Artist's Statement

Central Question

These past few years, there has been an influx in female rap visibility in the music industry. Despite dominating the charts with hit records, the female rap genre collectively has been targeted time and time again. Whether it be for freely expressing their sexuality to the controversy caused by their lyricism to their intimate personal lives, there has been a negative connotation attributed to female rap. However, their impact and influence have and continue to surpass the headlines aimed at them. So, how has female artistry impacted the rap music industry, hip-hop culture, and listeners?

Literature

 A source that offered an insightful initial glance behind my work is, "Is Rap Finally Ready to Embrace its women?", published by the New Yorker and written by Briana Younger. Younger shares the recent strides made in female rap, while acknowledging the lack of opportunity and support from hip-hop culture. She argues, "Women in rap may have a moment, but it isn't yet time to declare victory." (Younger, 2018) The article explores how unique each woman is and the specific audience they capture with their talent; all in an effort to evolve women's status in rap. As for the visual arts in my work, I turned to Amy Sherald, a portraitist responsible for the infamous Michell Obama portrait at the Smithsonian. (Sherald, 2018) Her work focuses on black empowerment and celebrates the African-American experience, where the subjects are done in black and white, and the background is done in color. I incorporated her style of portraiture to deliver on my goal of black and brown female empowerment in Hip-Hop. Female rappers are responsible for "a space in hip hop discourse from which their stories enrich and complicate the public conversation about the representation of black women’s identities" (Guillory 279). 

Methods

For my Capstone, my method of approach is an exhibition-style final product supported by primary research using interviews. I employed general aspects of the Scientific Method to advance and deliver my Capstone project. Similar to observations, I was able to gather content from third-party interviews, performances, and other media to help me better understand the identity behind these female performers. Rather than ‘hypothesizing’, ‘observations’ were used to brainstorm possibilities for a background that appropriately portrays each musician. ‘Experimentation’ will drive in the actual development of the portraits and their backgrounds with special consideration of how or why the mediums-of-choice are used. As for “Testimonies”, they were gathered using interview prompts used in a productive dialogue that will serve as the ‘analyzation’ from listeners of these women’s legacies to build on the appreciation and empowerment of black and brown female voices. As for a ‘conclusion’, I hope the exhibition is insightful based on the layout of the completed portraits, along with their respective backgrounds, and responses gathered from interviews for my intended audience to improve how they receive my approach to my central question/focus.    

Audience & Impact

My intended audience for this project are individuals that believe in supporting, believing, appreciating, and advocating black and brown female artists, and those who have yet to. I want my audience to understand the intersectionality of these artists and acknowledge their experiences in navigating the Rap music industry. I anticipate my audience to be listeners of some of the musicians I include in my final product and would hope they grow to appreciate them far beyond the content they create. My impact with this project is to advocate for black and brown women, who across all industries and areas have been overlooked, discredited, and antagonized. As the artist behind this project, I want to self-reflect on what these women have done for me and others, and what we can do to continue to show them love, respect, and appreciation. Nicki Minaj has been an inspiration in my journey of self-growth and self-worth. Megan Thee Stallion encourages me to continue my pursuits in academia and appreciate all opportunities. Cardi B motivates me to live an authentic life, where I zealously advocate for my beliefs. This project aims to continue an insightful dialogue on these female musicians.

References

Sherald, Amy. First Lady Michelle Obama. 2018, National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C.

Younger, Briana, et al. “Is Rap Finally Ready to Embrace Its Women?” The New Yorker, 7 Dec. 2018, www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/is-rap-finally-ready-to-embrace-its-women.

Guillory, Nichole Ann, "Schoolin' women: hip hop pedagogies of black women rappers" (2005). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 173. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/173

Acknowledgments

I want to extend my gratitude to Heather-Erin Bremenstuhl, Harold Burgess, Gabrielle Tillenburg for a fulfilling experience in the Arts Scholars program. They inspired me to do more than what I thought I was capable of and offered generous advice that substantially contributed to my work.