Is 2016 going to be dubbed the year of the Hip-Hop feminist?
With more and more media coverage and people of all genders speaking on the subject this year, feminism and Hip-Hop is a conversation that will continue into the new year.
As part of BBC’s Global Beats series, Candace Piette talks to young female rappers from Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Ecuador about being a Hip-Hop feminista.
Guatemalan Hip-Hop artist and poet Rebeca Lane is definitely on board with the movement and is helping to take a stand.
“I write about what I’m feeling, not so much about what I think,” says Lane, in the interview. “The message I’m trying to give out in this song is the origin of life is the force that women have in our wombs. We are the creators of life. We are the origin of it all, of the universe, of the life. Especially hip hop as a culture it’s very patriarchal, and it’s all about men talking about their issues and not seeing the other half of the population.”
Lane goes on to talk about violence in the world and how important it is to stand up and say stop, in regards to what’s happening in society. Self-worth and defending that self-worth is a vital necessity to life, as well as communicating with other women, are two points that Lane also makes in the interview.
Musicians, artists and other creatives have been spokespeople for gender equality and other issues within societal conscious since the beginning of this century and more, and in Hip-Hop culture, more and more, will these issues be raised and continue to be discussed.
