Hip-Hop has arguably centered the male gaze since its birth 50 years ago. In this season of Back To Reading Credits, we have chosen to focus on the unsung women of Hip-Hop, sometimes operating in obscurity, often bumping up against misogyny and racism, always innovating, undergirding, and defining the culture. This May, we hosted a BHeard town hall on the subject of Misogynoir in the genre, and today we are sharing the audio from that night with you, our listeners. In this episode, you will hear from a crowded enthusiastic room of community members, and a panel of legendary women including Moderator Nicole Duncan-Smith, Iconic Hip-Hop Pioneer & MC Roxanne Shanté, Culture journalist, Writer, Editor, On-Air Host Ivie Ani, Grammy Award-Winning Songwriter & Artist Stacy Barthe, US Hip-Hop Ambassador & Author/Artist Toni Blackman, and District 45 Council Member & Chair of the Committee on Women and Gender Equity Farah N. Louis. • Back to Reading Credits is hosted by Wes Jackson and produced by Khyriel Palmer, Emily Boghossian, Raynita Vaughn, Chris Torres, Gabrielle Davenport, and Antoine Hardy, with help from Elyse Rodriguez Aleman, Jose Astorga, Jonathan Ortiz, Zak Sherzad, Charlie Hoxie, and Kuye Youngblood. • Thank you to the BHeard Town Hall team – Tadia Toussaint, Ro Johnson, and the entire BRIC TV crew – for programming, producing, engineering, and archiving this powerful and necessary event. You can watch the full video version of Confronting Misogynoir in Hip-Hop: Empowerment v Exploitation, A #BHeard Town Hallon BRIC TV’s YouTube channel.
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Nicole Duncan-Smith is an author, reverend writer, and journalist. Over her career, she has worked as an editor and/or writer for the following publications: AtlantaBlackStar.com, OprahDaily.com, theGrio.com, BET.com, AllHipHop.com, Rap Pages, Vibe Magazine, The Source, The Source.com.
Roxanne Shanté is a hip-hop pioneer, becoming the first female rapper to have a hit single. Known for her razor-sharp disses, she was the only female member of the hip-hop collective, the Juice Crew, and was involved in two of the earliest recognized beefs in hip-hop: The Roxanne Wars and The Bridge Wars. You might've heard about a certain beef going on in hip-hop right now - Roxanne Shanté is one of the originators of waxing poetic about a rival.
Ivie Ani is an award-winning, internationally recognized journalist, writer, editor, critic, and on-air host covering culture. Ivie is a Nigerian-American Bronx native and New York University alumna with a dual degree in Journalism and Africana Studies. Her writing has been published in The New York Times Women in The World, The Village Voice, NY Mag, GQ, Teen Vogue, Vanity Fair, VIBE Magazine, The Fader, NBC News, BBC, PAPER magazine, Pitchfork, Complex, LEVEL Magazine, OkayAfrica, Grazia UK, NYU’s Social and Cultural Analysis Journal, and more. She is the former Editor In Chief and Editorial Director of AMAKA Studio and the former Music Editor of Okayplayer and has held positions at Instagram & Facebook (META), BET Networks, and Associated Press. Most recently, she hosted her own live radio show “In Full Effect” on Amazon Music’s AMP platform.
Songwriting comes easy for the Brooklyn-born, Haiti-raised Grammy Award-winning Stacy Barthe who scored her first professional opportunity while working as an intern for Jive Records when she was a student at St. John’s University. After collaborating with Hit-Boy, Barthe gradually built a discography with credits for Rihanna, Katy Perry, Britney Spears, and Brandy. She began her gradual ascent in the music industry as a songwriter in 2007 when she signed with Universal Music Publishing Group and wrote "Blur" for Britney Spears's "Circus" album. Stacy soon became a frequently spotted name on composer credits for songs by high-profile artists such as Cheryl Cole ("Heaven"), Katy Perry ("Hummingbird Heartbeat"), Rihanna (the number seven hit "Cheers [Drink to That]"), Kelis ("22nd Century"), Estelle ("Speak Ya Mind"), Alicia Keys (two songs on Girl on Fire), and T.I. ("Sorry"). Since then, she has won Grammy Awards for “Brown Skin Girl” by Beyonce, “Lucky” by H.E.R., and Best Song In A Movie for “Collide” in “Queen and Slim”. She also won a Soul Train Award for Songwriter of the Year.
The first official U.S. Hip-Hop ambassador, Toni Blackman, has not only traveled to 50 countries around the world but rocked Summerstage events, performed at the UN, Town Hall NYC, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Apollo Theater, 9:30 Club in DC, the Roxy in L.A., the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, BRIC, and Lincoln Center. This year Toni has hosted and performed at the UN, on Broadway, and the Def Poetry Jam Reunion. Multi-talented, this pioneer in Hip-Hop theater and Hip-Hop education, has worked both behind and in front of the camera. She’s an artist and a visionary. Creator of Rhyme Like a Girl and The Freestyle Union, Toni recently worked as the Spoken Word/Rap Coach for Kwame Alexander’s Emmy Award-winning Disney series, The Crossover. Creator and co-host of Lyrical Meditation Cypher Podcast. Author of Innercourse (Villard/Random House), her new book, Wisdom of the Cypher, (Red Sky Presents, released March 2024). An Echoing Green Fellow Alum, Toni served as the keynote for Warner Music’s Social Justice Summit, and her Hip-Hop Meditation Music series was supported New York State Council on the Arts. This Howard University graduate was recently selected for a SheStories Grant with Big We Foundation. Toni is a bi-continental woman living between Brooklyn, NY, and Dakar, Senegal.
Council Member Farah N. Louis proudly serves as the representative for the vibrant 45th Council District in Brooklyn, NY, encompassing the diverse communities of Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood, Flatlands, Marine Park, and Canarsie. During her inaugural term in the New York City Council, Council Member Louis has been at the forefront of key policy initiatives, leading the charge on crucial issues such as reproductive rights, domestic violence survivor support, immigration reform, and equitable mental health and wellness services, all aimed at enhancing the well-being of all New Yorkers. She has spearheaded violence interruption efforts to bolster public safety, initiated a citywide teen entrepreneurship and financial literacy initiatives, and championed reforms to ensure fair contract opportunities for Minority and Women-Owned Businesses (MWBEs) and nonprofits. Council Member Louis's unwavering advocacy for Black maternal health and quality mental healthcare has catalyzed a citywide response in underserved and marginalized communities, garnering significant attention and secured over $5 million in funding from Mayor Eric L. Adams. Her recent appointment as Chair of the Committee on Women and Gender Equity demonstrates her commitment to advancing economic mobility, social inclusion, and leadership opportunities for women and girls in New York City. Council Member Louis is committed to using the full power of governmen...
