Jackson Free Press

AP reports: "Maybe it was the credit card that rap superstar Nelly swiped through a woman's backside in a recent video. Here at Spelman, the most famous black women's college in the country, a feud has erupted over images of women in rap videos, sparking a petition drive and phone campaigns.

"Nelly planned to visit Spelman earlier this month for a charity event enlisting students for a bone marrow registry. But the rapper canceled the appearance after hearing that a protest was in the works because of his videos - especially 'Tip Drill, the one with the credit card, which also shows men throwing money between women's legs and women simulating sex acts with each other.

"Misogyny in pop music, especially hip-hop, has been around for years. What's new, students say, is an explosion of almost-X-rated videos passed around on the Internet or shown late at night on cable channels like Black Entertainment Television, also known as BET.

"Never before, students say, have the portrayals of black women been so hypersexual and explicit."

Previous Commentsshow

It is about time that young women start speaking out collectively about this exploitation issue. The sad part is that creativity has been taken completely out of the process of making these $1M+ music videos. The record industry is using a laissez faire formula that benefits very few but many are paying the price for the irreparable societal damages that these videos have caused.

joiedevie

May 4 2004