darkest.hue: Trigger warning: mentions of extreme violence against women and girls
Part 1/3 (more content to come on this matter)
Note: Although it should go without saying, here are some obvious truths: hip-hop the genre is not innately violent and misogynistic and neither are Black man. Also, hip-hop is not the only genre with abusive men, and the music industry is not the only industry in entertainment with abusive men.
For years now, Black women have been calling for hip- hop to have its "Me Too" reckoning (see recommended readings). Calls have recently reignited following singer Cassie's civil lawsuit against ex-boyfriend Diddy, where she alleges years of r*pe, domestic violence, and sex tr*fficking.
Many were rightfully stunned, horrified, and heartbroken by Cassie's vulnerable account, with many demanding the entire industry be finally held accountable for its pattern of violence against women. But is any of this really that surprising when we consider the way mainstream hip-hop talks about women, particularly Black women? Is it all that surprising when we consider the toxic loyalty and blind allegiance male rappers have to each other? Or the wealth of resources these men have at their disposal to control and harm women all the while flying under the radar? Or the world's disregard for the safety and protection of their Black women/girl victims?
Let's discuss.
Recommended readings for further investigation:
Ms.Magazine: "Black Women, Hip-Hop and #MeToo: 'On the Record' Spotlights Music Industry" by Janell Hobson
Buzzfeed News: "Will Time Ever Be Up For Abusive Men In Hip-Hop?" by Sylvia Obell "Confessions of Video Vixen" by Karrine Steffans
Vox: "Megan Thee Stallion, Me Too, and hip-hop's cycle of misogynoir" by Fabiola Cineas
hey so i don't see anyone talking abt this (at least on my feed) but diddy is currently being sued for raping and abusing singer cassie.
if it does not affect you, i urge you to read this. her story deserves to be told.
edit: i made a separate post about this, but everyone is reblogging this ver. so i'm gonna put it here.
an interview with diddy's ex, virginia v, has resurfaced due to the lawsuit. in it, she accuses him of abuse as well.
the interview is from 2019. you can read about it here:
tasha k has reuploaded the interview in light of the lawsuit:
youtube
however she's recently been exposed as a transphobe, so i've uploaded an alt link to vimeo in case u don't want to watch hers:
vimeo
please spread the word abt cassie and gina/virginia, these women (along with the rest of diddy's victims) deserve justice.
UPDATE!!
cassie and diddy have settled just a day after she filed the lawsuit:
cassie is 100% valid for settling, i cannot imagine how tiring it would be to go thru the legal proceedings whether or not it was taken to trial.
but it's important that we don't forget. we don't let this die. diddy still needs to be held accountable for everything he's done. that does not go away w forking over 30 ms.
via Gordon Smart TikTok: Absolute privilege to help the main man Louis Tomlinson out with the European premiere of his new film All Of Those Voices. I have known him since he was a teenager and he's now a fully grown man. Very proud to see him and Charlie Lightening & Matt Vines finally getting this film out. Exciting #times. Big night. Proud of you Louis x
[AOTV London Premiere, 3.16.23 // interview from Walls Listening Party Wembley, 1.17.20]