Or would that be a horribly broad generalization, Miss Judd?
Something she seems pretty familar with, given her recent comments regarding HipHop culture. According to Radar Online she objects to Snoop and Diddy’s involvement in an AIDS awareness campaign in her autobiography.
YouthAIDS created hip public service announcements for TV and radio using popular local and international celebrities and athletes and was participating in the MTV World AIDS Day ‘Staying Alive’ concerts.
Along with other performers, YouthAIDS was supported by rap and hip-hop artists like Snoop Dogg and P. Diddy to spread the message…um, who? Those names were a red flag.
As far as I’m concerned, most rap and hip-hop music — with it’s rape culture and insanely abusive lyrics and depictions of girls and women as ‘ho’s’ — is the contemporary soundtrack of misogyny
*Sigh*
What is this, 1992? We’re still having this discussion? Yes, there is misogyny in rap, we’re not denying that, and we’ve talked about the negative aspects of it’s overtly masculine tendencies on this very site multiple times but ridiculous blanket statements like those that Ashley Judd made are not only false but counterproductive as well. I’m personally getting sick and tired of defending rap again and again to people who clearly have no interest in or knowledge of the culture. You could rattle off an insanely long list of songs directly opposing Judd’s comments but she makes it pretty clear her mind is made up already, she’s not seriously going to listen ‘Keep Ya Head Up‘, ‘The Light‘, ‘You Must Love Me‘ or any of the countless examples of rap songs singing praise to strong women anyway.
Besides being oblivious to rap’s diversity, what culture worth it’s salt only emphasizes positivity anyway? There is light and dark in the world and such is the case in any artform as well. Making music from a dark place itsn’t the same thing as excusing the behaviour you describe in it, 2Pac was a prime example of that in recording several contradictory but still honest songs. Which is not to say a rapper can do no wrong, and we shouldn’t be able to discuss these things, but bashing people into a corner with general accusations doesn’t contribute anything at all.
And here I go, on the defense anyway and preaching to the choir. 9th Wonder and Questlove pitched in on Twitter as well on being labeled as part of this “rape culture“, succintly describing how a lot of people probably reacted to her craziness. What also stuck out as weird to me is her belief that Diddy and Snoop shouldn’t be allowed to devote their time and efforts to an anti-AIDS campaign because of their background in “rape culture“. Why not? Shouldn’t such a campaign maximize it’s effectiveness, isn’t that what counts? If a politician you generally disagree with votes for a proposal that you do agree with that doesn’t devalue it’s effect, does it? On the contrary, I think.
So, in short, Ashley Judd spewed some dumb ish drumming up controversy. For someone so averse to rap she sure seems to take a page from the Curtis Jackson playbook of promotion. It’s either that or she really is as ignorant as her comments imply. But what do you expect from someone who comes from a family of country artists? As far as I’m concerned, most country & western artists are conservative nationalist rednecks providing the contemporary soundtrack for hateful politics anyway.
Or would that be a horribly broad generalization, miss Judd?
