THE INTERSECTION OF JAZZ HIP HOP & FEMINISM
March 10, 2019 — Leave a comment

Hip Hop in the 90’s exposed listeners to an experimental intersection of various genres of music. In the beginning of Hip Hop both artists and engineers experimented with the sampling of chords, break beats, and harmony provided by jazz, funk, swing, and blues musicians. By piecing together beat fragments over hip hop styled beats artists were able to create a new sound and style of music. Many critics have argued that beat sampling is not music but something else, because there are no real instruments being played. Since the inception of music it has been in a continuous state of transformation and reinterpretation. The influence of jazz on hip hop music goes far beyond just the music it also influenced the lyrical style. In the song “U.N.I.T.Y.” rapper Dana Owens or “Queen Latifah” uses the smooth sound of the saxophone to emphasize the strength in her delivery of lyrics. The Feminist chants of the song was a cry for representation in a male dominated industry. The 90’s infused the African-American communities with crack cocaine, mass incarceration, domestic violence, and the political confines of the three strikes law imposed by President Bill Clinton. During the 90’s Queen Latifah addressed the social and political obstacles of representation and treatment faced by women. Latifah boldly confronts unacceptable domestic behaviors and politics on behalf of women who did not have the courage to confront their domestic abusers. Latifah’s aggressive outcry challenges the male dominated system and industry of rap music and offers representation for the unrepresented.

Eleanora Fagan or as she’s commonly known as Billie Holiday also faced the same obstacle during the 30’s and 40’s in the jazz industry. Despite being exposed to a male dominated jazz industry Lady Day used her music to address her political and social concerns. Although Lady Day addressed her concerns with class and grace lyrically Queen Latifah aggressively challenges those same concerns through her lyrics. Lady Day was know to physically fight men even her abuse husband Louis McKay a mafia enforcer. Still socially Billie Holiday faced the same social obstacles as Latifah such as drugs (heron), mass incarceration, and discrimination against black women.

Queen Latifah collaborated with an English artist Simone Johnson also know as “Monie Love” with a women anthem titled “Ladies First”. The song was a big hit just as “U.N.I.T.Y.”, both confronting the male dominated image of hip hop offering a strong but feminine approach to the genre. Queen Latifah and Billie Holiday shared different approaches to confront inequality, Latifah took a more aggressive lyrical approach while Lady Day took a sultry approach, both still addressing the discrimination and domestic violence women face. The music is still reports to the people because it is a representation of the people.

Cited Information:Jazz and Hip Hop’s Response to 90’s Politics

Queen Latifah “U.N.I.T.Y.” Performed by Dana Owens. U.N.I.T.Y. October 7, 2009. Accessed March 9, 2019. http://youtu.be/f8cHxydDb7o.

“The Last Days of Billie Holiday.” A Trip Down Memory Lane. March 9, 2012. Accessed March 9, 2019. greatentertainersarchives.blogspot.com.