Loud. Aggressive. Intense. This song is about as visceral as the title implies. Debut noise rap trio clipping. is pulling rap into areas the genre thus far only tiptoed around. Some will say it’s gross. Some will say it’s disturbing. Some will say it’s down right offensive. But everyone will say it’s powerful. And goddamn, it’s powerful.
“Body and Blood” turns the rap cliché of objectified women on its head. Not only does it glorify the guts and muscle of the physicality of the body, it celebrates a guns blazing, praying mantis depiction of female sexuality.
“She don’t need you for shit but your dick and your veins
And your guts and your (body and blood)
Every man say she thick and they wish they could bang
When she strut, she got (body and blood)”
I doubt that, when they first coined the term “man-eater,” Hall and Oates would have ever imagined the levels of extremity the stereotype would eventually take on. The track takes on a certain insanity, not only in the use of violent images of sexuality but also in the driving competing percussion, fast-paced lyrics, the shouting of the vocals—you feel short of breath halfway through. Though reportedly it has been played in some clubs throughout Europe, this isn’t exactly the type of song you’re trying to dance and have a jolly good time to. There’s too much going on. On one hand I have to cheer on the members of clipping. for portraying an autonomous and strong vision of female sexuality within their music. On the other hand, the conflation of female sexual empowerment with such graphic violence is problematic in itself. It’s an interesting and risky line to tow, though the members of clipping. seem to have done so with no apologies. Social implications or not, this is a song worth listening to.