'Love & Hip Hop' Reality Gone Too Far
VH1’s reality TV series “Love & Hip Hop” debuted its second season last week and although ratings were unexpectedly high, critics are outraged by the nature of the show's content.
The show follows the chaotic lives of the girlfriends and baby mothers of some of Hip Hop's finest including rapper Julez Santana’s girlfriend and baby mama Kimbella Vanderhee, rapper Fabolos’ baby mama Emily Bustamante, and rapper Jim Jones and feisty girlfriend Chrissy Lampkin.
Episode one of season two showed viewers an infuriated Lampkin, said to be in her 40s, kicking and punching newest addition Vanderhee over a statement she made that Lampkin simply did not like.
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The scene was set in an upscale New York apartment which Bustamante openly rented to host a gathering in celebration of ending her relationship with Fabolos that the Grammy nominee has actually never publicly acknowledged.
Blogs and social media networks were abuzz all week with footage from the gruesome incident rapidly going viral, and one particular blogger doesn't understand the hype writing, “The show is a poor reflection of minorities, they should all be ashamed.”
Ratings are said to be at their highest with S2S Magazine reporting VH1 “pulled in nearly 4 million viewers between its 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. broadcasts on November 14.”
Although last night’s viewership ratings are yet to be confirmed, ratings are expected to be similarly high.
The show also follows the life of struggling artist Somaya Reece, 31, who last night experienced a supposedly unexpected wardrobe malfunction during what was said to be a critical performance.
Contactmusic.com called it “embarrassing” and described the incident in detail, “Unbeknownst to Somaya, as she rapped and danced at the same time, her trouser zip appeared to split, baring her underwear to the stunned audience.”
Many have been left outraged at the level of violence and the portrayal of minority women with some even calling for a ban on the show following reports from gossip website TMZ that the violence has even become a problem for the show’s own producers.
The reports say, “Producers are fed up with all the injuries on set from girl-on-girl violence -- the bloodshed, the stitches -- and have decided to institute an all-plastic policy while camera are rolling ... plastic cups, plastic knives, plastic everything.”
The reports add: “Each cast member will now be accompanied by a personal body guard wherever he or she goes,” leaving critics arguing that the producers are knowingly promoting violence.
