This Week's WAOD Wagging Finger of SHAME Award: Mara Schiavocampo and her hip hop panel participants
Sunday, December 2, 2007 at 1:24PM The Blogmother This Week's Wagging Finger of Shame Award Goes to Mara Schiavocampo and her entire hip hop panel participants except for Kendra G - because nobody knew who in the hell you were. Another segment disguised as being about black women, but ended up being dominated by the black male prespective. I am sick and tired of the media covering rap music and hip hop culture by picking the worst represenatives of the genre they can possibly find.
Mara Schiavocampo – For not doing her research and for putting together one of the worst group of panelists I have ever witnessed. What was the actual point of the segment? Why wasn't there at least one person on the panel that could be considered doing something positive to combat the negative images of black women in hip hop? Why were black men present in this discussion at all? Was Danyel Smith, editor of Vibe magazine, busy? How about Joan Morgan, former Essence magazine editor and author of When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost: A Hip Hop Feminist Breaks it Down? How about asking an "actual" female rapper about the state of the hip hop industry? How about asking "average" black women on the street about their views of rap music and hip hop culture?
Hip-hop hotties
Karrine “Superhead” Steffans – Isn’t this woman clocking MAJOR overtime on her 15 minutes of fame?
Dr. Michael E. Dyson – This is my boy, but Gina is right, he is a hip hop apologist and prognostitute. I formally asked my girl Attorneymom to place him on her SYAD list.
Melyssa “Jessica Rabbit” Ford – She graduated from BET Uncut to BET Style, sounds like an outstanding career move to me. She doesn’t have to worry about American black women, she’s Canadian, she can escape hip hop hell in America at anytime.
Irv Gotti – First, for being a complete idiot. I haven’t heard a rapper sound this dumb since Cam’Ron said that instead of informing on the serial killer that lived next door, he would move! Two, for how you used Karrine “Superhead” Steffens like a sexual incentive bonus to close business deals. Three, for being an irresponsible parent, would really be okay with your daughter being a video vixen? Four, for being all too willing to sellout every single black woman in the world excluding your mama to make an exploitative dollar!
Kevin Powell - You have come a long way baby, but damn you're over 40 years old, isn't it about time! And please stop referring to black women as "females" - we are women. Females can be anything; lions, tigers, bears, oh my. I wonder if Mr. Powell still hates his mama.
Overall, the NBC Nightly News series on African American women was not a complete failure, but as Chris Rock would say - "two giant steps back!"
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Reader Comments (17)
OH SNAP Professor Tracey! That was the truth! I thought I was a bit harsh I was trying not to call out mara.
that panel was a mess. why is there still even debate about this? "does hip hop degrade woman" - YES! are people still unsure about that? you only need to see one days worth of music videos to know that. what a tired segment.
i guess david banner was out sick so irv gotti had to fill in for the foolishness factor. how bout a panel of aspiring female rappers. I would love to see a segement on an underground black female rapper. Believe it or not, they exist.
what a joke.
I can't take it. I just can't take it. Irv Gotti is the exemplification of a stupid Black man. I feel sorry for his children.
That's was painful to watch.
I too hate the fact that Kevin Powell uses "females" versus "women."
I'm bored with Superhead.
Michael Eric Dyson is pretty fair with his take on Hip Hop. I wouldn't call him an apologist.
Kendra G was eh.
Melyssa Ford is not an accomplished woman but really believes that she is because her work uniform is no longer a string bikini.
Melyssa Ford is not an accomplished woman but really believes that she is because her work uniform is no longer a string bikini.
You would have thought Melyssa was Rosie the Riveter or something like that. "IIII'M Not A Video HO'. The OOOOOOTHER Girls DID it but not MEEEE!" Yeah right. Whatever!
These panelist were the wrong type to put on here, the wrong age Kevin Powell, Dyson, absolutely zero relevance Ford Steffans, and who is Kendr G.
They should of had the latest offenders on the show to explain themselves, Ying Yang Twins, 50cents, Snoop Dogg, Soulja Boy, and a host of others that are still out there making music.
As for women in Hip-Hop the only ones moving units are the offensive ones, like lil Kim, Trina, Jackie O, and Foxy Brown.
Add on some major record execs. Radio station programers, and fans.
The age range should be around 15-28 because they are the ones buying the products.
Hip Hop is a young mans sport. The moment you hit 30 regardless of position in the industry, at the mic, behind the mic, or in front of it, you time is pretty much up. Even Joan Morgan is dated. with them you get the idea of a bunch of old fogies complaining about the music. Kids will just tune you out and do what they were going to do to do anyway. Thats what I did when the Rev. Butts and C. Delores Tucker were raising hell.
Oh, Yeah parents to, I was talking to a mother who just recently figured out what "Super Man that H" meant. Her son was rocking that song on her dime for quite a while.
I had to laugh at this. Wow. I don't understand how the host listened to Irv Gotti with a straight face and even responded to his noisy, nonsensical remarks.
Professor Tracey, your review was right on the money-- except for your mention of the author of that horrible book, "When Chickenheads Come Home To Roost." She is a terrible writer and an even worse social critic. I'd rather listen to Melissa "Jessica Rabbit" Ford anyday. At least she hasn't tried to write a book...yet.
If y'all had to put together the pannel, who would you have picked? I would have kept Kevin Powell and added bell hooks, Gina, and...hmm...
Lil' Kim: No. Would probably not have anything new to add to the conversation.
Cornel West: Nah. He is a brilliant man, but while I would be interested in his perspective, it would be better to have some younger people on the pannel. Plus, he tends to monopolize conversations.
Trina: Actually, yes. She seems well-spoken, and I have never heard her opinion on this issue. And as Professor Tracey pointed out, it would be good to have a female rapper's perspective.
Missy Elliot: Another female rapper's perspective.
Video Model: Um, there's one who was in a Pharell video, who went to college in Connecticut...don't know her name. She was on a "I'm a video girl" doc that aired on mtv.
Irv Gotti: You know, it would be interesting to see bell hooks and Gina deal with his idiocy.
Lyor Cohen: To represent the record labels.
The members of my roundtable would be Kevin Powell, bell hooks, Gina, Trina, Missy,"Video Girl X," and Lyor Cohen. Acclaimed video director Hype Williams would be the understudy. Who would your picks be?
Just like Iman said why is there even a debate about this. Actually how much longer are we going to discuss it before we take action? We can talk about this all damned day and get nowhere.
I don't want to hear or see another panel on hip-hop. Nothing's going to change there as long as they're making money. Time to move on. I've said it time and again, it's Noah's ark time. Beyond time to leave these morons behind.
Roslyn,
You ought to write a post abut your Noah's Ark proposal.
The onus lies with the consumer. If the consumer demanded better, rappers would do better or maybe just go away.
I got this from FiyaStarter:
"Stop buying it
plain and simple, if it doesn’t sell, then it doesn’t get money from record companies to produce. Now, someone is buying this music and statistics show white people, then black females purchase the most urban music, not black males.
Stop patronizing it
stop dancing to it, stop singing it in your car on the way to work, stop reciting the lyrics in my face when I’m dancing with you at the club, and for the love of God, stop playing it in front of your kids.
Stop radio from playing it
challenge these stations that shove these songs down your throat 20 times a day. Tell them you want to hear something else."
http://www.fiyastarter.com/fs-pages/fs-ent-maliksear-womenhiphop.html
That piece was dead on.
To add to jerseybred's comments:
1) Go through you son or daughters' room, take their iPod for a week, and listen to every song on there. Delete anything you don't like in iTunes
2) Serve your son notice: there will be no meals for him in your house as long as he purchases or listens to hateful or violent music. Tell him to call Soulja boy for a warm cooked meal when he is hungry.
3) Tell the same thing as #2 to your husband, but substitute food with whatever you find appropriate.
4) Deduct 60 cents from your Comcast bill every month. Include with it a note specifying that your convictions will not allow you to subsidize BET. Write 'paid in full' on the check. Tell them if they don't give you the 60 cent discount, you'd be happy to call the Satellite folks or better yet, do without cable TV altogether.
5) Make your voice heard -- post on a blog, write a letter to an advertiser, talk to the manager of a store that sells the clothing of a misogynistic "artist".
THE BATTLE BEGINS IN THE HOME.
"Tell him to call Soulja boy for a warm cooked meal when he is hungry." LOLOLOLOL!
"Deduct 60 cents from your Comcast bill every month. Include with it a note specifying that your convictions will not allow you to subsidize BET. Write 'paid in full' on the check. Tell them if they don't give you the 60 cent discount, you'd be happy to call the Satellite folks or better yet, do without cable TV altogether."
LOL, but I seriously like the idea of the 60 cents deduction...
The 60 cent deduction is a good idea. LOL at withholding meals & sex.
On a sidenote, I could do without cable but the bf needs his espn. Netflix is where it's at.
Gina, I promise I will as soon as I get from under deadlines. Right now I'm going crazy.
SheCodes: I think it's very possible to start a -$.60 revolution. I think this little piece of missing change from enough of us will definitely raise some eyebrows (and voices) at Comcast. All it takes is a little spark to start a fire....
STOP FUNDING FOOLISHNESS!
The chubby guy really made me cringe. Wow.
maybe these people were available to blow hot air because they have nothing else substantial going on in their lives.