said lies with those who speak them in the first place.

“Further back in the day, we had MCs that were willing to tell their stories and willing to talk about a diverse array of topics,” Moorer said. “Now it seems to me, at least with what’s promoted in the mainstream, there’s one big party (happening) all over the world and no one is facing the issues … of people struggling and suffering.”

Having never worked with a major label herself, Moorer is an example of how dedication and maintaining a positive work ethic can lead to success. Moorer sees a large part of her own success in what she does outside of music through giving lectures, speaking at panels and promoting positive images of female hip-hop artists through her non-profit foundation Hip Hop Sisters.

“If you’re out to get a poignant message across, music may be the way but it’s not the end all be all,” Moorer said.

Johnson said the good news is that the label model is collapsing and all the models that these companies used to capitalize on don’t always work anymore. The landscape of hip-hop is changing into a do-it-yourself culture of alternative online avenues that allow artists to have full control over the content they put out.

“Once you understand how your lyrics are affecting people … (you realize) that you’re not just rhyming for the block and that you’re speaking to nations of people and that somehow you got to think bigger and better and beyond yourself,” Moorer said.

But Johnson said what will keep this momentum going in a positive direction is for women to put in the work to remain relevant.

“I have faith in my male allies, but I think (the success of women in hip-hop) will be achieved because of the hard work women put in themselves,” Johnson said.