Rapping about vulvas is brilliant. Telling our cunt stories is a worthy project. Yes. Thank you, Awkwafina, for rapping about vulvas, so wonderfully.
My Vag, I have to admire the cleverness, the boldness, and bravery. It hurts, when she insults fat disabled people. That’s me–fat and disabled. But I have my charms, and my fat, disabled body is lovely
God, I love Awkwafina. So gorgeous too. Something about her style gives me the chills.
Jungle Pussy
And then I’ve been reading some Jungle Pussy. I say reading because it’s advanced. I don’t watch casually while munching on potato chips–I study like a scholar! There’s a lot to take in. I read the visuals of the videos–I read the words with my ears, as she speaks them. I read subtext and connotation. There are cultural markers I half-understand.
Jungle Pussy is weird and bright. I admire her. But I can’t say I have a good grasp of what she’s doing. The Trader Joe song is probably my favorite.
Isn’t it brilliant? What energy. What amazing use of farm tropes. Not sure what experience I’m supposed to be having, as I watch. But I definitely have an experience.
I lack context! I don’t see this artwork in the context of other rap. It’s fun, to lack context sometimes. The vision can be more clear, in a way, but less rich. Clarity at the expense of connections. I can’t compare it well with other artists and songs, but I can see what’s in front of me.
The humor is throughout. It’s sexy, but hilarious. There’s brilliant social critique. What’s she saying about farming? About wellness industry ideas of purchasing health? How does Blackness factor into farm work, eating vegetables, pastoral bliss?
veg
I’d also like to know why she wants him to eat veggies so bad. And if they’re not fucking, what is his role in her life? He’s sucking on her toes–well, that’s sex. Why does she wanna do it with his cousin? It’s weird how we’re dropped into the world and supposed to know about the animals.
There’s also something going on with gender. The dude is standing around posing, while she does the actual farm work. The talking dog complexifies it. That dog is so serious and gorgeous. And I don’t even like dogs.
Who is Jungle Pussy, when she’s wearing a cat suit in the barn? Or is that someone else. I’m partially face blind. Hmm.
layered use of convention
I love when artists use a convention while making fun of it–my favorite. Jungle Pussy is performing hotness while simultaneously making fun of the cliches of hotness, right? The pink fur on the edge of her pink laced up halter top. When she grabs her breasts and pushes them up. She’s getting the satire-insight, while getting it face value, at the same time. Genius!
Then this morning I saw this Spookie Coochie video by Doechii. Wow! Yes, please rap more about your cunts, ladies. “I need a Catholic to assess it”-wow. The automatic closed captioning could handle almost none of the words. She’s fire.
It has such vibrant complexity, with bold energy. It makes me kind of uncomfortable, and the rapping is sublime. I catch more words each time I listen.
Art that makes me kind of uncomfortable is the best! I’m not the intended audience. What a pleasure, to eavesdrop.
Then this one, such autobiography. With a funny school context. A masterpiece! The mom chicken part–I laughed and laughed.
exploited
Are these funny, sexy lady rappers being exploited? I can’t help but guess they’re making way less money than they should be.
Humor might cheapen their art, in the eyes of consumers, marketers, or whoever decides how much money an artist makes. And the fans might go wild, for women talking about cunts. But that’s popular appeal, not critical appeal.
I feel like it’s seen as novelty. Serious people dismiss it with an eye roll.
But what if novelty is actually what’s most needed, right now? The sexy satire and hot social critique are important. What skill. You can dismiss it as pussy waving, vulgar irrelevance. But is your serious, self-important U-2 or whatever crooning white guys you got going really doing something better for the world?
Pretentious crap won’t do humor like this. Yes, straightforward, repressed white guys will make more money than these women of color will. Something about what’s considered respectable.
I hear disgust with the “sex sells” idea, like sex is cheap. Jungle Pussy says in the Trader Joe song that she wants lots of money. You need coin to buy the Trader Joe’s food–organic fresh basil in its plastic box costs more than Pringles from 7-11. Beautiful organic pears vs impulse buy beef jerky by the cash register while you get your stupid beer and cigarettes.
valid
Cunt is a good subject, especially an account by someone who has one. Rapping about vulvas is valid.
What’s more important than pussy? Dick? What’s the nuance that needs discussing there? I’m not saying a dick can’t be beautiful, but the world is already full of dick energy.
Love to the cunts and all of us who are telling our truths. I wasn’t taught to love this. In my repressed youth, I was trained to look down on women who express sexuality. Grateful to grow up and choose curiosity and more creative respect.
