This week, Trey Songz released his new album “Chapter V.” VH1 was hosting an “Ask Trey” session where people could send in questions and one of them might get asked. To take advantage of the opportunity to have Trey Songz address his most recent single, I tweeted the following question:
For those that are unfamiliar with the song, here’s the chorus:
I only came here for two reasons I came by… I only came for the b-tches and the drinks B-tches and the drinks, b-tches and the drinks For the b-tches, came for B-tches and the drinks, b-tches and the drinks Baby can you get some Only came for the b-tches and the drinks Baby get your a-s up That’s why I came forI first saw this video on an entertainment blog. The beat dropped, I saw T.I. so I got excited; Trey Songz was releasing another great song that will be played at very party! But when it got to the chorus, I paused. “Why do we have to be called b*tches?” Ladies and drinks sounds soooo much better and I’m sure no one wants to be referred to as a b. Plus, wasn’t he just singing about love on his last single? “2 Reasons” will be one song I just listen to on the radio or out at a party. I can’t take hearing that chorus over and over again.
But Songz isn’t the only artist to refer to women as b*tches and he won’t be the last. Hip-Hop and some R&B music is filled with this word and misogynistic imagery. And let’s keep it real; as much as we (women) complain about it, we still listen to it on the radio, purchase the music on iTunes and sing it in the club. As many people that hate it, there are just a few more who don’t mind it because “it is just a song” or “they only like the song because of the beat.” I’ll be the first to admit I have some Hip-Hop offenders on my iTunes. And as offensive as these songs can be, the real problem we face is when this type of music begins to affect the behavior of men and women.
Lupe Fiasco released a video called “B*tch Bad” addressing what happens when this mentality of a “bad b*tch” infiltrates to the minds of young children. Girls grow up thinking a tight skirt and pretty face is what is desired while boys think it is a term of endearment leading to the miscommunication between the sexes. That is part of the reason why we see women today calling each b*thes and guys referring to women as one. And as much as we listen to it and just let it brush off our shoulders, at the end of the day, it is not a compliment and the messages that are portrayed today have the power to influence the way we interact with each other.
Lupe Fiasco, thank you for this!
What do you think of the word b*tch and Lupe Fiasco’s video?
