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Intersecting points: The ‘erotic as religious’ in the lyrics of Missy Elliott

2009; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 10; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/14755610902786353

0143-8301

Margarita L. Simon,

Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology

The relationship between the erotic and religion has received attention within both black theology and womanist theology. Figures such as Baker-Fletcher and Kirk-Duggan have offered both literature and music as source material for unpacking the nature and the meaning of the erotic as religious force. While methodologically, the ‘polyvocal’ approach Baker-Fletcher and Kirk-Duggan offer has allowed scholars to explore the erotic with more creativity and epistemological flexibility, certain complexities associated with the erotic's nature and function still remain under-explored. I suggest in this essay that correction of this dilemma at least in part involves an examination of new source material. I argue that greater attention to rap music, such as the work of Missy Elliott, as source material offers a more robust exploration of the religious significance of the erotic.