by Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo

Note: I will use the term n-words, when referring to “nigga” and “nigger” collectively.

Since the moment Jay-Z launched the music-streaming service Tidal at the end of March, the rapper-turned-mogul has been on the defensive. I will not rehash all of the criticisms being leveled at Tidal, as they are well articulated here and here for starters; suffice it to say that if the company survives, Jay-Z will likely be doing damage control for a long time. I, on the other hand, am pretty excited about Tidal. While I haven’t actually purchased the app, the reception of its launch has provided me with plenty of food for thought as it relates to the business of music, the diminishing power of celebrities in society, and the politics of being black in corporate America. Tidal’s launch has even indirectly provided me with the angle I needed in order to finally finish this think-piece about rap and the n-words I have been struggling to write since last summer. Let me explain.

by Sofiya Ballin

Originally published at The Philadelphia Inquirer

Fetty Wap had me at "Hey, what's up, hello."

I've watched the New Jersey rapper's hit "Trap Queen" crawl from underneath sweaty house parties to constant radio rotation, hitting No. 3 on Billboard's Hot 100.

by Ashleigh Atwell

Last week, I reluctantly exposed myself to I Won, a new track by rappers Future and Kanye West. The premise of the track is the duo bragging about their famous significant others, Ciara and Kim Kardashian. It seems like a sweet gesture until you actually pay attention to the lyrics. The song starts out with Future warbling the hook:

Last week, PepsiCo dropped Lil Wayne's endorsement deal after the family of Emmett Till expressed outrage over lyrics in a Lil Wayne song. This happened just weeks after sustained protests prompted Reebok to drop Rick Ross because of his lyrics that implied date rape followed by inadequate apologies. Rap enthusiasts have expressed concern that hip hop is a target. A blogger at Necole Bitchie writes, "Corporate companies are going to be more afraid to give Hip Hop a chance, moving forward, in fear that something like this will happen again."

Sophistiratchet. It's the term du jour for women with degrees and good jobs who like to do bad things with their friends on the weekends. Women like me who enjoy delving into books and foolishness equally adopt such monikers to resist the social expectations of ideal womanhood. Some of us don't care if you think we're "ladies" because we're defining ourselves and setting our own rules. But while my fellow sophistiratchets engage in, what we deem, mindless fun, it's easy to forget that the "ratchet" has consequences.

By Ebony Blanding

There is a new and improved bitch in town. She’s not your average bitch; average bitches are passé. Similar to Baby Phat, Fetish, and other faded apparel brands of the early 2000s, some brands of bitches just don’t make the cut from season to season.

“I only came for the bitches and the drinks…”

“All I want for my birthday is a big booty hoe…”

“Now gon’ pop that p***y for a real n*gga…”

Every day, our radios, TVs, and other media are flooded with misogynistic lyrics like these.