What will be your reaction, if you ever heard a rap song called “Rape Rap”? Wait, if the name of the song isn’t self explanatory enough for you, I will give you the basic synopsis of the song. In this song, the singer relishes his fantasy/experience of savagely raping a helpless woman. I am hoping that your only possible reaction will be of shock, disgust and utter horror. Yet, such a decadently lavish display of misogyny was not only produced, but has been widely circulated to an international audience since 2006. The credit to this derogatory song goes to none other than the star Punjabi rapper, Yo Yo Honey Singh.
Being Punjabi myself, I have nothing but absolute respect for the ethnic Punjabi music industry. We have the most beautiful songs which can compete with any form of international music in terms of their emotional and spiritual depths. Yet, recent years have seen people’s preference shifting from traditional Punjabi music to Punjabi gangsta rap. Punjabi gangster rap, like its North American father (which it religiously tries to emulate) is a multimillion dollar industry erected entirely upon objectification of women.
The nosedive of Punjabi rap started when countless videos displaying scantily clad women dancing in clubs going crazy over wannabe rappers went unchecked; and has culminated in songs like Main Hun Balatkari (I am a rapist) and Choot (Vagina) having become cult hits. While researching this blog post, I had to read the lyrics to these songs, and trust me I could not go past the first verse. The sheer lewdness and sexual deviance shamed the most misogynistic North American rap song I had ever listened to. What troubled me the most was the fact, that these lyrics came to light only now in the wake of the Delhi gang rape case even though they are in wide circulation since 2006.
This is where the proverbial 'light at the end of the tunnel' enters our story. We have a heroine here. Kalpana Misra, an Indian blogger and activist, started an online campaign against the rapper’s New Year night concert in an up class hotel on Change.org. She managed to garner more than 2600 supporters (men and women) in the first 24 hours. Social media created a powerful ripple effect which resulted in outraged remarks by thousands of people on Twitter. Soon after, massive media coverage followed and the hotel managers had to cancel the show. The campaign even reached the neighboring Pakistan, where Honey Singh was scheduled to perform, and where he enjoys a huge fan base. This episode has sent out a strong message to the Indian Music industry: that from now on they are under close scrutiny; that misogyny and objectification of women are not acceptable; that women have had enough; that rape is rape and sex is sex, and distinction between the two must be clearly understood.
Learning Experience:
I chose to write about this incident because in my opinion, it is a small but meaningful event in the context of development and women rights. In the past, I have conveniently ignored misogynistic descriptions of women in media, even though I loathed them. I created a shell and taught myself to look past magazine covers and ignore vile rap songs, not out of choice but to keep my sanity intact. It’s difficult to be a woman in this world and it’s further difficult to be a woman of color because we face discrimination on multiple levels. Lending out our voice to a cause immediately labels us as feminists (which has a very bad connotation) and even homosexuals (both of which I do not have a problem with personally, but these labels tend to discourage intelligent discourse). Kalpana Misra’s courageous example is inspirational and has taught women like me that we should believe in the power of ripple effects. We shouldn’t be scared of what we are not comfortable with. We should report, campaign and use social media to our advantage. We should be on the lookout for such songs and images which depict us as anything but living, breathing, fellow human beings. We should create awareness not just for women but for our brothers, boyfriends, husbands and sons.
So what do you think about this story? What are your thoughts on Honey Singh and rap music in general (Any type of rap music)? What solutions do you put forth for the reduction of objectification in the rap music industry? Please let me know. Thanks.
Oh my goodness. And here I thought American rap was bad. This story makes me wonder about the impact fictional (stories, lyrics, games) culture can have on real culture, considering the high-profile rape cases of recent history. I think that strict and stronger laws against rape that improve conviction rates could have an impact, however, I think what really needs to happen is a cultural shift. We need to be teaching boys and young men (and the older ones who don't seem to have caught on) that they need to treat women as equal in the human race, and that women deserve respectful interaction. Rape and sexual harassment need to become social taboos to truly change the way culture is shaped.
ReplyDeleteI personally am a fan of rap, from the 1980's to the present, and like all genres it has its letdowns. As a genre it is generalized and beatup because of horrible "artists" like this. I really think hip hop more than other music types is a sensitive indicator of social norms in lower income groups. I don't know if that's the case with Punjabi rappers but we see it here in N.American Hip Hop. I'm glad there are Ms.Misras' in the world to bring light to these issues, if enough light is on them they'll stop. Or be punished. You're in a noble cause fighting for womens' rights; we all have mothers, sisters, aunts, daughters, grandmothers... and they should be given all the respect in the world.
ReplyDeleteHi Corey,
DeleteGreat comment and I apologize for being sounding like as if I generalized rap music. I will edit my post to replace rap with the gangsta rap , which is what I am essentially talking about. I agree with you regarding hip hop's tendencies of portraying issues of the minorities. I personally love rap and hip hop, but I have very few artists which I like and listen to and they convey great messages and use their music is a strong social tool.
Punjabi rap is an offshoot of the gangsta rap culture. There are numerous underground Punjabi rappers who are making great music but they are not that popular as the gangsta rappers. So the on-air material is often extremely violent and contains massive misogynistic elements. You are right that all genres of music have their letdowns. Rock music is considered even more depreciative to women's rights than the rap music.
Thanks for understanding the depth of this issue and giving your valuable feedback.
Ok. Let me go a bit off track. You know girls love his songs. And especially the gross one. Nobody these days takes music so seriously. Its only the perverts who for no reason have boners even if a good looking chick passes by. We are all adults and have sense enough to not get influenced by this passive aggressive bullshit.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I totally hate the song. Its a pathetic perverted song and its lyrics are really gross.
Maybe its just the beginning of a revolution. Mind you, in the earlier times even Jazz was considered to be vulgar music, and it was. Lets see what time has in store for the pervert. But I seriously don't see a bright future for such nonsense. :)
The issue that I would take the the lyrics are that those who are listening to it are not all adults. Instead, you have young minds who are still building their understanding of acceptable cultural norms and practices. Accordingly, a young mind might not be as critical as you suggest. Instead, you breed rape culture which can perpetuate these violent acts that are depicted in the lyrics of this and other artists' songs. Rape culture can lead to meaning things including the acceptance of rape as an "occupational hazard" (as is considered in the US Military in 2012) or as the result of provocative women or temptresses who lure men into committing these acts because women who wear skirts are "teases" and "asking for it". That whole concept seems far fetched, but it is our reality! Take CNN's coverage of recent Steubenville rape trail which essentially removed the victim from the equation and painted the perpetrators as the victims of a childish crime. Rape is not a childish crime, but the culture that perpetuate rape is childish, and incomplete and needs to be reconsidered.
DeleteI think indian movies/songs in general are becoming more provocative (images, lyrics, attitudes) than in the past, and all this is being pushed onto a conservative society. some may argue that indias population is developing and very "modernized" but i think that majority of the population and those who watch these movies and listen to these songs are from a conservative background. This in my opinion creates a conflict in values (traditional/cultural/religious norms vs. what they see/hear on TV.
ReplyDeleteI think its really great that you bring matter up because it is an issue which doesn't seem to be looked at enough or given importance. I also like the caption posted under the picture.