In Nataki H. Goodall’s (1994) article, “Depend on Myself: T.L.C. and the Evolution of Black Female Rap,” Goodall presents the Feminist perspective on the sexuality of rap stars in the media. In particular, Goodall examines how the female rap group, T.L.C., stood up for women’s rights and issues and sang about topics that other artists were afraid to approach.
For far too long, female rappers and hip-hop stars were not taken seriously by their masculine counterparts. In fact, when women first emerged into this genre, they were laughed at. Many of the female pioneers of rap took it upon themselves to be the leading voice for women and cut down walls that were constricting Black females and women everywhere to certain constructions and idealizations. T.L.C. was just one of these groups.
Growing up, I enjoyed listening to the music of T.L.C. However, I never truly realized what messages their songs were reflecting. I especially enjoyed the song, “Waterfalls.” The video was heavily digitized and the song had a really great flow. But after reading Goodall’s article, I gained a new appreciation for the message that was being put forth through the song.
”Little precious has a natural obsession
For temptation but he just can’t see
She gives him loving that his body can’t handle
But all he can say is baby it’s good to me
One day he goes and takes a glimpse
In the mirror
But he doesn’t recognize his own face
His health is fading and he doesn’t know why
3 letters took him to his final resting place
Y’all don’t hear me…”
If you closely listen to and analyze these lyrics, it becomes clear that T.L.C. is discussing the ramification of sexual promiscuity and the result of a young male contracting AIDS. This is a powerful message that before may never have been considered worthy of presentation, or could have been considered as too abrasive. However, TLC and other female rap artists of the late 1980s throughout the 1990s brought these controversial ideas heartily to the forefront.
While many of these female rappers still kept their sexuality concealed in their manner of dress, their lyrics spoke otherwise. As noted by Goodall, the predominance of male raps focused on the topic of female sexuality place the females in a position of deceptive allure or manipulation to the male. This leads on to male rappers defining women as “bitches” and “hos.” However, T.L.C. completely turned the tables on this with many of their songs.
Through their lyrical content, T.L.C. freely spoke about a woman’s sexual desires for a man. This amplified a sense of freedom for women to be able to sexually express themselves more openly. In addition, it placed the female in control of the relationship, especially sexually. Other hip-hop artists such as Missy Elliott have fueled their lyrics with hyper-sexualized commentary.
As a final example, Destiny’s Child can be observed as a hip-hop, R&B group that has given rise to female power and identity. Their entire collection of songs on their junior album Survivor, released in 2001, put power in the hands of the female. Two of the hit songs off the album, “Survivor,” and “Independent Women,” gave control to the female in terms of relationships and placed the female in control of her future. This is a general theme carried throughout the music of Destiny’s Child, who present a Feminist view of reclaiming a “voice” in an industry overpowered by masculine vision.
The following is the video for “Survivor,” which depicts the dynamic trio on a desserted beach, flaunting their sexuality at every move. Additionally, their lyrics depict a true sense of female empowerment:
Tags: Destiny's Child, Female empowerment, T.L.C.