Remix- Kanye West "Gold Digger"

Jasmine Paden

Women have been portrayed in the media, music, and society in numerous of ways over several years. With the media and music having a massive impact on society’s outlook, Ray Charles’ influence in the 60’s and Kanye West’s influence in the media today, contributes to the stereotypes placed on women. Many may have heard the expression “gold digger” and while it is a common term use now to describe certain kinds of women, Kanye West illustrates the meaning and shows how views of women has changed from the 60’s using Ray Charles’ “I Got a Woman.”

Women in the 60’s were viewed as the caregivers and were often were at home while the husband went out to work. In Ray Charles, “I Got a Woman”, he is singing about a woman who is there for him when he needs her to be. He also sings about the woman knowing her place, “She knows a woman place. Is right there now in the home.” Ray is depicting the woman as being there for him in several of ways, sexually, emotionally, and financially. Regina states, “Ray Charles sung about a woman who pleased him and who made that her priority.” Fast-forward almost fifty years to Kanye West’s “Gold Digger”, we see changes in roles and views of women.

The phrase “gold digger” is a woman who is willing to be with a man because of his finances. A gold digger wants the best things in life and flocks only to men with money. Urban dictionary presents different point of views of the meaning gold digger. One writer writes a gold digger is, “Any woman whose primary interest in a relationship is material benefits. A woman who cares more about a man’s bank account than she does about the man.” There is a vast difference in how Ray talks about his woman than Kanye. Kanye uses a sample of Ray’s “I got a woman” and in the being of his song changes the words of Ray’s version of describing a good girl that would do anything to a woman only looking for a man to things for her, financially. The lyrics changes to, “She take my money, when I’m in need. Yeah she’s a triflin’ friend indeed. Oh she’s a gold digger way over town That digs on me.”

Women image in the 1960’s changes from being there, helping, and providing for her man to now wanting to be on the receiving end. Regina argues, “In modern pop culture women aren’t being sung about in the way Ray sung about women anymore.” The sampling of Ray Charles song shows the opposite of what Ray was singing about. There are many interpretations that can arise from the sampling of Ray Charles song. Many can argue the era of music has change from Ray Charles’ mo-town era of just dominant male groups and woman being in the background to now hip-hop and the exportation of women. Another key point about Kanye’s song is in the third verse he raps about a woman being with a man that is not wealthy but when he gains wealth chooses to leave and be with a white girl. There are so many arguments that could be drawn from this remix. The more you listen to both songs, the more there is to compare.          

 

Work Cited:

Kanye West. Gold Digger. Def Jams Recording, 2005. Audio.

Ray Charles. I Got a Woman. Columbia Records, 1965. Audio.

Regina. "Where The Hell Am I?." "I Got a Woman" - Black Women and Negative Stereotypes. 6 July 2006.  . 26 June 2012.

Undefined. "Urban Dictionary." undefined. 1999-2012.  . 26 June 2012.