Lupe's B*tch Bad: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Lupe Fiasco finally unveiled his video for the song "Bitch Bad". Lupe claims to have made the video in order to start a necessary dialogue, and at the very least it has lead to much and heated discussion. After reading a SPIN Magazine article I felt the need to discuss the video. The author calls Lupe's work "half-baked conscious hip-pop," and deems the video as "reckless social commentary." I have several problems which these comments, but my main issue is that they are very dismissive which is exactly not what Lupe wanted.
     The good in this video is that it questions what Hip Hop artists present as their work. It questions the responsibility they have as muses to the general populous. There's a whole generation of listeners that want to be just like them and will imitate their favorite rappers without a thought. Better yet, the video/song questions the affect of rampant misogyny in Hip Hop and its affect on women. The black face employed in the video serves to remind artists that if they are not careful about how their perform, their art they will become modern day coons to some extent. The imagine of the butt injections or the addition of the pink wig on the video girl heightens the connection between minstrelsy of the 20th century and what is depicted by this modern day minstrelsy: the altering of physical features to entertain an audience.
     The bad in this video is really apparent as well. One bad aspect is that the blackface was not explained or set up well, so it will be lost on most audiences, case in point the author of the spin magazine. And then there is the inherent problem with the line, "Bitch bad, woman good, lady better." The fact that there are only three options for how a woman can be described is demeaning in itself. Furthermore, this simplistic optimism almost ruins the honest intent that Lupe had. The "thug" in the video within the video is clearly supposed to be 50 cent. From the way he dressed down to the "Sugar Water" he was endorsing, Lupe definitely meant to take aim at a certain rapper. I would even dare to say he's making a jest at Nikki Minaj as well since the video girl had her distinctive pink wig. I think taking shots at 50 and possibly Nikki cheapens the value of the video to a certain extent.
     The ugly in the video is the casting of the dilemma of he title. The video vilifies the young woman because she actively chooses to become a bad "bad bitch." While the young boy learns to somehow value a "bad bitch" because his mother claims to be one and he respects her. First, I would've liked to see these roles reversed. I would like to see the young male be the one that has a bad conception of a bitch, while the young female uses it a positive way. This reversal would be much more relevant in our day and age. It would also place some blame on male shoulders concerning this issue. I don't think thus choice was made maliciously, but in certain ways it's more hurtful that the choice to vilify the young female just happened.
     Like any other Rap video else this one has its flaws, but at the end of the day I think that this song/video was necessary in today's Hip Hop scene. I don't always agree with Mr. Fiasco and his outspokenness at times, but he did a really big thing in releasing this video. We need more artists that use their art to start a dialogue and raise questions. Depsite being preachy at times, this song/video is a definitely a wake up call for a new young generation of listens. Watch the video for yourself below and start the discussion below as well.