Posts Tagged ‘Misogyny’

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Teens, parents and New York City Council members joined together Wednesday to denounce music artists using controversial lyrics they contend promote date rape.

The protesters especially took issue with rapper Rick Ross and his music.

“For those who may not know, Rick Ross put out a song on how to date rape a female. What’s wrong about it is that as a 15 year old, it affects me. And this is what’s being played on the radio and in TV,” one teen told reporters, including 1010 WINS’ Stan Brooks.

Ross’ song “U.O.E.N.O. (You Ain’t Even Know It)” features the following lyrics: “Put molly all in her champagne, she ain’t even know it. I took her home and I enjoyed that, she ain’t even know it.”

“Molly” is a reference to MDMA, or ecstasy. The National Institute on Drug Abuse said MDMA “produces feelings of increased energy, euphoria, emotional warmth and empathy toward others, and distortions in sensory and time perception.”

Full story HERE.

The Mo’Kelly Report is a syndicated politics and entertainment journal. Visit http://mrmokelly.com for the latest from Mr. Mo’Kelly. Tune into The Mo’Kelly Show Saturdays from 6-8pm PDT on KFI AM640 and XM 166 Saturdays and Sundays from 8pm-9pm PST. Contact Mo’Kelly at mrmokelly@gmail.com.

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Dion Rabouin

by Dion Rabioun

ATLANTA (Real Times News Service)–William Leonard Roberts II is a clown.

He’s a clown who has made a very good living pretending to be a notorious international drug dealer surrounded by guns, henchmen, champagne and women. He is the prime example of just how unreal hip hop has become.

The stories Roberts tells under his rap moniker Rick Ross are likely true stories about Rick Ross. They are not, however, stories about William Leonard Roberts. Roberts is a fake, a phony, an imposter. He began his career rapping in the first person about hustling, murder and a multi-million dollar, crime-fueled lifestyle that he saw on television.

Not only has he stolen another man’s name and life, but his raps push lies to Black children about how great it is to be a murderous drug dealer. Rappers have long ceased being role models in their rhymes, but one could at least ask for some authenticity and a bit of compunction.

The real Rick Ross, the one whose name Roberts stole (and is being sued for stealing), actually made millions of dollars working with Central American drug lords peddling crack cocaine to unsuspecting Black communities and spent 13 years in prison for it. He has been more than conciliatory about his actions and their deleterious effect on urban neighborhoods to this day.

The man who actually lived the life William Roberts raps about now spends his time working with communities to keep kids out of the streets and to dispel the notion that there’s anything glamorous about selling drugs.

The fake Rick Ross, the one who was really an Albany State football player and then a corrections officer during the time he raps about selling kilograms of cocaine and meeting with “the real Noreaga” who purportedly owes him “a hundred favors,” has made his money pushing a story of gangster make believe. But that was all fine and good, all part of the “rap game,” until his verse on the Rockie Fresh song “U.O.E.N.O.” (a cute way to say “you don’t even know”).

“Put molly all in her champagne, she ain’t even know it / I took her home and I enjoyed that, she ain’t even know it,” Ross rapped.

That stopped the presses. Because even though almost all the fake Rick Ross raps about is murder and profiteering from drug pushing, there’s still a line drawn at condoning rape.

You can rap about selling poison to children, murdering innocents and slapping prostitutes around all you want, but drugging a woman and raping her? That’s a bridge too far.

Full story HERE.

The Mo’Kelly Report is a syndicated politics and entertainment journal. Visit http://mrmokelly.com for the latest from Mr. Mo’Kelly. Tune into The Mo’Kelly Show Saturdays from 6-8pm PDT on KFI AM640 and XM 166 Saturdays and Sundays from 8pm-9pm PST. Contact Mo’Kelly at mrmokelly@gmail.com.

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From TMZ
Reebok supports date rape by supporting Rick Ross … that’s the way a leading women’s group and scores of rape survivors see it.

UltraViolet — a women’s rights group 400,000 strong – is incensed the company​ is not dumping Ross in the wake of his new song, which fantasizes about date rape.

The song — “U.O.E.N.O.”  — has a line, “Put Molly all in the champagne.  She ain’t even know it.  I took her home and I enjoy that.  She ain’t even know it.”

Molly is slang for Ecstasy.

The group — along with 150 rape survivors — grouses, “Every single day that Reebok continues rewarding Rick Ross with a lucrative endorsement deal, Reebok is condoning rape.”

We reached out to Reebok today, but we got crickets.

As for Ross … he issued a lukewarm apology, saying the lyrics were misunderstood and he never used the word rape.

Sometimes you don’t have to use the word, when the thought is clear.

Story HERE.

The Mo’Kelly Report is a syndicated politics and entertainment journal. Visit http://mrmokelly.com for the latest from Mr. Mo’Kelly. Tune into The Mo’Kelly Show Saturdays from 6-8pm PDT on KFI AM640 and XM 166 Saturdays and Sundays from 8pm-9pm PST. Contact Mo’Kelly at mrmokelly@gmail.com.

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OTTAWA — Controversial rapper Rick Ross will no longer be performing in Ottawa on Tuesday following a storm of criticism over his most recent song that seems to glorify date rape.

The Carleton University Students’ Association announced late Friday that ticket refunds would be available — hours before its partner in hosting the Miami rapper posted on its Facebook page that the show was cancelled.

“Due to the protest surrounding Rick Ross latest song “U.O.E.N.O.” the concert Pandemonium scheduled (April 9), is now officially cancelled because of security concerns,” promoter Urban Jamz Ent. announced Friday night.

Urban Jamz had defended its decision to host Ross for more than a week after students and other concerned citizens launched a social media campaign to let Ross know he wasn’t welcome.

On Wednesday, the promoter posted on its Facebook page, “Count down to the biggest concert of the year! Rickyrozay live in Ottawa!”

CUSA councillor Dillon Black, who resigned from student government over the Ross concert, was pleased with the last-minute decision to cancel the show but disappointed over the reference to security concerns.

“I am less than pleased about no mention of concerned community members and rape culture but rather ‘security concerns’” Black said.

Full story HERE.

The Mo’Kelly Report is a syndicated politics and entertainment journal. Visit http://mrmokelly.com for the latest from Mr. Mo’Kelly. Tune into The Mo’Kelly Show Saturdays from 6-8pm PDT on KFI AM640 and XM 166 Saturdays and Sundays from 8pm-9pm PST. Contact Mo’Kelly at mrmokelly@gmail.com.

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How many times must the obvious be on display before we get the message? How many times must Chris Brown prove that he is both incapable of managing his anger (even after anger management) and dealing with his misogyny?

Yes, he was lured into his latest twitter brawl. That is not in dispute.  Chris Brown isn’t the brightest candle on the birthday cake.  That too is not in dispute.  Most importantly not in dispute is that Brown’s response to comedian Jenny Johnson was vile, despicable and unjustified.

Since the exchange, Brown has deleted his page and Johnson has allegedly received multiple death threats.  And who the hell would DARE mention his own mom in  misogyny about defecating in either the mouth or the eye of another woman…other than Chris Brown?!

Ever heard of blocking someone Chris?  I’m sure somewhere, right now, Chris Brown is explaining adamantly how he was neither wrong nor would have changed a thing.  Why?  Because he keeps doing the same thing, time and time again.  If Chris Brown is anything, he’s consistent.

Let me be exceptionally clear, there is nothing that Johnson said which necessitated or justified the type of response Brown offered. Only a rudderless child would think such a public and vulgar rant was appropriate or reasonable in nature.  If he says nothing in response, he would have won and Johnson receives the heat but common sense has never been too common in the Brown house.  At times I wished Brown was on drugs or an alcoholic…for then at least there might have been a reasonable explanation for being so out of touch with reality.

But no…it’s just who he is.

For far too long, Brown and his supporters have made the argument that people need to “let it go” or Brown has “paid his debt.”

Wrong…and wrong.

Paying a debt to society only refers to the judicial system and the penalties levied by it. There is no expiration date on the social pariah label. Ask OJ Simpson, and he was even found “not guilty” (well at least the first time around). Ask child molesters and rapists. Brown doesn’t get to decide when the beating of Rihanna no longer matters to you or me. In fact, Rihanna doesn’t decide for us either. Her willingness to re-engage Brown is not a mitigating factor. If anything, it’s battered woman syndrome on full display.

What Brown supporters fail to acknowledge or understand is that one’s artistic ability never outweighs decency. Would we passively accept the random man beating our sister? Would we excuse a random man tossing a chair at a window because he found ONE interview question uncomfortable? Would we make allowances for a random man publicly tweeting he would defecate in the eye of our sister, our mother, our daughter?

Of course we wouldn’t.

It is ridiculous to suggest then that such behavior is more acceptable or excusable because the man in question is not random, but instead a superstar singer. Chris Brown has zero respect for women, none. Chris Brown is unable to control his temper, even post anger management counseling. He’s guilty of verbal and physical abuse of women and public vulgar, misogynistic displays toward women. There’s nothing to debate here. He has demonstrated time and time again he simply doesn’t get it. He can’t even fake it and isn’t trying all that hard to trick you or me.

This is no way excuses Jenny Johnson’s instigation but let’s be real…Jenny to my knowledge didn’t previously send someone half her size to the hospital either.

Deleting a twitter page does nothing to address the root issues here, his emotional instability. Nothing has changed with Brown since first pushing his fist into Rihanna’s eye socket. He is neither contrite nor humble, making the same horrible decisions as he did prior to putting hands on Rihanna. It’s the same guy, acting in the same uncontrollable fashion. We know how this story ends.

And make no mistake, Rihanna reconciling with Brown has only exacerbated the situation. It sends the horrible message to Brown that he has no reason to change. It sends the horrible message to both abusive men and battered women that Brown-Rihanna is either normal or nominal in nature.

There will be another embarrassing and misogynistic Chris Brown incident, of that I’m sure. There will be another public, hateful display and deleting Twitter will do nothing to prevent it. Twitter was never the problem, it was always Brown. That’s like removing all the alcohol from the house but never treating the alcoholic.

Until Brown is truly held accountable for his behavior and is forced to address his emotional instability, there will be no change. If he is unable to reasonably maneuver text criticism regarding the beating of Rihanna even years later, then Brown should withdraw from public life altogether. There will be more criticism and more goading on the horizon, without a doubt.

Punching women in the face with your fists will never be acceptable and no number of hit singles (no pun intended) will ever change this fact.  Delete Chris Brown’s career, not just his Twitter feed.

The Mo’Kelly Report is a syndicated politics and entertainment journal. Visit http://mrmokelly.com for the latest from Mr. Mo’Kelly. Tune into The Mo’Kelly Show Saturdays from 6-8pm PDT on KFI AM640 and XM 166 Saturdays and Sundays from 8pm-9pm PST. Contact Mo’Kelly at mrmokelly@gmail.com.

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Jay-Z

Some would say the recent altercation at the BET Hip-Hop Awards was just the latest embarrassment to befall hip-hop, an oft criticized slice of pop culture…and they would be correct.  It’s the “latest” incident, not an aberration.  It’s more behavior deserving of more criticism, only to fall on deaf ears.  It is criticism earned and deserved every step of the way.  Hip-hop has no intention of changing or improving, and its most respected members have no designs on raising the bar above ignorance.  I’m clear on this reality and so should you be too.  Nothing is going to change, not at least at least until someone of real relevance within the genre begins to care, and not a moment before.

This isn’t the first brawl or violent foolishness connected to a hip-hop awards show, and it’s sad having to acknowledge such truths with each subsequent incident.  There was the gunshot into the ceiling during the 1994 Source Awards and the murder of Notorious B.I.G. in 1997 shortly after the Soul Train Music Awards.  We can’t forget the all-out melee at the 2000 Source Awards and Eminem’s tussle at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards.  Surely you remember when rapper Young Buck stabbed a “fan” at the 2004 Vibe Music Awards.

(Cue Barbra Streisand) “Memories…like the corners of my mind.”

Those are only the award show-related incidents.  There is not enough space in this column (or my next 5 for that matter) to highlight the inordinate number of arrests for guns, drugs and random acts of misogyny commonly associated with hip-hop in the past five years alone.  For example, I’m not going to spend time discussing how rapper Webbie was arrested last month for “allegedly” robbing and kicking a woman down a flight of stairs.  I could…but not this time.  Today, we’ll just stick with the general themes of lawlessness, misogyny and ignorance; not necessarily in that order.

Harry Belafonte

Recently, civil rights leader and entertainer Harry Belafonte accused some artists, including Jay-Z and Beyonce of “turning their backs on social responsibility.”  It’s in moments like these where Belafonte’s words ring loudly and undeniably true.

For the all the financial success attained by Jay-Z, there has been no effort on his part to elevate his music personally or hip-hop more broadly.  Although “Jigga” is firmly ensconced in middle age, he still gleefully and carelessly advances his music career calling women Bs and Hs; and men Ns like his 20-something counterparts.  Not only is Jay-Z completely indifferent to the idea of acting his age and showing young Black men a better way; he is perfectly content and comfortable promulgating the worst imagery imaginable for the sake of a dollar and continued hip-hop relevancy.

It’s a mid-life crisis with a hip-hop twist.

Instead of being a voice of guidance, a  hip-hop elder statesman to the younger generation; Jay-Z still opts to spin yarns about N**** in Paris and sell them on iTunes.  You’re 40-WHAT Jay-Z?  No amount of wealth will ever validate or justify such a career trajectory.  No number of “hits” justifies the Peter Pan mentality or the ignorance and indifference which subsequently thrive on it.

But if Gwyneth Paltrow dares tweet the name of the song or makes direct reference to it, all hell breaks loose.  I guess only “we” are allowed to wallow in ignorance and very territorial when it comes to it.  Bully for us.  Jay-Z can rap it and make money doing it, but the White actress shouldn’t even tweet a reference to the title of the song.  Got it.  That’s ignorance on top of ignorance.  It’s not popular to say, but it’s not untrue either.

But I digress…

Trayvon Martin

Hip-hop has abrogated any and all responsibility as it relates to decency and accountability time and time again.  Brawls at award shows have all types of deleterious consequences for all Black men.  If you think such public displays of foolishness don’t impact the treatment of Black men around the country, you are a fool.  Racial profiling is real and there are laws against it to prove as much.  Racial bias is real.  And to think, hip-hop had plenty to say about the Trayvon Martin tragedy, but fails to make the connection between racial profiling and racial stereotype promulgation. Stop making these problems worse.

I know, I know, somebody will be quick to tell me about the singular and rare hip-hop artist “here” or “there” who doesn’t subscribe to the ignorance and foolishness; but let us deal with the overwhelming bulk of the art form.  Let’s deal with 99% as they say in this political season; 99% which offer nothing of substance or intrinsic social value.

So imagine my (and probably Harry Belafonte’s) indifference to Jay-Z and Beyonce hosting a fundraiser for President Obama in recent weeks.  The reality is that Jay-Z prefers rubbing elbows with the cultural elite and raising money for the president while ignoring the communities he could positively impact for free.  But “promoting positive change” is so uncool and so unprofitable, I suppose.  It is in moments like these that Jay-Z (and others) could provide real leadership and direction for a generation of young Black men who obviously have lost their way.  This is the type of commitment and dedication to social responsibility that Belafonte is longing for yet is nonexistent in hip-hop.  The ignorance of the BET Hip-Hop Awards altercation is covered in the media, highlighted on the blogs and cheered on within our culture.

And…and…most importantly used as further “proof” of the incivility and criminality of Black men.

We are all connected.  If we can agree that the election of Barack Obama as president positively impacted the perception of African-American men, what do negative incidents such as these do for us?

I’ll tell you, not a damn thing, with all types of long-term consequences.

There are too many in our music communities perpetuating the myth that such behavior does not have repercussions or consequences on the rest of us.  I’m here to disabuse you of that notion.  It is why people like broadcaster Geraldo Rivera feel so comfortable conflating Blackness and hoodies with criminality.  Granted, Rivera’s ignorance can’t be justified, but neither can the ignorance of the likes of award show brawls which inform and undergird such opinions.  Lil Wayne acting a buffoon while wearing a hoodie for a courtroom deposition hurts all of us.

It wasn’t funny, it wasn’t cool, it was embarrassing and impacts all African-American males.

All of us.

Racism and ignorance are inextricably linked.  Hip-hop does not get to complain about stereotypes while simultaneously promoting them.

The foolishness has to stop.

Someone within the hip-hop community has to be bold enough to step forward and condemn the ignorance within the genre with the exact same enthusiasm we tend to condemn racism outside of it.  I don’t need Jay-Z and others “playing” political operative five days out of the year and calling me “N****” all the rest.

I need him to effectively use his power and influence and step into the moment.  It doesn’t require any money, it just requires him to care.  It is the socially responsible thing to do.  Unfortunately, judging by Jay-Z’s discography, it is clear he doesn’t care now and never will.  He’s just not interested.  Not even a little bit. Miss Social Responsibility, “he’s just not that into you.”

And neither is Russell Simmons for that matter.

The violence must stop.  The misogyny must stop.  The brawls at award shows must stop.  The promotion of the drug culture must stop.  If this message angers hip-hop enthusiasts out there…fine.  Call me all the names you wish…but you won’t be calling me “wrong.”  Of that I’m sure.  Somebody out there has to care enough to say it, albeit unpopular in nature it may be.  The right thing to say and do aren’t often popular in nature.  But my compass of right and wrong is neither calibrated by purchasing patterns of adolescents nor impacted by the desire to remain relevant in “the streets.”

I answer to a higher power.

What saddens me the most is that Jay-Z, the former drug dealer with a mother, daughter, two sisters and most importantly the means in which to send hip-hop in an altogether different direction still celebrates the very worst of the African-American culture to make a buck.  There is “doing nothing” and there is “perpetuating the problem.”  I dislike the former and detest the latter.

We in the African-American community can no longer complain about stereotypes being used against us while simultaneously giving tacit approval to hip-hop’s promotion of them.  There is no excuse, so stop offering them.  It’s time to stop forwarding the lie that re-electing President Obama is of greater importance to our community than intelligently using the influence we already exert over our own communities.  These issues pre-date President Obama and will exist long after he leaves office, be it in 2012 or 2016.  The only way they can be addressed is when we decide to put an end to the ignorance once and for all.

The Mo’Kelly Report is a syndicated politics and entertainment journal. Visit http://mrmokelly.com for the latest from Mr. Mo’Kelly. Tune into The Mo’Kelly Show
Saturdays from 6-8pm PDT on KFI AM640 and XM 166 Saturdays and Sundays from 11pm-midnight PDT. Contact Mo’Kelly at mrmokelly@gmail.com.

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We all remember the original purported “outrage” of Star Jones regarding the controversial behavior and imagery on VH-1′s

Dr. Boyce Watkins

Basketball Wives program(s).  We all remember her vowing to put a stop to it, tweeting up a storm.

Remember #EnoughIsEnough?

Since then Star hasn’t uttered a peep on the issue, including ignoring all interview requests from Yours Truly.  To that end, Dr. Watkins takes Jones to task publicly for seemingly changing course on the issue.

Interesting…

_________________

From NewsOne.com

Star Jones is interesting.  She’s smart, crafty and typically quite classy.  But I admittedly cocked my head to the side like Scooby-Doo when I read that Jones said that she never intended to boycott the show “Basketball Wives.”  Speaking to another woman that I appreciate dearly, Wendy Williams, Star said, “I was never encouraging anybody to boycott somebody’s job. That’s not what I’m about.”

Star Jones

Star’s words are a far cry from her previous tweets on the matter, where she took a far more militant point of view:

“It may be ‘comfortable’ to be quiet when women of color slap the crap out of each other & run across tables barefoot, but #ENOUGHisENOUGH,” she tweeted. “About to put together a group of sisters to finally ‘tell the truth’ about the image of women of color in the media.”

“And the thought that the woman from #BBW who was smacked doesn’t have the RIGHT to file assault charges is LUDICROUS,” she said. “You NEVER give up your right not to have your ‘person’ intentionally assaulted unless you are participating in an agreed physical activity.  I’m asking all my high profile, platform having conscientious sisters who STAND FOR SOMETHING to just say #ENOUGHisENOUGH & call folk out! Be mad. But think about what I said. WE ARE BETTER than that. You’re either part of the problem or part of the solution.

Perhaps the Star Jones from last month should be introduced to the Star Jones from this month, because they appear to be different people.

Full story HERE.

The Mo’Kelly Report is a syndicated politics and entertainment journal. Visit http://mrmokelly.com for the latest from Mr. Mo’Kelly. Tune into The Mo’Kelly Show Saturdays from 6-8pm PDT on KFI AM640 and Sirius XM 166 Saturdays and Sundays from 8-9pm PDT. Contact Mo’Kelly at mrmokelly@gmail.com.

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Jay-Z

From The Guardian

The reports were wrong: even the birth of his baby daughter will not stopJay-Z from using the world “bitch”. And it appears the rapper is not the author of the widely circulated poem about Blue Ivy Carter, in which the writer says: “Before I got in the game, made a change, and got rich/ I didn’t think hard about using the word b*tch/ I rapped, I flipped it, I sold it, I lived it/ Now with my daughter in this world I curse those that give it.”

The poem, initially attributed to Jay-Z, was actually written by the blogger Renee Gardner on 10 January. Three days after it was posted at Rolling Out, Perez Hilton brought it to wider attention on his own blog. “Jay-Z Swears Off ‘B*tch’ for Blue Ivy!” he wrote. He did not give a source.

Soon the story was picked up by the Daily Mail, NME and New Yorkmagazine. The Guardian covered it, too. But when E! News asked Jay-Z’s representatives for comment, the answer was unequivocal. “A source close to the rapper’s camp [said] the poem in question is not by Jay-Z,” it reported. “No word how the lyrics made it online, but it wasn’t from therap mogul.” Another denial came via a tweet from the Roots’ leader, ?uestlove: “This just in: [Jay-Z] to me: ‘B*aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatch!!!!!!!! and tweet that.’”

_________

FULL STORY HERE.

Well there you have it.  Mo’Kelly knew you wouldn’t let him down.  It just had to be too good to be true.  Even if it were true it would have been 3 decades of music too late.  So maybe it’s better this way and you stay true to your misogyny.

The Mo’Kelly Report is a syndicated politics and entertainment journal. Visit http://mrmokelly.com for the latest from Mr. Mo’Kelly. Contact him at mrmokelly@gmail.com.

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