Women Must Rise Up and Lead the Fight Against Sexist Hip-Hop

Now that radio host Don Imus has been silenced, the attention must immediately turn to the odious language in rap music.

It must be understood that all rap and hip-hop music (yes, there is a difference between the two) is not bad. In fact, the origin of the music set in motion 30 years ago was about speaking truth to power, offering a cogent argument for tackling issues such as racism, poverty and the widening gap between those who have and those who don't.

But with the advent of gangsta rap, which took shape on the West Coast, the music has largely taken a dramatic turn for the worse. Today the focus is sex, violence and money, resembling nothing like its founders intended.

It has emerged as a powerful force, invading the mainstream to the point where the music sold today isn't being snapped up by African Americans. In fact, more than 80 percent of rap music is being consumed by white kids, who have taken on the swagger, clothes and style of what columnist Stanley Crouch calls "modern-day minstrel acts."

The general assumption is that there haven't been folks who have gone after the negative elements of the music.

Not true.

There have been a few toiling in the fields on the local and national level, they just didn't get the attention of mainstream media.

The late C. Delores Tucker, Harlem pastor Calvin Butts, and a number of known and unknown folks have decried the music. But not enough were listening.

They were speaking before Nelly swiped a credit card through a woman's butt. They were going to shareholder meetings of publicly traded companies before 50 Cent shot a photo layout for his clothing line in a location made to look like a drug lab with his clothes wrapped like kilos of cocaine. They were ahead of their time. They saw the devastation and destruction. They looked out over the land and saw the ruins.

Today, talk to folks like hip-hop journalist Davey D. Talk to Rosa Clemente.

They will share with you the stories of thousands of young folks in Memphis, Oakland, New York and other cities who have been waging this battle. Rap sales are down 33 percent this year. Do you think that happened by accident?

But as Bryan Monroe, president of the National Association of Black Journalists, pointed out numerous times during the Imus debate, something happened in America. There was a perfect storm that came together that fought Imus.

Yet we shouldn't stop the fight now.

Many angry with the Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson for their roles in the Imus affair want them to now lead the fight to target rap. They should be in the battle, but it's women who should be at the forefront of the issue.

Alpha Kappa Alpha and Delta Sigma Theta sororities, The Links, the National Congress of Black Women, the team at Essence magazine and others rose up and denounced Imus. They were also joined by the National Organization of Women, the National Council of Women's Organizations and belatedly, the Concerned Women for America.

Their voices played a critical role in getting Imus off the air, but now is the time for them to band together and take the fight to the next level.

The leaders of each group should convene at a summit in the next 10 days to discuss a strategy to target not only the rappers, but also the leaders of the publicly traded companies that own the labels. This isn't about censorship. It's a call to action that makes it plain that rampant sexism will not be tolerated.

Men should join this effort. But do you know what really led to the downfall of Imus? The humanity shown by the Rutgers University women's basketball team.

This issue resonates with women — all women. This is not an issue of black women only speaking up. White, Hispanic and Asian should rise up and demand a change.

When we see middle class and low-income women unite with corporate sisters and service sector sisters, there is no force that will able to stop them.

Now it's time to see if they have the courage and tenacity to do it.

Roland S. Martin is a CNN contributor and a talk-show host for WVON-AM in Chicago. Please visit his Web site at www.rolandsmartin.com. To find out more about Roland Martin and read his past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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