“Out of ruin, it pulled beauty.” (Furious Styles, Chang, p. 125)

This was my favorite quote of the ones I saw. Not only does it define hip hop wonderfully, highlighting the beauty that comes in articulating struggle, but it is applicable to life in general. You can take any situation and find beauty in it. That is what hip hop is. It is a beautiful way to express common struggles and sentiments.

“Sexism may be a very real part of my life but so is the unwavering belief that there is no dream that I can’t pursue and achieve simply because “I’m a woman.”” (Hip Hop Feminist, Morgan, p. 280)

This quote really stood out to me because it reminded me that the systematic barriers that exist for me as a woman of color should not define me. I can still fight for what I believe in and strive for. I am equally as capable.

“White woman to wed, mulatta to bed, black woman to work.” (I See The Same Ho, Whiting, p. 39)

When I saw this quote it really shook me. It makes me very sad but unfortunately many people agree with these words. I don’t agree with what was said, however these are sentiments I grew up hearing and this was a quote that stayed with me and stood out to me when I saw it. It just goes to show the way intersectionality works with women and how the darker your skin, the more you will be dehumanized.

“I think the rap community always tells the truth, and I think that it’s important that we listen to their voices so we can have a roadmap, because artists – almost every single artist in hip hop, they paint a picture that is overlooked.” (Hip Hop is Not Responsible for Sexism, Rose, p. 149)

Despite the disagreement that Rose expressed with this quote, I felt otherwise. This is not to condone the misogyny and sexism that exists in hip hop music. However, it is also important to note where these ideologies are coming from and what artists mean when they express themselves. They’re coming from the hood. Sometimes what is said can come off as problematic, but that is their truth, and that is what hip hop is. For example, Cardi B is one artist that sometimes finds trouble articulating herself. She’s a woman from the Bronx, and vernacular is very different in areas like this. Instead of judging artists for how they word themselves and forcing them to take on a rhetoric that they themselves are not fully educated on, the proper thing to do would be to direct the words they are saying and get to the root of the problem through educational programs in these communities.

“Poets and female MCs, in both underground and commercial performance venues, amplify the teen girls’ stories.” (The Stage Hip-Hop Feminism Built: A New Directions Essay, Durham\Cooper\Morris, p. 728)

This quote stood out to me as a poet. I feel like it ties with the quote above from the “Hip Hop is Not Responsible for Sexism” reading. Through poetry, spoken word, rap, and other mediums, artists are able to express their stories and spread awareness on a topic on a large platform and through the shared love of hip hop.

“But invisibility was it’s own kind of reward; it meant you had to answer to no one except others who shared your condition.” (Furious Styles, Chang, p.111)

I liked this quote because of the meaning behind it. This is the beauty that art holds. You can hide behind your art in a way; it’s like a mask. Behind this, and through your art, you find a liberty and freedom to express yourself – something that would otherwise be considered unconventional in regular daily life.

“Performance is thus a key site where social, cultural, and material constructions are put into motion, are articulated and re-articulated in new and (often) powerful ways.” (Performing Identity / Performing Culture, Dimitriadis, p.13)

This quote beautifully explains the importance of performance. The way that we perform ourselves affects the way we are seen, and thus everything we do and what happens to us. The best thing about it is that we can control and change the way that we perform and influence others through our performance.

“Machismo manifests itself to a great degree through a discourse and practice of “protection.”” (Brazilian Hip Hoppers Speak from the Margins, Pardue, p. 124)

All I can say is ‘ugh FAAAAAACTS!!!!!’  Machismo really is centered off of the idea of protection. I love how it’s in quotes because – I mean really, what kind of protection does a man really offer me that any other individual, including myself, couldn’t also provide? It’s just sad that people really associate men with this characteristic, which gives them the power and ability to extort and exploit women based on the false idea that they would be offering protection in return.

“Ass-shaking is whatever we say it is, and our hip hop feminism means you will either respect that or you will learn today.” (The Crunk Feminist Collection, Cooper / Morris / Boylorn, p.170)

YASSSS. I just wish everyone would think like this because that’s where a lot of the problems come in. People sexualize EVERYTHING! Especially ass! I do think that with time it will become more normalized, but accepting ass-shaking as simply some ass-shaking will not come overnight.

“The utopian feeling collectively produced in a space that explicitly “flipped the scene” putting “ladies first,” marked and embodied the desire for hip hop spaces where bodies that do not fit the prototype of the cisgendered black and/or latino male rapper take center stage.” (Critical intimacies, Pabon / Smalls, p.1)

I feel like this quote is especially relatable today. We are seeing way more women at the forefront of hip hop. In my opinion, the best rapper in the game right now is Megan Thee Stallion. Her freestyles are impeccable. She’s fire! That’s why I chose this picture. I love that she’s right in the middle. I wish her music resembled more of the style she uses in her freestyles. Though it is done in an empowering form, her music is almost always about sex. It wouldn’t bother me if I didn’t also know she rapped about so much other stuff and it’s amazing. It honestly probably wouldn’t sell as much, which shows how much more we have to go despite much progress haven been made for women in hip hop.