Original Story Printed November 5, 2009
“I write my own raps; I do everything on my own, so what makes you say that?”
The realm of Hip-Hop has always been seen as a man's game. Although there have been prominent voices such as MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, Lauryn Hill, Eve and many others, the game has always been more geared towards those with testosterone.
With female rappers AWOL, Young Money's Nicki Minaj is the only one that can stand in the spotlight to represent, but doing it by herself has opened her up to
criticism on her actual rapping ability.
Minaj was also the only female rapper that seemed brave enough to step up with the big boys when she appeared in the Cypher for the BET Hip-Hop Awards this year alongside rappers such as Joe Budden and Buckshot.
The life of a female in rap has become more about politics and less about their skills in the craft and Nicki has been under fire as to whether or not she crafts her own work or simply has Lil Wayne write it for her.
During an interview with T.T. Torrez, the rapper spoke on the difference between men and women in the industry and how ignorance causes barriers.
“Women are held to different standards. I mean that's just the way it is. I always say ‘Nobody tells 50 and Wayne anything when they're taking their shirts off every night'. You could say that's selling sex; that's selling sex appeal. I respect Wayne and 50 very much, but if a girl comes out in a cute little outfit showing some boobs, she's not a real rapper.”
With critics questioning her verse during the Cypher, Minaj clears the air on the reality of her verse and most that participated.
“How many people in that Cypher do you think spit that off of their head? See, that's another thing and I'm glad you brought that up. Yes, I didn't spit that off the top of my head. I can't come up with those punch-lines, metaphors off the top of my head. Everybody else, besides KRS-One, who else can you name that freestyled off the top of his head.”
She also relieved some weight from her shoulders as she added that her lyrics are molded together by no one but her.
“They will tear apart a female like, ‘Oh, she did a good verse, but she wrote it'. The only thing that matters is that I wrote it on a paper and memorized it. I don't need a dude to write my Shyte. Wayne never wrote my Shyte. No one writes my stuff because it's in here. It's not about what you have down here [points to crotch] that makes you intelligent enough to write a rap and I think that's so corny.”
Women are still struggling to garner respect in the game, although it is hard to refuse something that is apparent. How can women ever steer young girls in the right direction if they are constantly put under the microscope and have to fight so hard just to get into the front door?
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