somatic semantics 091
today 6:30pm to 8pm | the clap back: bbl drizzy + mysoginoir + virtue signalling | additional considerations: record labels + rap butchers + cultural imperialism
hi hello,
welcome to the ninety-first issue of somatic semantics.
thank you for walking through the shifting structure of this newsletter with me. i trust that (y)our essence brought you to this virtual space. i trust that my own essence will continue to be expressed through this forum. i trust that we will continue to meet here, where we can (hopefully) honour our limitations and reflect on the questions they shape, however they may present themselves.
a special thank you to paid subscribers who share their hard-earned money with me (and lorde knows it’s particularly hard earned during what my beloved chelsy is calling our great depression). your financial support means the world and helps me access food and medication. thank you for your generosity.
today 6:30pm - 8pm | the clap back: bbl drizzy + misogynoir + virtue signalling
i’m so excited to see those of you who are available this evening for the clap back: bbl drizzy + misogynoir + virtue signalling.
use this link to log into today’s 6:30pm zoom event
here are some loosely assembled notes on what i’m most excited to unpack:
the backdrop1
american hip-hop is a multi-billion dollar industry/cultural export (contributing $15 billion to the american economy in 2023 and representing 30% of all global music streams) that deploys predatory practices to enrich major record labels and their executives while extracting cultural capital from black and brown artists
the cumulative net worth of the industry’s 13 richest rappers2, who are also wealthy businessmen, is $5 billion
our news cycle regularly features lawsuits that confirm decades of abuse and organized sexual violence by diddy, the second richest ($1 billion) of the above mentioned list — surpassed only by jay z ($1.5 billion)
the beef
drake and kendrick’s weaponization of alleged care for black women throughout what is being labeled the biggest beef in rap history
the mention of abuse as a stylistic device, rather than a serious consideration
a subtext that suggests being sloppy and/or getting caught is far worse/important than being violent
public discussions about the weight of each rapper’s allegations (rather than the significance of truth)
the ballad of aubrey ‘bbl drizzy’ graham
why the bbl matters
how drake’s ascent within the hip-hop industry mirrors a cultural landscape in which melanin-deficient consumers with diminishing socio-emotional language outsource their communication to aave, black memes and black music
i’m looking forward to seeing you this evening from 6:30pm to 8pm as we unpack this mess and i can’t wait to hear your hot takes!
i leave you with metro boomin’s bbl drizzy:
see you on zoom :)
with love + light,
nènè
stats in this section precede the drake/kendrick beef, today’s figures are likely much higher
most of whom have been named in public discussions of physical and/or sexual abuse throughout the years… but we’ll get into that on zoom