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Intersectional Feminism
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Rap song that urges an end to misogyny
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That is a Cheyenne saying:“A nation is not conquered until the hearts of its women are on the ground. Then its finished; no matter how brave its warriors or how strong their weapons.”
That song is definitely very melodic, and... has a very good message.
So, I don't listen to a lot of rap songs, but I really like everything by Sookee, she's a queer feminist and uh, she definitely does say what she thinks:)
I don't know much about Rap in English language but in Germany, there seem to be quite many rappers who identify with Zeckenrap (tick rap). Sookee is one of the most popular tick rappers. But there are many more who promote feminism and address intersectional issues.Haszcara - Kotzen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63Ldj...
Lady Lazy - Say it loud, say it queer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YXEm...
FaulenzA - Julian oder Juliane
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlKx1...
Zecken Crowd
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5f2RX...
Yansn & Torkel T - Gender Rules
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxuII...
Jennifer Gegenläufer - Gegenläufer_in
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JwdB...
Emma wrote: "I will definitely have to look into the feminist/intersectional raps you guys have mentioned!"If you need translations... just tell me.
I didn't know any of these songs and rappers, thank you so much for sharing! :) It's just a pity that I don't understand German :(Now it's my turn ;)
There is a Portuguese rapper called Capicua (means palindromic number) who is also a feminist. She has a really nice song, Maria Capaz, which is a message for all those who do not believe she can be an MC for being a woman, playing with the words. The expression in Portuguese for a girl who likes to do "boys stuff", a tomboy, is Maria rapaz" (the literal translation would be "Mary boy") so in the chorus she declares "Eu sou MC, eu sou Maria capaz" ("I'm an MC, I'm Mary capable"), saying she is an MC (even if some think she can't be a rapper for being a girl) and she is good at it. She doesn't see herself as a tomboy because of that (nor should people), she sees herself (and women in general) as someone capable, using the similarity of the words "rapaz" (boy) and "capaz" (capable) in Portuguese.
Link to Youtube video: Capicua - Maria Capaz
Music is for all! It's not gender specific, and hip hop is not an exception and is a great way to convey an important message! I hope you enjoy it even if you don't understand Portuguese :)
Thanx Su, I like the song by Capicua - it has a nice message!Here is another song which I think is cool - it is "Antipatriarca" by Ana Tijoux:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSqOd...
My spanish is quite poor unfortunately, but I guess the song has a cool message as far as I understand the lyrics. :)
The fact these songs are there is a good sign and hope it is the start of a trend for positive music forms
Cristina wrote: "It's so cool. Do you think rapper can express feminism better than pop or rock? I'm asking this because even in Italy we have few yet very good women in rap, and they can address this issue bette..."
I would say yes, when I look at Sookee in Germany she definitely can express her feminism very well in rap.
Cristina wrote: "Do you think rapper can express feminism better than pop or rock? I'm asking this because even in Italy we have few yet very good women in rap, and they can address this issue bette..."I think no music genre is inherently better for anything than any other, since you can accomplish your purpose with any type of music (or art) you choose.
However, I do believe that rap has social criticism more related to its history than other genres. More on the racism and poverty/power balance themes than feminism, but it's still a genre that grew from minorities expressing their frustration from the injustice and prejudice they felt everyday. Also it has the advantage of having a major focus on the lyrics' content. So, for me, it seems natural that more musicians choose it to convey sociopolitical messages.
Yes Su, I agree with what you say, too. I would add here that I have the impression that rap was kind of dominated by male rappers for a long time and often they had this macho and hard "gangster" image or at least played with this image. And rappers who identify with feminism seems to be a development which is quite new - or am I wrong here? I think there have always been female rappers but from what I hear in modern rap songs there is often a strong critique because there has been and still is sexism and homophobia within rap. And women had to and still continue to struggle a lot to become acknowledged for their music and make more room for equality, respect and diversity within rap. But this is just my impression as a person who doesn't has much knowledge about rap and I only listen to rap for a short time. So what do you think?And there is another music genre which might be more open for feminism because of its history and political context - and that is Punk rock. Women have been active in Punk from the start in the late 1970s when it kicked off as a rebellion and a youth movement against conservative patterns in society and state oppression, against making music a big business and against boring old music traditions (especially within rock music). Later Punk became more political in the narrower sense with explicitly political messages. And one movement within the Punk movement was Riot Grrrl which was a response by women to bad experiences with macho attitudes and behaviour within the Punk scene (Riot Grrrl happened mainly but not exclusevly in the USA). Riot Grrrl was and still is a feminist punk movement. But I think it had more influence back then in the 1990s with bands like Bikini Kill, Team Dresch, Bratmobile, Sleater-Kinney and others.
Sascha wrote: "Yes Su, I agree with what you say, too. I would add here that I have the impression that rap was kind of dominated by male rappers for a long time and often they had this macho and hard "gangster" ..."Damn, now I wanna read Hunger Makes Me A Modern Girl again. Sleater-Kinney:)
Su wrote: "Also it has the advantage of having a major focus on the lyrics' content. So, for me, it seems natural that more musicians choose it to convey sociopolitical messages...."What I would say about the Folk movement, but I guess that ain't cool enough for the angry youngsters. :)
Gerd wrote: "Su wrote: "Also it has the advantage of having a major focus on the lyrics' content. So, for me, it seems natural that more musicians choose it to convey sociopolitical messages...."What I would ..."
That angry enuf for ya?;)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0zBl...
and meaningful enough?;)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYEsF...


It's uncommonly melodic for a rap song, and the fact that it has lyrics with actual meaning sure make it stand out - though, not commercially successful, I guess.