Is there rape in rap?

Rick Ross came under fire recently for his lyrics in a new song in which he's featured, "U.O.E.N.O.," which seem to describe a date rape scenario. One of his lines is, “Put molly all in her champagne. She ain’t even know it. I took her home and I enjoyed that. She ain’t even know it.”

During a radio interview, Ross defended his lyrics by saying it was a misunderstanding. “The term rape wasn’t used. I would never use the term rape in my records,” he said.

There was a misunderstanding, but it wasn’t on the listeners’ end. It was on Ross’. Putting a chemical in a girl’s drink without her knowledge so she is too intoxicated to say no is rape. Getting a girl drunk so she is more willing to have sex with you is rape.
He says he doesn’t condone rape, but he doesn’t seem to know what rape is, and he’s not the only one.

This incident made me think more about how pop culture represents rape. If you’re watching an episode of “Law and Order: SVU,” you are told putting a molly in someone’s champagne without them knowing is rape.

You are told sleeping with a wasted girl is rape. Rape isn’t glorified or encouraged in that context.

But when you move away from cop shows and into music or representations of party life, the definition of rape changes, and the line between right and wrong blurs.

Suddenly, it is OK to feed a girl drinks with the hope of taking her home with you.

Think of almost every music video you’ve seen for a song about a party or a club.
The guys pump the girls with drinks, and the girls leave with them.

There is no disclaimer at the bottom that says, “Don’t worry, these women had been drinking but were sober enough to consent to the evening’s activities.”

Songs like Trey Songz’s “Say Aah,” Jamie Foxx’s “Blame It on the Alcohol” and Kendrick Lamar’s “Swimming Pools” make alcohol and getting lucky synonymous, without saying “rape.”

That notion is very much just a part of club culture. There is often very little discussion about what is normal and what is too far.

Ross clearly crosses a line when he talks about slipping a girl something without her knowledge, but what about images from other artists that promote using alcohol to bed girls?

Is that acceptable? They don’t say “rape.” They don’t condone roofies. But they still send the message that it’s OK to use a little push to get a girl to sleep with you.
 Rappers are entertainers, not spiritual leaders or lawmakers.

Their videos and lyrics are a fantasy, not real life.

But their influence in society is real, and it means they help establish societal norms and ideas of what is right and wrong. For this reason, they need to be more responsible with their messages.