Hip-hop often carries a stigma of being dismissive or even outright disrespectful to women, but this isn't always the case. In fact, legendary rapper MC Lyte thinks Fetty Wap is a bona fide hip-hop feminist. During a roundtable discussion at the White House Council on Women and Girls, which specifically focused on women in hip-hop, Lyte pointed to Fetty as an example of how to respect women in rap music. "He may have a very unique way of presenting his ideas, but he does love women," she said. "For what he’s up against in this climate with all of the other emcees, he’s taking a stand. He’s being pretty courageous right now with what it is that he presents in his music. Because it’s really not the norm." She also pointed to artists like Kendrick Lamar, Big Sean, Common, and Talib Kweli for discussing women in a respectful way in their music, and urged all rappers to realize they needed to take responsibility for the content of their lyrics.
This might seem strange, but a look at Fetty's lyrics reveals that Lyte might have a point. "Trap Queen" is a hip-hop love song for the ages, and on "D.A.M.," a cut off his recent album, he raps "Let me take you out/Would you like it if I kissed you now?/Ain't tryna force you so let me know if it's working." Certainly the words of someone who has, at the very least, a deep admiration for women. Check out MC Lyte's comments in the video below, and let us know what you think of her proclamation in the comments below.
