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__//**Nicki Minaj & Lil Kim: **//__ __//**An Analysis of **//__ __//**"How Many Licks" **//__ __//**& "Super Bass" **//__ By: Deahna Reed, Jordan Harvey, Greg David, Ramar Robinson and Malik Waleed media type="youtube" key="4JipHEz53sU" height="315" width="560" align="center"

media type="youtube" key="L1Wu0Nu-j80" height="315" width="560" //__Introducing Lil Kim & Nicki Minaj __// One thing I noticed in Lil’ Kim’s video is that in the beginning it shows there being a mass production of doll type figures. I believe she was trying to convey to the audience that she is a perfect mold of the ideal woman, but at the same time unconsciously informing us that there are many more like her. While we are presented with a small variation of this in “Superbass,” it is very different. An alter ego Nicki Minaj takes on is Harajuku Barbie. In the beginning of the video we are presented with Nicki being very still and doll-like to convey the Barbie idea to us. She also has a very big smile plastered on her face and freckles painted on her cheeks, very reminiscent of a Barbie doll while still understanding that there is only one of her. In the way Lil’ Kim presents her lyrics makes her out to be a receiver of sex, it happens to her. This is understood because she goes on about how men have performed a variety of sexual acts on her. Contrasting that, Nicki Minaj presents her lyrics in a why that shows her being flattered and blown away by his material assets. One would likely characterize Lil’ Kim as an artist who is very crude, overly sexual, and very confrontational in her presentation and with her music. Nicki Minaj would likely be characterized as someone of a higher status who wants sex, but demands to be treated with respect. //__Historical Context __// ** The historical context is the foundation in which the purpose of Lil Kim’s “How Many Licks” and Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass” music videos are derived from. History of Black gender roles plays a vital aspect in this project. Dating back to slavery Black women were seen as hypersexual, similar to the myth of the Black male rapist; however in modern times rapper Lil Kim and Nicki Minaj reshape Black women sexuality. Instead of it portrayed in a negative light, as it has throughout history, they use it as a sense of identity. Both Lil Kim and Nicki Minaj use their sexuality to portray a Barbie- like persona. In the beginning of Lil Kim, she is seen on an assembly line being but together as if she was a nude Barbie. Nicki Minaj is depicted with Barbie like make up and accessories, such as the pink car and pink airplane in her video. The two female rappers use what used to be know of the hyper sexuality of Black women and portray it in their music video to be a power and lucrative idea because being a Barbie is a million dollar business in itself. ** ** Starting in the early 1980s, Black women were becoming more educated, earning more and being more independent than their Black male counter parts. This is illustrated in Lil Kim’s video because while she as seen as glamorous, wealthy (seen driving a Lamborghini) and in control, Black men are shown in a prison. This is also a comment on the 1980s, issue of police brutality and the growing issues surrounding Black men and the prison industrial complex. She claims herself to be “Pin Up Kim” which relates to the pin up girls of the early 1900s. In her video she shows many Black men placing pictures up of her up or imagining sexual fantasies with her while incarcerated. Her focus of Black men in a lower status than herself can also be interpreted as a suggestion to Black women that in order to find a man to be in a sexual or romantic relationship with, they must lower their standards to include Black men below their socioeconomic status. Nicki Minaj depicts this disparity between Black men and Black women in a more mild way. As opposed to Lil Kim, whom solely depicts men of color, Nicki Minaj incorporated men of various races in rapping about her ideal man. This could be seen as a solution to Black women’s historical issue with finding a counterpart with equal qualities to bring to the table. ** ** Also in the 1980s the emergence of female rappers in hip-hop occurred. Also this was a heavily male dominated industry, rappers such as Queen Latifa, MC Lyte and Salt and Pepper still found success. Black women rappers lyric’s would entail messages about embracing their bodies and sexuality without shame. They also shared messages about being sexual does not implicit sexual activity or contact with men. They also rapped about wanting respect and critiqued misogyny in the sense that they compared what a “good man” is to what a “bad man” is. Finally, historically they challenged the idea of being a feminist because they resisted the lingering idea of the Black menace and rapist, by affirming there are good Black men. These attributes are all seen throughout both Lil Kim and Nicki Minaj’s music videos released in the 2000s. They both portray the idea that there is absolutely nothing wrong with being a sexual human being and that taking a hold of your sexuality exudes power. They also portray their sexuality as a way to gain respect. Lil Kim brags about her sexual prowess, as Nicki Minaj uses her sexuality to attract a romantic mate similar to her socioeconomic status. Finally, Nicki Minaj comments of the qualities that good men possess to in order to critique “bad” Black men. ** __//OBSTACLES//__  __**//Rap/Hip Hop Culture//**__  - ** Male dominated industry associated with confronting negative aspects of African American life **  <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: large;">** - How to overcome these obstacles? : asserting power ** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: large;">** - Characteristics of power? Dominance, authority, money, women. Biased definition of a male dominated society. ** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: large;">** - What is a female? Definition stems from traditional place of women in society= weak, unable to gain respect because of inferiority ** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: large;">** - Feminizing= a tactic used by the rap/hip hop in order to assert the amount of power one has **  <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: large;">** - The ratio of men to women in this industry leads to: misoganistic ideologies. This leads to obstacles for women in the industry. ** <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: large;">__**//Retaliation//**__  <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: large;"> **Nicki Minaj/ Lil Kim challenge the standard definition of superiority in the world of rap/hip hop**  <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: large;"> **- Sexuality: Using their bodies to become desirable to large audiences. The success of this bodily expression can be seen through the size of their fan base and their multimillion dollar salaries** <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: large;">**the pattern of men vs women in rap/hip hop**  <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: large;">**- Men define their power based on what they can acquire.**  <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: large;">*** example: expensive jewelry filled with diamonds** **<span style="color: #cc99ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">- Women acquire their power by using what they have to attract what they want. **
 * **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">example: hair and make up done, exposing cleavage, showing alot of skin **

-**<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: large;"> Redefining the definition of power: If a major theme of hip hop is power, and power exists in both men and female, then is the industry of rap/hip hop becoming genderless? ** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: xx-large;">//__Critique__// <span style="color: #d10a5b; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 13pt; text-align: center;">**Since the days of slavery, there has always been a myth to white America that black women were promiscuous and overly sexual individuals. This is something that white people instilled in their viewpoints as a means of justifying the numerous committed rapes against innocent black women. In the music industry today, for some black women to be looked upon as a sex symbol is not only accepted but appreciated as well. Female rap stars Nicki Minaj and Lil Kim are prime examples of women that have used their physical features as an attention grasper to succeed in a male dominant sector. As some may consider their actions as sexually exploiting themselves, a large part of the reason these women flaunt their bodies is to show that they own their sexuality. They are winning against men because they can come hard lyrically, but also bring the sexy side that with limited clothing and disputable lyrics. In playing devils advocate, their actions can be condemned because based on history they are continuing the negative image black women were once forced to be categorized under, as promiscuous sexual objects.** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: xx-large;">//__Evaluation__// ===<span style="color: #00ff00; font-family: Georgia,serif;">** As has been discussed asserting female sexuality is the overall intent of both videos, but the craft in which each artist chooses to do this is quite different. The tactics and content used either alienate audience members or draw them to the hidden messages communicated through each rappers individual image. In How Many Licks, Lil’ Kim boasts of her sexual conquests of different males with a varied degree of ethnicities. She spends the entirety of the song demanding gratification from men and refuse to settle until she gets what she wants. Although her message is quite clear throughout the lyrics of the song, Lil’ Kim contradicts herself with the visuals of the video. She presents herself as manufactured Barbie who can do whatever she pleases when she has a new outfit. Although the song chooses to alienate male viewers by appealing the female ethos, she then spends the entire video dancing in tight outfits that leave little to the imagination. Lil Kim’ uses her body to draw attention to draw entice the viewer into the subliminal message of the song. Even though the lyrics are explicitly about sex she uses the authority of her female prowess to appeal to her female viewers while her is showcased as the spectacle for men. Rapper Nicki Minaj takes a different approach in her video for SuperBass but uses the same tactics. In the video, Minaj uses her body as the spectacle for her male viewers, while the lyrics of the song serve to describe the type of man that she hopes to come across for female fans. We say that Minaj takes a different approach, because as she very much serves as “eye-candy” through her costuming and suggestive poses, she also hones in on the male physique throughout various scenes of the videos progression. In contrast to How Many Licks, the lyrics in SuperBass match the song because as Minaj describes her ideal mate to both male and female viewers, there are images to accompany the explanation. ** === ===<span style="color: #00ff00; font-family: Georgia,serif;">** Each video is similar in that they take an informal and serious tone to what they are communicating to their audience members. While kim spends most of her time as the new age Barbie doll, Nicki playfully frolics in a pool composed of pink water. We think this method serve to enhance the message of each video and seem lighthearted, but are actually a tactic used to enhance the viewer’s experience and makes the message much stronger. The lighthearted imagery serves to distract the viewer into seeing the playful side of each woman. The audience may sing along to the lyrics oblivious to the significance of the words. ** === ===<span style="color: #00ff00; font-family: Georgia,serif;">** Rap music has been used as a tool for rhetoric for the past few decades. Most recently rap has made its way into mainstream popular culture geared toward the black community, detailing experiences that otherwise go unheard. We’re choosing to pinpoint the experience of black women, as it continues to be a present-day fight for equality. Although the arguments of Lil’ Kim and Nicki Minaj each represent a contrasting point of view, the overall theme of each music video is female empowerment. Rapper Lil’ Kim uses her body as a tool for provocative movement and lyrics as a symbol for girl power. Nicki Minaj focuses on female empowerment by sexualizing men in her video for “Super Bass.” She puts them in positions that male rappers use for female video models. Using scholarly articles and pop culture references our wiki-site will focus on the evolution female argument through rap music, most specifically the black women’s experience. We hope for our audience to gain knowledge of the issues that many black women have faced over the years and the ways in which rap music has been used as their rhetoric. ** ===


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