My Two Pennies: "I.N.D.E.P.E.N.D.E.N.T." from AUC Magazine Mar. 2008

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"I.N.D.E.P.E.N.D.E.N.T. - Do You Know What That Mean, Mane?"

By now, I know you all have heard (and is probably tired of) Webbie's catchy jingle, "I.N.D.E.P.E.N.D.E.N.T." and it's accompanying video that concludes with a Black woman becoming President of the United States and putting an end to all of the world's major problems. Far-fetched? Very. Good message? No doubt! I find the song very refreshing amongst other tunes that pollute the airwaves these days.

Over the past few decades, we have witnessed numerous other tunes that have become "Women's Anthems" in Hip Hop as well as other genres of music. I think this is fantastic. However, in my opinion, the true meaning and message in these songs usually goes over the heads of the general public and is misconstrued. For some reason, the phrase "independent woman" has erroneously transformed into "I Don't Need A Man." I'm sorry ladies, but that's bullshyt!!

A lot of women wear the badge of "independent woman" with pride when in actuality, they ONLY claim that title by default. Let's face it, men sometimes drop the ball in relationships, thus FORCING the female to be independent and provide for themselves and their children. They have no choice. Trust me, if you had a good man who held up his end of the bargain, you would not be beating your chest bragging about your independent status. Basically, you made a poor decision in choosing a man and put yourself in that predicament.

On another hand, you have women who are educated, financially stable, and can honestly do for themselves who throw around that title. Whoopity Do. You want a cookie? You're SUPPOSE to be able to provide for yourself if you're grown - be it man or woman. I liken that ideology to men who want "brownie points" for raising their damn kids. You don't get extra credit for these things people.

But getting back to the music...

My brother recently asked me if I felt like Beyonce was contradictory in making a song like "Bills Bills Bills", which most considered an ode to golddiggers, and then turn around and make ditties such as "Independent Woman" and "Upgrade You". I explained to him that the lyrics are not conflicting because "Bills Bills Bills" is not about a girl who's just looking for a man to pay her bills. If you listen, you'll discover it's about a female who's tired of her man running up her bills (phone bill, gas bill, car note, etc.) and not putting in. Therefore, the lyrics coincide with those of the other tunes I mentioned. Most women took the song the same way my brother did though and interpreted as a man needs to pay the woman's bill. Not true.

I remember around this time last year, damn near every chick with a myspace page had "Upgrade You" as their profile song or quote. However, many ladies are incapable of upgrading shyt. Flossing their sassy ass attitude, they missed the key elements of which Ms. Knowles was saying. Let's take a look...

Beyonce: "Taking care of home and still fly / That's a good look / I can help you build up your account / That's a good look..."

Translation: Real women take care of their home (read: their man and children).

Beyonce: "Anything you cop, I'll split the bill."

Translation: None needed...that's self-explanatory.

Beyonce: "It's very seldom that you're blessed to find your equal / Still play my part and let you take the lead role / Believe me, I'll follow, this could be easy / I'll be your help whenever you need me / I see you hustle, with my hustle, I can keep you / focused on your focus, I can feed you"

Meaning: In one verse, Ms. Knowles basically explains how relationships SHOULD work and how they can work. Everybody should just play their role.

The bottom line is, with the "I don't need a man" attitude, our families will continue its downward spiral in the era of baby daddies/mamas and poor child-rearing practices. Being able to provide for yourself should be the norm, not a title that's used to exhibit cockiness and vanity. Ladies, just remember that independent means SELF-contained, SELF-governing, SELF-sufficient, and SELF-supporting. But when taken overboard, you'll only find yourSELF by YOURSELF.

my two pennies...