Hip Hop's New Breed of "Tragic Mulatta"

This piece was much more detailed, but I just learned that my professor doesn’t want these blog entries to surpass 500 words. Bless Muyumba’s heart and many thanks to Brukie for passing this information on. (This statement does not count as a part of the 500 words.)
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Lydia Marie Child is often credited with introducing the American public to the myth known as the “tragic mulatta.” Her short story entitled “The Quadroons” (1842) presents the tragic tale of a beautiful mulatta whose enchanted life is turned upside down following the discovery of her “negro” ancestry. The character is forced to live the rest of her life as a slave who suffers constant abuse at the hands of her White male master. Whether Child is the innovator of the “tragic mulatta” or not, the American public certainly remained fascinated by the myth long after the story was published. The construction of the “tragic mulatta” is typically that of a confused, lascivious, self-loathing seductress. Often, her unique beauty provokes White men to rape her. Classic examples of the “tragic mulatta” can be seen in films like Imitation of Life (1934), God’s Step-Children (1934), and Kings Go Forth (1950). For a more modern version of the “tragic mulatta”, just pay closer attention to hip hop. Here are a few lyrics to get you started:

Hurricane Chris – Ay Bay Bay
Yellow Bone Chirpin' Me

She Trying To See Where Imma Be.

Lil Wayne – Cash Money Millionaires
I like em sexy high yella if you fit thats you

Ooh boo you can come and get in that coop

Twista – Tattoo
When I see the yellow girls it be over

Cherry by her naval, on her back, on her shoulder

E-40 – Mustard and Mayonnaise
Fast quarter, f*** a slow nickel that’s chump change

Place your order, high yellow jazzy, light bright and almost like chocolate

Nelly – Cut It Out

With a slow yellow chick

Cuz that's the type I kick it with

Method Man – Tears In a Bucket
Underground dweller from the cellar bring terror

Scoop of high yellow cinderella, Meth forever

Cam’ron – Touch It or Not
Looking light skin,
Mommy was tight slim

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As I examine these and other lyrics more closely, I notice that the “yellow girls” are often set apart from the other women mentioned in the songs. Their abilities to seduce and to provide sexual satisfaction are fiercely touted as superior. In song after song, access into the rapper’s fabulous lifestyle is temporarily granted to the women with lighter skin. Lil Wayne invites his “sexy high yella” woman to ride in his coop. Kanye West explains that most rappers prefer light skinned women in their videos. In a December 2006 interview with Essence magazine, he commented on the phenomenon to writer, Lola Ogunnaike. West stated that “If it wasn’t for race-mixing, there’d be no video girls. Me and my friends like mutts a lot. Yeah, in the hood they call ‘em mutts.” With invitations to ride in coops and starring roles in music videos, it may appear as though light-skinned women in hip hop have it made. Don’t be fooled. Like the “tragic mulattas” before them, hip hop’s “yellow girls” typically meet horrible ends. After being thoroughly used by the rapper as a status symbol, the “yellow girl” is usually exposed as a trifling whore. As such, she loses her access to the glamorous life and is forced to assume the regular bitch and ho status already occupied by her darker-skinned sisters. Hip hop’s “yellow girls” bear another striking resemblance to “tragic mulattas.” They apparently provoke sexual abuse and exploitation. Artists like Lil Flip, Three Six Mafia, and UGK claim in their rhymes that “yellow hoes” are the easiest to pimp, as they naturally draw the most clients.

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I’m at a loss for words. Actually I’m just simply over my word limit. All I can say is that the “yellow girl” craze needs to be evaluated and then promptly abandoned. Any ideas about how to make this happen?

Peace,

Omo Oshun