Cardi B & Nicki Minaj
Many people are aware of the feud between Cardi B and Nicki Minaj. It has been ongoing on social media for months and the two had a physical altercation at an awards show earlier this year. The battle between the two rappers has made many re-evaluate the way female celebrities are treated and the ways news about them are framed to start more conflict.
This relates to the Crooked Room theory we discussed in class. The media depicts black women in the media as "angry black women." In this depiction they rarely support each other and are shown always fighting. Black women then bend themselves to fit this depiction and follow societal expectations. Both Cardi and Nicki are known for celebrity feuds, and I can't help but wonder if a part of the constant celebrity drama is due to them playing into the roles society tells them they need to play. This also relates to the Cultivation Theory because the media is a major storytelling force and if the only images people are seeing are negative stereotypes about black women, then they will begin to believe them.
I agree! In hip-hop, media will pit female artists against each other and compare them to each other with the mentality that "there can only be one." Black femininity in hip-hop is often presented as hypersexual and/or aggressive. Male hip-hop artists don't get the same kind of comparisons, and although media perpetuates many stereotypes for black male hip-hop artists, they have more room to challenge these controlling images thru their own self-expression whereas black female hip-hop artists are often only legible thru those stereotypes.
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