Hear Me Out: Hip-hop and Gender Criticism

Jay’s reasoning is quite weak, but the fact that he feels an obligation to respond is telling, because the century old film industry, more influential in our understanding of gender than Hip-hop will ever be, certainly never has. Of course, that also wasn’t the only time that Jay responded to gender criticism on that album alone either. Jay’s response was the typically binary one of someone who realizes that their understanding of women is sexist, but is trying hard to rationalize:

Sisters get respect, Bitches get what they deserve,

Sisters work hard, Bitches work your nerves,

Sisters hold you down, Bitches hold you up,

Sisters help you progress, Bitches’ll slow you up,

Sisters cook up a meal play they role with the kidz, Bitches in the street with they nose in ya biz,

Sisters tell the truth, Bitches tell lies,

Sisters drive cars, Bitches wanna ride

Sisters give up the ass, Bitches give up the ass

Sisters do it slow, Bitches do it fast

Sisters do they dirt outside of where they live, Bitches have niggas all up in your crib,

Sisters tell you quick you betta check ya homie, Bitches don’t give a fuck they wanna check for ya homie,

Sisters love Jay cause they know how hov is

I LOVE MY SISTERS I DON’T LOVE NO BITCH

Jay-Z’s response to criticisms of misogyny is well, misogynist, as it casts women as being either/or, an unfortunate parallel to the “good nigger/bad nigger” language once used explicitly in media and entertainment. On his next effort, the Black Album, Jay’s attempt to respond to gender criticism is in my opinion, deceptively subtle and underrated, but at the same time doomed to failure.

In the discourse about the word nigger, Hip-hop heads especially have tended to argue that there’s a difference between “nigga” and “nigger”. I’m not going to argue that except to say that you can never fully sever “nigga” from “nigger”, even if you were to believe they were different words. So it stands to reason that Jay-Z’s attempt to change the meaning of the term bitch from gendered to gender neutral on 99 Problems is a failure. In the song, Jay uses the term “bitch” to refer to critics, a dog, and a male coward, but never to women, excepting the implied use in the hook.

Rap critics that say he’s “Money Cash Hoes”

I’m from the hood stupid what type of facts are those

If you grew up with holes in your zapitos

You’d celebrate the minute you was havin doe

I’m like fuck critics you can kiss my whole asshole

If you don’t like my lyrics you can press fast forward

Got beef with radio if i don’t play they show

They don’t play my hits well i don’t give a shit SO

Rap mags try and use my black ass

So advertisers can give em more cash for ads…fuckers

I don’t know what you take me as

or understand the intellegence that Jay-Z has

I’m from rags to ritches nigga i ain’t dumb

I got 99 problems but a bitch ain’t one

The fact that Jay-Z literally refers to “rap critics” proves the directness of his response. The song is an acknowledgement of, and an attempt to assuage, however belligerently, criticisms of Hip-hop, and him in particular, as sexist.

Nas’ attempt to respond to gender criticism was also inadequate, but it included an important observation, that white men were internalizing the language of Hip-hop in discussing black women. From Streets Disciple:

Up in the steam room chillin’, exfoliating the skin

It’s rarely men conversatin’ on ends, probably businessmen

I sense good taste, and they watch us, the spots an expensive place

Manhattan New York, I’m try’na keep steamin’

It’s good for the lungs, had plans for the evening

This man leans in, his boys laughing

Now I’m the spokesperson for Black men, this always happens

Says, “Since all Black women care about is who got dough

And all we do is call them either bitch or a Black hoe”

I say first brotha you ain’t gotta be that cold

Since you ignorant, I’ma show you how the facts go

The biggest example in scandal of history

Were Monica Lewinksy or Donald Trump’s pimping spree

Most woman who love Givenchy or Gucci

Are pretentious non-Black groupies or floozies

But who are we to blame, not the dames

It’s a man-made game, in essence our woman the same

Beautiful creatures, Black girls birthed the earth

So they deserve to earn man’s purse

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