The Cardi B–Beyoncé Complex: Ratchet Respectability and Black Adolescent Girlhood

Authors

Ashley N. Payne, Missouri StateFollow

Abstract

The identity of Black girls is constantly subject to scrutiny in various spaces, particularly within Hip Hop and education. Previous scholarship has noted that, as Black girls are compelled to navigate the margins of respectability politics, the images and messages of Hip Hop culture have always created a complicated and complex space for Black girls’ identity development. The purpose of this article is to explore how Black adolescent girls construct their identities, particularly as it relates to ratchet-respectability identity politics, a concept called the Cardi B–Beyoncé́ complex. In examining the Cardi B–Beyoncé́ complex, I look at the intersection of ratchetness and respectability in educational settings and the influence of Hip Hop artists and images on the construction of ratchet-respectability identities. Further, this theme informs the need for a transformative, ratchet educational space for Black girls where the multiplicity of the Black girlhood experience will be appreciated and not silenced.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.34718/pxew-7785

Volume

7

Issue

1

Recommended Citation

Payne, Ashley N. (2020) "The Cardi B–Beyoncé Complex: Ratchet Respectability and Black Adolescent Girlhood," Journal of Hip Hop Studies: Vol. 7: Iss. 1, Article 5.
Available at: https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/jhhs/vol7/iss1/5