Dalmo - My Sons: Nicki Minaj’s Postpartum Politics lyrics

When she first came to mainstream, Nicki Minaj immediately became known for her over-the-top theatrics, multiple personalities, and very s**y image. Nicki first hit the radio stations with features in Young Money’s “BedRock,” Trey Songz’s “Bottom’s Up,” and the famous verse on Kanye’s “Monster.” In all of these, Nicki is the s**y-but-fierce new female rapper, dishing out a whole lot of enticement sprinkled with varying degrees of scary. Since then, much of Nicki’s rap has focused on boasting her success and many achievements, which include (but are definitely not limited to) carving out a space for a female MC in the male-dominated game of hip-hop. With her success, Nicki Minaj has shone the spotlight not only on herself, but on the female MC community at large; since Minaj is seen as a valid contributor to today’s rap conversation, hip-hop became more mindful of what other females have to offer. And for that phenomenon, Nicki created a metaphor: all these b**hes is my sons. In short, it means that Nicki Minaj has given birth to other rappers’ careers. But the metaphor has taken a life of its own, appearing over and over again in her verses. Nicki Minaj paints herself as the Madonna with Children of rap music. Through this image, she explains what it means to be at the forefront of a fledgeling demographic in hip-hop, one that has long been the subject of controversy but arguably never has taken root before the rise of Nicki Minaj. The lines that set off the trend can be found on track #3 of Nicki’s debut album, Pink Friday: All these b**hes is my sons And I'mma go and get some bibs for 'em A couple formulas, little pretty lids on 'em If I had a dick, I would pull it out and piss on 'em After that, Nicki’s sons became a standard diss. Here are some examples of the recurring metaphor and what it has come to mean within Nicki Minaj’s body of work Parental Control On the most basic level, the parent-child metaphor works because Nicki has control over the other rappers. There's an obvious power and fame differential between Nicki Minaj and all the other artists who have come to light partly because of her stardom. Nicki uses this paradigm to a**ert her position as superior, unsurpa**able. This translates into a mother figure that bosses her children around, claims ownership over them, and reminds them of their vulnerability. Oh you mad ho? You ain't headline You my son b**h and it’s bedtime I send them on an errand then I son them like my children You couldn't get a fan if it was hanging from the ceiling To raise a child, it might take a village But I wouldn't know cause these b**hes my sons; yes, they was, and they still is These hoes my sons, I'm papa though I feed them b**hes wit papa dough No Responsibility Nicki is a very aloof parent; she wants no responsibility over her offspring. She doesn't have the time or patience to deal with her newborn sons, sprouting careers that demand more and more to engage with Nicki Minaj. So she's constantly pushing her b**h-sons away, neglecting them, distancing herself from any maternal duties. All these b**hes my sons I’mma get ‘em a nanny Or the razor, yeah the razor She my son yeah, but I ain't raise her These hoes so musty hoes is so crusty These b**hes is my sons and I don't want custody Illegitimate Children Adding insult to injury, Nicki Minaj takes the opportunity to further diss her rivals. On top of being her dependent sons, fellow female MCs are also stripped of their legitimacy; they're either adopted, fatherless, or otherwise not good enough. On top of not being a loving and caring mother, Nicki is all about verbally abusing her children and reminding them of their inferiority. She ain't a Nicki fan then the b**h def dumb You ain't my son you my muthaf**in step-son You my son, son, prodigal And you adopted, not even biological So f** a funny style fraud, tryna act hard Uhn, you my son, no daddy you a ba*tard Those n***as don't step on my damn Zanottis All them b**hes my sons but who's the Daddy? I put all you b**hes on to them good lace fronts Girls is my sons, carried them for 8 months And yes you're premature, Young Money to the core I might give you a ticket so you can come see the tour Perpetual Birthing Nicki adds the images of pregnancy and birthing to the motherhood metaphor. Those go to show how strenuous it can be to carry fetuses who compete with the mother for resources. Expecting and delivering the b**h-sons is a burden Nicki Minaj undertakes without much of a choice of her own. Court side, you in the C Section I'm with them bloods you you with the C Section In Malibu I'm by a sea section And all these b**hes is my sons, yeah C-Section And I know they say they shine, I ain't seen 'em shine once All these rappers is my sons, and I'm always nine months Everybody get quiet when I'm starting the show Man, I'm birthing these artists and I'm starting to show No New Kids Motherhood ain't easy, especially if you have ungrateful, bratty children. Nicki has made it clear that she doesn't want to birth any more of these sons (but, as fate has it, they just keep popping up). Use rubbers with 'em, I don't never raw these n***as More money than 'em, I'm-a son all these n***as I'm like, "Who's up?" Girls is used up These b**hes is my sons, I tied my tubes up! Yes, yes, I am ill I go in for the k** Hoes is my sons, birth control, I am on the pill It doesn’t stop here: Nicki’s new songs are sure to bring more references to her sons and maybe even more nuanced ways to interpret her relationship with the rising ranks of female MCs.