NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
Over the decades, many Hip Hop artists have told stories on the topic of relationships. From LL Cool J and “I Need Love”, Jay Z’s “Song Cry”, DMX and “How’s It’s Going Down”, and a vast majority of Ja Rule songs. Hip Hop and relationships always went hand and hand. However, to be seen in such a vulnerable space, not many were willing to take that plunge. But for those who did, Hip Hop was blessed with well-crafted verses that paid homage to the opposite sex.
Here is a list of my 5 favorite Hip Hop love songs.
Renee (The Lost Boyz)
What made this song stand out then and still now is that it was not your typical praise of a female. From the chorus, you knew this had more of a Shakespeare vibe than anything Hip Hop-related. We normally get the ghetto takes gone wrong when describing members of your crew or those who fell in the game but a female, The Lost Boyz broke the code with Renee.
Mr. Cheeks breaks down the day he met Renee, how they chatted and ate franks while walking to the train. Made it to her house, smoked some weed, ate, smoked again, did their thing, and kept in touch. He explained that he didn’t know what love was but he was pretty sure he had feelings for Renee. It was the classic boy meet girl, then boy loses girl but in a tragic way.
Song Cry (Jay Z)
Song Cry is the hustler’s anthem for relationships. She was there when no one else was but the moment you make it, lust takes over. Jay’s storytelling was exceptional as he detailed lyrics telling how his day one held him down while he hustled his way to the top. But then came the downfall of their bond once he got on top. He forgot about her. Not in financial terms but just being there.
But she was not going to just sit back and wait. She got her revenge as Jay poised one of the most quotable lines in Hip Hop “You don’t throw away what we had just like that/I was just fucking those girls/I was gonna get right back.” Song Cry is indeed a hood classic of tales to riches and the ones we hurt along the way.
All I Need (Method Man/Mary J Blige)
Hip Hop was ready for All I Need and at the same time, it wasn’t ready. RZA, in his heyday, was a genius. Method Man was on the verge of blowing up and Mary J Blige was just coming into her own when Hip Hop got from this pair would be a hood classic. “You’re all that I need/I’ll be there for you. If you keep it real with me/l’ll keep it real with you.”
While the song was a hit, would it have been such a huge factor if not for the video? This is one of those songs where the video was just as important as the lyrics. Meth was in his early WU grimey days and Mary was the around-the-way girl with the strong vocals.
Dilemma (Nelly/Kelly Rowland)
Let’s forget about its commercial success for a second and focus on the lyrics and impact of the song. Nelly and Kelly were the perfect duo to take this track to where it needed to be. Nelly was already in his zone with his signature sing-along style and Kelly, looking to shine on her own outside of Destiny Child, provided that perfect blend.
Dilemma was centered around a guy making moves on a woman with a man and child. All normal but it did put both in a dilemma. Should Kelly leave her man and start a life with Nelly? Should Nelly continue pursuing Kelly? The hook was masterful, the lyrics explained the atmosphere right, and the chemistry between the two made this song huge.
Keep Your Head Up (Tupac)
Yes, another track could have gone here. While this is not your typical love song like the others on the list, this was Tupac showing love to all the black women out there. Never had a male MC been this venerable on a track while still walking around with that hood armor. Pac was that versatile. Keep Your Head Up should be locked away in a vault somewhere.
Pac was ruthless with the pen on this song as he took his pain from his mother’s addictions and the abuse (physical and mental) that women endure and turned it into a Hip-Hop classic. “I wonder why we take from our women/why we rape our women/do we hate our women?” This was and still is a national anthem for all black women around the globe. Well done Pac.
