From The Fat Boys, Heavy D To Dave Blunts: Body Image N Hip-Hop
In 2023, Hip-Hop celebrated fifty years so why has Hip-Hop continue to have troubles with dealing with different types of bodies? This is nothing new as we saw the same body shame in our first Hip-Hop film like the movie Krush Groove (1985) where one of the members doubts himself because of his body. Heavy D turned his heaviness into something sexy and recently Lizzo has been bullied about her weight. The latest was rapper Dave Bunts who performed sitting down because of his weight was bullied online and even Snoop Dogg added his worthless two ableist comments. (12/2/24 https://www.vibe.com/lists/who-is-dave-blunts-explainer-snoop-dogg/)
A blurb about the novel, Big Girl: Exquisitely compassionate and witty, Big Girl traces the intergenerational hungers and desires of Black womanhood, as told through the unforgettable voice of Malaya Clondon. In her highly anticipated debut novel, Mecca Jamilah Sullivan explores the perils―and undeniable beauty―of insatiable longing. Now today in 2024 going into 2025 we have seen online and some of the Hip-Hop industry from Hip-Hop news outlets to Hip-Hop celebrities and of course online comments to online creators posting and printing and speaking ableist pieces claiming that some are trying to help Dave Bunts although he never asked for help and on stage asked the crowd point blank if they had and beef with him sitting down and performing.
It’s interesting because we have witnessed the flip side of this body shaming when an artist loses weight like Luther Vandross did then we come up with stories that the artist looks sick this is what Lizzo was talking about for a while. Why are we used to seeing Blues, Jazz and even country singers sit down to perform? We even have seen House DJs come out as wheelchair users like the late Paul Johnson. How about older Hip-Hop artists who can’t move like they used to. They say Hip-Hop is youth culture but at age fifty-one Hip-Hop has to face the facts that all bodies have always been in Hip-Hop from the Fat Boys to Wheelchair Sports Camp to MF Grimm to Lizzo to Dave Bunts!(Listen to my interview with Mecca Jamilah Sullivan about big bodies in Hip-Hop and her novel, Big Girl at: https://on.soundcloud.com/BqyrEK9aDD1fBZrn6)
By Leroy F. Moore
12/8/24
/strong%20where%20one%20of%20the%20members%20doubts%20himself%20because%20of%20his%20body.%20Heavy%20D%20turned%20his%20heaviness%20into%20something%20sexy%20and%20recently%20Lizzo%20has%20been%20bullied%20about%20her%20weight.%20The%20latest%20was%20rapper%20Dave%20Bunts%20who%20performed%20sitting%20down%20because%20of%20his%20weight%20was%20bullied%20online%20and%20even%20Snoop%20Dogg%20added%20his%20worthless%20two%20ableist%20comments. strong(12/2/24%20a%20href=https://www.vibe.com/lists/who-is-dave-blunts-explainer-snoop-dogg/%20target=_blank%20rel=noopener%20noreferrerhttps://www.vibe.com/lists/who-is-dave-blunts-explainer-snoop-dogg//a)/strong A%20blurb%20about%20the%20novel,%20Big%20Girl:%20Exquisitely%20compassionate%20and%20witty,%20Big%20Girl%20traces%20the%20intergenerational%20hungers%20and%20desires%20of%20Black%20womanhood,%20as%20told%20through%20the%20unforgettable%20voice%20of%20Malaya%20Clondon.%20In%20her%20highly%20anticipated%20debut%20novel,%20Mecca%20Jamilah%20Sullivan%20explores%20the%20perils―and%20undeniable%20beauty―of%20insatiable%20longing.%20Now%20today%20in%202024%20going%20into%202025%20we%20have%20seen%20online%20and%20some%20of%20the%20Hip-Hop%20industry%20from%20Hip-Hop%20news%20outlets%20to%20Hip-Hop%20celebrities%20and%20of%20course%20online%20comments%20to%20online%20creators%20posting%20and%20printing%20and%20speaking%20ableist%20pieces%20claiming%20that%20some%20are%20trying%20to%20help%20Dave%20Bunts%20although%20he%20never%20asked%20for%20help%20and%20on%20stage%20asked%20the%20crowd%20point%20blank%20if%20they%20had%20and%20beef%20with%20him%20sitting%20down%20and%20performing. img%20src=https://kriphopinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/75-300x250.jpeg%20alt=%20width=300%20height=250%20/It’s%20interesting%20because%20we%20have%20witnessed%20the%20flip%20side%20of%20this%20body%20shaming%20when%20an%20artist%20loses%20weight%20like%20Luther%20Vandross%20did%20then%20we%20come%20up%20with%20stories%20that%20the%20artist%20looks%20sick%20this%20is%20what%20Lizzo%20was%20talking%20about%20for%20a%20while.%20Why%20are%20we%20used%20to%20seeing%20Blues,%20Jazz%20and%20even%20country%20singers%20sit%20down%20to%20perform?%20We%20even%20have%20seen%20House%20DJs%20come%20out%20as%20wheelchair%20users%20like%20the%20late%20Paul%20Johnson.%20How%20about%20older%20Hip-Hop%20artists%20who%20can’t%20move%20like%20they%20used%20to.%20They%20say%20Hip-Hop%20is%20youth%20culture%20but%20at%20age%20fifty-one%20Hip-Hop%20has%20to%20face%20the%20facts%20that%20all%20bodies%20have%20always%20been%20in%20Hip-Hop%20from%20the%20Fat%20Boys%20to%20Wheelchair%20Sports%20Camp%20to%20MF%20Grimm%20to%20Lizzo%20to%20Dave%20Bunts! strong(Listen%20to%20my%20interview%20with%20Mecca%20Jamilah%20Sullivan%20about%20big%20bodies%20in%20Hip-Hop%20and%20her%20novel,%20Big%20Girl%20at:%20a%20style=color:%20#0000ff;%20href=https://on.soundcloud.com/BqyrEK9aDD1fBZrn6%20target=_blank%20rel=noopener%20noreferrerhttps://on.soundcloud.com/BqyrEK9aDD1fBZrn6/a)/strong h3%20data-block-id=block-79818651-f336-415b-82bd-ec4909440a07By%20Leroy%20F.%20Moore/h312/8/24){kind=link}