I recently had a guy tell me one of my “issues” was the music I listen to.
I’m not sure if he was mad because I was rapping the lyrics harder than he was or if he generally felt that way. When I asked what he meant by “issues,” he said that the Cardi’s, Meg’s, and Glo Rilla’s of the world were causing women to not act like women. My response was no more than Jay-Z’s or Drake’s cause men to not act like men. In fact, why should women musicians be judged differently from male musicians?
Meg,
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
Bad bitches have bad days too
Friday, Saturday, Sunday, bounce back
How a bad bitch always do
All I really wanna hear is, “It’ll be okay”
Bounce back ’cause a bad bitch can have bad days
All I really wanna hear is, “It’ll be okay”
Bounce back ’cause a bad bitch can have bad days- Anxiety
by Meg the Stallion
Mary,
I wake up every morning and tell myself
“Good morning gorgeous”
Sometimes you gotta look in the mirror and say,
“Good morning gorgeous.”
No one else could make me feel this way (yeah)
Good morning gorgeous- Good Morning Gorgeous
by Mary J Blige
Me
If you know me, you know two of my favorite artists are Mary J Blige and Meg the Stallion. Looking at the above song lyrics. Both are essentially speaking the same message. Sometimes we have bad days, but we must encourage ourselves and bounce back. How is that different from when Boosie and Webbie talked about how they were “Goin’ Thru Some Thangs.”
Why is it that in our society, a man who sings or raps about having lots of women is idolized and seen as a player, but when Meg said, “If it ain’t about my money or sex, we ain’t talking,” she is considered a hoe.
"If you wouldn’t judge a man based on the music he listens to, why would you hold a woman to a different standard?"
This generation of women has boldly stepped out of societal expectations of who they can and cannot be as it pertains to their music. They know, just like I know, that music speaks to the soul of the listener and not always the character of the speaker. Music is an escape, and we listen to it based on our mood. Sometimes I feel in love. So, I put on some Mary or Tank or the Isley Brothers! Sometimes I feel like a bad bitch. So, I put on some Cardi, Meg, or Mille Jackson. Sometimes I need to thug it out to get through my corporate job on a corporate day, so I put on some UGK and trap it out while creating a spreadsheet. Lol. My point is, I am not my music.
If you wouldn’t judge a man based on the music he listens to, why would you hold a woman to a different standard? For me, music is my love language, and it speaks to me in all genres: hip hop, soul, country, classical, it doesn’t matter if it speaks to the soul of my emotions at that moment. So, if you see me in the streets and I am rapping, crying, and twerking in a business suit, don’t judge me just know it’s for Mary, Meg, and most of all Me.
Meeting Mary J. Blige
