Pimpiarchy: Pimp = Cool?

[Valenteenah.]

I came across this article a couple of months ago while doing some research, and I wanted to post it but never got the chance.

 

I think the author makes a very good point about the mysoginistic, irresponsible and quite often misleading way that women are portrayed in hip-hop/pop culture- as sexual commodities.

 

Do remember to jot down your thoughts/comments.

 

 

----------------------

 

 

Subvert the Dominant Pimpiarchy

 

How did the abusive, exploitative role of Pimp become the epitome of cool? Rachel Bell comments on this outrageous trend in modern culture.

 

Being a pimp is the epitome of cooldom. If you want to be somebody in this white world, to be the main man and have serious street cred, you've got to be a pimp. Or at least call yourself a pimp. This is the message from MTV. It's the message from hip-hop culture. It's a message that's been around for a while, but I'm pissed now because the media are letting it seep into our casual vocabulary without question.

 

"Nelly: Pop star, pimp or gangsta?" asks VIBE magazine this month. The wannabe gangsta rapper whose ubiquitous hit Country Grammar (Hot) sealed his status as a pop (super)star certainly likes to come across all bad boy and pimpy. His video for Tip Drill features scores of strippers lap-dancing for Nelly and his chums. We’ve seen this before but what made this video particularly charming is the chorus line, "It must be your a[ss] cause it ain't your face'' and Nelly swiping his credit card down a dancer's are crack. Nice.

 

According to VIBE, Nelly argues that the women in Tip Drill were paid workers who willingly participated in the video. I should hope so Nelly.

 

Many prostitutes are willing, paid participants but this does not make colluding in the degradation of women right. The male tendency to shift all responsibility onto the women involved speaks volumes about these men's attitudes to women. Nelly needs one-dimensional sex objects around him to make his dick and his ego gigantic enough to feel safe; and show off his great "pimpiness" to the gangsta rappers he looks up to. One can only conclude that three-dimensional human beings in female form will make him feel threatened.

 

To confirm his supreme pimpiness to the kids, Nelly got his own soft drink and called it Pimp Juice. He says that PIMP stands for Positive Intellectual Motivated Person. Hmm, let me think about whether I'll buy that? The thing is Nelly, I'm really not getting that intellectual vibe from your contribution to art. Please explain it to me.

 

A representative for Pimp Juice explained to VIBE that 'The meaning of Pimp has changed. To most people on the streets, if you say pimp, they wouldn't say it is someone who pimps out women. It's more like mojo, or your 'it' factor.' Ok, let's see. Nelly's videos tell us that he loves to lord it over scores of gyrating, stripping women. In his latest collaboration with Justin Timberlake, Work It, he and the 'teen sexgod' set themselves up as a pair of Hugh Heffners. They give Hugh the nod of respect by donning Hugh-alike silk robes, flank him on thrones in his playboy mansion while the camera hones in on tits, arses and the stripping playbunnies gyrating strangely on the snooker table. Nelly, your 'it' factor is wholly about being a pimp, a playboy and now, it appears, a bit of an old perv in a dressing gown.

 

Which brings me to Britney. Aside from her multiple crimes against little girls' notions of self-hood, failing to recognise how her childhood has been abused to feed the paedophilia disease, and her notable contribution to the pornographication of popular culture, she had some offensive tracksuits made.

 

In case you don't read trash, Britney married her backing dancer, Kevin Ferderline in September and apparently decreed that all the male guests at her wedding wear custom-made tracksuits with the word 'Pimps' emblazoned across the back. The girls' tracksuits read, 'Maids'. The groom's father got to be 'Pimp Daddy'. Existing in the music biz, Britney obviously knows how popular pimpdom is and how some hip-hop artists can't get enough of bigging up their pimpiness. Her taste in husbands also shows she thinks badboys are really great. But is she really as stu[p]id as she would have us believe? (She offered her services to the Bush campaign and was turned down, case closed).

 

Has she not heard about the massive worldwide human rights abuse that is sex trafficking? Has she not read one headline about the smuggling of girls and women under false pretences to another country where they are enslaved by their 'pimps' and forced to endure rape thirty times a day? Heck, there are even TV shows on it now. Britney, I'm not singling you out. My attack is on modern hip hip culture, particularly gangsta rap and a whole bunch of other people. But at 22, you really are old enough to educate yourself. I don't think your tracksuits are funny, cool or ironic. I don't think they are big or clever. Unfortunately, there are lots of little girls who think you are.

 

If a twelve year old boy looks up to hip-hop 'artist' 50 Cent (who brags about being a pimp on Top of the Pops), drinks Nelly's Pimp Juice to get Nelly's 'it' factor, sees Ice T's video, How To Pimp Girls advertised on the street, if his only role models are artists such as Snoop Dogg and Ja Rule who tell him it's cool to disrespect women, if he watches rap videos that portray his sister, mother, girlfriend, future wife and future daughter as nothing more than gyrating body parts, what values will he develop? If music videos are full of women who look and behave like porn stars, if every young famous female who is photographed has her mouth open ready to give head, if advertising continues to use young women's bodies to sell ANYTHING, if 'cool' celebs say porn is cool, then boys and girls evolving identities will be under pressure. Bombarded with these stereotypes of men and women, what messages are they absorbing? It will take a young mind of some strength not to conform.

 

The word 'pimp' is both a noun and a verb. According to the Oxford Dictionary, a pimp is "a man who lives off the earnings of a prostitute or a brothel: a pander; a ponce" According to the Cambridge Dictionary, it is, "a man who controls prostitutes, especially by finding customers for them, and takes some of the money that they earn."

 

Both definitions are offensive as there is no suggestion that the prostitute may be an unwilling prostitute and a victim of violence and crime; a sexual slave stripped of her human rights, indeed her humanity, not half of a cosy, underground business arrangement. Both definitions are also out-of-date. In contemporary culture, the word has a wealth of connotations.

 

Despite what Nelly's representative says, in the real world, on the streets of any city, 'pimp' still means what it says in the dictionary. But as the fantasy world of MTV and hip hop culture co-exists with the real world it also means many other things, too. In hip hop, and more recently pop culture, 'pimp' has become synonymous with 'bling'. In DBC Pierre's cult novel, Vernon God Little, the 15-year-old anti-hero Vernon pimps out his school friend, Ella. He knows only too well that, "pimps are already an accepted thing these days, check any TV-movie. Lovable even, some of them, with their leopard skin Cadillacs, and their purple Stetsons. Their bit[che]s and all." (p134) Ok, so the source of Vernon's image appears to be seventies TV-movies; contemporary pimps favour heavily branded sports gear and flashy rocks. They don't court 'cuddly' compliments either. It doesn't fit in with their tough guy/big dick image. Or their hatred of homosexuals.

 

Nelly is the father of a little girl, who according to VIBE magazine is a 'baby-doll cute daughter'. I wonder what his aspirations are for her. I wonder what he would think if she decided to become a dancer and got her bottom 'swiped' by a man calling himself a pimp? So long as she was a 'paid worker who willingly participated' would he be well up for it?

 

OK, so it's not Britney's job to be aware of the worldwide relentless rape of girls and women. But the media and some newspaper journalists seem to be entirely oblivious to the dangers of embracing the word 'pimp'. When Barbara Ellen wrote about Britney's wedding in the Observer magazine on 26 September, she mentioned the tracksuits fleetingly but did not question them. Her only point was this: "Britney's weddings, both of them, indeed Britney's entire behaviour over the past few years, seems to be coming from the same place - her tortuous split from childhood sweetheart and fiancé, Justin Timberlake.' Wow.

 

Sam Deleaney seemed equally insensitive and strangely over-zealous about the whole pimp thing in his feature on the MTV show 'Pimp My Ride', which appeared in the Guardian Guide on July 31st. In the show, rapper Xzbit gives ordinary folks' old bangers a pimp makeover. Deleaney translates the hip-hop slang, "Pimp My Ride" as roughly, Make My Car Make Me Look Like I'm A Pimp. He describes the show as, 'MTV's new family entertainment hit' and makes the sweeping and frankly bizarre claim that, "Everybody wants to look like a pimp these days." Deleaney uses the word 'pimp' as casually as the self-styled pimp, Xzbit. Without a hint of irony. Without question.

 

Hundreds of thousands of girls and women, many just children as young as 13, are being forced into prostitution by traffickers every year. The US State Department believes the figure to be between 600,000 to 800,000 people. Demand is high all over Western Europe and men are raping trafficked children here in Britain. Many of the victims are as young as 13, from Eastern Europe. Here, the export of human beings is big business. According to a report by Save the Children, up to 90% of girls living in rural areas in Albania have simply stopped attending school for fear of abduction.

 

Threats to kill their families, brutal beatings and rape keep them enslaved for years on end. Some of them are in legal and therefore 'acceptable' brothels in Amsterdam, most in criminal syndicates all over the world. Last year, The Guardian reported the harrowing story of a trafficked Albanian teenager who was forced into prostitution in Britain. For around three months she was made to work in a grimy Paddington brothel, enduring up to 16 hours of sex each day. "One night I had 26 customers," she recalled. "After work," the story depressingly revealed, "the pimps would rape her one by one, tie her down and use her naked belly to snort cocaine." I read this and felt a deep, deep hatred for the men who dare to treat another, more vulnerable human being in this way. I felt a deep fear for the future of all girls and women.

 

Last month, the Observer magazine's special report on human trafficking told more stories of children kidnapped from the villages of Albania and Moldova. Now another girl's hell has come to haunt me, too. She was an orphan who was abandoned by her boyfriend when she became pregnant. With the promise of work, she agreed to go to Moscow. There she was enslaved and forced to work beneath a railway bridge, for which her traffickers paid local police. Some 'clients' kept her for several days and brought their friends. One man kept her for three or four days in a basement and invited 20 men. When she objected, the pregnant girl was called a 'btch'.

 

Do I make my point?

 

Rachel Bell

November 2004

Source

[Faarax-Brawn]

Hiya!

 

Am gonna start from bottom down!, thats how we pimps do it. You asked, am i making my point?

 

And i respond to a resounding NO!

 

You are prolly gonna ask, well you are a chauvanist eh?. well sure but here me out.

 

 

Anyways, this here paragraph got my attention.

 

His video for Tip Drill features scores of strippers lap-dancing for Nelly and his chums. We’ve seen this before but what made this video particularly charming is the chorus line, "It must be your a[ss] cause it ain't your face'' and Nelly swiping his credit card down a dancer's ar

e crack. Nice.

Brothas, can i get an amen if this particular scene was the best scene of 2004?

 

Now, if you ask me, this writer is feeling Nelly and would like to be swipped. and or she wanted to be on that video so much,but was turned down.i think shes flat ared.

 

I will be back to go all ngoon-ge-ish on you.

and oh read my pm

[Valenteenah.]

^^ By all means.

 

You don't believe she's made her point, eh? Dear Chauvinist, perhaps you would feel differently if your are was the one getting swiped. Shall I get my MasterCard out?

[- Femme -]

^^Don't spoil your Mastercard, VR. You will surely need it later. How about a knife?

[Baashi]

That was a good read VR.

 

Now I have few questions if you don't mind: What drives the singers to act this way? Is this “show me more bare skin†thing market driven business where demand-supply equation dictates what sells? What does this huge demand for this line of business say about the society’s morality? Why would anyone want to excuse mature and sane women who are willing to submit to degradation? Is there a need for government oversight? Can government legislate morality? If not how do you prevent consumers who have appetite for these types of products?

[Faarax-Brawn]

Originally posted by Velvet Revolution:

^^ By all means.

 

You don't believe she's made her point, eh? Dear

Chauvinist, perhaps you would feel differently if your ar

e was the one getting swiped. Shall I get my MasterCard out?

Lol!. i thought we were talking about her?, why am in this?(since i didnt talk about your a$$, why is my a$$ an issue?)

 

to answer Your Q, i will come back to you when and if my wife agrees to it, fair?

 

 

femme: well what could you possibly do with a knife?, seriously?

 

Baashi: what on earth is you on about?, have you replaced Ngoone in this 'ask rhetorical q's'session?

[Valenteenah.]

Oh God Baashi...too many questions! I only have another hour to get through a tonne of work, so I can't address your questions in much depth.

 

What drives the singers to act this way?

 

I honestly couldn't tell you. I suppose they buy into the 'sex sells' modern mentally. In the case of Rappers and the like, it might even be a dream come true. What's more cooler than driving a flash car, being draped in diamonds and frollicking with naked women? The image has been solidly sold to them and they're busy peddling it to the next generation.

 

 

Is this “show me more bare skin†thing market driven business where demand-supply equation dictates what sells?

 

In Hip-Hop culture, I think the supply drives the demand. If you consider the fact that most fans are young males, it only makes sense that they wouldn't mind watching semi-pornographic videos and listening to sexually-explicit lyrics [see Chauvinist above].

 

 

LoL @ FF.

[Faarax-Brawn]

Originally posted by Velvet Revolution:

 

 

In Hip-Hop culture, I think the supply drives the demand. If you consider the fact that most fans are young males, it only makes sense that they wouldn't mind watching semi-pornographic videos and listening to sexually-explicit lyrics [see

Chauvinist

above].

 

 

[/QB]

HeHeHe!So, you accept me as the new Gardener/toyBoy?, i hear they are quite in demand (I just responded to an ad in the 'spinisters forever magazine)

[Baashi]

Originally posted by *Chauvinist*:

Baashi: what on earth is you on about?, have you replaced Ngoone in this 'ask rhetorical q's'session?

 

 

Chauvinist, I'm on shaah sxb. U should try it bro. It is better than crack, weed combined! Once u go shaah, u stay shaah...I guaranteed

[Valenteenah.]

Lol!. i thought we were talking about her?, why am in this?(since i didnt talk about your a$$, why is my a$$ an issue?)

 

to answer Your Q, i will come back to you when and if my wife agrees to it, fair?

Fair.

 

Regarding your first question, I thought putting yourself in that situation might make you view the issue from a different perspective. Or maybe not, seeing as you're *pimpadelic*.

[- Femme -]

femme: well what could you possibly do with a knife?, seriously?

Hmmmm...I was thinking that the crap thats coming out of your mouth should come out naturally.

But seriously, I hate to see VR ruin her Mastercard <---too important to be messed up.

 

It was a good article VR---Im addicted to Pimp My Ride ----> what does that say? :confused:

 

I dont know but I dont feel any sympathy or pity for the women in music videos---I think they made their choice...theyre grown up women and minds of their own. No one is twisting their arms behind their backs.

 

LOL@Baashi. You just discovered it now?

[Faarax-Brawn]

You probably did not get me right.

 

I am gonna repeat it for you, i said what could you possibly do with a knife?

 

Please dont give me this responCe.

 

Hmmmm...I was thinking that the crap thats coming out of your mouth should come out naturally.

But seriously, I hate to see VR ruin her Mastercard <---too important to be messed up.

Baashi: Thanks But, going on shaax is not HARD, How did you get off the CRACK and Weed(combined as you said), and made the switch easily?]

 

much apprecieted if u asnwer me (please dont be like femme)

 

VR: i have an answer from MY wife. let me know if you want to hear it or nt

[Baashi]

^

Will tell u all about it if u really wanna kno. I don’t know if you can follow through the program though, this one is very tough act bro.

 

U gotta be big bad azz pimp to enroll it. To get u started, u gotta pass the self-esteem quiz. You don’t fail this quiz and all it does is tell us where ur self-esteem metric is at and how bad hustler u’ve really been. That’s all! From there, we gonna get down biz! Are u up to the task kidos? I’ve seen many pimp-gang wannabees who watched too much BET and r very good imitating. U r no biggie!

 

Try this: three libton tea bags with 1/16†long qorfe stick, two heel seeds, and 1/8 sanjabeel dust, and one cup of hot water. This dose can make any novice appreciate the healing power of shaah. This is a powerful stuff! Even P Diddy is thinking to endorse this nomad invention U need to get that dose before you ask me more questions. That way we will be on the same frequency! Capisci!

 

Barwaaqo,

Tell me about the supply drives the demand theory!

 

Femme,

Yeah! this is not ur typical Kismayo waarikoow Translation: this is not kitchen Shaah. This shaah is the real deal.

[Faarax-Brawn]

Originally posted by Baashi:

^

Will tell u all about it if u really wanna kno. I don’t know if you can follow through the program though, this one is very tough act bro.

 

U gotta be big bad azz pimp to enroll it. To get u started, u gotta pass the self-esteem quiz. You don’t fail this quiz and all it does is tell us where ur self-esteem metric is at and how bad hustler u’ve really been. That’s all! From there, we gonna get down biz! Are u up to the task kidos? I’ve seen many pimp-gang wannabees who watched too much BET and r very good imitating. U r no biggie!

 

 

*this here sounds like upcoming episode of 'how am living'

 

 

Try this: three libton tea bags with 1/16†long

qorfe

stick, two

heel

seeds, and

1/8 sanjabeel

dust, and one cup of hot water. This dose can make any novice appreciate the healing power of

shaah

. This is a powerful stuff! Even P Diddy is thinking to endorse this nomad invention

U need to get that dose before you ask me more questions. That way we will be on the same frequency! Capisci!

HeHeHE!*you could put Martha to shame,You sheikh! YOU!

 

That waarikow,is offa hook.

 

 

Back to the topic.

 

I have a Quetsion for you miss/Mrs VR. Is it that tthe kids think pimpng is kool, or is that they see cool rappers like nelly and f'tty use words like that, and hence the fear the author is worried about?

 

If you ask me Mrs/Miss VR(i have a feelng theres no MR VR! but thats a diff story), Whats the role of parents in this?. Is it ultimatly teh parents who have responsibility to what kids watch eh>

[Blessed]

^^lol. What a clown you is

 

In a nutshell, commercial hip hop is weak, so is everything else on the charts! However, I find that the writer is one dimensional in her views. It's not simply an issue about male artist who lack respect for women... it's an industry based on the notion that sex sells... Many women also endorse this crap- take Foxy Brown, Lil Kim, even church girls like DC went ‘slapper-happy’ on us. Which is why remains popular.

 

I guess there are people who enjoy this form of entertainment and as long as there is a market. These artists will continue to deliver.

 

 

*I needs tea....Baashe