Bitch Moves

Word is, rapper Jay-Z has decided to ban the word “bitch” from future lyrics after the birth of his daughter. To that I say:

Jay, that was a real bitch move.

Let’s play the stereotype statistics game. Hip Hop, the majority of which is performed or penned by men. A big part of most male MC’s persona is toughness. Which based on some of their backgrounds, much like my own, tends to defines you as a man. At least to other men. What’s interesting though is that these men, also like myself, are often raised by women. Mothers, aunts, big sisters and grandmothers.

Our cultural plight aside, most MC’s from the start offer nothing but love and kind words to the women in their lives that have made them who they are. But bitches, well they don’t get shit. No respect. No love. Just some minimum wage dancing gigs on the latest video shoot.

So not only as Noah Mittman points out:

So Jay-Z learns that “bitch” is disrespectful to women after having a daughter, but not after getting married…

Not even his mother, who bought him his first Boom Box was enough of a strong female figure to make him avoid the word “bitch” in his lyrics and every day speak. Though I doubt fatherhood is the cause for his new found respect for woman as a whole. It’s just principle, and that’s ok. My issue is just that we celebrate the epiphany rather than resolve the root cause of the problem.

For what it’s worth, wouldn’t it be funny if the whole story/rumor turned out to be made up. Created by an aggressive Women’s Rights campaign. I’d find that so much more entertaining, and yet even that would be a bitch move.