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1. Weekly Feminist Reader | PoliticsMuch.com on 13 Oct 2008 at 4:24 pm

   [...] “Hair and makeup is killing female hip-hop,” says a source. “The grooming cost to break a female rapper versus a male rapper is 10 times as much per appearance. That tends to have an adverse effect on a record company’s willingness to even entertain a female rapper.” [...]

Comments

1. monica wrote:

   Well if having a $2,000 weave and hiring a trainer so one can stay size zero didn’t become the prequesite for all BW in media I am sure the problem would have been reduced

   Posted 01 Oct 2008 at 12:30 pm ¶

2. Chris wrote:

   I don’t know about that argument, as mainstream male rappers tend to either be laced in platinum, studded with diamonds, and piloting expensive cars with 24+ inch chrome wheels in their videos.

   Not to mention the high price tag their clothes, sneakers, and video girls’ cumulative paychecks must bring.

   Contrast that to a Lauryn Hill, Eve, or Missy video from back in the day, when all that was needed was some drinks in a ballroom, a couple of wardrobe changes for the extras, or, in Missy’s case, some computer graphics, a fisheye lense, and/or an inflatable suit (although renting that Hummer must’ve been a tad bit expensive).

   In essence, I just believe the tone of mainstream rap has gotten too mysogynistic for female emcees to compete. Even back in the mid-to-late 90s, with a few exceptions, mainstream rap was more about violence, drugs, and living “big willie style,” not chanting stuff like “can I get up in your gut?” or “superman dat ho” or “I’ll let you lick the lollipop.”

   Lil Mama and Kid Sister are G-rated in comparison, and Jean Grae is like Talib Kweli: a little toooo talented to fully break into the mainstream.

   Posted 01 Oct 2008 at 12:30 pm ¶

3. J.R. Bernard wrote:

   Hair and makeup ARE killing female hip hop. not because of the aforementioned costs of keeping up their appearance, but because of the fact that their appearance is the focal point of female artists.

   Just as in any other mainstream music genre, appearance is just as important (if not more) to an artist’s success. Truth be told, most mainstream music is rehashed, unoriginal, and formulated, but because artists usually embody an image their listeners can identify and relate with, it still sells.

   Posted 01 Oct 2008 at 12:31 pm ¶

4. aimerrouge wrote:

   Hopefully, the source won’t be penalized for being so honest. It’s a much larger issue that women are often looked at primarily through the prism of (subjective) physical attractiveness.

   Posted 01 Oct 2008 at 12:39 pm ¶

5. ieishah wrote:

   the weave defense. everything always comes down to black hair.

   Posted 01 Oct 2008 at 12:44 pm ¶

6. Asada wrote:

   LOL, and doing hair and make-up for Bill Kaulitz and Gwen Stefani, let alone the American Idol sensations is easier somehow?

   I find, Females and males rap about the same things, but diffrently. Imagine 50cent’s hit “candy shop” being sung by little kim or Missy Elliot and not him. I think females have to be more introspective wheras men I dont do this very much.

   Posted 01 Oct 2008 at 12:49 pm ¶

7. Jus Plain Ol Me wrote:

   The scary thing is that three of the most popular female MCs of the past few years (Lil Kim, Trina and Foxy Brown) rely HEAVILY on sex and appearances.

   As a male that lives for Hip-Hop, I seriously need to thank Queen Latifah, Jean Grae, MC Lyte, Salt N Pepa, Roxanne Shante, Antoinette, Psalm One, Lauryn Hill (wherever she is), Nonchalant, The Conscious Daughters, Yo-Yo and Mystic for what they have done. We need female MCs like that more than ever. They provide that balance to offset “artists” such as Gangsta Boo, Shawnna, etc.

   Posted 01 Oct 2008 at 12:57 pm ¶

8. AR1 wrote:

   I think the problem is that Hip-Hop went from being about verbal skills to who have the most street cred. Right now this generation have no respect for those that paved the way for them they don’t know or don’t care about the times when hip-hop was taken off the air except weekends or how people marched in the name of hip-hop all they see is how much money and forget about the whole art of the process Lyte was one of the best L boogie could flow with the best of them.But, now it about how many times you been in jail or how you smack your chick no substance is what bringing hip-hop down and until we go back to the basics rappers who have skills will continue to fail.
   PEACE,
   AR1

   Posted 01 Oct 2008 at 1:10 pm ¶

9. makeupenvy wrote:

   I wonder, does this mean there will also be a decrease in the amount of “video vixens” seen in male rap videos? Somehow, I don’t think so..

   Posted 01 Oct 2008 at 1:32 pm ¶

10. gatamala wrote:

    Chris you are killing me softly with Missy’s fisheye.

    I suspect that most of the jewelry is on loan, a flat out rental, or an installment plan. All of this would be cheaper then altering kim’s bone structure and filing cartilage.

    Besides, as I have been watching the same video since 1997 (Bentley/babyoiled thigh/Cristal) there must be some stock props (thighs included) at Public Storage.

    I say we increase spending on male grooming.

    JR~if I could figure out how to turn the financing of desperately needed surger/implants for male rappers (Gucci Mane, Rich Boy, Hell Rell, Trick Daddy) into a collateralized debt obligation, I would win the Nobel Prize for Economics.

    Posted 01 Oct 2008 at 4:08 pm ¶

11. Zavi wrote:

    @ AR1
    Hip Hop started out in the “streets” so “street cred” always played a part, and that nostalgic lets go back to the golden age of hip hop rhetoric is so tired, female rappers had it hard then too

    The bottom line is it’s about the money, not how much they spend to pump up an artist, but how much the artist makes. A label launching a female hip hop artist already knows that female artists generate less money in comparison to most male artists.
    Missy is the only female artist that I can think of that has any product endorsements, male rappers sell everything from condoms to cars.

    Why should labels invest in new female artists when the females already out don’t make much money ? they are in the music BUSINESS !
    So if ppl want better/more female artists they need to financially support the ones that are already out, so labels will see them as viable money makers…

    SO BUY MY NEW CD !!! j/k (I don’t rap)

    Posted 01 Oct 2008 at 6:18 pm ¶

12. Yvette wrote:

    Missy is the only female artist that I can think of that has any product endorsements

    I’d say Latifah is the Queen of product endorsements. (But perhaps she is no longer viewed as a rap artist.)

    Posted 02 Oct 2008 at 8:43 am ¶

13. Ms. Krish wrote:

    I wonder if any of you have taken a look at women MCs displayed on Hip Hop internet sites – and the insane amount of porn references that are made about them by the “hip hop community forum”.

    It’s enough to make a budding artist say “No thanks” because no one is stepping in to say that those misogynistic statements will not be tolerated.

    Like a civilization, Hip Hop HAS to be judged by the way it treats its women, and at this moment, it’s doing a horrible job.

    Posted 03 Oct 2008 at 12:24 pm ¶

14. basbleu wrote:

    As others have said, this doesn’t make a lick of sense. Recording labels pony up to dress up female R&B, pop and rock singers all the time. It’s not that women are ‘too expensive,’ it’s that the labels would rather put the cash behind the tantalizingly scary black guys who are making the hits.

    Posted 03 Oct 2008 at 9:37 pm ¶

15. Jay wrote:

    It’s not about expensive hair and make-up or wardrobe. Female emcees have always had those things done. It’s about sexism in hip hop and society that deems women as “less than” when it comes to rap. The women don’t get the same opportunities to shine like the males do. Women have to come out and sell “sex appeal” along with great rhyme skills whereas the males don’t. Don’t forget, most of the (purported) purchasers of rap/hiphop are males and they’re buying what they want to hear along with the fantasy of what they see as themselves. As soon as women start buying hiphop and demanding more female voices and supporting those females the female in rap category will be returned.

    Posted 05 Oct 2008 at 3:44 am ¶

16. LaurynX wrote:

    “As soon as women start buying hiphop and demanding more female voices and supporting those females the female in rap category will be returned.”

    I wonder what the percentage of women buying hiphop is now as opposed to the MC Lyte era? Has it gone down? Up? Why? Honestly I can’t think of why it would go down unless there has been a turn-off due to hiphop’s changing image, increased misogyny or what. There is a catch 22 here…I can’t sand the crap out there, so what, buy it in hopes that labels will pick up a female artist?
    The question to ask is WHY did the surge in huge female artists occur between 1998 and 2003? I don’t think people all of a sudden decided “we need more female rappers”…

    Posted 07 Oct 2008 at 7:29 pm ¶

17. Tee wrote:

    I also don’t know the reason behind the drop in female rappers except that the ones out just don’t sell enough. To me it seems that hip hop is just all about money now not about talent. I think it is a shame really because it is truly killing hip hop. I am an inspiring female rapper and I have two songs up on youtube right now (www.youtube.com/sicckwitit) I plan to get more up there. I would like to do some big things but it seems almost impossible in a generation where garbage and sex sells. I like to rap about truth and sometimes silly things but I try to make sure all my work is up to par. I am my own worst critic. It seems that today ppl just don’t want the truth though and the industry just wants sex symbols. I am highly against that moto I refuse to be a sex symbol and I don’t rap about sex like lil kim or trina do. I think the problem with Lil ma is they put her more in the category of kiddie rap; like my lipgloss is poppin. I was happy to see a new female rapper out but I mean come on. I’m 24 I don’t care about lipgloss or lipstick for that matter. I see though that she has a new song called Life..very realistic however, I doubt it will recieve much radio play.

    Posted 04 Nov 2008 at 7:45 pm ¶

18. Plane Jane wrote:

    To be honest, I dont have a real excuse for the different reasons why female rappers cant sell any records or be pushed to the forfront of hip hop because frankly… there isn’t one. Regardless of if it’s a thousand times harder for women to enter the industry and stick, than men, or if women feel like they have to be sluts or beauty queens to get a deal, or if a record company doesn’t see the value in their female recording artists, or whatever the case may be, the simple fact is that… none of it matters… People still aren’t going to by your albums and women are still going to be seated at the bottom of the hip hop barrel. That is until women recognize that they need to quit making excuses, be theirselfs, and push beyond their quote n quote “female limitations.” If you are a gangsta, be a gangsta, if you are conscious be conscious, If you are a whore by all means, be a whore, but regardless of what you rap about or what gender you are, if you want to be one of the greatest,.. you have to prove yourself.. no matter how hard the journey is in between.

    Posted 25 Jan 2009 at 11:07 pm ¶

19. Katie Knocka wrote:

    Stop: Hair and makeup is killing female hip-hop! I don’t think so…it is a myth! We are simply not dead!

    My granny shops at the salvation army and goodwill stores at times. I look good and feel good all the time. Plus, what does my hair and makeup have to do with what I can bring as a Hip Hop Artist to the table? I’m not selling anything but my abilites to hang with P-Diddy and Ludacris. I was born beautiful according to granny and my hair is braided because it is so much a part of me and who I am. How can that be improved upon? You can’t groom what JAH has made good. What more can you do…it is good. Queen Lataha, McLyte, Da Brat, and many others artist in this Genre have set standards that are unmatched. Giving credit where credit goes is the hardest part…I give my props to them…Thank you so much…I am willing to carry the torch further.

    For the unbelievers, just put me on stage and I’ll stop ya, cause it’s kids like me you not believing in. I’m Katie Knocka and I be disturbing the peace, cause I use hip hop for the voice I speak. And I love myself, I’m the Princess of the South, I keep it popping for the kids who be stuck in the house. I know I’m young, but I still wanna help out, getting money isn’t the only thing this life is about.

    Hip Hop has changed the world!

    Katie Knocka

    Female Hip Hop Artist, MC and DJs, don’t let what the world feels or think stop you from achieving your life’s rewards. We have nothing to prove, it is also a given. This gift that comes from the Great Creator of all things has nothing to do with man made or given. It is plain, we are great like frosty flakes!

    Katie Knocka

    Posted 15 Sep 2009 at 12:34 pm ¶