How These Sexist Rap Lyrics Got Respectful

Rappers and respect don’t go hand in hand. Whatever they may be like in their personal life, their lyrics are unashamedly derogatory, dismissive and incredibly intolerant towards women.

But what if rappers could be changed? We don’t mean therapy and counseling for their mommy issues, but a way to make their songs more female-friendly.

That’s the aim of the Respectful Rappers Tumblr. With a tagline that reads “If rappers were a little less angry and misogynistic,” creators Bob Vulfov and Eli Grober have taken images of hip hop stars and rephrased song lyrics to suggest a more empowering message. Hey, all that misogyny is just a interpretation thing, right?

For example, Dr Dre’s lyrics “Bitches ain’t sh*t” is now “Women are our mothers. They are also our daughters, and our sisters. they are the life-givers. They are everything.”

Aww, bless. That’s totes what he was saying.

Original Lyric:
She’s one of those type of women /
That do crazy things, and if she don’t get her way she’ll throw a fit

Original lyric: Hurry up with my damn croissants

Original Lyric: And when you leave me, bitch you’re gonna be a ho

The Tumblr offers a unique look at rap lyrics and it’s interesting to see how we can read different messages when we hold the lyrics through a new lens. It doesn’t justify the current phrases, but formatting the songs this way provokes discussion and analysis of what rap songs really mean- and why.

“To be clear, we love rap. But maybe it’s time to stop demeaning gay people and calling women ‘bitches.’ Just a suggestion,” the creators said to the http://johnjayandrich.krq.com/articles/johnjay-rich-today-on-the-show-285147/blog-rewrites-rap-lyrics-to-be-11874718/#ixzz2mQWm0tjA”>John and Jay blog.

They are open to people submitting to the blog, and the requirements are as follows:
Link to Photo, Original Lyric, Respectful Lyric, Artist Name, Song Title

Any suggestions?

All images via the Respectful Rappers Tumblr