That's my [expletive]

TL;DR : Post concerning use of the word "bitch".

That's my [expletive]

  

"I used to hate hip hop, yup,because the women degraded

but Too Short made me laugh like a hypocrite I played it,

a hypocrite I stated , thought I only recited half

Omitting the word… Cursing I wouldn't say it

Me and dog couldn't relate till a bitch I dated 

forgive my favorite word for hers and hers alike 

but I got it from a song that I heard and sorta liked"

 - Lupe Fiasco

I liked Jay-Z and Kanye West's album, Watch the  Throne. It's the only album I've bought this year, and likely the only one I will buy. However, I have an issue with the song "That's my Bitch". Maybe I'm a prude, and I wouldn't disagree with that, but I have an issue with the word. The song itself is ok. I'm far from a Dworkin-like feminist. I don't even have too much of an issue with offensive words. (One day I'll blog about the N-word, but no time soon.)  Yet, for some reason I have an issue with  that word. Maybe it's rap's history of being perceived as misogynist (deserved, but probably slightly exaggerated, especially with the fact that America's pretty misogynist.)  It's a crude term, and it sounds weird to hear Jay-Z call his wife his bitch. If it were a Kanye West song I probably wouldn't have an issue with it. (insert Dworkin's head exploding). It's weird and problematic that I have an issue with certain types of misogony and not others.

This isn't the first time I had a visceral reaction to a song.  The song "Me and my B" by Biggie is often quoted. Even though it was an awkward almost love ballad, I really won't listen to the song, even though I think it's a good song, in the context of the album. The chorus turns me off. Same thing for a lot of Eminem's "music," where there are a lot of misogynist terms.

Also, I was turned off by what the roots did when Michelle Bachmann came on the Jimmy Fallon show. I have no problem with poking some fun. I'm okay with hard criticism. I would have had no problem with for example playing "Minority Report" by Jay-Z and Ne-Yo while President Bush was on for example.  The use of Lyin Ass Bitch goes beyond plain criticism. It's sexist, and even though Bachmann's comparison between her and Michelle Obama was poor at best, the point that this is an awful idea, and worse in execution still stands.

I also under stand that my thoughts about the word aren't representative of every one else's. Some people feel that bitch isn't as offensive as other phrases.

** As per the actual song. Not bad. Okay beat, great references to "It's so hard" by Big Pun. (Kanye west's first line and Jay-Z's last line are both direct lines from the song.)