"BITCH Bad" by @LupeFiasco (Dissected by @kevinferere)
Ok. A song like this deserves a fair shake. Let's admit, we havent heard a song this conscious in a looooooong time. So when we do, I believe it must be appreciated. I wanted to set aside the time to divulge in the content and context of this song, to support the balance of consciousness with opulence in hip-hop.
The breakdown is as follows.
- The Beat - Just like any conscious song, Lupe wanted to target a specified demographic which would appeal to the song musically. That demographic being, of course, the -25 generation, who hadn't had a healthy helping of conscious hip-hop, and aren't accustomed to an era where lyrics actually mattered as much; where you had to actually have lived what you rap about. The "Southern Bounce" music that became so popular in the early 2000's, with slow, heavy bass; and quick, snappy high hats and snares...not to mention the occasional rhythmic "hey" in between bars. It's no pink elephant in the room that Southern hip-hop has contributed to the dilution of substance in the hip-hop formula, in general. So a beat like this would be befitting
- The Lyrics - Storytelling has always been a staple of classic hip-hop. Lupe's story is less of a story and more like a metaphoric example of the demographic in which he's targeting. He oscillated momentarily in the song from his syncopated, staccato like flow, into that sped-up, rhythmic "Southern Bounce" style of lyric which I discussed above. The first two verses represent two different scenarios, one addressing boys, and the subsequent addressing girls. The third verse summarizes his thesis, in which he mentions it as a disclaimer to the purpose of the song's message. The chorus holds the crux of the song's message, whereas he consistently chants "I'm killin' these 'bitches'!", or in my opinion, he's killing the trend of the phrase "bad bitch". Notice he titles the song "Bitch Bad" in reverse of the phrase, analogous to the motive of dispelling a mentality. The chorus also states a succession in thought, explaining the evaluation of terminology. "Bitch bad, woman good, lady better..."
- The Video - Yes, the plot thickens. A depiction of the art of the music video, which at one point in time, was crucial to hip-hop. Lupe poses as a narrator in the metaphoric scenarios between the verses I discussed earlier. All is displayed upon a theatrical stage in live action reminiscent of the early 20th century days of entertainment, whereas black people where exploited to bafoonery and coonery. Speaking of the vitality of the music video in hip-hop, this video replicates the debauchery of opulence symbolized in so many music videos today. Jewelry, money, women, and cars; a basic equation, repeated and mimicked in the hip hop culture, is symbolized in this video. The children characters on the stage are portrayed acting as impressionable as children are known to be when visually consuming the images in these music videos. Each verse in the song, represents an Act in the video. Whereas, the last Act, the little boy who admired his mother character glorifying the "bad bitch" concept in the first verse; crosses paths with the little girl adoring the "Video Girl" character acquiescing to the whim of the gaudy "Rapper" character in the second verse. The video concludes in a vocal outro, with a gentleman crooning as the gaudy "Rapper" character and the "Video Girl" character both confront a self-conflict of external perception, self-esteem, and the puppetry of the entertainment business, in which they are repelled by their own reflection of the blackface minstrelsy. Symbolic to the jewelry, money, women, and cars in today's music videos.
- THE MESSAGE - In one aspect, Lupe points out the ignorance and irresponsibility of today's parents in regards to child rearing and adult representation. In another aspect, he highlights the vanity and misogyny that hip-hop has always been notorious for. He brings it all to a helm when he portrays the social after-affects of all this misguidance; culminating to young girls who rely upon their sexuality to garner attention, and the young boys who find the similarities in those young girls to their own mothers to be quite repulsive. Subsequently, skewing the future dating community to have less substance resembling that of the diluted art form in which it subscribes to.
Apocalyptic, you say? Maybe. But all in all, those young boys and girls will eventually have no choice but to take responsibility for their own actions into adulthood. The same responsibility that those music artist obliviously relieved themselves of.
"I'M KILLIN' THESE BITCHESSSSS!!!"
Comments