What Hip Hop Needs is a Good Answer Record

You can tell a hit record by the strength of its hook. A current example is Ghostface Killah’s “Back Like That”. With its great production and a hook sung by newcomer Ne-Yo—think Usher-lite (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing)—the track grabs you from the beginning and never lets go.

In case you haven’t heard it yet, the story related in the song goes like this: Ghost is a big deal. Apparently, a few women on the side is par for the course. However, his girl didn’t take to kindly to his extracurriculars. She takes her revenge by going around with a guy he’s got beef with. Maybe she sleeps with this other dude, maybe not. All we know is that Ghost’s boys see her out in this other guy’s new Benz. He confronts her and he pulls an Oran “Juice” Jones on her: She’s sent packing, blingless, back to her mom’s.

The remix with Kanye West is cool. But what this needs is an answer record by a female MC. She’d tell the woman’s side of the story and why she, in fact, “got her man back like that.” I mean, this song is overly ripe for an exploration of sexual politics, because it’s a lens into the fantasy that much of hip hop propagates about male-female relationships: Guy—a player/baller/Don (as in Corleone)—sets up Girl in the lap of luxury, in exchange for which she’s supposed to be loyal unto death and overlook all of his dalliances.

A nimble record company would find the right MC, and put out a response, the way Roxanne Shante said her piece about UTFO. What a great way to start the summer!  Not with some manufactured beef, which is calculated only to sell records.  Rather, create some dialogue in the public sphere, the result of which could not only sell records, but could start a much needed conversation and begin to change expections about the role of women in hip hop.  This would probably be much more effective than Essence Magazine's "Take Back the Music" campaign.

I nominate Jean Grae.   

Tags: Ghostface Killah, Kanye West, Ne-Yo, Jean Grae, hip hop, female MC, answer record

Comments

[watch american dad online]

You seem to have got the niche from the root, Awesome work

[jdk]

jean grae's real
she def got skills hope she rips it more

[Rob Fields]

Thanks for both of your comments. I think there's a huge opportunity to re-energize hip hop through the use of this type of public dialogue. What it will take is female MC's stepping up to address these issues. That, and some support in the marketplace for this type of action.

[Ralph Richardson]

We do need the dialogue in hip hop that an answer record gives.

I nominate Remy Ma!

Holla

www.myspace.com/ralphrich

[eisa]

what a great point. i did enjoy this single from ghost but never thought, "hey, a sister needs to respond to this." guess my expectations of hip hop have diminished to such a low level that i don't listen for much from the music anymore. ain't that sad? i mean, i love hip hop. love it. but i can't stand being mass marketed to.

i miss the corner cipher. sisters and brothers in locks and twists nodding to acapella power. i miss the music as art.