Down

Thanks to to Lil Kim and them / you know the women friend
Who carry the work cross state / for a gentlemen

- Jay-Z, “Roc Boys”

Of course, the thing about carrying work cross state for your gentleman is that it becomes a crime that occurs in interstate commerce, which is to say a Federal Offense. Which might explain the coincidence of the Drug War with the dramatic increase in the number of “women friends” in federal penitentiaries. To put it to a count:

• Between 1979 and 1993, there was a a 2200% increase in the number of women incarcerated in federal prisons.
• 68% of all female federal prisoners in 1993 were drug law violators, compared to 20% in 1979.

It’s actually pretty striking how specific rap references to the women who deal for their men are with respect to the federal nature of these offenses. Bitches play mule in the riskiest, most border-crossing of circumstances – on Amtrak (B.I.G.: “I got my honey on the Amtrak with the crack  / in the crack of her ass“); on airplanes (The Game: “Where you at? It ain’t a problem to get it there by tomorrow/ ’cause I got a female friend with frequent flyer mileage”); in airports (Jay-Z: “Destined for greatness / and y’all knew this since I doubled the pie / Had shorty in the girdle comin’ outta BWI“) (referencing Baltimore Washington International Airport).

While the effects of drug crimes of the Amtrak variety are particularly dramatic, state prisons have not escaped this trend either:

• 40% of all female state prisoners in 1992 were drug law violators, compared to 11% in 1979.
• Between 1986 and 1991, there was an 828% increase in the number of black women incarcerated in state prisons for drug offenses, according to the Bureau of Justice.

Blow sellin / dough amounts to no tellin
… cause I handle your dealings / keep your name intact
… cause I’m your bitch, the Bonnie to your Clyde

- Ja Rule, feat. Charli Baltimore, “Down Ass Bitch”

***

“My bitch swear to God she won’t snitch…”

- B.I.G., “Everyday Struggle”

Wrapped up in this whole idea of a “down bitch” is a more insidious version of the whole “Stop Snitching” business. Whereas snitching is forbidden to men because it would be a violation of a social contract or an honor code (or depending on the song, potentially a death sentence) — for women, the refusal to snitch is a profession of Love, an indication of a committed relationship, a sign of a woman’s worth vis-a-vis the male population (or maybe just one particular male).

I told her when she hit the bricks  / I’ll make the hooker rich
Conspiracy / she’ll be home in three

- B.I.G., “Everyday Struggle”

At least Biggie’s frank about the consequences of this sacrifice: more often than not, a woman’s refusal to snitch on her drug-trafficking boyfriend as part of a plea bargain leads to the prosecution of conspiracy charges against her — while BF gets off free.  See aforementioned Ja/Charli video, at 2:36, for a dramatic reenactment

Bringing us full circle, Lil’ Kim herself was sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison for refusing to “snitch.”

Fair? What do you think? As of 2004, a larger percentage of women in state prisons are doing time for drug crimes than men. (31% vs. 21%).

To all the girls I bought a girdle to conceal my bricks,
no doubt they can vouch my life is real as shit.

-Jay-Z, “Feelin It”

Conspiracy / she’ll be home in three
Until then I looks out for the whole family / A true G that’s me
Blowing like a bubble / In the everyday struggle

- B.I.G., “Everyday Struggle”

Whose struggle? Who’s the True G? And how does Jay get off saying that the women who absorb all his risk can vouch for his “real”-ness? I’m not saying the Drug War hasn’t had its effects on men, but I am far from the only one who has said that the War on Drugs is a War on Women. With that in mind, it’s a little crude for Big and Jay to be congratulating themselves without giving real credit to where credit is due, or, in Biggie’s case, waving off three years of prison time like it ain’t no thing. These boys are playing like the Watson and Crick of the dope game, leaving their Rosalind’s at the mercy of federal prosecutors and Rockefeller laws, when even they would admit (in the words of Ja) that “every thug needs a lady.” Now how “real” is that?

***

Further reading:

Julia Sudbury, Black Women in the Global Prison Industrial Complex, Feminist Review (2002) (“My mother got twelve years. She’s in Foston Hall. They can give people those long sentences just for knowing drugs are in the house. He sentenced her to 12 years for knowing. She wasn’t even involved and he knew that. But he said she knew it was in the country and if had got through, she would have benefited from it, from any money…”)

Angela Wolf, et. al, The Incarceration of Women in California, University of San Francisco Law Review (2008)

Ruthie Gilmore, Golden Gulag, Voices from the Frontlines Radio (2004)