They go by models, honeys or vixens. The ladies we see in the hip hop videos are typically dressed in skimpy clothing. They are often used to create hype. But there is a new spin on the hip hop honey–the hip hop horror honey.
The trend seems to have started in 2012, with Frank Ocean’s “Pyramids” music video. Keep in mind his role in Horrorcore with Tyler the Creator.
The video focuses on Ocean being surrounded by female dancers spinning around him on poles.
Initially their face are atypical. Then they morph into demonic, twisted faces. Faces similar to the ones found in 2010’s Black Swan.
Shortly after “Pyramids”, director Ryan Hope showcased Wiz Khalifia’s “Remember You”; a video engulfed in scenes of a sleazy Hollywood party gone creepy.
The women in these videos almost appear soulless, floating from room to room. Their pupils dilate into white or black. They are placed next to dolls or in sexually suggestive situations.
There is a scene in Khalifa’s “Remember You” where one of the models is running frantically away from camera. It appears the model is being attacked by the camera or whomever is following her.
More recently Juicy J has promoted a similar vixen. In “Smoke A N****” he raps with half-naked women twirling in black paint rocking the morphing faces. (This video is circulating on MTV).
This type of model blatantly objectifies women, but creates an even more confusing dimension to the role that these models play in music videos.
They do seem to signify the black hole of excess that one faces as a celebrity or musician.
Although it is an effective tactic to pull in the viewer, it should also be cautioned that these type of videos hurt the role women in visual hip hop.
Videos/Stills Credit: Frank Ocean’s “Pyramids”, credit to Frank Ocean, The Island Def Jam Group, Wiz Khalifa featuring The Weeknd “Remember you”, credit to Wiz Khalifa, The Weeknd, Ryan Hope, Atlantic Records.
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