If you know me, you know I love Snoop Dogg. I‰’m also a women‰’s rights activist. The difficulty of this situation is most likely already apparent. What happens when our favorite artists have views we would never condone?

“Can U Control Yo Hoe?” I‰’ve rapped every word of this song while writing about the importance of girls‰’ education. Does this make me a hypocrite? “You got a bitch, that won’t do what you say. You can’t control yo hoe. She hard-headed and she just won’t obey. Can you control yo hoe? You got to know what to do and what to say. Listen. You got to put that bitch in her place. Even if it’s slappin’ her in her face. You got to control yo hoe.‰” Now, I could outline why every part of this verse is horrifyingly problematic, but I pray that it is obvious.

At first, I thought that maybe Snoop did not actually wish to oppress women. I thought maybe he just used misogynistic concepts in his lyrics in order to blend in with the hip-hop scene. Then I remembered Snoop‰’s former career was a pimp. The literal epitome of a misogyny. In an interview with the Guardian in 2013, he says “To pimp a bitch is a craft.‰” And Snoop was a master of his craft. So, not only does Snoop Dogg possess misogynistic views, but he was also profiting off of them.

Being able to recognize what is problematic or offensive about music today is an essential skill. There exists a vast difference between appreciating a song for what it is, music, and condoning the activities described in the song. If we all exclusively listened to music with messages we whole heartedly agreed with, our Spotifys would look way different. I guess this is the beauty of freedom of expression: that music with differing viewpoints can coexist.

While it certainly would be empowering to be able to have the music I listen to align with my views, this is most definitely the case. I do, however, believe that there is a way to separate the messages that come through my headphones and the messages I put out into the world. Just because ‰See I specialize in making all the girls get naked‰’ (that‰’s from “Drop It Like It‰’s Hot” which I know you‰’ve danced to at least once before) is coming into my ears doesn‰’t mean I can‰’t support female empowerment at the same time.