Close Your Mouth & Open Your Legs.

Two Black women are on the New York Times Bestseller lists.
Bebe Moore Campbell's new book, 72 Hour Hold and Karrine Steffans and Karen Hunter's book Confessions of a Video Vixen.

I am not surprised by the comments being made about Karrine Steffans book. What it noticable to me is the double standard that exists for Ms. Steffans and the men in Hip Hop that she has apparently slept with. There is no reference being made to their whorish, if you will, behavior. This line of thought reinforces the idea that women are objects to be had.

With so much of the popular hip hop depending on Black women to sell their songs (abve is one of the more, er- conservative, still shots from Nellys Tip Drill video), it makes sense that someone has finally written about being with rappers. We are discussed in the songs. We dance in the videos. We work behind the scenes in droves in the music industry. And finally someone is talking about it.

That Ms. Steffans is being referred to has a whore and slut who is using her whorish skills to make cash is interesting. Sex is used to sell everything from cars to ciggarettes. Popular cultures current fascination with everthing that is pimp related adds a dimension to the double sexual standard in Hip Hop, (and American culture at large). From the Pimp my Ride show on MTV, to 50 Cent's song is a P-I-M-P. In fact Terrence Howard's plays a pimp in the new John Singleton movie, Hustle and Flow. Pimpdom is pervasive. The very essence of being a pimp is a man, (typically), convincing a woman to sell her body for cash for him. It comes down to the fact that many do not have a problem with Ms. Steffans sleeping with rappers, she apparently, isn't suppose to talk about it.