Take Back the Music. What's really going on.

Entertainment insiders, thinkers and consumers candidly discuss hip-hop’s outlook on Black women’s sexuality Photographs by Butch Belair

We are mothers, sisters, daughters and lovers of hip-hop. We’ve emulated the sexy confidence of Salt-N-Pepa and the toughness of MC Lyte. We’ve wept over Tupac Shakur’s visceral poetry and marveled at the lyrical dexterity of Notorious B.I.G. When Nas said, "The World Is Yours," we believed him. And today we stand at the forefront of popular culture: independent, talented and comfortable with the skin we’re in. We are really feeling ourselves. Perhaps that’s why we’re so alarmed at the imbalance in the depiction of our sexuality and character in music. In videos we are bikini-clad sisters gyrating around fully clothed grinning brothers like Vegas strippers on meth. When we search for ourselves in music lyrics, mixtapes and DVDs and on the pages of hip-hop magazines, we only seem to find our bare breasts and butts. And when we finally get our five minutes at the mic, too many of us waste it on hypersexual braggadocio and profane one-upmanship. The damage of this imbalanced portrayal of Black women is impossible to measure. An entire generation of Black girls are being raised on these narrow images. And as the messages and images are broadcast globally, they have become the lens through which the world now sees us. This cannot continue.

An entire generation of Black girls are being raised on these narrow images. And as the messages and images are broadcast globally, they have become the lens through which the world now sees us. This cannot continue. We have debated this topic, often heatedly, at Essence. Some of us are fed up; others don’t see the big deal. But all of us agree that as representatives of the world’s foremost publication for Black women, we need to provide a platform for public discussion. Of course, there is a much broader scope of perspectives to be heard than our own, and in the interest of fostering a conversation, we present a survey of the landscape: Entertainment journalist Ayana Byrd and Essence editor Akiba Solomon interviewed a wide range of key players in the music industry: a video director, a choreographer, a rapper, a psychologist and others. Public dialogue is vital to effecting change. Throughout this year we’ll explore this topic in our pages, and we invite you to tell us how you feel. E-mail us at letters@essence.com. Your opinion is the most important part of this discussion. And so it begins. —the editors

District of Columbia Grassroots Empowerment Project (EmpowerDC) 234-9119 fax 234-6655

link busted

women’s sexuality Photographs by Butch Belair

... waiting ...

yeah...starts out like a sister souljuh moment, and turns out to be another phony "debate" providing an editorial excuse to run racy pix and discuss them.

As J F'in K said, "Bring it on!"

I'm not holding my breath. ;-)

Welcome to Free Republic

I agree. Just like the news during sweeps-week. A whole lot of, "Can you believe how outrageous this is?" Or, "Wait until you see this!"

We’ve wept over Tupac Shakur’s visceral poetry

Oh brother. Or should I say, oh sista.

Quit buying their music and supporting these acticities and it will go away.. or should I say Boofrigginhoo...

African American women portrayed as sex objects? Thank the liberal elite, and their democrat sychophants.

Does the capitalization of "Black" remind anyone else of how white supremacists almost always capitalize "White" when referring to their own race?

Just wondering...

About time...glad to see the much needed attention on the "bitches" and "whores" depiction of women in general and black women in particluar.

Gotta say you hard core, extreme right Freepers that blow this off as unimportant piss me off royally.

When are you gonna figure out that damaging stuff targeting one half of the human population carries destructive ambient effect for society as a whole?

No loyalty to your daughters, wives, sisters, mothers...helllooo?? Or did you all just spring from the head of Zeus without the aid from any female?

Waithing for the boorish bombthrowers...

Yeah, there should be a boycott of the music to make a statement.

I often see these music lovers mature around 30 or so. They usually shift their attitude to care more about things like a good paying job, health insurance and retirement.