To Be or Not to Be....a FEMcee?

It has come up. I have heard the protests and seen the embracing. I have heard the cries of "HELL no not me" and the "Hell yes- THAT IS ME." It is the argument of who and who NOT to call a FEMCEE. Everyone who knows me knows that I proudly claim the title. There are other women lyricists I know who are adamant that you never call them that. And it got me thinking...what exactly is the hesitance about being a FEMcee?

The argument is reflective of the age old one of claiming to be a feminist. The title is loaded. Some feel limiting. Others say it is defining. But I think that to carry out the dialogue you first have to understand why there is an apprehension or disdain for the title FEMCEE.

For the most part there is a feeling that it is boxing you. Almost like when you say: "She is pretty good for a girl." It is this need for women to not be categorized and felt like they are in a separate category when they feel they throw down just as hard, if not harder than the fellas. I get that. I respect that. But allow me to pose another view.

I rhyme about things that men do not always touch upon, from a point of view that they never could. I take issues regarding my vajayjay and put it on paper in a way unique to me as a WOMAN. I take issues NOT regarding my vajayjay and put it in 16's in a way that is unique to me from the standpoint of a WOMAN. I am proud of that. I am proud of my emotions, feelings, empathy, viewpoints, and things that come equiped with these breasts. I want you to know that I am different so you can embrace it, or at least RESPECT IT.  In fact, I am more concered when I am NOT seen as a woman rapper/lyricist. I am concerened when my unique vantage points are not honored or explored. To me- denying that part IS still being controlled. It IS still a way of being exploited.

I never want to have to just be hypermasculine or de-feminized so that I can "count" or "fit in." Its not my style. Femcees hold the same skills but also different skills in the arena, and I have seen it all the time. We are many selves within one. Many alters within the ego. We have struggles and battles that are our own and should be recognized and celebrated. You see to me, being a FEMcee is the highest honor.

Now lets look at history and the case of the dreaded "F" word. Yes: FEMINISM. Many women, especially those of color, have tended to shy away from this word in the past as it was tied to a middle class white second wave movement that did more to separate and cause disdain toward men rather than celebrate our differences, and see our battle as one that concerns the entire human race. A partnership. We have been inculcated to see this as the ONLY feminism that exists and in turn have cut ourselves off from what I feel feminism truly is. And what is that? A celebration of the the unique energies inherent to both the male and female components and the need for each energy to be given equal and fair play. Feminism in its fullest sense is letting me be a woman and letting you be a man and us interchanging our energies as needed for the upliftment and equality for all.

Not what you used to- I know.

But perhaps if we understand it from this perspective we can begin to appreciate those things that makes us different. Now, let's clarify some imporant points about what these labels or titles mean in a new light. A Femcee/Feminist:

1. Is NOT  a man hater. In fact we LOVE Them and do our best to be the best to make them even better.
2. Does NOT ignore her sexuality or the needs she has to forfeit her sexuality or just plain old needin to "get some" for the sake of the "revolution."
3. Will not give up on having a meaningful relationship to be career or status hungry.
4. Should not forget that it is just as important (and revolutionary) to be a mother, wife, sister, niece, friend and all those things that make life meaningful and important.
5. Won't ever trap herself with just fighting for, our rhyming about, issues only regarding women- but instead add our feminine fueled third eye to look at the issues involving THE WORLD.

And that is just to disrupt a few views of what this entails. So to be a Femcee and to be a Feminist is to embrace all that is you and bring it to the universe in whatever 16 bars you see fit. It is a title of respect. A title of grace. A quality that is something so superfresh that it takes lightyears sometimes before it is recognized.

So the next time we think about the word and our relationship to it, let us consider why we feel that way and what exactly is informing our beliefs and where we stand on it. In the mean time- ima keep rockin and lettin heads know this: 5th Elament is a FEMCEE TO THE FULLEST.