An open letter that calls out sexist rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh.
Delhi college student Rene Sharanya Verma was profiled by the BBC for her fiery rap lyrics railing against sexism and rape culture in India. The poetess-cum-academic spits passionate poetry “to empower women and to raise awareness of misogyny in India” and she’s taking on Yo Yo Honey Singh, a popular rap artist whose sexist lyrics often objectify women’s bodies and even perpetuate light-skinned standards of beauty.
Other critics of Singh say that his lyrics include violence against women and rape. Most infamously, after the 2012 gang rape and murder of Ram Singh in Delhi, Singh was criticized for his song Main Hoon Balatkari, which eerily and disgustingly described the events on the bus. This sparked outrage in India, with the Times of India saying, “If we were at all a half-way decent society, by now Yo Yo Honey Singh should have been behind bars a year ago.”
For now, Verma’s open letter to Honey Singh will serve as a symbol for women in India to stand up and take action against the misogyny they experience in their daily lives.
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