In recognition of March as International Women's Month I'm going to dedicate this edition of Snowstorm to the woman Philadelphia Hip Hop.

Illadelph is truly the home of the Hip Hop Queens. Some of the sistas are household names, some are obscure but no less important or talented and all have repped the 215 to a degree that puts their male counterparts to shame. Before I go any further I need to give special recognition to the originator of Hip Hop in our city- Lady B. There were several other pioneers from Disco C to Yvette Money to Malika Love to Ice Cream Tee to La'Vee to Baby Sis. They were followed by ladies such as Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, Red Bull, Bahamadia, EVE, Ms. Jade, Lyrixx, Nicole Zolo, Caution, Aine Arden-Doley, Stacey from Square Biz, and many, many more.

I need look no further than my own backyard to find a bevy of talented females running PhillyHipHop.com. I may be the one with his "face out front" but this online mag runs as smoothly as it does due to the hard work and efforts of the incredibly talented Meca Isa (who gave this place the makeover it desperately needed), Nikkelbaggs, Steph Tataz, Deesha Dyer, Chana Twiggs and the same Angieeee who kicked off the whole okayplayer.com thang.

With all this said I have to ask why we as men continually treat women like ish? The ladies love Hip Hop just as much as we do but many of them don't come out to events because of the lecherous, obnoxious and harassing lines, looks and touches that are unwelcomly thrown their way. While I'm on a roll let me throw out another thing that has always dumbfounded me: WHY is it that so many men think if a woman is conducting business backstage that she is actually hoping to be approached for sex? Damn y'all I just don't get it! In an environment where it's so clearly us (Hip Hop) against them, we continually allow ourselves to be divided and conquered by not only by race but also by gender. If someone has a vagina and an affection for the culture it doesn't mean that they're somehow obligated to subjugate themselves to our overblown male egos. In many cases the sistas are more talented than many of us can ever hope to be. Respect a person for WHO they are, not WHAT they are dammit!

Believe it or not, breasts are not the best things about women. There is a person BEHIND those boobies! Come on y'all, step up your game. It's as simple as this: don't just hear a woman when she speaks but LISTEN to what it is that she says and you'll be amazed how far that'll get you. Sadly it requires a maturity that many of us don't possess or are too cowardly to address.
Now in all fairness there are some women that are truly tricks and hoes. Unfortunately allot of young men seem to think that they are representative of what being a woman is all about. Some know this but fall back on the misconception anyway to justify their continued ignorance to themselves. Grow up men. Recognize. Remember that females are the mothers of civilization.

Maybe I feel so strongly about this issue because I saw firsthand how men tried to treat Lady B in the early years, assuming her femininity somehow translated into some inferior ish. This woman was a true pioneer in every sense of the word. She kicked off the careers of Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Steady B, Three Times Dope, Tuff Crew and damn near every other Philly act in the 80's. Ask Chuck D who was most responsible for breaking Public Enemy and he'll immediately tell you it was Lady B. Do y'all realize what a monumental accomplishment that is? Not only did she blaze a trail for us all but she did it like an all star while being both female and African- American.

Maybe I feel so strongly about this issue because I'm raising a little girl who has turned my world happily upside down. Regardless of the path that led me to my strong feelings, the bottom line is that we need to respect our women. Three words. Respect our women. It literally IS that simple. If each man who reads this takes an honest inventory of his past attitudes and actions towards women we'll all be that much further towards our goal of one culture, one mind.

Discuss Philly Hip Hop Queens & how men treat women right here

Funk Wizard Snow
March, 2003