Analysis of “We Dem Boys” by Wiz Khalifa
Rap music has been an important element of American culture, quickly spreading to other parts of the world. In the United States, top 100 songs in chats always contain more rap music at a given time. Wiz Khalifa is one of the rap musicians who left a mark in the music industry, as seen in the performances of his music on the market. “We Dem Boys” is a song Wiz Khalifa produced and released in 2014, ruling airwaves for some time within the same year. The song also got some nominations in various categories. Nevertheless, it is important to look at the lyrical content of the song to find out what it attempts to convey to the audience. Rap music has many followers among the young people; therefore, the message is likely to have a huge influence on the society. Unfortunately, “We Dem Boys” does not seem to give a positive message to the audience, just like many rap music songs do. Wiz Khalifa shows he is superior in a way that women are at his mercy, doing whatever he wants with their bodies.
According to “We Dem Boys”, the song starts with the chorus ‘Hol up, hol up, we dem boyz’, announcing that the boys are the real thing, and they came to have a party. They call all the attention to themselves, telling everybody they came. This phrase shows the bullying nature of the rap culture, elevating boys to be superior to girls. In verse one Khalifa says ‘Hol up, hol up, hol up, if you suck then swallow’, a line that may be directed to girls. It may mean that if a woman follows him, she has no choice but to put up with his demands. Such a statement deprives the women the ability to choose for themselves in a situation where they are with the boys. According to Khalifa, girls have no ability to choose for themselves when they are with him. It reflects a society where women are tools meant for use at will, as represented in the pop culture.
Pop culture leads to a lifestyle where drugs and sex are a part of the daily activities. The evidence comes from the line where Khalifa says, ‘Smell that marijuana, they gon’ follow’. Such a statement shows that smoking marijuana is good, as it makes girls follow you. To him, it seems to be another way of attracting women. It means that the girls may be used in a culture where drugs are a form of a lifestyle, leading to their attraction to whoever smokes marijuana.
According to the lyrics, it seems Wiz Khalifa is at a strip joint where girls are doing their best to impress the boys. The verse, ‘Throwin money on her like she won the lotto Pussy must be serious’ notes that one of the strip girls has caught Khalifa’s eyes, making him give her a lot of money. Woman’s body is the main attraction, nothing else is important. According to him, the woman knows how to sell herself by showing her body parts in the strip joint. On the same note, he thinks that her sexual organs must be great.
Pop culture advances the notion that women are objects to be used in a certain manner, with their bodies being the best selling point. Rap music demands women to have a certain type of bottom and breasts in order to attract men. At the same time, men are glorified to have superiority over the bodies of women. When Khalifa says that, ‘Scared of heights come face your fears’, he tries to brag of his sexual skills. He says that any woman having sexual relations with him will feel like climbing a mountain, an assertion of the power of the women. In the pop culture, the women are expected to behave in a certain manner, something that makes them a tool for misuse. For example, Khalifa makes a comparison of the woman in the strip joint with Nicki Minaj, the famous woman known to have a big bottom.
Khalifa brags of his prowess by saying, ‘Number 1, bitch you can’t replace me’, the same spirit of pop culture represented by bragging and demeaning of the opponents. He intimates that he is number one, something that may have various meanings. According to the lyrics, Khalifa says that black and white girls follow him, all competing to strip in order to give him a blowjob. He also intimates that the fact that he is young does not hinder him from being famous and smoking marijuana. This is a true representation of pop culture, and the influence on the society. As indicated above, rap music encourages certain behaviors, like sex and drugs. In most cases, the young members of the society associate themselves with pop culture more than the older ones. This means that boys and girls are likely to engage in sex and drugs in order to feel themselves as a part of the pop culture.
The influence of drugs on a girl is evident when Khalifa says that he is a marijuana smoker, and all women who follow him must be smokers. This makes women become objects without the ability to make independent choices in the society. Therefore, any girl who joins the pop culture must be ready to do anything done by the men. Lack of compliance would mean that a person is unfit to be a part of the group, thus forfeiting all the goodies that include ‘money’ and ‘sex’ from the people like Khalifa. Language of the pop culture is a serious letdown for the girls. Khalifa uses terms like ‘hoes’ to describe women following him after the strip clubs. It is unfortunate that most of the rap musicians use foul language to describe women, while at the same time using women to pass their message. In the past, the producers demanded all artists to use foul language because the audience asked for it. In fact, the industry thrives because of such language.
Khalifa also bags of his prowess by showing off his Mercedes, and his ability to smoke weed. At the same time, he goes ahead to belittle his rivals by calling them “lazy people”, who are broke, resorting to crime in order to earn for a living. However, in the end of the last verse, he goes back to the girls saying, ‘Ho, bitch you ain’t call my phone so why you showin up’. This line disses women who show up wherever he is without a call. He says that girls should only show up whenever he calls them. Lastly, he acknowledges that fame attracts gold diggers like women whom he lends friends for sex. “We Dem Boys” is a song that shows women as objects who are at the mercy of the men with fame and money like Khalifa.