Opinions, Pop Culture

Women are thriving in rap culture and double standards won’t stop them

Hip-hop has expanded so much over the years. The once male-dominated music industry has transitioned into an equal playing field for women.

Since the 1980s, women have emerged into the rapping scene. Artists like Lil’ Kim, Missy Elliott, and Queen Latifah challenged the stereotype that women could not rap. Eventually, more female artists began shifting the hip-hop industry.

Nicki Minaj, Megan Thee Stallion, and Cardi B are just a few women who are dominating the new wave of hip-hop. However, some people have questioned their success.

The biggest changes in rap is that the lyrics do not convey the same way as they did 30 years ago.

This transformation has introduced us to new female artists, but it also created the debate of double standards in the industry.

Women are getting hate for dressing in short clothing while performing on stage yet male rappers perform with no shirt on and get away with it. Personally, this annoys me as a woman because we get told how to dress by some men while they can get away with wearing saggy pants or even shirts with controversial text or images displayed on them.

This reminds me of when I was in high school. Security often took students aside that had on questionable clothing on like tank tops, ripped jeans, shorts, and crop tops. If we were caught breaking the dress code, the security would loan us clothing in which I don’t think they regularly washed. Meanwhile, guys who wore shirts with nude girls on it were unbothered and let in without a doubt.

That is how I feel the hip-hop industry is being portrayed when it comes to fashion choices.

I do not know why female artists get hate for their lyrics either. I understand that everyone has an opinion and different taste, but do not base it on the fact the artist is a woman.

There are many double standards with lyrics and newer artistry. Some of the male rap songs you hear now are about sex, drugs, and money.

Some female rappers talk about sexual pleasures in their music, but often get ridiculed for being too explicit or nasty. And these comments are coming from grown men.

Megan Thee Stallion was a recent guest on Dua Lipa’s podcast titled “At Your Service.” The day before the interview, the two released their new song together called “Sweetest Pie”. Both Lipa and Stallion are dominating the industry in their respected music genres, but with success always comes hate.

Being at the top of the hip-hop industry at the moment, eyes are definitely following Stallion and the double standards start to arise.

“A boy could start rapping about popping pills and enjoying four women at one time, and nobody would have a problem with that,” Stallion said. “But if Megan Thee Stallion says, ‘Eat my p*ssy’ one time, there’s uproar. Like, ‘You better not ever say that word again in your life’. I feel like if the pleasure is not all about them [men] then [they think], ‘This is just absurd’.”

Basically, Megan stated that guys try to tear down women for stating what kind of pleasures they like and it’s honestly frustrating. Some male rappers can talk about vivid sexual imagery and actual problematic issues, but when women like Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B make a song about their satisfaction as they did in their record-breaking hit collaboration song in 2020, WAP, then it’s bizarre.

Why do men hate when women are confident? Are they intimidated or threatened by the impact we can make?

The City Girls, JT and Yung Miami are top female rappers in the hip-hop game right now as well. The rap duo are the queens of the clubs in terms of music. When asked in a radio interview with Power 106, they shared how the double standards label does not affect their work.

“These men are going to complain,” JT said. “They want the world to be male-dominated and threatened because right now women are coming up and making their own bags.”

The sky is the limit for women in rap right now. Yes, some of the rap lyrics are not as composite as they used to be back then, but there is definitely a reason to love this new wave of hip-hop.

This is not to root against men, but to empower women to keep challenging the stereotype in male-dominated careers. The future is bright as more women become bold and I hope to be like Megan Thee Stallion in terms of pursuing my career or life in general.

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