Skip to content

Posts tagged ‘Rihanna’

Mar 28

date rape
2 Comments

Rick Ross & His Rape Lyrics: Hip Hop’s Contribution to Rape Culture

Hip hop has a long history of objectifying women—there are the scantily clad video vixens, the references to a woman’s physical attributes, the sexually explicit lyrics, & young women allowing men to call them “bitches;” worse yet, calling themselves “bad bitches” because being referred to as a “bitch” is now something to be proud of.

I’ve been concerned about hip hop’s “state of emergency” for a while:  I was concerned when Chief Keef mocked the violent murder of a rival on Twitter; I was concerned when footage of his counterpart Lil Reese emerged, in which he was violently attacking a woman; I was concerned when Lil Wayne released a song in which he openly mocked the brutal and violent death of Emmet Till.  I am not just a concerned citizen; I am a concerned hip hop fan. Read more

Oct 26

BTS Button

This is What Lupe Fiasco Was Talking About

I’m sure by now you’ve all seen the bus driver video, in which a young woman is brutally assaulted by a bus driver after an exchange of words clearly went awry.  It was a viral sensation and the butt of many jokes via social media.  When the young woman’s Twitter handle was made public, many users trolled her, telling her that she “got what she deserved.”

We’ve also been subjected to an endless stream of Chris Brown and Rihanna rumors.  Despite Brown’s savage attack on Rihanna a few years ago, it appears that he and Rihanna have somewhat reconciled.  It also appears that no one has ever forgotten about the beat down he was behind—countless young women make comments about how he’s “so fine, he can beat me any day,” while still others call for public exile.

Chad Johnson, aka Ochocinco, former reality star and NFL player, was exiled to another level after he purportedly headbutted his now ex-wife, Basketball Wives star Evelyn Lozada.  VH1 dropped the couples’ show and the Miami Dolphins dropped him from their roster as well, leaving Johnson a newly unemployed newlywed, while a few weeks later, Lozada left the newly unemployed Johnson newly divorced.  Meanwhile, Lozada used the experience to talk to her fans about dating violence, advising them to follow her example and leave if they were in an abusive relationship.

Both Brown and Johnson issued apologies for their less then exemplary behavior.  Are they really sorry; is it genuine?  I won’t speculate—but I will tell you who is not sorry:  Def Jam artist and Chicago native Lil Reese, who apparently thinks it is okay to assault women. Read more

Aug 30

tumblr_lhplzvjfYT1qa2vkx
4 Comments

Taking Cues from Criminals: What I Learned From the Kid Who Stole My iPhone

“Never a failure, always a lesson,” according to a tattoo Rihanna rocks.

“Relationships are assignments.  There are no chance encounters,” echoes the sagely advice of spiritual guru Gabby Bernstein.

So what then, if anything, was the universe trying to teach me when I was robbed on a Saturday afternoon, other than I wasn’t invincible, and people were not kidding when they referred to Brooklyn as “Crooklyn”? Read more

Jul 31

it_is_not_okay_tshirt-p235425046854596188q6ws_400

Reasons To Beat Your Girlfriend: Twitter Topic is Trashy, Not Trendy.

Twitter’s number one trending topic right now, as of Sunday, July 31, 2011 at 11:00 am EST, evidences a disturbing a trend:  Domestic violence is a hot topic, and for all the wrong reasons.  Domestic violence is a “joke”, and Twitter’s  #reasonstobeatyourgirlfriend (reasons to beat your girlfriend) trending topic is an absolute outrage. Read more