OPINION: Many of the attacks on Megan in Minaj’s diss track “Bigfoot” are rooted in the patriarchy. If you’re the so-called “queen of rap” shouldn’t you be pro-woman?
Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more
I have learned to expect that whoever is called the queen of rap is a pro-woman MC. Long ago, Roxanne Shante was the queen of rap. Her song “Roxanne’s Revenge,” showed her standing up to the guys which, in a way, felt like her standing up for women all over who were being approached by men on the street in ways they didn’t appreciate. Years after her, Queen Latifah was widely considered the queen of rap. She made what could be the most pro-woman anthem hip-hop has ever had in “Ladies First.” In the ’90s, Lauryn Hill became the undisputed queen of rap. She was by far the best female MC anyone had ever seen, and she emanated pro-woman vibes in everything she did.
No one ever doubted that Shante, Latifah or Hill were allies to women. No one would ever imagine that any of them would make a sexist song attacking another woman. But after watching Minaj pick fights with Meg, Cardi, Latto and other younger women, some people are saying maybe Minaj feels like she’s at war with the younger generation of women rappers. Is she trying to guard against them? Does she think of these younger women as a threat because she’s imbibed the patriarchal notion that there can’t be more than one or two women at the top?
@mishamusings on TikTok said, “For years, young Black women have said that in the workplace their greatest adversary is often older Black women.” She says that Minaj is like the older Black woman in the company, attacking Meg and others because she feels attacked by their very presence. Instead of welcoming them and looking out for them as a woman’s woman would do, she’s dissing them to protect herself. It’s almost like Minaj is a soldier for the patriarchy. Is that how a real queen of rap gets down?
Touré is a host and Creative Director at theGrio. He is the host of Masters of the Game on theGrioTV. He is also the host and creator of the docuseries podcast “Being Black: The ’80s” and the animated show “Star Stories with Toure” which you can find at TheGrio.com/starstories. He is also the host of the podcast “Toure Show” and the podcast docuseries “Who Was Prince?” He is the author of eight books including the Prince biography Nothing Compares 2 U and the ebook The Ivy League Counterfeiter.
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