If you've spent a fair amount of time on social media in the past couple of weeks, you were likely to come across semi-shockingly cruel commentary about 24-year-old hip-hop newcomer, Coi Leray. The young rapper rose to prominence with hit songs like “Big Purr (Prrdd).” But earlier this summer, it wasn't her bops that had her name in headlines. Following her appearance at the 2021 BET Awards -- the theme of which was, ironically, centered on Black women -- Leray found herself having to fend off body shamers. When Leray initially hopped onto the rap scene, she was met with chart-topping, critical acclaim. When she started expressing confidence in her body image and creativity, there was a palpable shift in the public's reception of the young artist. She went from being positioned as hip-hop’s potential new darling to being a target for those who believe Black women should be humbled into subservience. The criticisms following the Boston native's July XXL 2021 Freshman Class cypher...
