I'm an african-american, and I have to say that in light of this whole Don Imus fiasco, I'm disgusted.

It makes me sick to see the media, and other respectable african americans go after a white man for saying "nappy headed ho's", when Ludacris and Nelly and DMX and Method Man have perpetuated disrespectful lyrics, images, and depictions of black women for YEARS... and our community only displays outrage when a white man says it.

I'm SICK about this whole thing.

The cure starts at HOME! Why can't Al Sharpton go after THEM. It starts there! I'm not justifying what Imus said... but in my opinion... there should not be this B.S. double-standard.

If it wasn't for rappers and the images they display, and even african-american women eating that up... buying these CD, going to these concerts... supporting these disrepectful acts... Imus would have never felt comfortable making such a statement.

But I digress...

Prince has always been about sex... but can you name any songs where Prince said "Ho"... and was flat out disrepectful.

The imagery in Gett Off was an orgy, and Prince has often used images of women scantilly clad... true... but... I don't consider that anywhere near what the hip hop culture displays... or flat out CALLS women.

Lady Cab Driver comes to mind... but that was his own lust.

Your thoughts please? Any disrespectful songs?

Yes, is there a word that Prince hasn't used that is derrogatory towards women? He called Annie Christian a "Whore" long before these rappers were born!
[Edited 4/13/07 8:06am]

I want to "argue" that that was a specific woman in a story. He wasn't "generalizing", or depicting the masses as such!

Yeah, but women really don't like to hear the words Bitch and Whore coming out of men's mouths whether it be about one woman or several! Purple rain was filled with so much Violence towards women it was sad, but look how he was raised!
[Edited 4/13/07 8:12am]

I understand what you mean about that word, but in my honest opinion, it's still very different.

A story is different than generalizing, or treating women as simply sex objects.

YES... Prince is extremely sexual... but I've never gotten the impression that he was a misogynist... or that he solely used these types of images of women to sell records and be "cool" by using disrespectful or abusive lyrical content.

Prince never recorded a slong like "Area Codes" by Ludicris. I got hoes in different area codes... exclaims the chorus.

DMX had a song called "What These Bitches want from a N*&&$*".

And let's not talk about the "legendary" Snoop Dogg. "We don't love dem hoes".

It doesn't get any worse that what the hip hop culture has created!

Well, I recently went back to listen to the "Chaos and Disorder" album, prompted by a recent Prince.org thread about it.

One thing that surprises me is how, when Prince has "guest rappers" on his songs, he allows them to go with their own lyrics that can be... decidedly "off-message" and misogynistic. It sits so incongruously with Prince's own lyrical content.

One example is the rap bit from "I Rock Therefore I Am".

MantuaPharoah said:

thank you! well said! amen!
now listen...I don't even like Imus, but this is america right? we still have free speech in this country or what? I do think what imus said was rude and disrespectful but..big friggin' deal! He should be able to say whatever he wants....people don't have to like it or agree with it.
anyway...
as for Prince....I think on occasion he's said a few comments that weren't completely respectful but..on the whole I think Prince has been respectful of women. For the few occasions where he's said something disrespectful, I think he's more than made up for it in other lyrics where he praises them.

Just because a man has a lot of women does not mean he "Loves" women, sometimes it could mean the opposite, I knew a guy like that he was just pimping them, it happens all the time!

Hmmm... one song just came to mind.

Irresistable Bitch

Once again, he's not "generalizing" or depicting all women as such, but he does call the woman a bitch through the song. Hmmmm...

Prince hasn't written too many songs that disrespect women,but he did receive a little criticism for how women are treated in 'Purple Rain'.In one scene,a woman is thrown into a trash can...in several scenes,women are beaten and/or slapped around (The Kid's mother and Apollonia)..,humilated (the "Darling Nikki" sequence)....and ignored (Wendy and Lisa trying to get the Kid to listen to their music).Granted,it was just a movie and Prince didn't actually write the script.

I remember Whoopi Goldberg making a big deal about this.

MantuaPharoah said:

I took "bitch" as a compliment in that song.

Shorty said:

So did I!

sexxydancer said:

See... now I think that's a part of the problem.

There should be nothing flattering about being called a "bitch". It's the same when some people use the "n" word to bond with others.

And the fact that some women see that word as a compliment... I'm sure that some women don't get offended by being called a "Ho", since that word is so saturated in music today.

NOBODY's perfect... but I still like to think of Prince as someone who doesn't contribute to this. Many would argue with me... and I'd have to agree to some extent, but I still think Prince is respectful... despite his own lustful tendencies.

wlcm2thdwn said:

Not an excuse.


I was appalled by the slapping scene in Purple Rain.

Imago said:

please! it was a MOVIE! god forbid the day that we are so GD politically correct that we don't have any violence or swears in the movies.

MantuaPharoah said:

no...I don't feel it's the same as the N word at all.

I thought about "Days of Wild":

"Hooker, b*tch and 'ho, I don't think so-
I only knew one, but never told her tho...
I thought about it many times, (diss me?)
that's the kind of $#*& to make U check yo mind...

Is your blood type the type that flows?
Is your blood type the type that just stereos?
A woman everyday should be thanked.
Not disrespected, not raped or spanked..."

chocolate1 said:

not spanked! oh come on! that's not disrepectful...that's hot!

Shorty said:

It reminds me of the days when we used to see movies where men would lock a woman in an embrace and she would struggle, but finally give in cause "she always wanted it and he was just convincing her to give in to her desires."

Or those old movies where the female characters just stood there and screamed while the men fought off the martians and the monsters, etc.




Or even in his older videos and movies where the only sexually viable female counterparts to him were white women.



They all send messages.

I'll never forgive him for that song about my Boo.

Imago said:

no shit
what's your point?

I say don't go see movies if you don't want to be subjected to a possible "message"

Shorty said:

As I'm typing this, I'm listening to 'Let's Pretend We're Married' when P says, "I want to f--k the taste out of your mouth". Is that a compliment?

[Edited 4/13/07 11:01am]

Shorty said:

Or don't tune in to Don Imus either, cuase nappy headed ho's can just choose to ignore.


Look, I'm not saying folks shouldn't watch it, or that Prince can't do what he wants. All I'm saying is that it sends a bad message and I was appalled.


And for the record, I don't like most of Prince's videos and movies anyways.

Prince has been disrespetful to women but I don't think those were his intentions.

yep, he's been disrespectful to women... especially to those who can't jam!
but if you look pretty enough, he'll give ya half the chance...

I'll await a list of problems with my theory.

But I'd like to say no... I don't think he has been. And if so, I either haven't seen him be disrespectful or I have seen him and I just overlook it.

I'm always in his corner, supporting him 100%, thinking he has reasons 4 his actions, and I never try to see the worst in him. People call him arrogant and I accept him 4 that cuz he has his reasons.

I always like to give his songs an equal listen and give them enough time b4 deciding whether or not I like them... since he put so much work into them.

That's the kind of person I am.

I don't believe he's been disrespectful because I usually don't see his flaws (it took me a while to figure out that he actually has any, haha). And when I do see them, I don't focus my time on them.

Imago said:

absolutely right! I personally don't feel there was even one nappy headed ho on the team so no one should have been offended.
and all I'm saying is so what if it sends a bad message. If it's an adult rated movie...level headed adults should be able to sort that shit out.
sure you don't.

Shorty said:

Girl, what Universe do you come from?
How many level headed adults do you really know? Come on! George W. Bush was re-elected President!

MantuaPharoah said:

-----
"Why can't Al Sharpton go after THEM"
He has gone after rappers and what does Al Sharpton have to do with what is coming out of Imus's mouth. Why don't you put the blame where it belongs. He got himself into this mess.
-----
"If it wasn't for rappers and the images they display, and even african-american women eating that up... buying these CD, going to these concerts... supporting these disrepectful acts... Imus would have never felt comfortable making such a statement"

Why are you assuming that all African-Americans are fans of rap. Right now rap is selling poorly out of all the music genres.
-----
"Prince has always been about sex... but can you name any songs where Prince said "Ho"... and was flat out disrepectful.

The imagery in Gett Off was an orgy, and Prince has often used images of women scantilly clad... true... but... I don't consider that anywhere near what the hip hop culture displays... or flat out CALLS women."

If you take any of Prince's lyrics and stake them against rappers he is no where close to them in being offensive to woman.

In fact some of his songs are really about woman being empowered.