What is Lauryn Hill really saying?
In her latest song, “Neurotic Society,” Ms. Hill unloads a laundry list of things she believes to be unraveling modern society. Delivered in a speedy spoken word that could rival the flow of Twista, Lauryn Hill vents about greed, vanity and capitalism, among a host of other things she asserts that are bringing “Babylon” to its knees.
But of all the ills she utters in her 4-minute-long rambling list, two in particular are drawing the attention of bloggers in the LGBT community — her reference to “drag queens” and “girl men.”
Hill opens her rap at a breakneck speed: “We’re living in a joke time, metaphorical time/Commerce and girl men/Run the whole world men.”
Then she continues: “Greedy men and pride fiends/Program TV screens/Quick scam and drag queens/Real life’s been blasphemed.”
Though she says she was under pressure to release the song as soon as possible, thanks to “legal deadlines,” Hill asserts that she stands behind the message (or the many messages) of her song.
On her website, she wrote: “In light of Wednesday’s tragic loss (of former label mate Chris Kelly [of Kriss Kross]), I am even more pressed to YELL this to a multitude that may not understand the cost of allowing today’s unhealthy paradigms to remain unchecked!”
Among those “unhealthy paradigms”: self-indulgence, religious apathy, capitalism and “social gluttony.”
Oh. And, apparently, “girl men.”
Feminine men rub Ms. Hill the wrong way
If we want to put a fine point on it, Hill’s lyrics seem to be more anti-transgender than simply anti-gay. Specifically, it’s not necessarily the idea of homosexuality, but the idea of a man taking on feminine qualities (ergo, “girl men” and “drag queens”) that rankles Ms. Hill.
She also mentions “social transvestism” (or social cross-dressing) and laments “men and women as parody.” (Visions of Madea and Big Momma’s House come to mind.) Seems Ms. Hill has a problem with men and women — but specifically men — not sticking to the roles that traditional society has assigned to them.
To be fair, Hill references corporate greed, mass media consumption and drug use more often than she mentions homosexuality or transgender lifestyle in the song. But including it among forces that tear apart society is nonetheless discomforting. Abuse and oppression are detrimental to civilization for sure, but drag queens?
Far as I know, RuPaul has brought the world nothing but joy and the phrase “Sashay, shanté.”
Are the lyrics to be taken literally?
To a more serious point, Hill’s apparent intolerance becomes even more alarming viewed against the backdrop of recent violence against gay men. There have been several attacks in New York this month alone, and one man was shot dead this past week near the historic Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village last week. Officials in the city say the number of anti-gay attacks have sharply risen this year, compared to last year.
While Lauryn’s “girl men” lyrics understandably disappoint, they shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. It’s no secret that there is a heavy Rastafarian influence in Hill’s life and work. It was the religion of former beau and father of five of her children, Rohan Marley, and Hill’s frequent references to Babylon echoes a term used by Rastafarians to describe a corrupt world.
The Afro-centric religion is also notoriously homophobic (as is much of the musical culture of Jamaica, from which Hill draws much of her inspiration).
There is some debate over whether Hill’s lyrics on “Neurotic Society” are to be taken literally, or whether her words are simply metaphors layered with a deeper meaning. But it’s hard to imagine what “girl men” and “drag queens” are referring to, if they’re not to be taken at face value.
To boot, while there is a bit of wordplay at the end of the song, none of Hill’s references to greed, crime or vanity are obscured by lyric smoke and mirrors.
To that end, it’s discomforting when figures from a underrepresented and historically oppressed demographic reveal their prejudices to other groups. Make no mistake, Lauryn Hill certainly has a right to share her views. But it would serve her well to realize that fans who may on board with her anti-establishment sentiments may balk at her anti-gay or anti-trans pronouncements. It’s hard to reconcile how a person can effectively rail against oppression while leveling it in someone else’s direction.
Veronica Miller can be found on Twitter: @veronicamarche.