HIP-HOP NEEDS A RECKONING

Misogynoir is, of course, not unique to hip-hop. Universal systems of oppression are prevalent in the lives of Black women.

- TAYLOR CRUMPTON

But what is unique about the hip-hop industry is that its leaders feel the need to defend the genre that made them—to protect it and gate-keep it, even at the cost of sweeping violence under the rug.

This has interwoven gender-based oppression into its DNA.

Cassie Ventura is not the first survivor of hip-hop's abuse, and unfortunately will not be the last. In the months since she filed a federal lawsuit against Sean "Diddy" Combs for rape and abuse in November 2023, seven women and one male survivor have come out against the mogul with stories of alleged abuse and harm. In a July essay for the New York Times, a former Vibe editor accused Combs of threatening her life over a 1997 magazine story.

Ventura's brutal account, coupled with recently released surveillance video of the singer being physically assaulted by Combs in 2016, has also reignited discussions about why hiphop needs its own #MeToo movement. (Combs apologized for his actions on the video, but denied all other allegations. People later reported that Combs deleted all of his posts on Instagram, including his apology video to Ventura.)