It’s a given that some fields of work are male dominant, for many reasons like female oppression over the years, the strict cultural rules enforced on them, etc. It’s no difference in the music world, where some genres are more male dominant than others like Metal, Rock, Rap and more.
There is nothing wrong with that per se, but there are more complications to it than meets the eye. This is clear in the latest track from El-Joker “El Talta Momken”.
The rap scene and the “need” to objectify women
When rap became mainstream since god knows when back in the West. One of its main themes was to objectify women, and it’s kind of easy to see why.
Even though it started as a form of storytelling about the struggle of being an African-American in a racist American society and the fight against police brutality, rap has started to integrate elements of misogyny. It’s true; nothing good lasts forever.
See the thing is, men have this tendency to one up each other, all day every day, and when a field of work or in this case a genre of music is only encouraging male voices. The discussions and topics become a tapestry of a boys’ school playground. Where every boy tries to win the spotlight by showing his new shiny toy while trashing the other boy’s toys. And just like that, the rap scene turns into who got more money, cars and women.
Joker VS Abyusif: What had happened?
Without getting into too many trivial details, one of the two most influential rappers in Egypt are having a full on beef with no salad on the side.
It all started when one rapper dissed another and while doing so dissed another one in his way cause why not. And it went on like a domino effect till it reached El-Joker dissing Abyusif in his latest track “El Talta Momken”, which had dropped on the 6th of January
The track unsurprisingly hit number 1 on trending on YouTube with over 1.5 million views in just two days. Due to El-Joker Popularity as an Egyptian rapper.
Why did you have to bring Rania Youssef into this?
Quick question, what falls under the objects category in the mind of a stereotypical closed-minded Middle Eastern male? WOMEN!
In the track, El-Joker blatantly insinuates that Abyusif is just like Rania Youssef’s “assets”, always revealed to the world. First thing first, not going to talk about the childish rhyme scheme on “Youssef”. Secondly, is this the only way to diss another fellow male rapper, by insulting women or using body attributes as a degrading insult?
The problem goes deeper than that since using women or their body parts as an insult is unfortunately embedded in our Egyptian culture. But that is not an excuse to still perpetrate women in an art form or a track that has nothing to do with them in the first place.
A solution must be carried out in the form of reformation and education about equality or lack thereof, and how much this obscene use of derogatory terms and devaluation of women contributes to that.
