Rapper Rick Ross appeared on a radio show on q93.3 in New Orleans and attempted to do some damage control by explaining the lyrics to his song..U.O.E.N.O. (you ain’t even know it)..In the song he describes what many call a ‘recipe for rape’ , where he brags about slipping a molly into a woman’s drink, taking her home and having sex, all while she is under the influence and doesn’t know..
The firestorm it set off has been widespread, including a big article in today’s Washington Post that includes a petition demanding key record executives be held accountable.. You can peep that article HERE..
In the article Industryears co-founder Paul Porter tells the Washington Post
Porter goes on to argue that artists should not be solely responsible for their lyrical content. According to him, the bar is being set increasingly lower and many are relying on shock value for mass appeal. This might explain why it seems the lyrical content gets progressively worse in its promotion of violence and drugs. And with media outlets not doing the best job in self-policing the airwaves, references to “Molly” and other drugs continuously get heard on the radio and in music videos.
“Somebody is responsible at every record label for what gets approved,” says Porter. “These are the people that we never talk about. The guys that profit the most never get talked about. Until the pressure is at the top – the bottom is never going to change. Rick Ross is just a pawn.”
There are times when I question the power of our voices against these massive corporate machines. What could we write/say that hasn’t already been written/said? What could we do that would actually hurt their bottom line? And if we reach one artist, aren’t there hundreds of others who are just the same?
Rick Ross in his interview says that he has love for women and they are sacred. He refers to them as Queens and says he condemns rape..He claims his lyrics were a big misunderstanding and that its important for artists to clarify.. He starts talking about the song 4;26 into the 8 minute intv..
It remains to be seen how Ross’s explanation will sit with folks.. Many are upset at the stations who promote such songs and are still pushing for them to pull that and other songs that celebrate rape culture..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzR-yTSWZgI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lI7VOqLYLiY
Yo Mr. Misunderstanding a good Counter the Myth of real_estate the fiscality the lyrics,..shall critseize the ongoin ‘Womyns-Trans/Inter rights of a better communication pedo_phillies,..please give attention for ‘Fat Boys never be wack’ and nutrition the Bloomberg Maer-Kheel translation the visual communication a golden new x_change springs to wisdome violence the pro_Black semitism. Respect to all open minded Ladyz to talk about movement…literature otherwise against male violence!
Salaam!
Yeah I don’t think he cleared up anything. It sounds like he was just trying to cover his ass afterward. Whether he thinks “all women are Queens” has nothing to do with the promotion of treating women like objects who don’t even need to be conscious or WILLING to have sex. Lyrics have weight, otherwise what’s the point of saying them? Why not say something worth saying?
Ok Rick, you can’t clear up “slipping a molly into a drink” . . . you can call us queens as much as you want, but you dead damn wrong!!!
BooooooO!!!!! SO just because he didn’t use the word “RAPE” its a complete misunderstanding?!! ugghh that don’t make no damn sense, he think ppl are stupid. All he’s doing is giving his young & naive fans dumb ideas
This response smacks of base cowardice. I imagine that there must be a growing swell of “fans” who would love to see Rick Ross stand up like a man and tell the world that this song clearly crosses the line and better yet – to pull the song from rotation himself. But that won’t happen because like far to many misogynists, deep down you can’t write that unless at some level you don’t really think anything is wrong with “Put molly all in her champagne / She ain’t even know it / I took her home and I enjoyed that / She ain’t even know it.” It is an insult to refer to women as Queens and “a Gift” when one is being so blatantly disingenuous. Queens and Gifts don’t have to worry about a man slipping something in their drink and then taking advantage of them sexually. The fact that such a line could make it into “art” even as a fiction says a great deal about this artist’s personal character. And while it is true that he is supposedly rapping a fiction, there are in fact sexual degenerates out there who are emboldened by his sanctioning of patently sociopathic and amoral behavior. The one thing that money and power and influence can’t obtain is the courage needed to accept personal responsibility. Unfortunately, Rick Ross is not the only offender. I have loved and lived Hip Hop my entire adult life and I have taught it on college campuses for more than a decade where I have often found myself defending the culture. Moments in the culture’s history like this one are hard to defend. My question is what will one of our artists have to say before we publicly discredit them. What Rahiel Tesfamariam calls “the code of silence about the promotion of drug and rape culture in hip-hop” is very real and puzzling. Silence about this song on the part of Hip Hop consumers is only slightly less damning than the lyrics of the song itself.
At the colored John Money ends,..it’s all a white hetero_sexist Womynx desk of opportunity Yakuubs syluum as ‘pay_sanne’ in liberte, fraternite and relaxin the bash of such warm smellin bread wombster stoned bellied. Mr. Ross calls for veteraans Vietnam-West debates for sour…happy Eastern coins!
I would have liked to see the same outrage for this as was demonstrated regarding Jay-Z’s “lack of leadership” during the protests for the killing of Kimani Gray in Brooklyn.
no matter how he puts it its still a rape lyric
Funny how easy it is for this n**** to say whstever sounds good just to ease the issue against him…… But he’s not even intelligent enough to TRY n explain The real meaning of his own lyrics…
if it doesn’t mean exactly what the fuck it sound like it means, then why’d u write it into a track you idiot? The rap game aint that DEEP amd that’s only proven over n over n over again by the most popular rappers
Funny how easy it is for this n**** to say whstever sounds good just to ease the issue against him…… But he’s not even intelligent enough to TRY n explain The real meaning of his own lyrics…
if it doesn’t mean exactly what the fuck it sound like, then why write it into a track you idiot? The rap game don’t run that DEEP and sadly will only remain as ignorant as its most successful players..since when was a MAN defined by how much bullshit he can buy and how many bitches are chasing him? Females are treated like shiny toys instead of actual human beings? Motivation and dedication and HUSTLE are all vital in life but Look what this shallow ass game is doin to people though. .. People were meant to be more than what they have and WOMEN are a lot more than pretty bodies.. straight up.