I WANT A BEATING
In their own twisted lyrics, degradation of stars adored by millions of young fans
THE lyrics are often so explicit they cannot be printed in a family newspaper, yet these are the songs listened to by millions of teenagers. Here, LIBBY GALVIN summarises the shocking and disturbing themes of violent sex and objectification of women that have so often dominated the chart-topping songs in all genres of music over the past ten years.
CARDI B
AWARDS: Has won a Grammy for her album Invasion Of Privacy, several MTV awards and a People’s Choice award for WAP. SONG: WAP featuring Megan Thee Stallion (2020). THe chart-topping song WAP — which refers to a repulsive acronym for female genitalia in a state of arousal — has been roundly criticised for its explicit lyrics. While some argue Cardi B is ‘owning’ female sexuality, many feel that her graphic descriptions serve not only to normalise violent and disrespectful sex, but create an expectation that women will readily provide pornographic pictures.
Lines include ‘spit in my mouth . . . tie me up like I’m surprised’/ ‘He bought a phone just for pictures of this wet-a** p****’. ‘I wanna choke,’ she sings in one verse, later adding: ‘Never lost a fight, but I’m looking for a beating.’ And in another reference that many argue glorifies sexual violence, the song says: ‘You can’t hurt my feelings, but I like pain.’
MILEY CYRUS
AWARDS: Wrecking Ball won the MTV best video award in 2014. SONG: Bang Me Box (2015). DISNeY Channel star Miley famously courted controversy in 2013 when she appeared naked and giving oral sex to a mallet in the video for the song Wrecking Ball. The video attracted more than a billion views on YouTube.
Her 2015 song Bang Me Box similarly leaves little to the imagination, and portrays Miley as an inanimate object to be manoeuvred by a man: ‘I can be on top, or if you like it I just lie here / Take my picture / Position my body wherever you like’.
The opening lyrics also conjure images of a man creeping up on an unsuspecting woman: ‘I sleep with the door open / If you want to come in while I’m sleeping / I’m always sleeping naked / Cause you wake up and you’re creeping.’
ARIANA GRANDE
AWARDS: Ariana has won several Grammy and MTV Awards. SONG: 34 + 35 (2020). ANOTHer former Disney Channel star who has kicked off her innocent image is Ariana Grande. A not-so-subtle nod to a sexual position, 34 + 35 describes how she grooms her intimate areas, in a reference to the unrealistic female genitalia seen in pornography. And in another line she ridicules the idea of fulfilling sex between a married couple, glorifying instead the idea of illicit sex: ‘ even though I’m wifey, you can hit it like a side chick [mistress].’
RIHANNA
AWARDS: Rihanna and Eminem are among the biggest artists of their generations, winning nine and 15 Grammys respectively. SONGS: S&M and Love The Way You Lie (with Eminem) (2010). AS A victim of domestic violence herself, Rihanna’s 2010 releases provoked comment at the time. The first, her single S& M, includes the sentiments: ‘ Now the pain is for pleasure’ and ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones /
But chains and whips excite me’. The video features her in latex fetish wear performing the role of dominatrix in front of members of the Press wearing ball-gags and bound with ropes.
In Love The Way You Lie, Eminem — accused of writing violent anti-women lyrics from the very beginning of his career — chronicles an abusive relationship with the lyrics ‘You push, pull each other’s hair, scratch, claw, bit ’em / Throw ’em down, pin ’em, so lost in the moments, when you’re in ’em’ and ‘If she ever tries to ****ing leave again I’m a tie her to the bed and set this house on fire’.
Meanwhile, Rihanna sings the chorus: ‘ Just gonna stand there and watch me burn / Well that’s alright, because I like the way it hurts / Just gonna stand there and hear me cry / Well that’s alright, because I love the way you lie / I love the way you lie.’
IGGY AZALEA
AWARDS: Azalea has won numerous MTV and American Music awards. SONG: Just Wanna (2019). AuSTRALIAN rapper Iggy is arguably more explicit than many male rap stars, with repulsive lyrics commonplace in her songs. She also dismisses the idea of sex being an emotional, loving act, instead saying that she’s purely interested in the physical side, singing: ‘I am not tryna cuddle, so don’t get caught in the moment / I’ma need you to kill it, then after, send your condolence.’
The album this song is on went to No.7 in the uK R&B chart.
SUMMER WALKER
AWARDS: Summer has been nominated for the Billboard music awards’ top R&B artist. SONG: White Tee (2020).
AMERIcAN R&B artist Summer Walker leaves listeners in no doubt as to what she will accept from a man. The video on YouTube, in which she makes licking motions at the camera, has more than 1.6 million views. Lyrics include her promising ‘ I’ll do you dirty, yeah’.
Prostitution is alluded to with the lines: ‘Love on, love on me, But I’ll take your money.’ She also refers to betting that he will want to carry out a sex act on her. … And the men creating confusion around consent
CHRIS BROWN
AWARDS: Brown has won multiple music awards and was nominated for a Grammy this year. SONG: Young Thug — Go crazy (2020). chRIS BRoWN is best known for the horrific pictures released after he beat up his then girlfriend Rihanna in 2009. his latest song, Go crazy, includes the lyrics that suggest he is filming, or photographing, his partner: ‘Pose for the flick / Damn it, bust it, baby, watch you do it on a split.’
ROBIN THICKE AND PHARRELL WILLIAMS
AWARDS: Thicke received multiple Grammy, MTV and Billboard nominations for this song and several awards. SONG: Blurred Lines (2013). ThE song was banned by several student unions who argued that it promoted rape culture and ignored consent with lyrics such as: ‘ You’re a good girl — [but] I know you want it.’ Many rape victims reported that the words where identical to ones their own attackers had uttered. The video saw a suited Thicke and Pharrell Williams leer over naked and scantily clad young women.
SOLO 45
AWARDS: Part of the grime collective Boy Better Know, with several Top Ten hits. SONG: Boy Better Know/What You Need. GRIME artist Solo 45 was jailed last year for imprisoning and repeatedly raping four women. his music was violent, although that of his fellow Boy Better Know artists was more sexual.
JUSTIN BIEBER
AWARDS: Multi-MTV, Grammy and Teen choice award-winning solo artist with 18 Top Ten hits. SONG: What Do You Mean? (2015) BIEBER has been slammed for this track, which some interpreted as feigning confusion over whether a woman wants to continue with sex or not, with the lyrics: ‘When you nod your head yes / But you wanna say no /What do you mean? / When you don’t want me to move / But you tell me to go / What do you mean?’