It is 2016 and we are living in a time where everyone has a voice and wants to use it, as is their right. No longer are people of certain groups content to have people speaking for them and on their problems. One of the constant complaints from women fans of CHH is the lack of representation, be it on the stage, on albums, or just in the community altogether. I agree and wonder what can be done to foster more women being on the scene because representation matters. Nothing has made me realize this need than when I became a father. It broke my heart when I was joking around, freestyling and invited my daughter to join in when she said “only boys do that, only boys can rap.” She had never seen any women rap (we don’t do Nicki Minaj), so her mother and I had to go down a list of women that rap and rap well. That’s what made me realize that we need to see and hear women on tracks more.
Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of women in CHH killing it for the glory of God. They also seem to have a lot of unity with one another, as seen by the Queens United Tour, but is there anything that can be done to help our sisters get more shine? I submit there is and I have a few suggestions. Fellas, if you are trying to speak to the issues that women face, invite a lady on the track to speak from her perspective. It’s great to encourage women to live Godly but I believe a woman can encourage another woman better than a man ever can. I submit that only a woman can speak to the complexities that a woman thinks and experiences on a day to day basis. Let us invite our sisters on a track and not just sing hooks because our sisters have bars!
Platforms allow artists to have a voice but they can’t speak to everyone’s needs like they wish to. In those instances, it is helpful to find someone who can speak to those they can’t speak to as efficiently. I believe that Sho Baraka did a good job of this with his 2013 release “Talented Xth” on the track “Denzel.” On that track, he was talking about class as opposed to swag, but on that second verse Natalie Lauren spoke about women having class. There is nothing wrong with saying that someone else is more suited to speak on this issue than I am. Let us allow our sisters onto our platforms to speak, encourage and convict as only they can. They are a necessary part of the Body and God designed them that way. Let us intentionally look for ways to include our sisters, and I don’t mean to speak for them, but I believe they will appreciate it.
