nelly speaks on a double standard

St. Louis rapper Nelly said his racy "Tip Drill" video is no worse than Halle Berry's on screen sex scene in Monster's Ball.

In an exclusive interview with SOHH, the platinum-selling rapper said that there is a double standard in place when actors can simulate sex onscreen but rappers are criticized for having half-naked women in their videos.

"You look at Essence magazine, and they wouldn't put a rapper on the cover," he told SOHH. "They wouldn't put Nelly on the cover of Essence. Why? I don't know. Would I like to do it? Of course I would. Why not?" [Watch here]

"You wouldn't put me on the cover because of the 'Tip Drill' video ... that's probably your main focus," he added. "But yet still, you put Halle Berry on the cover. She's had a 15-minute sex scene with some white guy in front of a couch ... I mean you can't tell me that 'Tip Drill' was worse than watching that sex scene between Billy Bob (Thornton) and Halle Berry. You can't tell me that. That was longer than four or five minutes. You feel what I'm sayin'?"

http://www.sohh.com/articles/article.php/12970


this is being debated across different boards but I feel nelly.

 

I think Nelly has a valid point. There isn't much difference between what Halle did and what Nelly did.

 

There is a double standard between rap and damn near the rest of entertainment period with television shows, video games and especially movies. It is just because since rap is a moslty black place it gets the most negative attention, because that is unfortunately the way it is in this country when it comes to black people. Statistically we have worked the hardest for jobs and we get criticized the most. Just look at the donovan mcnabb situation where he says black QBs take the most heat and under the most pressure when they put on a bad performance.

And the saddest part is that it is our own people joining in on this double standard.

 

I don't know.. I don't really agree with this point of view and here is why:
In a movie MOST of the time (not all) there is a story around the sex-scene that puts things a bit more in perspective. In a Hip Hop Video the only story told is: get some ass, get more ass, who got most ass"

There is no context to the story in a hip hop video (well other that you want the ass in context with bling, some sort of Vodka etc. and occasionally refer to the woman as hoe, bitch and other terms of endearment). In a movie the focus is not so much on the sex scene, it's just a part of an entire story (porn excluded of course).

 

Nelly simply doesn't get it, like most rappers. There was a reason why Monster's Ball had an R-rating. Rap videos are easily accessible for children to look at without parental supervision, so are rap songs.

 

I have to agree with mike38, Nelly just doesn't get it. He compares his involvement in a misogynistic & chauvinistic video that denigrates & objectifies women, especially black women, to what, at the very most or least, could be considered a gratuitous sex scene involving a black woman (with a white man) in a movie. In my opinion, there is no comparison. How could Nelly possibly be surprised that there would be lasting fallout from depicting women as he did in the "Tip Drill" video? No, Nelly just doesn't get it. But I'm that glad Essence did.

 

I understand what Nelly's trying to get at. Both the video and the Halle Berry movie were exploitive (although Monster's Ball is worse IMO). Nelly's video is overtly exploitive, while Monster's Ball couches it's exploitation in a feature length format.

Same shit different method.

 

Shaft as always you're on the money because it just depends on who is doing the exploiting in my book. :roll:

 

OVERALL I think it is stupid and not thinking straight to blame rap for being too explicit, blaming thier child's actions on what they see in hip hop, etc. You cannot hold entertainers responsible for YOUR child's actions the word responsible says so itself......responsible: accountable, as for something within ONE'S POWER. Rappers do not have your children under their power and if they do it is the fault of the parent because you are responsible for your own children, you brought them into the world or your life. They are your responsibility and to say hip hop is responsible is to say it is their responsibility to raise your kids and that is the VERY, VERY problem in this country when it comes to parenting we have or want others to raise and be responible for our own children!

And to say they are responsible for adults actions due to what they see rappers do is even more ridiculous to say cause adults don't raise adults.

Adult Enteratinment, you can have your opinion about it all you want don't make you right because it is called ADULT ENTERTAINMENT not Adult responibility or Adult do-what-we-do.

Kenny G 8)
(Imitating kid rasta again) :lol:

 

The videos on MTV and BET were the main reason I cut the cable off at my house. I'm sick of seeing that shit. And I don't really need my sons thinking a 1/2 naked slut shaking her ass on tv is what's hot and respectful. I've explained to them that if a woman feels like she needs to show her skin and body to make her look/feel good then she's not worth their time. Basically, she's dirty. I'm sure as they get older their perception of those same women will change but I will forever drill into their heads...........she's dirty!!! I don't agree with most of the videos on either one of those channels. And no, my kids wouldn't be seeing the sex scene in Monster's Ball either. The difference is that you can sit down and simply turn on your tv and see Nelly's video. To watch Monster's Ball, my kids would first have to go to the video store and rent it (they are 7 and 9) then get away with watching it without me catching them. That's not going to happen so, I'm not feeling Nelly on this one. I wouldn't say hip hop is responsible because I do agree with kenny on this one, your kids are your responsibility, but I also think tv is quite provocative and more sexual than necessary most of the time. On stations like nbc, abc, fox etc... they shouldn't be showing sexual scenes. I watched Private Practice lastnight and it showed Taye Diggs shirt off w/a woman shirt off just gettin down on top of a table, way too much for my kids to witness and this was abc??? WTF is that about. I mean it was a good scene too, I was getting ready just watching it. The line has to be drawn some where.

 

The establishment is angry with hip-hop because

BLACK MEN STOOD UP AND TOOK CONTROL OF THEIR OWN IMAGE AND STANDARD OF BEAUTY..

Not long ago..Brothers that look like 50 cent and Jay Z could only DREAM of having the most beautiful women..they WERE FUCKED in their own communities..

Hip Hop changed that BULLSHIT

 

Agreed!!

 

I just wished they can be independent in distribution of their own music and have some positive stuff. If not those rappers should be in the Adult Film Indurstry.

 

I agree parents need to step up and take care of there own damm kids and quit blaming others for when they fuck up!! There are so many ways to keep a kid from seeing stuff you don't want to see so just use it.

Also anyone saying Hip-Hop and Rap are the cause of all ills in this country need to open there damm eyes and realize this shit didn't start with Hip-Hop. It started with the powers that be that made people evolve the way they did to create the music in the first place.

 

I agree, parents are responsible for their own children. MTV and BET are more than half the reason I cut the cable off at my house. How sad is that? I almost can't sit down and watch abc or nbc with my family without a 1/2 naked sex scene coming on. Just Thursday night actually, I was watching Private Practice on abe and my 7 yr old came in the room. Right then Taye Diggs and this other chick took off their shirts and started going at it on top of a table. I was getting a little wet in the pants so it wasnt just "no big deal", you know what I mean. It was going to be a great scene. I had to tell him to leave the room for a minute. I feel I shouldn't have to do that if it isn't rated R. TV now days, is out of control to say the least! I don't agree that hip hop brought these brothers these women, money brought these women. These women would follow the money no matter who had it. I also believe that you shouldn't have to shelter your children until they are grown in order for them to think life isn't all about sex. Sex and sexual images are all over the place, tv, billboards, stores, movies, everywhere. You can't get away from it, so if the videos could be just a little less sexual, I wouldn't mind at all. I like music as much as the next person. We turned a closed into a recording booth we like music so much at our house, and we sing-loud. But I can't justify letting my kids watch these videos with people looking the way they do in them. But again, that's why we have no cable. I took that step and cut it off in hopes of keeping some of that away from them. More people with children should be thinking this way.

The rap industry knows damn good and well that at least 1/2 of their viewers/listeners are kids. I think it's kind of sad that they do know this but don't care at all. That is why, in my city, I support radio stations that don't play certain songs at certain times because they know kids are out of school and there are a lot more children listening to the radio at that time. I really appreciate that. I think it all comes down to each parent and how they choose to deal with this issue. It would be helpful if more people were concerned about this.

I know you obviously all don't agree and this is just my opinion.

 

It all comes down to the parents hip hop has music for the kids, but it is like 50 cent said in the "outta control" remix

"This is grownfolks music!"

I don't know how more clear you can get than that, he told you, he told you, he told you. People always want to listen to the negative and not only the positive (because those hardcore rappers does have positive songs on their albums and do put them out on the radio but nobody wants to pay attention to that because they just want a fight rather than mediate.) but they also don't listen when rappers tell you like 50 cent said

"This is grown folks music!"

If a parent heard that and still would buy their kids the CD, but still would be shocked what comes out of the speakers, and STILL!! would get mad 50 cent, then it just goes to show apparently your not a parent.

That is like me telling someone don't walk over there, there's a ditch over there and they so okay but walk over anyway and fall in and decide to want to blame me because they fell in. They will have no right to blame me when I gave the warning. The same with hardcore hip hop, you could blame them all you want, have meetings about it, get angry, but one thing they can never say is THAT THEY NEVER TOLD YOU SO!

because the FACT of the matter is...they do tell you.

You can't blame somebody when they tell you so. It would just be you not listening is what the real problem would be.

 

I do concur it's the parents' responsibility to raise their kids and shield them from the crap that is rap/hip-hop videos and songs. I also get the artists are not responsible for child rearing (unless they father their own), but some of them who say these offensive lyrics are the same ones who go to schools and help rebuild the areas they come from, and also talk to kids. That is a double strandard here. Some artists may say that their stuff should not be listened by kids, but kids find a way to listen to it anyway.

 

So your basically sayin they create a double standard by being around kids based on what they do adult wise, they should keep the lines blurred between entertainment and reality.

Thuggin, gangsta bangin', pimpin is their entertainment.
Relationships, parents, businessmen/women is their reality.

 

The establishment is angry with hip-hop because

BLACK MEN STOOD UP AND TOOK CONTROL OF THEIR OWN IMAGE AND STANDARD OF BEAUTY..

Not long ago..Brothers that look like 50 cent and Jay Z could only DREAM of having the most beautiful women..they WERE FUCKED in their own communities..

Hip Hop changed that BULLSHIT

I agree to a point. Corporate America took control of our images and we are perpetuating the same stereotypical images all over again. Nelly is partly right, he is playing to that same mentality like 50 Cent. We as a community need to start back taking control of our images.

Why don't we see more balanced positive images? Corporate America doesn't want to show any positive images of our community to a point except as the thug, sexual toy, or extremely angry black man or woman who hates all white people due to Racism that persists today. As a Black man, I am tired of this bullshit. I am very critical of today's black shows for not showing a balanced image of our people being in various relationships such as Interracial Relationships other than same race relationships. That is why I am picky of what I watch.

Reality tv is no different either.

 

I agree. Some people actually blast the likes of Bill Cosby and Al Sharpton simply for trying hard to clean up the stereotypes and false images of all black people listening to hip-hop and dressing up, acting, and talking in a certain way. I am personally tired of it. The very same people are probably the same ones who are into the Nellys, 50 Cents, and other artists who dress up like a gangbanger.

MTV, BET, and Vh1, I don't watch anymore since they all air programming that cast false and grossly inaccurate images of how African-Americans live. I feel these stations are as accountable for the situation African-Americans are in, which is in division between those who want equal treatment in generally everything and those who feel acting like gangstas and putting down people of their own race are the norm.