A few weeks ago, my man Boyce Watkins dropped a provocative critique of Oprah Winfrey and her relationship with rappers. Yvonne Bynoe, author of Stand and Deliver: Political Activism, Leadership, and Hip Hop Culture, has responded to this critique with the following piece, which appears on the Alternet. According to Bynoe, Oprah has refused to bring Ice Cube and Ludacris on her show because of their “message of contempt for black women.”

Rapper Aren’t Feeling Oprah’s Love
By Yvonne Bynoe

Earlier this month Oprah responded to her critics, explaining to MTV: “I respect other people’s rights to do whatever they want to do in music and art. … I don’t want to be marginalized by music or any form of art. … I feel rap is a form of expression, as is jazz. I’m not opposed to rap. I’m opposed to being marginalized as a woman.”

In case Oprah’s comments need some decoding, what she’s saying is she believes rap artists should be free to record songs that call women “bitches” and “hos,” and she should be equally free not to invite them on her show. Oprah does not have a problem with rap music — she has a problem with rap that degrades women.

There’s a particular arrogance that permeates Ludacris, 50 Cent and Ice Cube’s statements, as if Oprah owes them a spot on her show. It’s Oprah who has issues by refusing to celebrate black men who’ve made millions by demeaning black women?

If songs such as Ludacris’ “Move Bitch” or NWA’s “A Bitch Iz A Bitch” are not Oprah’s cup of tea, then why should she be obligated to give them a platform? It doesn’t seem to occur to these black men (or their supporters) that Oprah has the right not to use her show — which is seen by 21 million viewers a week in 105 countries — to promote performers whose work she feels is misogynistic or offensive. Oprah may not be kicking any black feminist credentials, but rather than blindly using her influence to “help the brothers,” she is choosing not to support black entertainers whose work denies the humanity of black women.

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