healing through hip hop feminism
music as a liberatory practice conducive to Black women's healing ✨🎶
healing through hip hop feminism 🎶
For those who don't know me, I love music!
I studied Hip Hop Feminism in graduate school. Hip hop feminism is important to me because Black women have used writing and music as a liberatory practice of self-expression throughout history. Different elements of cultural mindfulness practices such as the art of storytelling and the use of affirmations can be heard through hip hop music.
Joan Morgan coined hip hop feminism in 1999, in When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost: A Hip Hop Feminist Breaks It Down, by contextualizing how important hip hop feminism is to “fuck with the grays” in a time where feminism only centered white middle class women and Black women still experienced sexism from Black men. Morgan utilized hip hop as a healing space for Black women to narrate and articulate the collective pain that they have experienced. Through this, a new part of Black feminism emerged called “hip-hop feminism”. Hip hop feminism creates space for Black women to embrace elements of our culture into an artistic mode. Hip hop feminism serves as a healing practice that incorporates elements of Black girl magic by creating a space to resist oppression that stems from sexism, racism, classism, homophobia, and other systems of power and domination.
Hip hop artists such as Megan thee Stallion and Noname both address systemic violence and its impact on Black women’s mental health. When Megan thee Stallion released her album, Traumazine, this was a very profound moment for her as an artist. Megan’s discography is mainly composed of music that is for “Hot Girls;” this began a surge of women identifying with the empowering messages that the Houston native bravely addressed in her music. One term that has gained popularity, “hot girl summer” empowers women to enjoy themselves and become confident in their bodies. Transitioning from a hot girl to a soft girl is complex due to the sexual scripts that women are expected to follow within hip hop. Megan embodies so much strength when she chooses not to be defined to one distinct element of hip hop. Traumazine takes a look at the deeper side of one of Black women’s most renowned Aquarius rappers. Megan discusses many personal aspects of her life that she doesn’t acknowledge in her past music. In her song, Anxiety, the lyrics state:
They keep sayin' I should get help
But I don't even know what I need
They keep sayin' speak your truth
And at the same time say they don't believe, man
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
Bad bitches have bad days too
Friday, Saturday, Sunday, bounce back
How a bad bitch always do
All I really wanna hear is, "It'll be okay"
Bounce back 'cause a bad bitch can have bad days
Openly sharing such lyrics is extremely powerful as Black women are never encouraged to share this part of themselves, especially when they must operate within the sexual scripts that are prevalent. Megan choosing to talk about her battles with depression shows that Black women, regardless of class or social status, can relate to the mental health problems that arise from oppression. Megan thee Stallion has suffered an immeasurable amount of trauma, from the death of her mother to the backlash and hate she received from speaking up about her abuse when she was shot in the ankle by Black male rapper Tory Lanez in 2021. Megan thee Stallion’s music is an example of how Black women can share their stories and experiences while working to release the pain that it caused.
Noname is an activist and artist who addresses political representations of Black women within her music to show how Black women’s experiences are often minimized within mainstream hip hop. Noname uses her music to bring attention to powerful messages that are often overlooked in popular culture. Noname’s music is both sonically and emotionally pleasing. In Song 33 Noname responds to the popular artist, J.Cole, who wrote about her in a song he released, Snow on the Bluff, after Noname openly critiqued capitalism and the policing system on twitter. Noname also expressed that more celebrities should use their platforms to bring attention to issues, such as the BlackLivesMatter movement and the violence against trans women, specifically those who rap about Black struggles such as J.Cole. Song 33 shows how throughout all of the attention certain individuals receive, artists should use their platforms to bring more visibility to Black people’s experiences rather than engage in petty ‘rap beef’. Noname states:
One girl missin', another one go missin'
One girl missin', another one
Yo, but little did I know all my readin' would be a bother
It's trans women bein' murdered and this is all he can offer?
And this is all y'all receive?
Distracting from the convo with organizers
This song is important because Noname talks about how Black women and trans women are often not recognized in society. It’s also a call to action. Noname argues for Black men to do better and provide more support for Black women. She also wants the audiences who support these artists to not be distracted from the larger issues at hand, such as police brutality and the murders of trans women. This song was released in 2020, when there was a lot of movement within the BlackLivesMatter protests in response to George Floyd’s death at the hands of police officer Derek Chauvin. Noname used this traction and attention that she received from J.Cole to bring light to important issues that the Black community needed to address. J. Cole is notorious for writing about issues within the Black community, instead of using this moment to uplift Black women and spread information about the oppression that Black people experience, he used his platform to diss a Black woman. The irony in this is reflected in her song lyrics.
Noname’s discography consists of songs that address a wide range of political issues that are important for Black women’s liberation. She uses hip hop as a liberatory practice to critique capitalism, encourage abolition, and reject colonialism. She also doesn’t allow herself to be defined by the sexual scripts that she is expected to confine to by other artists like J.Cole. Noname choosing to use her platform to highlight the intense struggles that Black women experience daily is a great example of the way hip hop can be used for healing. To hear that a celebrity also experiences similar issues to me, provides visibility for the ways that Black women still experience micro and macro aggressions regardless of their status and/or class. She also uses spoken word as a form of self expression. In Song 32, NoName mentions that her music is a form of peotry when she repeats,
"Yippee-ki, yippee-ki-yay, with the Noname. Started getting money from writing the haiku" in the hook:
(Video is of Noname, performing Song 32)
Poetry as a form of spoken word is like hip hop as it involves writing and creating words that flow together. Spoken word is like the practice of attention-based meditation. In meditation, the practitioner focuses on a thought or feeling to bring a desired feeling. I often listen to certain songs on repeat, through this I can focus on the embodied feeling the lyrics give me. I can also find healing through knowing that I am not the only Black woman who is concerned about my well-being and mental health. When I really like a song, I can channel a meditative state for the moment to be present with the feelings that it evokes in me.
Noname incorporates aspects of womanism and Black feminism into her music. An important aspect of womanism is to provide support and be in solidarity with the Black man. Noname brings attention to the importance of community and unity within her music by mentioning the murder of George Floyd, as well as Breonna Taylor. Joan Morgan expressed how there is an inherent need for Black men to also care for Black women. She stated,
“So yeah, I demand that black men fight sexism with the same passion they battle racism. I want you to annihilate anything that endangers sistas' welfare- including violence against women-because my survival walks hand in hand with yours” (Morgan, 1999).
Black men’s solidarity is important to Black women’s mental health because Black women are expected to be “ride or dies” and be there through thick and thin to support Black men throughout their struggles. Black men should do the same for Black women. The significance of NoName using her music as a way to spread this message to those who listen to her music, such as J. Cole and his fans. Noname isn’t calling out Black men, rather she is calling them in to provide more support for the Black community as a whole.
Noname combines her passion for Black feminism and womanism outside of her music. She also has a book club that is open to the public, where she chooses a book for the collective to read that addresses popular issues within the Black community. (https://nonamebooks.com/)
Music helps me connect to my body and provides me mental clarity in times of distress. I love listening to artists like Megan thee Stallion and Noname because the way they express and evoke emotions in their music is healing for me. As a Black woman, I can relate to their experiences. From experiencing mental health problems to battling discrimination in various forms.
To engage with hip hop feminism, I have attached a playlist making activity so you can make your own healing playlist.
xoxo,
Vie