Talking back: linguistic exploration of female artistes’ ‘responses’ to patriarchy and stereotypes in Nigerian hip-hop

Abstract

ABSTRACT Patriarchal tendencies are normative in hip-hop culture, necessitating contemporary calls for gender equality and wholesome gender representations. These have encouraged a ‘talking back’ where the marginalised re-appropriate established norms and consciously recreate their identities. Interrogating lyrics and videos of popular female Nigerian hip-hop artistes, we explore female agency and discuss how these artistes combat patriarchy and achieve linguistic reclamation of feminine identities. The Multimodal Social Semiotic Analysis framework is complemented with Womanism – an Africa-rooted strand of the feminist movement. The ‘talking and taking back’ were catalogued under four classifications: reactions and responses to female denigration and assault; combating patriarchy through challenging and reinventing gender roles; re-appropriation of pejoratives and assertion of stereotypes; and the use of sexual expressions, slurs, and slang in the renegotiation of female agency. These findings are important in a strongly patriarchal Nigerian society where female voices do not enjoy significant propagation. The re-creations and ‘responses’ assert female agency and consolidate the advocacies for equality and equity in gender relations.