Anais Gutierrez
Nicki Minaj discussed misogyny in the music industry trough her Twitter account on Wednesday. The rapper delivered a rant about the concerning issue after being praised by rapper Russ.
This isn’t the first time Minaj points out to sexism in the music game, and in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, sexism in the industry has become something to point out to.
Nicki delivering some truths
The rapper let loose a series of tweets about growing sexism in the music industry on Wednesday.
The rant was ignited by a complimentary tweet from ‘What They Want’ rapper Russ, who took social media to post his ‘Rap Radar’ interview, in which he pretty much says Nicki’s the greatest in the industry. In the clip he says, “You know who else people really need to start putting respect on is Nicki Minaj — period.”
Later on, he added that Minaj “birthed so many females” and that her style has influenced a lot of artists who came after her.Following the complimentary tweet, Minaj thanked Russ’s praise and then further expounded on Russ’ points in a series of Tweets.
Minaj took things to a whole new level when exemplified the lack of respect to female artists by saying that most other artists will collaborate with male rappers because they are respected as good rappers in the industry. But when it comes to getting people to collaborate with her it’s because “someone pulled a gun to their heads.”
Sexism in the music industry is a cause Nicki Minaj has addressed before and feels strongly about.
In her 2010 MTV Documentary ‘My Time Now,’ Nicki addressed the dismissive labels applied to women who make waves in the industry and demand equal amounts of respect.
“When I am assertive, I’m a b—h. When a man is assertive, he’s a boss. He bossed up. No negative connotation behind ‘bossed up.’ But lots of negative connotation behind being a b—h.”
In 2014, she took the rant to Twitter when she revived an interview with Ebro Darden, in which she disclosed gripes with music journalism and male radio personalities.
“Because people listen to you guys, and that’s why I’m so hard on radio people. I’m like, come on. Tell the people the truth. Don’t sugarcoat s–t, don’t say I’m ‘good for a girl,’ say what it is,” she said.
This was so nice of you my love, thank you 🙏🏽 https://t.co/FmQNaR3Gtf
— NICKI MINAJ (@NICKIMINAJ) October 25, 2017
In any field, women must work TWICE as hard to even get HALF the respect her male counterparts get. When does this stop?
— NICKI MINAJ (@NICKIMINAJ) October 25, 2017
The greats collaborated w/Drake, Kendrick & Jcole b/c they’re dope MC’s. They collab’d w/nicki cuz someone pulled a gun to their heads… 😴🤣
— NICKI MINAJ (@NICKIMINAJ) October 25, 2017
Kendrick’s tweet from 7 years ago. This is so telling. And scary. I’d have to wear some baggy pants n timbs for men to openly give props. https://t.co/r6fEjSJZPl
— NICKI MINAJ (@NICKIMINAJ) October 25, 2017
Putting ppl in the same sentence as me after my 10 years of consistent winning. What are you teaching THEM? They’d never do this to a man.
— NICKI MINAJ (@NICKIMINAJ) October 25, 2017
Sexisim and sexual harrassment in the industry has become more clear
The string of allegations against Harvey Weinstein and the snowball effect it had made several women feel comfortable enough to come forward to accuse other entertainment industry moguls. Bringing sexual harassment to a spotlight.
However, these eventsare confined to the film industry and now the music industry is too under scrutiny.
Earlier this month, Halsey pointed out the lack of female artists nominated for the American Music Awards.Rihanna and Halsey are the only nominees, while men are nominated in every category.
Back in January, Madonna delivered a powerful speech about sexism in the industry during the Billboard’s Women in Music Awards.
“I stand before you as a doormat. Oh, I mean, as a female entertainer,” Madonna said.
“Thank you for acknowledging my ability to continue my career for 34 years in the face of blatant sexism and misogyny and constant bullying and relentless abuse.” Much of her speech focused on the misogyny in the music industry as well as society.
“I was of course inspired by Debbie Harry and Chrissie Hynde and Aretha Franklin, but my real muse was David Bowie. He embodied male and female spirit and that suited me just fine. He made me think there were no rules, ” she said,
“But I was wrong. There are no rules – if you’re a boy. There are rules if you’re a girl.”
“If you’re a girl, you have to play the game. You’re allowed to be pretty and cute and sexy. But don’t act too smart. Don’t have an opinion that’s out of line with the status quo. You are allowed to be objectified by men and dress like a slut, but don’t own your sluttiness,” she went on denouncing the sexism in the industry.
Female artists on sexism in the industry
Female artists have addressed the issue on different occasions, airing their thoughts on it and expressing the ways sexism is present in the industry.
“You know, equality is a myth, and for some reason, everyone accepts the fact that women don’t make as much money as men do. I don’t understand that. Why do we have to take a backseat?” —GQ
Lily Allen
“You will also notice of the big successful female artists, there is always a ‘man behind the woman’ piece. If it’s Beyoncé, it’s Jay Z. If it’s Adele, it’s Paul Epworth. Me? It was Mark Ronson and the same with Amy Winehouse. You never get that with men. You can’t think of the man behind the man. Because it is a conversation that never happens. If you are Ed Sheeran or someone, no one ever talks about who has produced or who is the man behind Ed Sheeran.” —NME
Björk
“I want to support young girls who are in their twenties now and tell them, ‘You’re not just imagining things.’ It’s tough. Everything that a guy says once, you have to say five times.” —Pitchfork
Lady Gaga
“I want to show women they don’t need to try to keep up with the 19-year-olds and the 21-year-olds in order to have a hit. Women in music, they feel like they need to f-cking sell everything to be a star. It’s so sad. I want to explode as I go into my thirties.” —Billboard
Miley Cyrus
“There is so much sexism, ageism, you name it. Kendrick Lamar sings about LSD, and he’s cool. I do it, and I’m a druggie whore.” —Marie Claire
“You’re going to have people who are going to say, ‘Oh, you know, like, she just writes songs about her ex-boyfriends.’ And I think frankly that’s a very sexist angle to take. No one says that about Ed Sheeran. No one says that about Bruno Mars. They’re all writing songs about their exes, their current girlfriends, their love life, and no one raises the red flag there.” —Time
“I absolutely have encountered sexism in the music industry. I don’t look at myself as a victim. I think some people just are not taught any better. And certain behavior has been passed down and it’s been accepted, and I think it’s up to us as women not to accept it and lead by example. I won’t allow myself to be oppressed.” —NME
Source: Mashable
