So much modern commercial music and popular Hip-Hop offers an oversimplified version of relationships which often prioritizes a masculine perspective at the expense of a balanced gender perspective. This can have a serious impact on listeners mental health and identity formation; especially, as it is near on ubiquitous in western music. The reality is relationships are hard work, the balance of power is rarely equal, it takes two to tango, and when issues arise – the answers are often never as simple as we want them to be. Here are several songs which either present these challenges in a balanced manor by rejecting sexism or giving attention to the often lost female voice.
For more on conscious female Hip-Hop check out the Wikipedia link below:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminist_activism_in_hip_hop
The Streets – Dry Your Eyes has some superb realist imagery and a backing track which perfectly matches the heartbroken tone of the song. It also demonstrates great use of English (UK) colloquial language/slang and is almost completely literal with no figurative language features. It would juxtapose well against a more figurative song on the same subject. The male speaker is also the one left helpless in this story thus showing an alternative gender narrative to most Hip-Hop which does not value emotional vulnerability or weakness.
Link to Lyrics: https://genius.com/2025331
The Undercover Hippy – Boyfriend is not only very funny and delivered with 60-mile-a-minute vocal skills; it also offers a look at a reality which is much more familiar to most guys on a night out than that professed by many Hip-Hop stars. Firstly, it does not involve devaluing women as mere trapping to the masculine pursuit of greater levels of materialist opulence. Instead, the speaker goes from one failure to another with each iteration worse than the last. The up-beat tempo of the song adds to the comedic tone of the lyrics, and the vulnerability is surprising considering the stereotypes of the Hip-Hop genre. The song is drenched with euphemisms, alliteration, tricky rhymes, similes, and metaphors. His other work, especially the album Monkey Suit, is wildly political and incredibly thought provoking with a similar attention to lyrical and musical skills which could turn their talents to any genre.
Lauryn Hill – Lost Ones plays on a religious theme in which she calls out her prior partner for his transgressions. Again, this song is unique precisely because it gives voice to women in Hip-Hop without subjugating that voice to a male prerogative. Lauryn uses religious imagery and allusion to show that her ex has traded in his soul for mere earthy trappings in his poor treatment of her. She begins by acknowledging that people assumed, as a young women, she would be ignorant of the world, but says she is wise to such tricks. Quoting scripture she sings, ‘wisdom is better than silver and gold’ alluding to the story of Solomon. There are also religious metaphors referring to retribution and a judgement day when men will no longer be able to hide behind a patriarchal society.
Link to Lyrics: https://genius.com/991539
Kate Nash – Foundations is not strictly speaking Hip-Hop but the message has always struck me as pertinent when discussing songs which challenge the patriarchal narrative. The backing track and vocals are bouncy and contrasts well with the lyrics that sing of a relationship which is all but dead, except the speaker can’t bring herself to end it. There is some great imagery; funny use of British colloquial language/slang; as well as the recurring metaphor of holding onto the ‘foundations’ of the relationship.
Link to Lyrics: https://genius.com/830874
Lily Allen – Knock ‘Em Out speaks back to the misogyny many women must face when out in public. The song uses humor to critique the barrage of men who assume that women want their attention and advances. She make regular allusions to the fact that this experience is common to all women and criticizes the men in the song for being obsessed with sex, appearance, and status.
Link to Lyrics: https://genius.com/Lily-allen-knock-em-out-lyrics
Horrorshow – Nice Guys Finish Last is a song about just that; the contradictory tendencies of the dating scene in which women ostensibly want a ‘nice sensitive guy’ but at the same time seem to gravitate towards men who are ‘alpha males’ and not particularly nice. The Australian Hip-Hop scene from which Horrorshow originates has a long record of breaking away from classic Hip-Hop tropes and has several songs which paint a more realistic picture than what is often sold through more commercially driven music. The honesty of this song is refreshing as well as the voice it gives to romances’ ‘underdog’. As always with Horrorshow the technical aspects of the delivery are just as valuable as the message with creative internal rhymes, alliteration, colloquial language/slang, euphemisms, irony, metaphors, and similes.
Link to Lyrics: https://genius.com/Horrorshow-nice-guys-finish-last-lyrics
Humanity4HipHop 