Last night, rapper Remy Ma sat down with Tracy Clayton and Heben Nigatu, hosts of the popular Black culture podcast Another Round, for a live-recorded interview. Obviously, everyone wants more details about her beef with Nicki Minaj, which reached a fever pitch when Remy dropped not one, but two separate dis tracks against her rival. Listeners weren’t left disappointed, but the Love & Hip Hop star made it clear that she’s done her part and is pretty much over it. “ShETHER” didn’t leave much up for discussion, so I’d have to agree.
The meat of the interview, however, came from Remy’s candid conversation about a host of social justice issues with which she has firsthand experience: mass incarceration, unity among women (she regrets that it was her and Nicki at each other’s throats that made headlines instead of a collaboration), and women’s health. There is a strong case for Remy being a “feminist icon” — a term granted so loosely to others [side eye] — given that she advocates for more just position on all of these things. It became clear, though, that she is passionate about one issue in particular.
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Earlier this year, Remy shared a painful testimony about experiencing a miscarriage due to an ectopic pregnancy. She was also informed that she wouldn't be able to conceive any more children biologically. She told Clayton and Nigatu that opening up about her own experience made her realize that many other women face the same difficulties trying to conceive. She acknowledged that she has the privilege of paying for IVF if she wants to, but she has a problem with the fact that more insurance providers don’t cover it, limiting access to other women dealing with infertility.
If you’re wondering why these conversations aren’t included in debates about women’s health, you and Remy are on the same page. She said, “We have all these politicians that claim they’re pro-life and that say women should not be able to get abortions and all this other stuff…there’s nothing more pro-life than helping a woman who wants to have a child have a child.” I can’t find a lie. Can you? We need to make room for a broader conversation on women’s reproductive health and the care we need.
I’m already getting my #Remy2020 buttons pressed. Get with the winning team.
Unrelated: I would also like to take a moment to honor Remy Ma’s boots, which are serving me part Mary J. Blige and part Selena Quintanilla. Check out the full interview, below.