1st Edition
The Sociology of Cardi B A Trap Feminist Approach
This powerfully written and co-authored book creatively engages with the topics of Black and Latinx femininity, motherhood, sexuality, racial and ethnic identity, and political engagement through the life and artistic work of Hip Hop artist Cardi B. The authors highlight examples from Cardi's lived experiences and artistry using a trap feminist framework as a starting point for sociological conversations about Black women and the trap.
The authors weave foundational histories of Black sociology, Black feminism, and institutional inequalities along the lines of race, class, and gender. Drawing from moments in Cardi B’s public life—her rap lyrics, her behavior at New York Fashion Week, questions about her racial and ethnic identity, the unveiling of her pregnancy, her engagement with politicians, and her responses to social media comments and critics—this book argues for the merits of addressing Black feminist theory from the bottom up—that is, to take seriously the knowledge production of Black women by attending to and creating space for hood chicks, ghetto girls, and ratchet women.
By centering the lived experiences and social positions of the Black women Cardi represents, the authors expand Black feminist discourse and entrust Black women to define themselves for themselves. This book is an important contribution to scholarship for students, scholars, and readers interested in sociology, Hip Hop, pop culture, and women's studies.
Introduction 1. What is a Trap Feminist Standpoint? 2. Cardi B's Bad Behavior: Resisting White Gaze and Respectability 3. Cardi B Living Her Best Feminist Life 4. Policing Cardi B's Blackness 5. Cardi Put the WAP on Offset: Trap Feminist Motherhood 6. Cardi B's Trap Feminist Politics Conclusion
Biography
Aaryn L. Green is a sociologist, instructor, student affairs professional, diversity consultant, writer, and speaker from East Cleveland, Ohio.
Maretta Darnell McDonald is an affiliate faculty member in the Sociology Department at Virginia Tech.
Veronica A. Newton is a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Race in the Department of Sociology at Georgia State University.
Candice C. Robinson is Assistant Professor of Sociology and DeLaney Faculty Scholar at Washington and Lee University.
Shantee Rosado is Assistant Professor of Afro-Latinx Studies in the Africana Studies Department and Latino and Caribbean Studies Department at Rutgers University-New Brunswick.
“Unflinchingly, the authors move us beyond the spectacle of dope music, beyond rigid disciplinary logic that constrains our imagination, to a place where our bodies can no longer ignore how hood Black women provide us all with important ways of living and being otherwise.The Sociology of Cardi B is the interlude to Black feminist sociology. It gives us space to attend to the loudest and quietest parts of Cardi so that we may hear alternative paths to freedom.”
- Corey J. Miles, author of Vibe: The Sound and Feeling of Black Life in the American South“The Sociology of Cardi B unequivocally demonstrates the necessity of centering multiple marginalized women in sociological analysis and of humbly learning to trust them as expert knowledge producers. Deeply intersectional and with rich sociohistorical contextualization, it is theoretically informative, methodologically instructive, and an absolute pleasure to read.”
- Jennifer Patrice Sims, author of The Fallacies of Racism, Mixed-Race in the US & UK, and The Sociology of Harry Potter“The Sociology of Cardi B updates traditional conversations about Black womanhood by applying new insights and methodology (e.g. “Trap Feminism”) to frame the complexities of Black women’s lives and livelihoods. A fresh and accessible must read for both fans and critics of rapper Cardi B alike.”
- Regina N. Bradley, author of Chronicling Stankonia: the Rise of the Hip Hop South"This book illustrates trap feminism by using Cardi B as a subject. Whether confronting Nicki Minaj at a fashion show or decrying Black women’s sexual harassment in the music industry, Cardi B’s trap feminism is grounded in a ‘hood chick' standpoint. This timely volume is essential for Black feminist scholars and hip-hop heads alike."
- Antonia Randolph, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of American Studies, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill“The authors expand Black feminist and Hip Hop feminist epistemologies in the theory of trap feminism, which foregrounds Black women marginalized by their race, gender, class, and residence—women from the hood and hood adjacent. These scholars compellingly argue that the promotion of respectability politics undercuts Black women’s voices and choices. Using Cardi B as an exemplar, the reader learns why the trap is as important a political site as the university in fostering revolutionary messages of change. Simply put, this book is dope.”
- Matthew Oware, University of Richmond“The book is a love letter to ‘hood chicks, ghetto girls, and ratchet women’. With Cardi B as their muse, the authors blend Black feminism and Black sociology to contextualize the experiences of black and brown women who have historically been misunderstood, vilified, or ignored. The Sociology of Cardi B not only makes these women visible, but it also reinforces the humanity of their lived experiences while challenging the boundaries of respectability politics.”
- Earl Wright II, Rhodes College
