In addition to Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, hip-hop culture is also being put to the test | Music

Earlier this month, the world was shocked by the arrest of one of the most successful music moguls in rap history, Sean “Diddy” Combs, at a Manhattan hotel on charges ranging from sex trafficking and assisting transportation for prostitution to racketeering. .

The 55-year-old rapper’s arrest and subsequent indictment were the result of a 10-month investigation that began after several women publicly accused him of sexual misconduct and other forms of abuse.

In November 2023, American singer Cassie Ventura filed a lawsuit against Combs, alleging that he repeatedly raped her, subjected her to physical and psychological abuse, completely controlled her life and demanded that she carry a firearm for him in her bag would carry during their performance that lasted more than ten years. -long relationship. She also alleged that he forced her to take drugs and have sexual relations with a series of male sex workers what she described as “freak-offs” – staged, drug-fueled sexual encounters involving a large number of people, sometimes lasting several days and recorded by Combs.

Combs denied the astonishing allegations, but settled the charges just a day later. However, more lawsuits soon followed against him, including one from a woman who accused him of “sex trafficking” and “gang rape” in 2003, when she was just 17 years old.

Four months before his arrest, CNN aired surveillance video recorded in 2016 at a California hotel that showed him violently grabbing, pushing, dragging and kicking his then-girlfriend Ventura during an altercation.

Combs immediately issued an apology, but as the lawsuits continued to pile up, accompanied by increasingly disturbing and gruesome allegations, he suffered a dramatic downfall, echoing the fate of another well-known entertainment figure, disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein.

Forbes Magazine estimates Combs’ net worth at $740 million, a testament to his successful endeavors in the music, fashion, television and alcohol industries. Yet, despite his varied successes, his name is permanently linked to one specific area: hip hop.

Diddy undoubtedly exemplifies the archetype of a hip-hop impresario. In 1993, he launched Bad Boy Records, a music label that represented many industry legends and popular music stars, including Notorious BIG, 112, Faith Evans, The Lox, Ma$e, French Montana, Janelle Monae and Machine Gun Kelly. . Under his leadership, the label achieved extraordinary milestones, including sales of more than 500 million records, the production of 38 platinum singles and multiple Grammy Awards. Additionally, Diddy has received several accolades throughout his career in the music industry, including most recently a Global Icon Award from MTV in September 2023. Within the same month, New York Mayor Eric Adams awarded him a key to the city in a formal ceremony in Times Square for his “alleged service to the public and the common good.” The award came nine years after Howard University honored him with an honorary doctorate in humanities and established a scholarship program in his name in May 2014. Nevertheless, both the city and university subsequently rescinded these awards following the airing of the Ventura attack video.

Accurately assessing Combs’ influence on hip-hop is a challenging endeavor, as it is difficult to separate his successes and notable failures from the genre itself. In many ways, however, his life and behavior as one of the genre’s biggest stars seems to be a stark illustration of hip-hop’s inherent tendency to endorse and glorify sexual violence against women.

Hip hop emerged in the 1970s and developed as a cultural movement in the African American communities of the South Bronx, New York City. By the early 1980s it had gained significant popularity, with artists such as Run DMC, LL Cool J and Public Enemy achieving worldwide success. Although the genre was primarily aimed at men, the rise of female rappers such as Roxanne Shante, Queen Latifah and MC Lyte quickly saw it expand its representation across genders.

Over time, hip-hop came to represent much more than just an innovative and vibrant form of artistic expression. It served as an important medium for critical commentary on the adversities encountered in inner-city life, voicing deep-seated frustrations over gang violence, unemployment, systemic racism, social marginalization, gun-related issues, drug problems, and police brutality faced by African Americans had. communities.

Groundbreaking songs like NWA’s “F… The Police” and Public Enemy’s “Fight The Power” became global sensations because they struck a chord with audiences outside the United States, who also experience the oppressive nature of white supremacist violence. In its early years, hip hop was characterized by a deep awareness of black and African identity, articulating the need for social reform and justice through its lyrics. Nevertheless, from the beginning it also had a disturbing side, rooted in sexual violence and overt misogyny.

In rap, women are commonly referred to as “bitches.” Prominent examples of songs that insult women include NWA’s “A Bitch Iz a Bitch,” which claims that “all women have a little bitch inside them—it’s like a disease that ravages their character.” Snoop Dogg, the famed rapper who just a few months ago was America’s top cheerleader at the Paris Olympics, has a song titled “Ain’t No Fun (If the Homies Can’t Have None),” which only can be interpreted as a four-minute celebration of gang rape. Likewise, the Marshall Mathers LP – hip-hop superstar Eminem’s third and most successful studio album – contains a significant amount of overt, violent misogyny.

Another industry heavyweight, Dr. Dre, has also faced accusations of misogyny and violence against women throughout his career. In 2015, he faced so much criticism for his past behavior, and his decision to exclude the women he is known to have abused from his biopic Straight Outta Compton, that he issued a statement in The New York Times, in which he apologized to the “women he abused.” pain” in the past. However, the apology was not accepted.

A year later, Lifetime released Surviving Compton: Dre, Suge & Michel’le, based on the true life story of R&B singer Michel’le. The film shows Dr. Dre as a violent and abusive man, who abused his then-partner Michel’le so much that she required corrective surgery. Dre has never disputed the accusation that he regularly hit Michel’le during their relationship.

Russell Simmons, the co-founder of Def Jam Records, has also faced numerous allegations of sexual assault and rape.

Combs is without a doubt no exception in the hip-hop landscape. When Diddy is brought to justice, the hip-hop industry will inevitably come under investigation as well. In the most shameful of circumstances, the country will be forced to reflect on its inherent misogyny.

This may be the only good to come from Sean Combs’ crimes against women. The industry must urgently confront the disturbing evolution of a respected art form that gives voice to the struggle within Black urban communities, into a money-making vehicle rife with sexual exploitation and violence. It is also essential to analyze how a movement rooted in the desire to give voice to and improve the lives of inner-city African American communities has ultimately turned into an outlet for insulting and attacking women , especially black women. This is a crucial moment to examine the underlying motivations for the substantial financial investments in the commercial degradation of all women.

The continued success of Eminem, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg exposes the hip-hop industry’s continued tendency to support male violence against women. The question must be asked how and why ballads full of misogyny and hatred created by the likes of Snoop Dogg and Diddy have become the industry standard, while songs that emphasize social consciousness, such as those from Public Enemy, have been marginalized. This approach has been a moral disaster, but financially beneficial, as the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) reported that hip-hop generated $15.9 billion from music streaming and sales in 2022.

In 2017, the arrest of Harvey Weinstein underscored the systemic nature of sexual exploitation and marginalization women face in the film industry. Unfortunately, hip-hop is grappling with a similar challenge. It’s fair to say that the offensive depictions of women are largely the result of an industry that has long deviated from ethical standards and shown tremendous reluctance to engage in meaningful self-reflection or change.

It is important to recognize that sexual violence and misogyny in society are not simply the result of hip hop; nevertheless, hip-hop has a responsibility to support the development of inclusive, progressive, and non-violent views of women.

It takes an entire industry to develop a man like Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Al Jazeera.