Black women seek respect

UNCC event to address their degradation in hip-hop music, videos

TONYA JAMESON

Pop Culture Writer

The infamous credit card swipe in Nelly's video, the Ying Yang Twins' raunchy hit "The Whisper Song," and the steady torrent of b-words that characterize black women in music video are the subject of a workshop at UNC Charlotte on Friday.

The degradation of black women in rap is a constant source of debate in hip-hop.

On Friday, a UNC Charlotte student organization -- Fashion, Arts, Music, and Entertainment (F.A.M.E.) ONE -- will host "Take Back the Music" in McKnight Hall. The idea is to start a dialogue about the image of black women in commercial hip-hop.

"Sometimes the hot beats are disguising what the songs are saying," said senior Bridgette Wright, who helped organize the workshop.

Panelists include Michaela angela Davis, co-founder of Essence magazine's Take Back The Music Campaign, Nsenga Burton, president of the Urban League Young Professionals, Lynelle Ragland, coordinator for multicultural programs at the UNC Charlotte's counseling center, and Robert Muhammad of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.

The UNC Charlotte workshop joins a national campaign by Essence magazine to present a more balanced view of black women in hip-hop. The effort followed a highly publicized 2004 protest at Spelman College against rapper Nelly for his "Tip Drill" video. In the video, he swipes a credit card down a woman's backside.

"There are more black women entering college than you see on stripper poles," Davis said. PREVIEW

Take Back the Music

May not be appropriate for young children.

WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday.

WHERE: UNC Charlotte's Cone University Center, McKnight Hall.

TICKETS: Free.

DETAILS: (704) 656-1636.