The music of misogyny has a great beat. I do try to limit my intake of it but sometimes I find myself bobbing my head to the odes to Apple Bottom jeans and boots with the fur.
Lately though the music industry is giving my guilty conscience a break. It seems that in some instances at least Top 40 Hip Hop and R&B are making a turnaround – Ne-Yo was right when he titled his Grammy nominated album “Year of the Gentleman.”It’s a stark change from last year when I saw the artist in concert. I was initially disgusted when he offered an invitation to assess his abdominal region. While performing the line “when you put your hands on me he took my hand and brushed it against his – ahem – body. He’s a well-built guy, so it was difficult to be disgusted after he pulled that move, but the principle still stood.
Ne-Yo is a talented artist and songwriter and all, but he needed to step up his game as far as his lyrics went if he wanted to keep my attention. I am not as easily impressed as the girls at the concert who trembled at the thought of clinching the sweaty rag he threw out into the audience. I probably would have ralphed if that thing touched me.
He must have read my mind because he obviously wrote his new song Miss Independent” for me. I like Ne-Yo’s change of tone and it seems as if other artists have caught my drift and followed suit.
Singer Akon initially captured my attention when he told me he wanted to “Smack That” in 2006. I ignored that song because of the inappropriate lyrics until the part about the Lamborghini Gallardo – I want one of those. However while I was driving on the 101 recently Akon caught my ear with “Beautiful.” It seemed familiar; he must have known that I wake up to James Blunt crooning “You’re Beautiful” every morning. Akon knows what I like to hear good choice man.
Hip Hop’s turnaround has not stopped there: Soulja Boy Tell ’em the man who first introduced me to “Superman” as a verb rather than a proper noun is now telling me that he misses me so much that he wants to “Kiss Me Thru the Phone.”
This change of heart is much appreciated though grammar may be the next issue. And to think they’re still making money on these improved positive messages. Ne-Yo’s “Gentleman” has continuously topped the charts in both digital and conventional album sales. Its success makes me wonder if this candor is here to stay.
At the same time Hip Hop and R&B get a bad rap for their misogynistic lyrics when the same theme is apparent in alternative rock and other popular genres. Even when I think I’m escaping the barrage of negativity when I turn to my haven of Justin Timberlake and Maroon 5 I cower at Adam Levine when he talks about fingertips in “This Love” and when I realize that he’s not really talking about the fruit when he sings “Kiwi.”
I just hope the trend toward giving more respect to women in the world of music in general is here to stay. Girls love to hear from a man’s voice that they are appreciated as a whole rather than in parts.
After all you don’t hear Taylor Swift singing about how much she loves a good tush.