The quotes that I picked all encompassed ideas relating to hip hop feminism. My topic came about with the conclusion that most of the readings I thoroughly enjoyed surrounded the emergence of the hip hop feminist movement. Though I did focus on only a few authors, in particular, I felt as though what they had to say really expanded my thoughts on the subject matter. More than just articles and authors, there is a large group of female performers within hip hop who have continued to work towards the idea of transforming the current hip-hop culture into one that models something similar to egalitarianism.
A majority of the quotes I collected come from the works of author Joan Morgan. My most favorite article titled “Hip Hop Feminist” explores the issues of women navigating through hip hop. “And how come no one ever admits that part of the reason women love hip hop -as sexist as it is- is ‘cuz that in-yo-face testosterone makes out nipples hard?” With this quote, Morgan brings forth questions of good and bad feminism and her cross-examination of what actions/behaviors fall into either category. “Can you be a good feminist and admit out loud that there are things you kinda dig about the patriarchy?” is the other quote that stuck with me. We are constantly met with the discourse of performative and non-performative action when unpacking this. This quote made me think about all the different ways we perform feminism and that “digging the patriarchy” isn’t necessarily a move in the wrong direction. She shares her take on the glorification of victimization stemming from the domination of the male counter-parts within hip hop culture. “Rejecting the wildly popular notion that embracing the f-word entails nothing more than articulating victimization, for me, is a matter of personal and spiritual survival.” I picked this quote because this argument is not vocalized too often in my opinion, resisting to adopt the “victim card” mentality may be seen as a somewhat smack in the face to some feminists, but looking at the issue in a way that strips away the victim versus predator dynamic (the predator being male in this case) explores a different avenue of feminism that I find really interesting.
“Hip-hop feminists’ refusal to conform to a feminism that draws lines in the sand should be seen as an affirmation of a kind of feminist theorizing that seeks to create rather than merely deconstruct or critique.” This quote from Aisha Durham, Brittney C. Cooper & Susana M. Morris relates back to Morgan’s addressment of who or what gets to be called “feminist.” The two articles tied together well, bringing light to an issue that tends to slow the efforts of hip hop feminism.
Relating back to my own experience in the course, these quotes represent a large part of my own views on feminism. I find myself very much on the fence with what I consider feminist action. Also, I think I’ve learned a lot about how the feminist movement can still be so exclusive for many. Overall I understand that a movement backed by people will inevitably be flawed because people are flawed. Different backgrounds and different experiences result in different opinions and views on the matter, but the fight for inclusion of women within hip hop wouldn’t exist without some kind of effort, regardless of the actions taken and the debate which surrounds the correct ways of doing so.
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