BRAVERY IN BUTTS

CAUTION: This article is not manufactured to adhere to societal and personal standards and values of the reader.  This article contains nothing but radical analysis written to penetrate and widen the narrowly and rigidly sculpted minds shaped by society, religion and media.

Nicki Minaj = Female Empowerment

Come on.

Spit it out.

Not your saliva. Eww.

Say it. I promise not to condemn your soul.

Fine, I’ll go guess.

I know you mentally replaced the equal sign with an inequality sign.

Basically because her music breathes nothing but women degrading lyrics on;

bitches, bills, bang-bang …

And butts.

It is a mortal sin to neglect the concept of butts when speaking of Nicki Minaj.

That’s fine.

In fact, I also placed an inequality sign as well for the same reasons that you did.

I thought I was right.

But then...

I figured, at some points, I was wrong.

Bravery in Butts: The agent of contemporary radical feminism

Equipped with a contentious lyrics topped off with a blatantly unorthodox music video, Nicki Minaj’s Anaconda is a song irresistible to neglect.

Minaj’s song, delivered with such tantalizing allure, is so infectious to the extent that it has even penetrated audiences belonging to vast ranges of ages and races. The masses sing and sway to its rhythm, which they perceive to be nothing but a superficial and catchy string of rhyming and slang words. As paradoxical as it may seem, Anaconda is not a simple mash of random words but a strategically blended lyrics fashioned to attack on societal discrimination.

In a radio interview with Rikki Martinez of Power 106 Los Angeles, Minaj combats the alleged “shallowness” of Anaconda by revealing the fact that the intriguing song is actually a feminism propaganda that pursues for female empowerment against size discrimination, racism and masochism. Unlike famous celebrity feminists like Emma Watson who pick up microphones to give empowering talks, Nicki Minaj radically assaults these episodes of discrimination by dropping unapologetic vocabulary and of course, her butt.

Due to Anaconda, Minaj had been an unceasing recipient of bombarding criticisms. Criticisms ranging from her record being “overboard” to completely “incongruous”, a result mostly accounted by the showcased lascivious dancing.

Minaj elegantly fights back criticism and explains that the prominence of butt shaking in the music video interprets her relentless onslaught against size discrimination. The artist reveals that she handpicked dancers with booty, which resembled an everyday girl, because she does not want to send an erroneous message to people on beauty being all about a size one. The platinum awarded singer adds that having curves and a couple of extra pounds is completely fine and that women should learn to embrace the beauty of their every curve and pound.

Aside from the choreography, the obscenity evident in the lyrics of Anaconda also became a common subject of the pop singer’s critics.  Critics argue that the lyric convey nothing but sex, drugs and well, more sex. Minaj openly considers this criticism and even admits that her song refers to a woman having a great “slumber party”.

Her detractors may seem to have an acceptable argument, however, their assertion is far ancient and redundant to bring up to the table once again. Since the 1900’s, sex has swept over music and film, with men openly convicting sexual dominance over women. Up to date, this phenomenon continues to infiltrate 21st century pop culture with record-breaking hits like Jason Derulo’s “Talk Dirty”, Blackstreet’s “No Diggity”, and Chris Brown’s “Strip”. All of these masochistic songs depict “degrading sex” in its lyrics and music video. According to a study authored by team of doctors led by Dr. Brian Primack, an assistant vice chancellor for research on health and society in University of Pittsburgh,

“Degrading sex involves three particular attributes: (1) one person (usually male) has a seemingly insatiable sexual appetite, (2) the other person (usually female) is objectified, and (3) sexual value is placed solely on physical characteristics.

“Degrading and Non-Degrading Sex in Popular Music: A Content Analysis” obtained from US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health

Talk Dirty, Strip and No Diggity are unfortunately three of the many songs that have contents which conforms to the definition above. In Jason Derulo’s hit, he mentions saving a girl’s contact number in his phone under the name of “Big Booty”. Chris Brown’s song objectified women as commodities based on a premise that women would simply strip their clothes on for him throwing money.  Joining Derulo and Brown is Blackstreet, who even perceived women like apartments that have rent payments.

Nicki Minaj takes on the challenge of eradicating masochism in music and removing the suffocating women objectification of social norms by composing a song about a woman’s past sexual affairs with different men. Highlighting women dominance in every cited intimacy.

Boy toy named Troy used to live in Detroit

Big dope dealer money, he was getting some coins

Was in shootouts with the law, but he live in a palace

Bought me Alexander McQueen, he was keeping me stylish

This dude named Michael used to ride motorcycles

Dick bigger than a tower, I ain't talking about Eiffel's

Real country ass nigga, let me play with his rifle

Pussy put his ass to sleep, now he calling me NyQuil

By the way, what he say?

He can tell I ain't missing no meals

Come through and fuck 'em in my automobile

Let him eat it with his grills,

He keep telling me to chill

He keep telling me it's real, that he love my sex appeal

He said he don't like 'em boney, he want something he can grab

So I pulled up in the Jag, and I hit 'em with the jab like...

Excerpts from Nicki Minaj’s Anaconda

Obtained from www.azlyrics.com

The rapper also explains the purposely included a banana chopping scene in the video. Saying that it demonstrates women not as sexual instruments maneuvered by men. Minaj says that her banana-chopping act in the kitchen pronounces women having complete supremacy over their bodies.

“At first I’m being sexual with the banana, and then it’s like, ‘Ha-ha, no.’

“Yeah, that was important for us to show in the kitchen scene, because it’s always about the female taking back the power, and if you want to be flirty and funny that’s fine, but always keeping the power and the control in everything.”

Finally, Minaj wages war against racism through releasing a jaw-dropping and equally explicit cover art to go with her album. The cover art contains a photo of Minaj only in bra, Jordans and thongs.  She, in sophistication, slaps off the faces of her critics by posting a picture of slim white women wearing thongs alone beside her cover art. She then questions the public on why is butt showcasing acceptable for white slender women and not for curvy black women.

Obtained from: www.vibe.com

Nicki Minaj’s utilization of butts as a radical agent and ammunition of contemporary feminism against size, gender and racial discrimination is such a feat. It may seem to be “too much” or even “intensely immoral” for you to swallow but in a world where sometimes men don’t know when to pull the breaks an opinionated woman is needed to shut men’s insensible mouth.

Do not let norms confine your neurons from considering this out-of-your-comfort-zone perspective and ask yourself:

Was I ever guilty of mentally or physically labeling curvy women as ugly and unattractive? Had I ever reacted this violently towards unclothed white and fair skinned slender women on men magazine covers? Or if I ever did the same ravaging response upon hearing men sing explicit and gender degrading songs?

Silent?

Torn?

Cerebrally raped?

Liberate the mind. Feed the stomach. Free the soul.

#ThinkDeeperBeHigher

Written by Ma. Kyna Marquez

Art by Antonnette Tamonan

Writertwitter: @anykairam

          Ma. Kyna Marquezinstagram: @anykairam

Part-time "kumakyna" machine
Never a Maria
Always remarqable

Contributor

          Antonnette Tamonan

Fickle-minded and nefarious
Creative and delirious