March 16--As Queen Latifah once rapped, it was "Ladies First" at the keynote Wednesday for the South by Southwest Music Conference, and the first lady herself -- Michelle Obama -- just happened to be in the house,
Obama shared the spotlight with Latifah, fellow rapper Missy Elliott, actress Sophia Bush and songwriter Diane Warren in a wide-ranging discussion that touched on female empowerment, education of young women and favorite albums. Obama even demonstrated a perfectly serviceable singing voice when she broke into the chorus of Boyz II Men's hit "It's Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday."
In responding to a direct question about whether she'd consider a run for the presidency herself, Obama said she would not. "I've got these two young people at home," she said referring to her children, Malia and Sasha . "Being daughters of the president, it's not easy. There are so many ways to impact the world, I don't have to be president. I expect to go into my 60s blazin'."
The presentation tied in with Obama's "Let Girls Learn" initiative, designed to bring educational opportunity to 62 million girls around the world. But it also spoke indirectly to a chasm in the recording industry, in which female performers ranging from Beyonce and Lady Gaga to Sleater-Kinney and South by Southwest bands such as Hinds and Pumarosa excel, but in which males dominate the executive suites and the production responsibilities.
"There are a lot of men-only tables going on," Obama said in addressing an audience question about what role men can play in advancing women's careers. "When you have a seat at the table and access to power, ask yourself if there is diversity around the table. We reach better answers" when the voices of women and minorities are part of the discussion.
Latifah decried the lack of female rap MCs such as herself and Elliott. "Women are what's missing in hip-hop," she said. "When you remove women's voices from anything, you are not at your best."
All of the speakers noted that they faced doubts about what they could be and how high they could aspire as young people.
"I've been told so many times that what you do won't work, you don't fit the mold, you don't look like other artists look," Elliott said. "But here I am."
Latifah noted that it was another female musical pioneer, Teena Marie, who set her on a path into music. "She wrote and produced all her music," she said. "It was a lesson in empowerment."
Bush turned that message in Latifah's direction. "I listened on my Walkman to you," she said. "There was this notion that you could be a woman in the forefront of your industry on your own, not in a band. ... That set such an example for me."
Obama named Stevie Wonder's "Talking Book" as her favorite album. Wonder "talked about unity, love, peace. He wrote songs that pushed you to look at change, how you could change the world."
Pointedly, it was a message beyond gender.
For more SXSW coverage, visit www.chicagotribune.com/turnitup.
Greg Kot is a Tribune critic.
greg@gregkot.com
