Hip Hop's use of language is
interesting to study because of the constant word play and manipulation of
language. While similar words appear in a rappers' lexicon, the definitions are
dependent on the context. This is most evident through the case study of the
word "bitch". Below are a few samples of how “bitch” is
constantly being redefined in Hip Hop.
“Me & My Bitch” - Notorious Big
This song is the clearest
example of how “bitch” is ambiguous in this context. A few lyrics to closely
examine are:
“Fuck’s wrong with you bitch”
“But you was my bitch, the
one who’d never snitch”
“I saw my bitch dead with the
gunshot to the heart/ And I know it was meant for me/ I guess the niggas felt
they had to kill the closest one to me”
“They killed my best friend,
me and my bitch”
The example of bitch’s
ambiguity is obvious in this song. The opening dialogue by the artist formerly
known as Puff Daddy, poses the question “ Fuck’s wrong with you bitch”, it
is clear that the bitch is being used derogatory towards the female in question.
This negative tone is flipped in Notorious’ verses in which he provides
positive attributes to the woman he refers to as “my bitch”. He refers to his
bitch as his confidant and the only way to threaten his gangsta status. He goes
on to finish his final verse by acknowledging that the woman he has been
calling his bitch was his best friend. This brings to light the core style of
Rap, "Rap's discourse, as a part of black vernacular is an expression
of signifying in which the orator (rapper) plays with language to
critique, unsettle, and reconfigure dominate meanings through (re)signification
(Ramist 176). This allows for words to constantly be up for
interpretation. Therefore, the definitions are discovered through the context.
Biggie is able to illuminate Raimist's argument through his wordplay.
“The Bitches” Jeru Da Damaja
This song’s purpose is to
define and separate the "bitch" female from all other female figures
in Hip-Hop. This goes along with the trend in which Hip Hop allows for further
objectification and marginalization of minorities. This has been noted in
Matthew Oware's research in which Oware describes how a "bitch"
is perceived which is a hyper sexual female who becomes the enemy to black
male's power and money.
The key female figures that
oppose the "bitch" female are:
1. Queen
2. Strong Black Women
3. Sistas
4. Young ladies
Jeru Da Damaja also lists the
features of a bitch:
1. Commodification of female
sexuality.
2. The “Gold Digger” aka
manipulation of male desire for power/goods.
3. Dumb
4. Black Widow
This has been noted in
the evolution of "Bitch", which has transformed from a Sapphire
figure to a female that is both desirable and the enemy of men: “According
to this stereotypical view [bossy ‘black bitch’], the Sapphire (in rap referred
to as ‘the bitch’) is an African American woman who dominates her entire
household including her man. The Sapphire can be described as a socially
aggressive woman who tries through manipulation to control her man” (Adam, Fuller 945). It is through this image we come to see the birth of "Bitch Culture".
This leads me to the next point of my argument, in which the Gangsta
Bitch of the 90s gave birth to the notion that is okay or even desirable to be
considered a “bitch”. This is where the misconception of reclaiming to the word
came into play. “Feminist knew that women could act in mean-spirited that using
‘bitch’ to describe them reinforced sexism. If women liked the feel of ‘bitch’
in their mouths more than ‘jerk,’ feminists analyzed that preference as
internalized oppression, whereby member (s) of an oppressed group learn to
enjoy using the dominant group’s term for them. And the pleasure of saying
‘bitch’ keeps women from building solidarity, dividing them, as so many other
words do, into good women and bad women” (Kleinman, Ezzell, Frost). While these
females are appropriating the male language and in turn, are able to hang with
the boys. They are further marginalizing themselves and other females. This
complicates the notion that the word “bitch” should be taken the as a
derogatory, it makes it so that it can be either a dis or a complement. Through
this particular movement a “Bitch Culture” has been created, in which females
and males alike use the word “Bitch” to define, degrade, and empower.
Overall, the power of
Hip Hop lies in its ability to change definitions and in turn change society's
interpretation of these words. Since nothing in concrete and up to
interpretation what was once considered the definition has become obsolete and
the word becomes an umbrella term.
Works Cited
Adams,
Terri M, and Fuller B. Douglas. "The Words Have Changed But the Ideology
Remains the Same: Misogynistic Lyrics
in Rap Music." Journal of Black Studies. 36.6 (2006): 938- 957. Web. 10 Apr. 2014.
Kleinman,
Sherryl., Ezzell, Matthew B., Frost, A
Corey, “Reclaiming Critical Analysis: The Social
Harms of ‘Bitch’, Sociological Analysis Volume
3, No. 1, (2009):47-64. Web. 20 February 2014.
Raimist,
Rachel, “Hip- Hop Terms for Women”, The
Women’s Movement Today. (2005): 176-7.
Web. 1 March 2014.
