The National Black Leadership Alliance & National Congress Of Black Women issued a joint statement calling for radio stations to immediately stop broadcasting music that glorifies violence against women.

At a meeting held at the headquarters of the National Congress Of Black Women in Washington DC, organizations and movements representing African Americans in general, and Black Women, in particular, united in defense of Black youth who are being inundated with misogynistic messages from ”Urban Radio” stations that target the Black community. While recognizing sexual misconduct as deviant behavior is at the forefront of mass media, sexual misconduct, and violence against Black women are being promoted and normalized on radio stations that target African American audiences.

As this music remains in heavy rotation on radio stations that target Black youth they continue to be financed with commercial advertising support from major corporations like McDonalds, Subway Restaurants, State Farm Insurance, JCPenny, Adidas and others. We are asking these corporations to remove their commercials as long as these stations continue to play the music that demeans, denigrates, and promotes violence against women, with Black women as the primary target.

Bob Law, National Radio Personality and Chair of the National Black Leadership Alliance states, “These stations program a consistent playlist laced with demeaning and degrading lyrics while constantly using the “N” word in order to make it clear that they are only referring to Black women.” The coalition points out that lyrics calling women bitches and ho’s, celebrating gang rape, sexual assault, and even kidnapping women are common in songs being sung by prominent Rap artists. 

Consider this lyric says Kwabena Rasuli by Kanye West and Lil’ Pump from their song, I Love It: “Your such a F—king Ho, I Like that Ho sh—t, give me so mo Sh—t, you trifling B—th.” Or this lyric by 21 Savage & Blocc Boy JB from their song, Rover 2.0, referring to using a Range Rover for drive-by shootings, “If a N— dis the Blocc [referring to himself] he gon come up missing, if you want to find his body you got to go fishin.” The song continues, “Coupe got the missing roof, your Ho’ came up missing to,-poof I just stole your boo, now ooh she gon eat the whole crew.”

Another song by 21 Savage says, “Got my glock cocked to spray your block down, we not really with that Rah Rah Sh—t, I don’t give a F—k who I hit.”

The “urban” radio stations that play this kind of music also refuse to play music that does not demean and degrade Black women, thereby censoring out artists like Arrested Development and Dead Prez, as well as Grammy Award-winning artists like Gerald Austin and Melba Moore. And there are many more, like New York radio personality and spoken word artist Imhotep Gary Byrd whose song The Crown was rejected by Black music radio stations in America for being “too Black and too positive.” However, the song which features Byrd and Stevie Wonder was a well-received hit in Europe.

Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq. National President of The National Congress of Black Women stated “Black women are human beings and have had our fill of being treated as though we are something less.” Dr. Williams went on to point out that Black women play too great a role in improving their community to accept the demeaning way in which they are often treated by their own sons and daughters.

The coalition intends to target those corporations that currently receive significant support from Black consumer dollars, who continue to support these radio stations and will urge Black women to reduce their spending with these companies, especially on Black Friday.