The Game of hate

The Game is a worst-case scenario. He's the embodiment of parents' fears about what will happen if their kids listen to violent hip-hop. He is gansta rap's manifest destiny, as envisioned by C. Delores Tucker.

At least, that's how he plays out on record. On his just-released second album, Doctor's Advocate, he's proudly P.O.M.E. (product of my environment) and pomo, a conscious throwback to the West Coast gangsta rap of the late '80s and early '90s that he loves enough salute with a chest tattoo (his right fist in the picture above obscures much of his "N.W.A." ink). A small part of me wants to stand up and cheer on principle -- I admire someone who goes to pains to preserve the legacy of what they love. Even without his idol Dr. Dre on board this time, the Game makes electrofunk-obsessed, melodically hypnotic, sparse rap music because if he doesn't, who will? Innovation is overrated anyway, right?

The Game does what he loves and he loves what he does, but that's about as Utopian as Doctor's Advocate and last year's The Documentary get. If I applaud the Game in principle, I find myself practically recoiling in response to so much of what he says. To hear him tell it, he's been high for the good part of the past 14 years. He flows, so does O.E., so does blood (or is that "Bloods" -- his gang affiliation is unendingly rhapsodized). He's so expert in the violent life that he offers tips: "The key to drive bys is aim steady." (I never woulda guessed!) This is where the nightmare part comes in, of course. Nothing new, really, as he knows well: "I graduated from Dre School, top of my class." That much is clear, but it raises the question of veracity: if rappers like N.W.A. were using rap as their CNN (to paraphrase Chuck D), are the Game's ripped-from-the-headlines reenactments the hip-hop equivalent of Law & Order or CSI? More to the point: how much of what he says is his truth, and how much of what is says is out of obligation to uphold this gangsta, gangsta tradition he so loves?

I wonder this not because I'm terribly bothered by depictions of violence (I mean, obviously), but because I am terribly bothered by the Game's sexism, by far his worst inheritance from his rapfathers simply because he's so blasé about it. In the world, some women are bitches and some women are hoes; in the Game's world women are only bitches and hoes (and mostly the former). Game on women: Bitch, bitch, bitch, ho, repeat (ex. "Everytime your bitch hear my voice, she masturbatin'"). Yo-Yo and Eve are given the rare courtesy of being referred to by their first names; Karrine Steffans almost is, though, she's referred to (in no fewer than three songs -- obsessed much, Game?) by the nickname everyone knows, Superhead. So she's basically reduced to being not a person but a sex act. Just the way Game likes it (or maybe is supposed to like it). Maybe everything the Game needed to know he learned from Dr. Dre (two words: Dee Barnes), but with all the bitch, bitch, bitching, it seems that he's channeling the notorious philosophy of the Geto Boys' Bushwick Bill: "I call women bitches and 'hos because all the women I've met since I've been out here are bitches and 'hos . . . I call [my mother] 'woman,' but I'm not fucking my mother. If I was fucking you, you'd be a bitch." (Here is where I found the direct quote.)

I know, I know: rap is sexist? Get out! Everyone knows about hip-hop's misogynist tendency already and so what's the point in talking about it? I'd argue, however, that complaining about hip-hop's misogyny is no more redundant than complaining about hoes getting their hustle on (they're working girls, for god's sake!). The Game does just that in "Wouldn't Get Far," a sadistic Advocate track produced by and featuring Kanye West that purports (however sloppily) to warm women against having sex to advance their careers. How far can a video ho go anyway, the song wonders aloud. It's here where commonplace sexism elevates to singularly disgusting hypocrisy. The Game and Kanye verbally degrade women for fucking rappers, while bragging about being those rappers that are fucking these women -- they hate the players of the game that they facilitate (here's a thought: how 'bout we just hate the Game?). At the end of the track, the Game complains about seeing the same girl in Kanye and Busta videos, in Snoop and his videos and then on Oprah (the cherry on top of this tastelessness comes via a Hurricane Katrina joke -- that ubiquitous "bitch" is floating on the hood of a Camry that was in a Lil' Wayne video). As if the Game and especially Kanye have any room to talk about turning up often in their chosen fields! These two dudes redefine whoredom with their unending onslaught of guest appearances (and they didn't even stop to get acrylic nails or anything). And on top of everything, if these women the Game and Kanye condemn are fucking their way to the top, at least they have something to show for their efforts! What do Game and Kanye have besides a busted nut? The assumption that these women are having sex only to elevate their status is probably just as sexist as the rest of the Game's philosophy, as though these women couldn't possibly get immediate pleasure out of it as well. Although, maybe the Game just sucks in bed and his partners are, in fact, doomed.

As long as hip-hop, like huge-selling hip-hop (link via Nova), is going to be so backward and not just hateful but matter-of-factly hateful to women, there should be someone pointing it out, screaming and crying bullshit all along the way. In other words: if hip-hop can't get over its hatred of women, why should I have to? So why is no one talking about this (not here nor here, for example; furthermore, a Google search of the game "doctor's advocate" sexism yields some hits, almost all of them talking about Borat's sexism in another story on those pages; a search for the game "doctor's advocate" misogyny yields even fewer results)? Is it because music criticism is mostly written by men who are mostly straight and, deep down, hate women, too (or at least don't like them enough to defend them)? Is it because most of that sample is made up mostly of white boys who, much like the Game, were also profoundly influenced by gangsta rap? Are rap's nihilistic and hateful world views still, as The Source's Jon Shecter told TIME in a 1991 story about the popularity of N.W.A.'s Niggaz4life, "a cool status symbol among white kids to like and identify with"?

Or maybe people just don't care enough about lyrics. But see, that's a big problem in this case, because the Game's considerable talent ensures that his words are impossible to ignore. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more articulate, clear-voiced commercial rapper. The Game seemingly skips bullshit poetic aspirations for blunt truth-spitting, only to knock you on your ass with metaphors that are both darkly comic and specific (examples: "Bounce like you got hydraulics in your g-string"; "Nigga, I can't be fucked, like a lesbian" -- since, you know, we're on the topic of women). He shows plenty of signs of intelligence, which makes his ignorance that much more maddening.

But so what, right? This is one part-time idiot's opinion in a field that's full of them. I'd warn against downplaying the Game's sentiments -- the rapper himself, with all of his allusions to the old school and repeated golden-era name checking, is a testament to the power of influence. The best of the worst case scenarios is a future that holds this fixed misogyny as a beacon. Or maybe it's like a light bulb for the impressionable swarm around and bash their heads into.

Comments

[b_g]

whatever. I love yr pop culture coverage. more gangsta rap, more horror films. they go very well with all the cats and Top Model coverage. cats being the gangstas and Top Model being the horror.

[Eric]

Here's another case against misogyny in hip-hop: it's what's been done for years. It is unoriginal. Spouting the same messages year in and year out make for a stagnant art form, and that's what hip-hop is. The beatmakers are the only ones who innovate in any way, and even they are starting to repeat themselves (see: Timbaland on CMAR and My Love.) Ludacris deserves credit as an innovator in how raps are structured, but his subjects too often deal with booties and booze. Kanye deserves credit for being socially conscious, but it's a shame he's such a poon, and so "self-conscious" (as he told us many times on All Falls Down) that he has to fill out his repertory with woman-hating tripe. Only thing innovative about that stuff are the beats. (I have my own thoughts about why Kanye is deeply ambivalent about women. We need Mike Jones to flush him out.)

Someone should take a chance once in a while. They'll be calling him (or her) a genius when they do, just like they heaped all that praise on Eminem simply for offering a different perspective.

[wendy]

Yes. Thanks for this. Your pop culture coverage is always thoughtful, intelligent and on point. Great read, thanks again.

[James Derek Dwyer]

isn't this shit played out yet? yawn...

[Sarah]

Is Kanye all that socially conscious? He may put the topic out there (which is a lot more than other people do) but in the end, it seems that his 'self-consciousness' wins out. And his Hurricane Katrina rant didn't seem to do much more than give KW more press.

P.S When I'm feel like celebrating misogyny (but secretly giving in to self-loathing) I try to take the Chris Rock approach to gangsta rap, "He ain't talking 'bout me!"

[Too Bad So Sad]

right on!

[Donna]

Long time stalker...first time responder...

So basically, your point is. If the women are so horribly whorish and awfully slutty, then what does it say about YOU for fucking with them? And if these are the only types of women you find yourself associating with, then what does that say about your T-Mobile circle of friends?

A man who only effs with whores cancels out all of his artistic ability and genius because he himself has low morale character, you know. I am a Hip Hop writer, and a black woman and have found it hard for YEARS to love a music that hates me so.

Why not put effort into finding better women to associate with? Why enjoy writing about people you hate so much? Of course, rappers build million dollar empires on that kind of shit. I'm just saying...

[ekar]

As I get older I find myself getting really tired of rap music. I find it intellectually lazy and wonder just how money 'hongry' these guys are that they always market to the lowest common denominator. But then again, I'm not American so I don't get the 'dream' and what you have to give in order to get it. I've watched mtvcribs and can't believe that all that misogyny is in the name of a 3000 sq ft home near a swamp, 2 chains, and 3 cars. I could get all that if I had an MBA!

[Thomas]

The Game ain't that great a rapper - hell, DMX is not only a better lyricist, but more interesting. And I bet Game got a little dick, too. Like you suggested, Rich, I don't hate the playa, I hate the Game. (It helps that apart from "Hate It Or Love It" he hasn't done much to warrant my time, anyway.)

[Jake]

The Game is pretty much awful! It's the best word to descibe him.

[E.A.P]

Great review, as usual, but thanks especially for your thoughts on mysogyny in hip-hop/rap. I prefer other genres so I don't spend much time listening to it, but I know how many people love it. It worries me that they're absorbing these messages and, as you mentioned, not even bothering to think through them. Your probably right about the white/male/hetero hegemony in musical criticism, but the fact that your post is so cogent should give anyone who drops by pause. At least I hope.

[Paul]

On top of being misogynistic, he's also biting off of his gangsta rap forefathers to whom he's supposedly paying homage.
The 'seeing the same ho in everyone's video' theme has been stolen and rehashed several times after Tupac's 'It's All About You'. Not only was this original far superior to any of the copycats, it featured a hilariously melodic refrain by Nate Dogg that still gets stuck in my head.

But I'm going off-topic. Misogyny is rap is so prevalent it even pervades the underground. You'll occasionally hear an empowerment anthem for the ladies but it almost seems like they put them there as a half-assed attempt to make the audience think the rest of the barbed comments are merely in jest. But before I go on forever... Great post. It's something the hip hop world needs to address or at least think about. That is, of course, they give a shit.

[Cath]

Nothing to add except major love for your post. Calling out sexism just makes you more of a man, dude.

[miss shai]

I love you more and more everyday, Rich.

[gemma]

Thats so odd because the only Game song i know is "You're Special" and its a sweet romantic song to his girl, like "I'd do anything to make you feel special/whether we lovers or friends we'll always be" and "I'm not tryin' to fuck you, I'm tryin' to wife you"
I guess its not surprising to hear a rapper be sexist, but to the extent this cd sounds to be, I just wonder what made him change his mind!

[John]

I don't bother with rap and the misogyny is part of the reason. Another part is the lack of creativity. And there definitely needs to be more women and gay men writing reviews of music in the mainstream media - a little balance never hurt anyone. Great post!

[xnowhereboyx]

Isn't the main demographic market for gangsta rap suburban males who never come into contact with any sort of urban jungle lifestyles that the genre is supposed to autobiographize? They listen to the genre, blast it from their pimped vehicles, and dress like they just got out of prison, but in reality they're just living this fantasy world that doesn't exist. Kind of like no one can achieve the pages of Vogue (not even the models in the pictures) but it doesn't stop middle-America pubescent girls from acting like they do. The more violent or misogynist the lyrics the better received they are by the audience of white suburban teenage males who use it as an outlet. Occasionally it does turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy, like the lyrics are exaggerated about gang shootings and then some punk in Iowa thinks that's what really happens all the time in South Central or wherever and starts shooting people with his dad's hunting rifle or something. Most of the more hardcore rappers don't even live or think like that if they even did in the first place, it's just a morally and socially irresponsible marketing tool used by record company executives.

[meghan]

the extra irony is that a lot of the time, if the girl doesn't fuck the director/casting director/rapper/douche-y hanger on, she doesn't get the job. also, if the treatment called for a girl dressed in jeans and a t-shirt sitting in a meadow, those same girls would still be lining up for the job. unfortunately, the only role most rappers cast for is "bent-over bitch #3."

besides, it's not like there's tons of work out there for black women in the entertainment industry, so you can't blame them for being pragmatic and working all the jobs they can to get a foot in the door. shit, hollywood won't even hire black women to play african characters. just ask whoever cast "the interpreter"- no one can play "african" better than nicole kidman!

re: gemma: = that's actually pretty interestin because his "sweet" song still sounds off to me. the idea that there are women for fucking and women for marrying is pretty sexist. that's a madonna/whore complex if i've ever heard one...

[shoosha]

PLEASE stop writing about hip hop. I love your insight on everything else, not this. Or at least not when you attempt to turn a subject into a politically correct debate.

And for your readers, if you don't listen to hip hop, shut up. You don't know what you're talking about. You run around thinking you do, making judgments on an art form you don't like/can't appreciate in the first place. I think people who disregard hip hop are racist in part, to be honest.

Just ignore it. The music you listen to is just as predictable, boring and offensive to me, I'm sure.

[shoosha]

*I mean, a subject like this. Not everything should be attacked from a politically correct viewpoint.

[xnowhereboyx]

Just because some of us disrespect it doesn't mean we don't listen to it. Ass out of u and me....

[Jelinas]

Hey, Rich, if you're looking for some good, intelligent, non-misogynistic rap, check out Lupe Fiasco. His lyrics are clever and his tone (*gasp*) respectful. He even has a song that talks about the problem of being a POME. If you wanna talk about social awareness, he makes Kanye West look like Paris Hilton.

[Rich]

Even if my POV right here (that women don't deserve to be hated -- I know, I'm fucking radical!) is in line with the politically correct one, I assure you that I'm not politically correct. "Politically correct" implies insincerity and I have nothing NOTHING going for me if I'm dishonest.

Now that you've attacked my objective, shoosha, I'd love to hear the case for the alternative. Please defend the Game's hatred of women.

I'm not going to stop writing about hip-hop or anything else that provokes a reaction in me. I'm not going to stop calling bullshit, fully aware that I'm risking coming off as obvious. It's a small price, I think.

[pepper]

I like like like Rich--I was just thinking today that I wish you got political a bit more often, and here you have.

I like the points you made about why white critics aren't talking about The Game's sexism, and I'll venture another: White guilt. They don't want to engage the values of a black artist they're reviewing for fear that they'll be called racist. It's rather unlikely that that would happen, but I think that it's in the back of the Pitchdork's heads.

[shoosha]

"Just because some of us disrespect it doesn't mean we don't listen to it."

There are comments from people above who admit they do not, and are being self righteous about it regardless.
Free world, everyone's right to an opinion, blah blah, Welcome to the fucking internet, right?
I'm just getting this vibe that they think their tastes are SO much more refined and interesting! I'm sure they just ADORED that one Outkast song, so it's not like they hate all of it, right?!?

At least Rich truly likes hip hop, so he's approaching it from an objective point of view.