Aiight…for some quick background on me, I’m a DIE HARD HIP HOP HEAD! I have lived and breathed this culture since I was a shorty back in Philly in the early 80’s. I may be a relationship coach on the side, but first and foremost, I’m hip hop ALL DAY!
So the other day during one of my rap sessions at the teen center I run, some of the girls were saying that they don’t like rap music because they have to constantly hear men degrading women, song after song after song. And they don’t like seeing women in videos, always half naked or stripping. And seeing a rack of women that don’t look anything like them, made them feel like they had no value. So I had to school ‘em on the fact that, at one point in time, there were actually hip hop songs talking about love and relationships.
So just like I had to school them, let me school some of ya’ll who may think that ALL hip hop is about disrespecting women and making it rain in the strip club…cause that’s not the entire picture my culture paints.
Checkout my top 5 Hip Hop Love Songs:
#5. Shakyla (JRH) – Poor Righteous Teachers
“Wake up, the wise black queen is mine.” – Culture Freedom
Aiight…now if you’re not REALLY into hip hop my peoples from southern Jersey may have slipped right past you. But trust, PRT’s Shakyla (JRH) was a dope ode to the black woman. With lyrics like, “I spent a lot of time with the queen I protect, you’re the sister close to me, he take her deeper into depth/say sister knowledge god that of queens your existence, you’re no hooker, you’re no slut, you’re no b-tch and she listens/you’re the mother of civilization, I hate them snakes that disrespect ya/they often disrespect ya when they find that can not sex ya” you can see that THIS is the kinda hip hop we need nowadays! Not to mention, I named my kitten that I found out in the hood back in 1990 Shakyla after this song. And she’s STILL alive in kicking 22 years later! Next time, try naming your pet after a positive hip hop song…studies show they’ll live longer!
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#4. The Light – Common
“If Heaven had a height, you would be that tall.” – Common
This is another Dilla produced masterpiece that got Com the most airplay of his career and even got him his first Grammy nod back in ’01. I remember reading an interview with Com saying that he’s gotten MAD request to perform this song at weddings and if that’s not a hip hop love song, I don’t know what is.
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#3. You Got Me – The Roots
“Started building with her constantly ‘round the clock, now she in my world like hip hop.” – Black Thought
This is one of my fave hip hop songs EVER cause I can literally listen to this song on repeat for hours and trust me…I’ve done it. Plus with lines like “yeah, so what you sayin is I can trust you, is you crazy? You’re my king for real, but sometimes relationships get ill” and “I seen people caught in love like whirlwinds, listening to squads and listening to girlfriends/that’s exactly the point where they whole world ends, lies come in and that’s where the drama begins” it mos def deals with the ups and downs of relationships.
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#2. Bonita Applebum – A Tribe Called Quest
“You’re like a hip hop song.” – Q Tip
EVERYTHING about this song not only screams hip hop but it screams love. From the Little Feet breakbeat to the R.A.M.P. sample. I don’t know if there’s EVER been a smoother hip hop song made about a shorty. It’s like this song was hip hop’s 1st crush on somebody. And the remix?!?!? Don’t even get me started on the remix. “I flirted and I flirted ’til there was no end, but she kicked the diabolical as if we were friends.” Come on, what dude can’t relate to feeling like that? And the way Tip freaked the Isley’s “ Between the Sheets” sample YEARS before the rest of hip hop jumped on, it just helps certify the original AND the remix in my eyes as one of hip hop’s ILLEST love songs.
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#1. You’re All I Need – Method Man and Mary J. Blige
“Shorty, I’m there for you anytime you need me, for real girl it’s me in your world, believe me.” – Meth
Do I even have to explain this one? Didn’t think so.
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BMWK – do you agree with this list? What songs would you add?