Pam the Funktress

So on Tuesday we were lucky enough to have Pam the Funktress from The Coup visit our Social Justice and Communication class.  For those who don't know who Pam is she is an amazing D.J. who has been representing women in the hip-hop and D.J. world for more than 20 years.  Pam started D.J.ing for The Coup in 1993 and has been with them ever since.  Although she seems to be a bit tom boyish... she fully identifies as a women and is proud to say that she is a FEMALE D.J.!

Through out her career Pam has experienced many set backs from the hip-hop industry, based on the fact that she is a woman.  Before she established herself men used to criticize her as just some girl trying to be like Spinderella, and although Pam looked up to her she was just trying to do her own thing!  Of course once she walked off the stage and shown the room what she could do these men didn't think she was just a  poser.  For example, one night after Pam did her thing on stage a security guard came up to her and said, "you're one bad bitch."  She said that she wasn't quite sure how to react, because even though she knew he was trying to complement her, she was offended that he used that language to express himself.

A classmate asked her if she has ever wanted to quit becaue of the sexism she has experienced.  Her response was inspiring.  She said that there had been times when she did want to just give up, but ultimately she loved what she was doing and wanted to "rep the women."  Another question asked if Pam wanted people to be gender blind and just see her as a D.J. and not a female D.J..  She was very firm with her answer that she is a woman and wants to be embraced as one.  "I am a Female D.J." 

Pam the Funktress is an inspiration to women, because she has stuck out her dream and ultimately succeeded despite the constant ridicule.  In a culture ruled by men, Pam has laid her claim and has proven that ANYONE can be a great D.J. if they have the drive!

I will start us off with...

something we have talked about in class. 


2pac raps these lyrics:


And since we all came from a woman
Got our name from a woman and our game from a woman
I wonder why we take from our women
Why we rape our women, do we hate our women?
I think it's time to kill for our women
Time to heal our women, be real to our women
And if we don't we'll have a race of babies
That will hate the ladies, that make the babies
And since a man can't make one
He has no right to tell a woman when and where to create one
So will the real men get up
I know you're fed up ladies, but keep your head up



These are very powerful words, but so are these lyrics that are also from 2pac:


Drinkin' liquor, and I'm lookin' for some hoes to fuck.



or


I've been known to clown and Get Around, that's my word
See you walkin and you lookin good, yes indeed
Got a body like a sex fiend, you're killin me
witcha attitude to match right, don't be phony
cause I hate when you act like, you don't know me
I've be stressin in the spotlight, I want the fame
but the industry's a lot like, a crap game
Ain't no time for commitment, I gotta go
Can't be wit you every minute miss, another show
And even though I'm known for my one night stand
I wanna be an honest man, but temptations go...





Why do you think 2pac would write about women in two opposite manners? In class, we discussed that he came into the industry with a lot to learn, but left with a changed attitude. Are there any other artists that change once their career takes off?


Looking forward to see what you all think...
-A

Welcome!

Her-Hop is a response to a Social Justice and Communication class project. Our names our Alana and Lindsay and we are both Communication majors at St. Mary’s College of California. Our vision for this blog is to create a safe place for dialogue to occur about gender issues especially in the hip-hop culture. We will offer you an artist of the week that we feel is standing up for women and their rights, as well as discuss how hip-hop can both hinder feminism, and what role feminism plays within hip-hop. We will also talk about authors who discuss present day feminism and how it works within our society. Overall we want this to be a safe space for both women and men where they can discuss current gender issues and receive support from one another, while also education each other. 


If you have a topic that you would like to discuss, let us know! Email us at:  herhop09@gmail.com


So welcome to our blog and thanks for stopping by!


xo
L&A