So what about ‘RAPIST’ HIP HOP? #honeysingh #vaw

Honey Singh’s brazenly pornographic and abusive anti-women songs glorifying rape and violence against women has evoked little protest

Hardnews Bureau Delhi

Raat ko nikali naari

hui gadi pe savaari

par voh raat usko pad gayi bhari.

Peeche se aaya main

utari uski saari

kachchi phadi

lungi gaadi

aur g***d maari.

Kyunki main……….

Kyunki main hoon ek balatkari

Kyunki main……….

Kyunki main hoon balatkari

These lyrics are infamously integral to an equally infamous song by popular Punjabi hip hop star Yo Yo Honey Singh who has attained a cult status in recent times, especially among drunken men and youngsters blasting his music inside swanky cars in Delhi and other cities of north India. Such is his popularity that his songs are repeatedly being played by radio stations (not the above song), Bollywood producers are queuing outside his office, Anyurag Kashyap plans to make a movie about him and many prominent nightclubs play his vulgar, offensive and disgusting songs laced with crude masculine profanities and sexist abuse and violence directed at women.

Hence, while thousands of young girls and boys in Delhi and all over India are protesting against the brutal gang rape of a 23-year-old girl in Delhi, many others are dancing on the tunes of this new obscene king of Indian hip hop music celebrating his highly obscene and anti-women ‘Jat machismo’.

Recently, his pictures were splashed across prominent newspapers inviting readers to join him at this year’s New Year bash in a big ticket show. His shows are often sold out. And though his lyrics are primarily in Punjabi, his appeal transcends linguistic and class boundaries.

His ardent supporters say that he represents their filthy fantasies and speaks their language since his profanities are directed at allegedly women who have either cheated on their boyfriends or dumped them. Indeed, this could be yet another chauvinist construct or a figment of perverse male imagination

Incidentally, Honey Singh tops 2012 Youtube views. He also has several pages on facebook dedicated to him. Surprisingly, many women fans are happy to declare that they are his hardcore supporters. Overall, he has close to 16 lakh fans on the social networking platform. Pictures of celebrities proudly posing with Singh are posted on his fan pages. Following the big picture high moral ground ‘marketing trend’, some of them perhaps have come out openly against the rape as well.

His ardent supporters say that he represents their filthy fantasies and speaks their language since his profanities are directed at allegedly women who have either cheated on their boyfriends or dumped them. Indeed, this could be yet another chauvinist construct or a figment of perverse male imagination. Walk through the posh by lanes of South and West Delhi in Delhi, especially in the night, and you can hear one of his particularly most vulgar and repulsive songs (ch….) being played again and again in full blast, especially when girls are around.

The compulsive choice of such perverse songs instigating sex violence against women and glorifying their physical and mental degradation clearly reflects the mindset of these youngsters. The sick irony is that some of them might be present at these protest sites in Delhi ogling at women, even signing self righteous petitions or holding feminist placards.

It may sound strange, but there have been no mention of these filthy songs degrading women, literally glorifying sexual assault and rape, in the mainstream media. Civil society and women’s groups have ignored their crudely misogynistic content. The media largely choose to write eulogies on this third rate, cheap and desperately morbid hip hop star, how he has gained a cult status and made hip hop popular in India.

The compulsive choice of such perverse songs instigating sex violence against women and glorifying their physical and mental degradation clearly reflects the mindset of these youngsters. The sick irony is that some of them might be present at these protest sites in Delhi ogling at women, even signing self righteous petitions or holding feminist placards

Says an activist, “There have been very few protests on his brazenly pornographic lyrics or demands to ban his songs or put him behind bars. Once he is punished, will he be able to yet again proclaim so proudly that he is a balatkaari and will the celebrities and media still chase him? (rapist).