Eight Years After Spelman Students Took on the rapper Nelly.

Background Story:

In March of 2004, Nelly organized bone marrow drive along with Asha Jennings of Spelman College for his sister who was dying from bone marrow cancer at the time. Nelly non-profit organization 4Sho4Kids also assisted with cause and bringing awareness about bone-marrow cancer. But later in the month of March Asha was watching videos and saw Nelly’s video  “Tip Drill.” The video features woman in thongs dancing around swimming pool, in a mansion with pool hall and a hot tub. Lastly, video in the last scene Nelly swipes a credit card through a woman’s buttocks. The cause for bone-marrow drive changed to female protesters against Nelly coming to campus in an effort to save his sister life.

Eight years ago Spelman implemented class “Images of Woman in the Media. According to article from Inside Spelman, there was open dialogue for many students to participate on the discussion of how woman a portrayed in the media. I feel differently about this subject towards how woman are portrayed in rap music or hip-hop music videos. The art form of hip-hop music cultural is based on our environment what we seen growing up. Therefore, growing up in poverty woman is sometimes seen as provocative or being very sexual. Many hip-hop artists who come from this same element only paint a picture about their lifestyles. The reality is hip-hop gives the youth the negative harsh realities about living in the projects or low-income neighborhoods. Lastly, woman need to understand is message mostly in every record. Nelly’s song “Tip Drill” was about tipping strippers when you go out to strip clubs. Most women will feel degraded about the messages and the images in these types of videos. The woman that earns a living being strippers and pay for their college tuition will have total different view.  If you feel degraded as a woman about certain type of videos just don’t watch that music program. The art form of hip-hop doesn’t have limits when it comes to expression if you are against the images or the voice just turned it off.