Well, here’s an unlikely, nascent trend: rappers wearing hijabs. Yesterday, we called M.I.A. out for donning a burqa she designed (and tackily decorated with her own song lyrics). And today, Animal points us to a truly bizarre XXL magazine cover that features 50 Cent — that master of cultural sensitivity — in a veil, with his arm thrown around protégé Soulja Boy, who just happens to be fondling himself.
Now, while we would never question an actual Muslim, female rapper‘s choice to appear in a hijab, we are certainly wondering what Fitty and Maya’s getups are supposed to mean. Clearly, they’re both provocateurs, and each outfit is meant to incite controversy. And they will. But beyond that — and perhaps some lip service from M.I.A. about Muslim women’s rights — the gestures seem pretty empty to us.