How Do We Treat Our Women Within Hip Hop?

The other week the Bay Area was treated to what was shapin' up to be one of the hypest concerts of the year.. Redman was comin' to town....and last time he rolled through things were off the hook. There was a lot of promotion surrounding the show... Lots of ticket giveaways...There was even a whole weekend dedicated to spotlighting the Redman Show... One of the things that struck me most was the number of women clamoring for tickets.. I'm not talking hoochie mommas or hip hop groupies... I'm talking regular everyday intelligent, good looking women who you would never think were into hip hop were making plans to go see Redman...

The show for the most part was energetic.. Redman proved to be a charismatic character on stage...However, there was something undermining the show...Everywhere I looked I saw women being disrespected... It was something you probably wouldn't have noticed on the surface.. but if you were with a woman or you actually took time to speak to one during the show you would've most likely seen what is rapidly becoming a disturbing trend.. Women were being grabbed and consistently accosted.. I happen to run into two women who stopped to chat with me and for the next 15 minutes everyone who walked by made it a point to grab their asses or poke some other body part.. It didn't matter that I was standing there talking with them.. It could've been my girl or my sister or in this case two listeners.. Brothas didn't care.. they were brazen and would just come and disrespect... Some would lean over and whisper in their ears right in front of me.. 'Baby let me get that number.. you don't need to be around him..'.. Others would just simply let their hand linger and rub across their body.. either their chest or ass... Neither one of these women were provacatively dressed.. One had a sun dress.. the other had a pants outfit.. No one's breasts were hanging out and they weren't teasing no one.. They were just two attractive sisters who were finding themselves being touched... Guys seemed to have a definite mean spiritness about them..

As a guy I questioned my manhood.. Was it me? Was I some sort of wimp that this disrespect was happening? I wanted to say something... but noticed a lot of guys were in groups... An these groups seemed to be itching for a fight.. A lopsided altercation was likely to definitely occur... And to be honest since I was rolling solo.. I wasn't quite prepared to be boxin' over someone who I barely knew...But it left me disturbed...I came to later find out that some of the perpetrators of these antics were fellow Bay Area rappers... some of who are supposed to be positive and all about keeping things real and positive... I noticed certain Bay Area record promoters... who clearly understand how much of a thin line hip hop performances are on.. yet they were out there poking and grabbing women and thinking things were funny.. I even saw one of our beloved 49er football players jump the fence and act ill... Yes, some of the guys were drunk.. But others just seemed to be on a mission.. and that mission was to make some one feel like crap.. .. Call it what you will but to me.. it's a new day and time folks and that night the Redman show reaffirmed the old adage a lot of us over the years have begun to adhere to.. 'Never bring your girl to a hip hop show.. if you do it's gonna be nothing but drama.'

This whole harassment thing has not been limited to the Redman Show... As I began to speak to women about this I'm finding this trend has been on the rise...Its been happening everywhere.. It was going on during the Eryakah Badu concert.., during the Juneteenth Festivals.. and numerous other large gatherings.. The thing that really hit home occurred the other week when the Pirate DJs held one of their famous 'Cream Of Beat' parties.. These underground gigs are the ultimate of hip hop jams.. They're known for being packed and pretty safe...People come from miles around to hear djs Mind Motion, Rolo 1-3, Joe Quixx and Ivan get loose on the turn tables and set things off. Very rarely are there any problems...I mean the Cream Of Beat gigs are the type of functions where folks who are really into music just go to groove. There's no dress code to stifle your style.. No oppressive security mad dogging and man handling folks.. These Pirate DJ gigs have long been the type of jams where a lot of females would roll solo because it had that type of positive vibe...