Real hot girl shit
Yeah, I’m in my bag, but I’m in his too
And that’s why every time you see me, I got some new shoes
Ah, mwah
When you think of it, it is amazing rap music still has a shock effect. Now that hip hop has taken an impressive part of music streams, it still shocks and puzzles a large audience. Rap & hip hop, in general, were rooted in gangster culture and illegal trafficking: doing & selling drugs, sex trafficking, etc. Plus, the general atmosphere of competition and aggression linked to illegal trafficking, the idea of being the best, of being on the top of the food chain, and attack anyone who is not. In two words: traffic and status. “Gangster life” is of course not the only element of rap culture, which is also deeply political and poetic, but it is this element that sticks, mostly for detractors. Sex, drugs, murder, insults, showing off money… So vulgar! Rap is especially frowned upon for demeaning women, of making them the currency of a rappers’ success. The figure of the pimp is indeed considered as positive, with many tracks I heard through my teenage years: P.I.M.P by 50 Cents, Big Pimpin by Jay Z. But what about the voices of the women in this sex business?
I believe the experience of sex workers has taken a bigger place in recent years, with the emergence (or re-emergence?) of female rappers. Nicki Minaj, City Girls, Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, Saweetie… Even if they don’t have the actual experience of using sex as a way of making money, they still talk in their lyrics about the world of sex work, even as a metaphor for their own work, rapping, hustling. It is now pervasive even in more mainstream songs. For example, 6-inch heels by Beyoncé refers to her work as an entertainer and singer, but also the work of stripteasers (famous for their 6-inch heels shoes):
Stars in her eyes
She fights for the power, keeping time
She grinds day and night
She grinds from Monday to Friday
Work from Friday to Sunday, oh
And when I talk about sex work, the situations they are describing cannot be summed up only by classical prostitution or strip-tease only. The logic of sex favors VS money is also a cornerstone of their global relationships with men who they do not describe as clients, but also boyfriend. Even in a “traditional” relationship, they will wait for the boyfriend to provide expensive gifts and cold cash. Which is… very traditional when you think of it. How are these female rappers so different from a fifties housewife, looking for financial well-being in a man?
So you have the traffic element, with sex work. But what about status? In rap made by women, you have this “boss bitch” element where the female rapper will tell everyone how she’s aggressively independent and the best at her work, the top of the food chain. But being a “boss bitch” while relying on other men’s money could be a lot of mind work. Female rappers are stating as a matter of fact how this sex for money ethic is the path to financial autonomy.
But how can these female rappers assert their aggressive autonomy, especially from men, when in sex work you’ll need to rely on men’s money to gain this autonomy?
The difference between female rappers and housewives holds in three points. First, they openly state that sex work is work and even a lot of work where the competition is fierce. The second difference is the amount at stake: they are not waiting for pocket money or a vacuum cleaner. And finally, they are not looking for the best of both worlds, courtly love and money: they claim they are keeping a clear head and are treating their benefactors as expendable sources of income.
Work and competition are autonomy
As we can hear in Beyoncé’s lyrics, every sex work is a lot of work and should be respected as such. Not only you need to have the right attributes (the body, the charms), but also the social intelligence of tricking a man into thinking you’re worth a lot of his money. Bravery and intelligence, these are the key aspect of “finesse”, as it is defined by Urban Dictionary: “An art of persuasion or trickery in which an individual is able to get something they want with the cunning prowess of an illusionist”. As Megan Thee Stallion says in Poledancer: “All of these n*s be begging for pussy /Ain’t giving it to ’em, I’m making ’em pay me / I’ma finesse him, and I’ma romance him”. Here Megan is showing her illusionist skill in tricking men into romance. Besides, she is equating her work with pole-dancing, a dance that asks for a lot of physical strength while looking effortless dancing it.
Dancing for seducing is hard work, and dancing for free is shown as weak and foolish. To quote the very famous lyrics of Cardi B: “I don’t dance, I make money move” (Bodak Yellow). Why spend so much energy and skill with no consideration in return?
Money is autonomy
The money female rappers talk about is obviously not pocket money. The sums at stake are so huge the benefactors will not be left unharmed: “N* fuck once and his ass going bankrupt” (City Girls, Period (We Live)). The benefactor will have to pay for ostentatious gifts from luxury brands, especially Gucci, like in Cash Shit:
I can’t decide if I want the new Louis
Dapper Dan yellow, I’m always in Gucci
The common wordplay for this logic is on the word “bag”, comparing the actual designer bag with the symbolic use of bag. Here again from Urban Dictionary: “a bag is a large goal, typically one of the three categories: money, material goal / a larger goal in your life / a literal bag, in which you can store things in (like money or marijuana)”
The idea is to take from men mainly symbols of status (car, shoes, designer bags) and not necessary goods. Those who do so are losers: “You the type that’s fuckin’ for the rent (you a thot)” (Saweetie, My Type) or “Walking all over the n*, so he buy me all my shoes / Quit calling him a trick if he only buy you food, ay” (Megan Thee Stallion, Freak Nasty). In my opinion, someone paying someone’s else rent is giving a lot of money. But rent is not ostentatious when a Gucci bag is.
This symbol of success helps show the competition (the other women on this sex work market) the success and the financial achievement coming from this work. And the competition is rough! In the inherent ethic of aggression of rap culture, rappers need to always assert their superiority and the inferiority of the adversary. Here, the currency of this superiority is what money buys: luxury goods, but also some added value on the market. As Nicki Minaj says in Rich Sex:
I know what these n* like, and it ain’t my charm
I ain’t stupid, this $250 on my arm
I like money more than dick, n*, that’s a fact
You think pussy’s everything? Well, let’s have a chat
A clear mind gives autonomy
The main pitfall of women who chose this kind of sex work is then to be dependant on a benefactor’s money, who becomes her owner or worst, her pimp. And when he leaves her, she would fall into poverty. The main solution for this danger is very pervasive in rap lyrics: diversifying. When you increase the number of benefactors, you spread out the risk. And the more you do the better: as Megan says, “My contact list look like the yellow pages”(Freak Nasty).
To diversify, the women will need a very clear mind to avoid the situation of emotional, hence financial, dependance. And it is a real skill to keep a cold heart when it comes to sex (Pimpin, Megan Thee Stallion) :
Damn, I want some head but I chose the dough instead
I could never ever let a n* fuck me out my bread (Ugh)
Ain’t no dick alive that could make me lose my mind
Every n* that done tried still be cryin’ on my line (Hey)
Besides, the coldness is used in one of Megan Thee Stallion’s pseudonym: “Bitch it’s Tina Snow, they love me ’cause I’m cold” (Big Ole Frick). This translates into delightful lyrics, where female rappers will verbally torment their benefactors.
The language used, the situations depicted, the coldheartedness, the openness about sex… Behind this apparent “vulgarity” (for a lack of a better word) lies very simple and mainstream advice when it comes to money & work, even if you leave out the elements of sex. But they also add a little twist to each, that could be applied to your life:
- Competition is the proof you are thriving, but also showing off your success and your status will have an impact on your competitors.
- The saying goes: if you are good at something, don’t do it for free. But also, don’t sell it for little, do it to make the hard work worth it.
- Diversify your source of income. But also make sure not to get emotionally attached to one of your sources.
