BET HIGHLIGHTS SOME FEMALE RAPPERS....SOME
David L. Watts
thedarkroome/FuTurxTV
I watched Ava DuVernay’s BET documentary My Mic Sounds Nice: A Truth about Women and Hip-Hop about female MCs in the misogynistic Hip-Hop Industry. The film was highly informative. It did have a few minor flaws like skipping over all the contributions of Southern based female rappers like Jacki-O, La Chat, Khia, Rasheeda and Shawnna. Or somehow white female rappers like Sarai and Lady Sovereign or white female singers who dabble in rap like Gwen Stefani, Fergie and Kesha were just ignored entirely in the doc. One of the film’s powerful sections dealt with Lauryn Hill and her powerful Hip-Hop contributions. I felt Ava could have explored how Mystic, Bahamdia or Medusa or foreign female rappers like Ms. Dynamite and M.I.A. tried to fill a “Lauryn Hill void” with their conscious and female empowerment lyrics.
In fact, there was a recent VH1 reality show called “Ego Trip's Miss Rap Supreme” that was specifically looking for the next great female rapper. The doc skipped those VH1 female MCs as well. I found it annoying that the doc kept showing lots of clips of music videos and never labeling what were the songs or the albums. Ava had enough time to pull sample lyrics of the female MCs that were interviewed and that looked very innovative. Also, not mentioning how Queen Latifah, Eve and MC Lyte successfully transitioned from rappers into making hit films and sitcoms was another mistake. Even Lauryn Hill acted in “As The World Turns” and “Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit” before she even got her big breaks in Hip-Hop with The Fugees and her groundbreaking and multi-platinum “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill“.
In fact, there was a recent VH1 reality show called “Ego Trip's Miss Rap Supreme” that was specifically looking for the next great female rapper. The doc skipped those VH1 female MCs as well. I found it annoying that the doc kept showing lots of clips of music videos and never labeling what were the songs or the albums. Ava had enough time to pull sample lyrics of the female MCs that were interviewed and that looked very innovative. Also, not mentioning how Queen Latifah, Eve and MC Lyte successfully transitioned from rappers into making hit films and sitcoms was another mistake. Even Lauryn Hill acted in “As The World Turns” and “Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit” before she even got her big breaks in Hip-Hop with The Fugees and her groundbreaking and multi-platinum “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill“.
My biggest problem with My Mic Sounds Nice: A Truth about Women and Hip-Hop was not looking inward at how BET promoted female MCs sort of evenly during the Golden Age of Hip-Hop in the late 80's and mid-90's. But as the Bling Era started in 1999, BET Uncut basically promoted popular sexy video girls in booty raps and mainly female rappers who spit about sex instead of showing more Missy Elliot and Lauryn Hill type female rappers. BET and its decades of bad programming choices has had a direct influence on why women in Hip-Hop are at its lowest point now in the Music Industry.
The more women were treated as sex objects in Hip-Hop on BET the harder it was for them to be taken serious as major artists by labels. All the hype about Nicki Minaj at the BET Awards in June was over her hot looks, multiple costume and wig changes and overall "Black Barbie" image and not really about anything she was rapping about. Nicki has undeniable lyrical skills, but she is always going to be wearing sexy, revealing and tight fitting outfits to promote her body and breasts over her brains.
Lastly, I also felt that the film could have ended on a high note by at least showing more newer female rappers than Nicki Minaj. There is TroubleSum and Candi Redd in Houston. Lil Mama in NYC. Kid Sister is doing big things in Chi-Town with Kanye West. And other female MC’s like Egyptian Loa Mone, Singapore’s Lady E, London’s Fatima P, Baltimore's Tiye Phoenix, Toronto's Eternia, Detroit's Mae Day, Harlem's Likwuid Stylez, Miami's Nola Darling, Philly's Hedonis Da Amazon and Zarinah, Indy's Brittany Street, South Bronx's Lah Tere and Boston's Bless Roxwell. But I just wish it would have ended on a more upbeat note or at least given many new female MCs who badly need the exposure to the BET audiences some type of free and valuable promotion. Latifah's Cover Girl “Ignite Your Persona" contest was created to showcase five female new MCs at this year's BET Awards. And the contest winners Naakira, Gina, Shea, Amber and Cristel some how did not make the final cut of the film. So the BET documentary My Mic Sounds Nice: A Truth about Women and Hip-Hops is worth watching, but I am sure Ava could’ve added another ½ hour or do a Part 2 that addressed all the issues I mentioned above. The documentary was as good as it could be for a BET original production.
David L. "Money Train" Watts is a darkroome blogger
The more women were treated as sex objects in Hip-Hop on BET the harder it was for them to be taken serious as major artists by labels. All the hype about Nicki Minaj at the BET Awards in June was over her hot looks, multiple costume and wig changes and overall "Black Barbie" image and not really about anything she was rapping about. Nicki has undeniable lyrical skills, but she is always going to be wearing sexy, revealing and tight fitting outfits to promote her body and breasts over her brains.
Lastly, I also felt that the film could have ended on a high note by at least showing more newer female rappers than Nicki Minaj. There is TroubleSum and Candi Redd in Houston. Lil Mama in NYC. Kid Sister is doing big things in Chi-Town with Kanye West. And other female MC’s like Egyptian Loa Mone, Singapore’s Lady E, London’s Fatima P, Baltimore's Tiye Phoenix, Toronto's Eternia, Detroit's Mae Day, Harlem's Likwuid Stylez, Miami's Nola Darling, Philly's Hedonis Da Amazon and Zarinah, Indy's Brittany Street, South Bronx's Lah Tere and Boston's Bless Roxwell. But I just wish it would have ended on a more upbeat note or at least given many new female MCs who badly need the exposure to the BET audiences some type of free and valuable promotion. Latifah's Cover Girl “Ignite Your Persona" contest was created to showcase five female new MCs at this year's BET Awards. And the contest winners Naakira, Gina, Shea, Amber and Cristel some how did not make the final cut of the film. So the BET documentary My Mic Sounds Nice: A Truth about Women and Hip-Hops is worth watching, but I am sure Ava could’ve added another ½ hour or do a Part 2 that addressed all the issues I mentioned above. The documentary was as good as it could be for a BET original production.
David L. "Money Train" Watts is a darkroome blogger
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