Following Monday’s episode of Revolt TV’s State of the Culture, Remy Ma’s commentary on former NFL player Antonio Brown’s rape allegations stirred up frustrations with how sexual violence is discussed in hip-hop media. Brown’s situation has been a hot topic so it was no surprise that it was a show segment, but Ma’s soundbite proves conversations in the space on sexual violence desperately need more empathy, nuance, and depth.
Some context: Earlier this month, Britney Taylor, a trainer from Florida, accused Brown of rape in 2018 and filed a federal lawsuit (the amount would be determined in court). She has not filed criminal charges against Brown. Brown denied the allegations and refused to shell out $2 million in a settlement with Taylor, ESPN reported. Remy called out Taylor’s decision to seek money via civil court before filing criminal charges, during the show.
“If you rape my daugher, my sister…I don’t want your money,” Remy said. “I tell y’all all the time. I want you castrated…the things that I want done are crimes. Worst-case scenario I want something to happen to you to where you’re removed from being able to do this to someone else. When you come to me with a number, and say, ‘Hey give me two million dollars and I’ll go away,’ now to me that’s like you’re being paid.”
“But some people feel that that’s the compensation that they want,” co-host Eboni K Williams, who is also an attorney, rebutted.
But Remy continued to push back. “It seems like in a lot of these alleged sexual assault cases, the women are asking for money, ‘Hey give me some money and I’ll feel better.’ To me in any exchange with sexual acts are being compensated with money that’s prostitution.”
Host Joe Budden corrected Remy, but she doubled down on her comments by mocking victims who recount their traumatic experiences.
The truth is many people think like Remy and see victims who want to be compensated as extortionists scheming for a big check. Brown’s lawyer has chosen this messaging in response to Taylor’s lawsuit. Remy has previously caught heat on the topic when the show discussed Bill Cosby and R. Kelly’s cases in 2018. In both instances, viewers criticized her for being more defensive of the famous men than their alleged victims. This shaming is one reason why most victims don’t come forward with allegations.
Implying that Taylor and others who want compensation are money-hungry and not possibly seeking an alternative route to justice ignores that going the path of filing criminal charges can be a humiliating experience. Last year, President Trump called out professor Christine Blasey Ford for not filing a police report against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh for sexual assault allegations when they were in high school. This birthed the hashtag “#WhyIDidntReport” in which thousands described why they felt isolated and silenced after being assaulted. The stats support their sentiments. Out of every 1000 sexual assaults, 995 perpetrators will walk free, according to the resti (RAINN), the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization. Three out of four cases go unreported, the organization states. Most don’t report to the police because they fear retaliation and think the police will not help.
Remy also shamed victims of sexual assault who seek compensation by shaming sex workers. Sex workers already face a difficult fight for human rights so these comments harm them too. Firstly, sex work is when money is exchanged for sex between consenting adults — as Joe Budden stated. But once someone’s sexual boundaries have been violated, whether at a party, on a date or during an exchange of sex for money, they have been assaulted. And if the victim seeks compensation in the aftermath, that is called restitution, not prostitution. As Williams brought up during the segment, a victim may seek compensation because they need to pay for medical and or therapy bills or have to be out of work for several months as they cope with the incident.
Ultimately, no one has the right to tell a victim or survivor what justice should look like to them, whether it’s pressing criminal charges, seeking compensation, or restorative justice in which a survivor may want an apology face to face from the person who assaulted them.
Ultimately, no one has the right to tell a victim or survivor what justice should look like to them.
What’s also disappointing about Remy Ma’s comments on sexual violence is that they don’t align with her advocacy on behalf of black incarcerated women. Remy was released from prison in 2014 after serving six years for shooting a former friend in 2008. The rapper shed light on how black women in prison are often neglected. “I’ve gotten to meet women that haven’t seen their children in a decade that live 40 minutes from them,” she told Fader in 2017. “Women who have husbands that they haven’t seen since they got incarcerated 20 years ago. Women whose friends have signed them off as a loss,” she continued. She said incarcerated men often received so many visitors that visits were cut short. In 2018, Remy also launched a clothing line with VIM Vixen that donates proceeds to her foundation, which is working to empower women and their families who have been negatively affected by incarceration and the re-entry process.
Research shows one obstacle women and girls who are incarcerated face is sexual assault. The sexual abuse to prison pipeline is real and it starts young. Thirty-one percent of girls in the juvenile system have been sexually abused, according to a 2015 report by the Human Rights Project for Girls, Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Inequality, and Ms. Foundation for Women. Eighty-six percent of women in jail have experienced sexual assault prior to being incarcerated, according to the Vera Institute. This especially impacts black women and girls, who are three-and-a-half times more likely to be imprisoned than white women and girls. Their victimization can lead to their incarceration. Take Cynotia Brown and Alexis Martin cases as examples. Not to mention women also face sexual assault while in prison. Given that the issues of incarceration and sexual assault intersect, how can Remy be an advocate for these women while consistently showing little empathy for survivors and victims of sexual violence? It isn’t adding up.
Given that the issues of incarceration and sexual assault intersect, how can Remy be an advocate for these women while consistently showing little empathy for survivors and victims of sexual violence?
Some have brought up that Remy is also a victim of sexual assault, but that does not make her an authority on the subject. And although women are more likely to face this issue, women can still internalize and preserve misogyny. Discussing sexual violence requires knowledge and sensitivity, and Remy is unfortunately unequipped. The segment was not a top 10 rappers of all-time list, in which people can debate their own tastes. They were discussing something that happens to Americans every 73 seconds, according to RAINN. This means you or someone you know has been assaulted. The issue dates back centuries and intersects with other issues like poverty, gender identity, and sexuality. Sexual violence can result in emotional, physical and generational trauma, lead to economic insecurity, and even more extremely, death. Having researched and or worked with those who have experienced these issues should always be required before speaking on it.
Remy wouldn’t be the first woman in entertainment to be called out for their commentary on sexual violence. Da Brat and Erykah Badu have also been criticized recently. And countless men in the business continue to be rape apologists. But it’s time for platforms like Revolt to make it commonplace to consult organizations that have done work on sexual violence, like Black Women’s Blueprint, Survived and Punished, or the Georgetown Law Center’s Initiative on Gender Justice and Opportunity before these discussions. These conversations need more visibility, but if the individuals on the panel lack basic understanding and spew harmful viewpoints, then the message fails viewers. Instead of dismantling sexual violence, these moments uphold it and the culture does not need it.