HIP-HOP MC Lyte Says Fetty Wap Is a Hip-Hop Feminist; J. Cole, Not As Much

Hip-hop's (and music's) history of misogyny is something that fans have had to grapple with for decades -- but there are always a few artists who go against the status quo when it comes to the way they speak (or sing, or rap) about women. According to MC Lyte, one of those artists is Fetty Wap.

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"He may have a very unique way of presenting his ideas, but he does love women," she said on a panel called, "Hip-Hop: Women's Vulnerability and Voices," held during a White House Council on Women & Girls summit last Friday (Nov. 20). Lyte agreed with the moderator Charlene Carruthers that Fetty could easily be most feminist artist in hip-hop today. "For what he’s up against in this climate with all of the other emcees, he’s taking a stand. He’s being pretty courageous right now with what it is that he presents in his music, because it’s really not the norm."

Kendrick Lamar, Big Sean ("I mean, he raps about his grandma," she said), Common, and Talib Kweli were some other artists that she believed addressed women respectfully in their work. J. Cole, Lyte was less enthusiastic about, saying that she loved him, but "sometimes he can say something a little out the box."

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Addressing the point that hip-hop is meant to be provocative and challenging, Lyte said, "You win the challenge when you're able to get your message across without degrading your sister."

Watch her speak on feminism and hip-hop below: