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EVENTS
Jubilee
Hip-hop,
funk, soul & jazz with members of Hungry Mob
1201
SW 12th Ave., 225-1201
Sundays
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When Chickenheads
Come Home to Roost:
A Hip-Hop Feminist Breaks It Down
by Joan Morgan
(Touchstone, 240 pages, $12)
chickenhead (n.)--A woman who pursues and caters to
men, primarily in hopes of landing a sugar daddy.
I usually check out the Sunday night event Jubilee at the
1201. It's a nice spot to chill and listen to laid-back hip-hop
grooves. There's always a good mix of people mingling, setting
the stage for memorable conversations.
One night, a young female artist stepped up to me with
a beef over an article I had written a while back. She took
exception to the fact that I called her group "chickenheads."
She wanted to set me straight. After bantering with her
for a few minutes, we squashed the issues and parted company
peacefully.
Throughout my conversation with the young lady, my thoughts
strayed to Joan Morgan's When Chickenheads Come Home
to Roost, an excellent book dealing with traditional
feminism and the hip-hop generation. Morgan, an avid hip-hop
head and former critic for N.Y.C.'s Village Voice,
delves into many issues, but her discourse about the infamous
chickenheads really stuck in my mind that night.
It's not uncommon to roll a rap tape and hear references
to chickenheads. When Chickenheads... paints a lucid
picture of why the term even exists, and why chickenheads
figure so prominently in hip-hop dialogue. Morgan depicts
chickenheads as women who spend their time catering to the
needs of men, ultimately looking to land one with some loot
for lifetime stability. More often than not, they are the
woman hovering around the backstage door after a show, or
the so-and-so from around the way who's willing to nurture
and sex you up from time to time. Basically, they're the
ones to turn to when a serious relationship is not desired.
Though independent, career-minded ladies look down on chickenheads,
Morgan claims that all women have a little chicken in 'em.
I laughed when I read that statement, because my boo voiced
the same sentiment months ago. According to both women,
it's cool for a man to take a woman shopping, pay for dinner
and all that. But it's more important to be self-sufficient
and not rely on a man to provide these perks--unlike the
chickenheads' steelo.
In the end, Morgan's book and the chat at the 1201 forced
me to examine my use of the word. I have been quick
to use the term, both playfully and seriously; prior to
my current relationship, I spent an incredible amount
of time with chickenheads. Feeling an overpowering love
for my boo, I left them all alone. Yet when our relationship
hit a real bad spot, I did exactly as Morgan predicts in
her book--I swung a late-night episode with a chickenhead.
I knew I could turn to her to forget the stress, forget
about the issues plaguing my heart and be satisfied physically.
I also knew that my action with the chickenhead would cause
a rift that would heal slowly, if at all.
Now I realize that chickenheads, and all talk about them,
exist because the hip-hop generation allows it, especially
the men. Looking for a quick fix or an escape from dealing
with "difficult" women, we end up demeaning somebody's cousin,
sister, maybe even a mother. Instead of encouraging these
women to better themselves, we bring them down, seeing them
as sexual objects and a source for a home-cooked meal, cheating
them of the chance for a positive, healthy relationship.
Not only do they suffer, but the women we eat, breathe and
sleep with every day do as well.
The lesson learned: No matter how tough the going gets
or how much anger flows between you and your lover, it's
best to leave the chickenheads out and let love rule.
Have a happy Valentine's Day.
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Willamette Week | originally
published February 9,
2000
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