Rapper Rocko’s song, U.O.E.N.O,  featuring Rick Ross and Future, stirred up a lot of controversy earlier this year. While the name may  initially be puzzling, say it fast, and you’ll realize it’s an onomatopoeia for “you don’t even know.” The song is admittedly catchy, and I liked it … until a friend pointed out a certain verse:

“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.”

Molly is a euphemism for a “purer” form of Ecstasy. Although it is not commonly used as a date rape drug, it is still a mind-altering substance that is even more dangerous when taken unknowingly.

Immediately anger rose up in me. Who is Rick Ross to so casually mention something as serious as rape? Who is anyone to casually reference that level of violation? Rick Ross can have a drug slipped in his drink, then wake up the next morning, bleeding after being raped, and then see if he still wants to condone this kind of thing in his music. His blase reference exemplifies the rape culture in America. How are we supposed to make societal advances in regard to better treatment of women when these songs are popular?

Deservingly, there was backlash.  Reebok dropped Ross from a multi-million dollar endorsement deal because of pressure from various groups such as UltraViolet, a feminist organization dedicated to fighting sexism and expanding women’s rights.

After multiple weak attempts to make amends on his social media, Ross finally made a proper apology.

“…most recently, my choice of words was not only offensive, it does not reflect my true heart. And for this, I apologize. To every woman that has felt the sting of abuse, I apologize. I recognize that as an artist I have a voice and with that, the power of influence. To the young men who listen to my music, please know that using a substance to rob a woman of her right to make a choice is not only a crime, it’s wrong and I do not encourage it. To my fans, I also apologize if I have disappointed you. I can only hope that this sparks a healthy dialogue and that I can contribute to it.” -Rick Ross

While I appreciate the eloquent apology and am happy he is taking responsibility for his position of influence, the fact remains that he rapped the lyrics in the first place. He is a talented artist, and he could have easily said something different. They add nothing to the context of the song, and if they did that would be a whole other issue.

It’s disappointing that I had to lose respect for him.  I hope Ross learned his lesson.

MILEY CYRUS

“Tongue” and “twerk”  are two words that abruptly replaced “country” and “sweet” when thinking of words associated with Miley Cyrus.

It seems like almost a rite of passage for Disney Channel stars to go down this road of separating themselves from their childhood personas.  I think that’s why I don’t like Miley as much as I could; she’s a cliche. Miley Cyrus seems so self-conscious about her image that I can’t really get into her “I don’t care” attitude.

That being said, no one can deny the genius behind Miley’s crazy antics.  She literally has the world talking about her. Mention her name and you will immediately get one person started on how trashy and gross she is, even as another talks about how they absolutely love and adore her.  She incites feeling in people, be it negative or positive.

It also takes a lot of guts and confidence to chop off her hair like that.  I applaud her for rejecting the generic standards of beauty, standards of beauty she filled rather well with her long locks. With or without her hair, she’s hot.

My main criticism of her is that racism and stereotypes pervade many of her videos and tweets. Not all black people are ratchet twerkers, just as not all gay people are “13 year old girls.”Ra

All this being said, she has not faded into obscurity like many of her contemporaries, and she does not appear to be doing hard drugs or partying too much. There’s definitely something to be said for that. It’s why I believe she could still stand as a role model for kids. She’s doing what makes her happy, while maintaining a relatively healthy lifestyle.