First up is Look at me Now by Chris Brown:
This only gets half a post, because it's only half crap. Busta Rhymes is always an excellent guest rapper and Lil' Wayne continues in his quest to guest star on a song with everyone on Earth. What makes up the crap in this song (besides the annoying blippy beat) then? Chris Brown!
"Yellow model chick
Yellow bottle sipping
Yellow Lamborghini
Yellow top missing
Yeah yeah
That sh*t look like a toupee"
Liquor brag, car brag, colorism. Nice start!
"I get what you get in 10 years, in two days
Ladies love me
I'm on my cool J
If you get what I get what would you say
She wax it all off, Mr Miyagi
And them suicide doors, Hari Kari"
"She wax it all off, Mr. Miyagi" has got to be one of the most spectacular lines I've heard in a long time. It's delivered with panache, but it's uniformly awful. There have to be better ways to combine 80's nostalgia and let us know about a woman's pubic hair. Hopefully it won't involve Teen Wolf though.
"Lil n*gga bigger than gorilla
Cause I'm killing every n*gga that
Try to be on my sh*t
Better cuff your chick if you with her I can get her
And she accidentally slip fall on my d*ck
Ooops, I said on my d*ck
I aint really mean to say on my d*ck
But since we talking about my d*ck
All of you haters say hi to it
I'm Done"
"I'm Done." I wish this was Chris Brown talking about his career. How do you have a number one album with writing like this? It's the ultimate in lazy rhyming when 4 of the last 5 lines of your verse are "my d*ck."
Next up is S&M by Rihanna:
A lot of ink has been spilled on this song. I'll add my little bit to this ocean. First, Rihanna isn't a very good singer, and it's especially evident here. Secondly, here is another song that is bringing up alternate sexual behaviors (Katy Perry Kissed a Girl, Brittney did 3, and now Rihanna is promoting S&M). Thirdly, I wonder if she forgot the safe word?*
* For the record I dislike Chris Brown, and domestic abuse is no laughing matter. However, it is a bit peculiar to have a domestic abuse victim come out in a Rolling Stone interview and talk about their enjoyment of spanking and being tied up. I think Rihanna takes her bad girl image promotion as her primary job. She's not a spokesperson for anything (unless she's being paid).
I don't listen to Chris Brown anymore, but I like Rihanna's new song. I think it speaks volumes about rape culture when people criticize her for writing a song about enjoying something she has consented to in the privacy of her own bedroom to her ex-boyfriend beating the crap out of her. It's akin to saying a rape victim wasn't a virgin before her rape and discrediting her story. That attitude is why so many rapes and domestic violence incidents go unreported, or worse, the rapist/abuser is never prosecuted when it is reported. People downplay the victims experience unless they lived up to the picture of puritan innocence.
ReplyDeleteDo we expect rape victims to not enjoy sex just because a rapist violated their bodily autonomy? Of course not.
Whatever anyone wants to do in their own bedroom is up to them. I don't care if she has harnesses all over the place and a gimp mask in her dressing room. But that perhaps should remain private. Why broadcast her love of S&M? I suppose arguments will be made about claiming her sexuality and whatnot, but why does that always involve very publically broadcasting it?
ReplyDeleteI'm against men doing that as well. I dislike all the bragging about sexual exploits. I hate how our society is overly pornified. Why is sex so public? I'm pro sex. I just think that a little bit of dignity needs to be brought back to it, and it should stay in the bedrooms (or wherever people choose to engage in sexual behaviors).
A song coming out is going to lead to discussions, and I'm not the only person who wondered aloud about how responsible it was of her to record a song like this. In a perfect world she would be able to express whatever she wanted, but we don't live in one. We all have to watch what we say.
Should the way that aspersions are cast over those who are victims of rape or domestic violence be addressed? Yes! Please believe that "she was asking for it" and the like make me sick.
I just don't feel this song is the best way to inspire discussion.
(I figured this would eventually get a response from you Sarah. Perhaps I should have included a disclaimer about not casting any judgement on the practice of whatever people want to do? Like I said, private lives are private lives, IMO. I'm just pro people keeping everything private.)
Thinking it should remain a private thing, or at least be contained to a MA - 18+ album, rather than on the pop stations all day long is something I can get behind. Adult things should remain in adult atmospheres. I think discussions about sexuality and different sex issues can and need to be discussed, though in an adult forum. Especially for people who have...different interests or who have disorders that discussion would encourage to seek help or make them feel less guilty about it.
ReplyDeleteThe reason I responded is because I've seen a lot of people walk that line of commenting about her enjoying violence in the bedroom, yet filing charges against Chris Brown for abuse. It smacks of 'That slut deserved what she got.' and that bothers me. I know you wouldn't think that way, but people take it that way sometimes and use it as an excuse to continue questioning the validity of crimes committed against women (e.g. the Georgia legislature trying to pass a law requiring victims of stalking, domestic violence and rape to be referred to as 'accusers' rather than 'victims', until a conviction has been made).