"Bitch Bad" is a song by American rapper

Lupe Fiasco Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 16, 1982), better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco ( ), is an American rapper, record producer and Music education, music educator. Born and raised in Chicago, he gained mainstream recognition for his gue ...

. It is the second single off his album '' Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1''. It was released on June 25, 2012. "Bitch Bad" addresses

misogyny in hip hop culture Misogyny in rap music is defined as lyrics, videos, or other components of rap music that encourage, glorify, justify, or legitimize the objectification, exploitation, or victimization of all women. It is an ideology that depicts women as object ...

, the use of the word "

bitch Bitch may refer to: * Bitch (slang), a vulgar derogatory term used primarily referring to women, but is often directed towards men as well * A female dog or other canine Bitch or bitches may also refer to: Arts and media Film and television ...

" in rap music, the effects of these things on society and children, and the

Madonna–whore complex In psychoanalysis, a Madonna–whore complex (also called a Madonna–mistress complex) is the inability to maintain sexual arousal within a committed and loving relationship. First identified by Sigmund Freud, who called it psychic impotence, it ...

Music video

The music video was released on August 22, 2012 on

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

's RapFix Live and premiered on YouTube the same day. The video was directed by Gil Green. He dedicates the video to

Paul Robeson Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, actor, professional American football, football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for h ...

and the "many black actors who endured the humiliating process of

blackface Blackface is the practice of performers using burned cork, shoe polish, or theatrical makeup to portray a caricature of black people on stage or in entertainment. Scholarship on the origins or definition of blackface vary with some taking a glo ...

in America".

MDMA 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), commonly known as ecstasy (tablet form), and molly (crystal form), is an empathogen–entactogenic drug with stimulant and minor Psychedelic drug, psychedelic properties. In studies, it has been used ...

made a cameo appearance singing his lines in the end of the video.

Critical reception

The song has garnered praise from artists such as

Janelle Monáe Janelle Monáe Robinson ( ; born December 1, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper and actress. She has received ten Grammy Award nominations, and is the recipient of a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Children's and Family Emmy Award. ...

Talib Kweli Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He first earned recognition through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def (now known as Yasiin Bey) in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's music ...

, Jill Scott, and

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

, who even posted the video on his

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

. The song, however, was not well received by

Spin Magazine ''Spin'' (stylized in all caps as ''SPIN'') is an American music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr. Now owned by Next Management Partners, the magazine is an online publication since it stopped issuing a print edition in 2012. ...

, who wrote that the song and the video were "

mansplaining ''Mansplaining'' (a blend word of ''man'' and the informal form ''splaining'' of the gerund ''explaining'') is a pejorative term meaning "(for a man) to comment on or explain something, to a woman, in a condescending, overconfident, and often ...

...half-baked conscious hip-pop...muddled, measly-mouthed missive...reckless social commentary...poorly thought-out grab for attention", and claimed that Lupe has a "moronic lyrics-over-everything attitude". In response Lupe encouraged fans to

boycott A boycott is an act of nonviolent resistance, nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organisation, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for Morality, moral, society, social, politics, political, or Environmenta ...

the magazine.

Charts

References

{{authority control 2012 singles Lupe Fiasco songs Music videos directed by Gil Green Protest songs Songs about the media Song recordings produced by the Audibles 2012 songs Atlantic Records singles Songs written by James Giannos Songs written by Dominic Jordan Songs written by Poo Bear