Hip-Hop Sisters Rise Up: On the Silencing of Women in Hip-Hop
By Dr. Adia Winfrey | @DrDia |with
thanks to NewBlackMan (in Exile)
Tuesday, April 5, 2016.
Women, if the soul of the nation is to
be saved, I believe that you must become its soul.
~Coretta Scott King
The
silencing of women in Hip Hop goes beyond radio spins, extending to the 5th
element, Knowledge. Like the Black Panther Party before it, the Hip Hop as
Knowledge movement has been largely driven by women, yet the faces given the
most exposure and the voices given the largest platforms are overwhelmingly
male.
This is particularly true when we
examine the paradigm shifts bringing Hip Hop to therapeutic and academic
spaces. While the decade long debate shaming the invisibility of women in rap
rages on, I can no longer sit silently ignoring this other side of
invisibility.
Why is it that women consistently
support Hip Hop events, blogs, chats, conferences, and webinars that often fail
to give us the shine we deserve? Although women have been part of this movement
since its inception, we are often an afterthought, unless it happens to be
Women’s History Month or the topic is “Women in Hip Hop”. Today I challenge my
Hip Hop sisters to rise up and be heard.
Cheering from the sidelines, when we
are actually writing and executing the plays only ensures our invisibility will
continue. Let’s support each other, and embrace our power. It’s time to move
boldly without apology. As Fannie Lou Hamer stated, “You can pray until you
faint, but unless you get up and try something God is not going to put it in
your lap.” The acknowledgement we deserve will not be given, history has shown
us that. We must claim the space we’re already filling or give it away to the
next man. The choice is ours.
We are the soul of Hip Hop, and have
been at the center of our culture’s evolution from the beginning. Let us be
bold like Mother Fannie and demand our space within the culture. If not for us,
let’s prepare a place for our daughters. Through Hip Hop’s 5th element, it is
time to make our presence felt. No more asking.
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Dr. Adia Winfrey is
an author and clinical psychologist who has been featured on NPR, the Tom
Joyner Morning Show, and in JET Magazine. She is the founder of Healing
Young People thru Empowerment (H.Y.P.E.). H.Y.P.E. incorporates Hip Hop music
and lyrics into group therapy sessions for at-risk youth. Learn more about Dr.
Winfrey and H.Y.P.E. at www.letsgethype.com.