**Sigh** another day, another run in with a "hip-hop purist". He gives me the once over, his eyes squint at my Public Enemy T-shirt, and I can already feel the alleged kinship bond burst from his chest toward mine. Even before his hopelessly yearning mouth can speak the words, I already know what he's going to say. He's going to mention how we are a rare species that adore "real hip-hop, not that bitches and hoes and rims hip-hop". And this ladies and gentlemen, is the point where the camera pans out as he follows me to the next isle of the grocery store and I politely tell him to shut the fuck up.

I'm not saying misogyny in hip-hop is a good thing, but I'm not going to invalidate it either. Furthermore, after any sort of artistic medium is adopted by the mainstream it usually is beaten down to the point of utter tepid parody.

It's no secret that most hip-hop artists, especially in the genre's infancy rose out of poverty stricken backgrounds. Secondly, wanting to be a "rapper" wasn't always a palatable career goal as it is today. So imagine that you, dear reader are a marginally attractive male who seeks to record himself speaking in couplets. I hope you realize too that because of this strange passion, you're a complete misfit. So you want to make it out of poverty, huh? Not so good at school? Poor you. Man, you know what would be great? Being one of those pretty girls who never pay attention to you.

It's no secret that one of the most classic ways to climb up the social ladder is by being an attractive female and "finding that rich guy". So instead of going the John Cusack route and dusting off the old boombox, you instead go in that vocal booth and you call those "hoity-toity girls who won't have anything to do with your broke ass" every terrible name in the book.

Now I'm not saying it's okay, but I'm not saying it's an invalid mode of expression either.

The tradition of turning women's unattainable beauty back upon itself through misogyny goes back to the beginning of time. From Eve eating the fruit and having to be subjected to rule by Adam and inheriting the excruciating pains of childbirth to the classic poems of Charles Baudelaire of the 19th century. Men reaching out to have revenge on woman for their unavailability and their supposed vicious nature is a tale as old as time. The mythological evil Siren's anyone? Evil Lilith who stood up for herself? Nothing new here, folks.