Neon-colored, hyperkinetic, with nanosecond cuts, double-dutch, faux-ga (that's fake yoga), animal print and a monkey, Nicki Minaj's new video, "Stupid Hoe," went up four days ago, already has 7 million views on YouTube and has caused "stupid hoe" to trend on Twitter. The track is basically a tear-down, a dis track, and Nicki comes out swinging against her unnamed opponent (perhaps Lil' Kim?) Nicki's lighting-fast flow is limber, and some of the lyrics are clever — "I'm Angelina, you Jennifer, come on, bitch, you see where Brad at?" But, for the most part, Nicki repeats one phrase, over and over:
You a stupid hoe
You, you a stupid hoeYou a stupid hoe
You, you a stupid hoeYou a stupid hoe
You, you a stupid hoeYou a stupid hoe
You, you a stupid hoeYou a stupid hoe
Yeah, you a stupid hoe
The end of the song builds into a frenzy as Nicki chants, "fuck a stupid hoe."
When debuting the clip, Nicki took to Twitter to state: "Can't premiere on a network b/c its important that my art is not tampered with, or compromised prior to you viewing it for the 1st time." Translation: Most of this song will get bleeped out when it's on TV. Censorship of Art!
Most unfortunate are the shots of Nicki Minaj in a cage, a la Shakira. We have discussed black women in cages before — most notably Amber Rose and Grace Jones. It's a tired, troubling visual. In this context, we're supposed to see Nicki as threatening, wild, dangerous. But the objectification and exoticization of black women is steeped in racism. Our history includes centuries of slavery in which black people were chained, shackled, muzzled, and yes, caged. Nicki placing herself there doesn't invoke terror, and not just because she's popping her booty. Male rappers telegraph menace through threats of violence, brandishing guns or boasting of assaults and drive-bys. Is there a good way for a black woman to show she's a force to be reckoned with, without reverting to ancient stereotypes of the sexualized beast, the predatory Jezebel? Absolutely. But Nicki hasn't found it yet.
Some may argue that the video is parody, mocking Lil' Kim and/or wannabes. But as MTV's Sam Lansky writes in a letter to Nicki:
When a parody of something is virtually indistinguishable from the thing being parodied, the whole point has a way of getting lost, and everything ends up just self-cannibalizing.
Hip-hop has always been about braggadocio, and certainly male artists release tracks about bitches and hoes without anyone blinking. But we only have one female rapper on the Billboard charts right now. With her candy-colored wigs and makeup, she has tons of young fans. ("You a stupid hoe" has most likely already become a favorite recess chant.) It's disappointing that with "Stupid Hoe," she talks so much, so quickly, and yet has nothing worthwhile to say.
Nicki Minaj, Can We Talk About Your 'Stupid Hoe' Video For A Minute? [MTV]