A Reason for Me to Love Hip-Hop All Over Again

I have often had my problems with hip-hop. Having a feminist/womanist outlook almost inevitably means one will find fault with mainstream hip-hop and its misogynistic lyrics, degrading representations of women in videos, and its obsession with money and material objects above all else.

Lately, however, I recently discovered this new female hip-hop artist named Nicki Minaj. She's bisexual, lyrically clever, and a breath of fresh air. Some of her lyrics may be problematic, such as her willingness to refer to women as "bitches" at times. Nevertheless, through her, I see a positive progression in hip-hop. It seems that women in hip-hop are reclaiming their own sexualities and challenging the male power structure of hip-hop that wishes to degrade and represent them simultaneously.

Nicki Minaj also represents something larger to Black femininity and Black female sexual empowerment. Because of this, she's by no means a victim of patriarchy in the rap industry. Instead, she's saying, "I'm here. I'm sexy, and let ME own that for a change."