Hip hop has a reputation as a vibrant, thriving cultural art form. It speaks to issues others won’t touch; it addresses things other genres can’t sing or speak out about without heavy resistance. It broadened what music can and can’t talk about. It addresses topics of urban decay many will never see or know about that aren’t well addressed elsewhere.
Unfortunately, it also has a reputation for misogyny. Sometimes this reputation is deserved. Sometimes it is not.
There’s an often-overlooked side to the art that seems never to get as much coverage as the latest scandal. Many rappers have written about the plight of lost women; these jams are almost never run as radio singles.
Why? As an industry, are we doing enough to promote the best music that actually has a moral side – or are some labels or publicists overlooking the plight of women, fearing it won’t sell as well as songs about clothing, money, or drugs?
Many artists have in particular written about the problems poor women face – often women faced into prostitution or drug habits in order to survive in the urban poverty that produced the culture hip hop comes from. In a world where even a legend like Billie Holiday could be raped at the age of eleven, and forced into prostitution as a teenager, before becoming a singer – this actually did happen, by the way – it’s incumbent on us to remember these songs too.
We’re presenting six overlooked hip hop jams from the past about the plight of urban women.
Damian Marley & Stephen Marley – Pimpa’s Paradise
This exceptional cut from “Welcome To Jamrock” dramatizes Damian’s experiences with a former friend turned drug addict and prostitute and laments her plight. We present VH1’s amazing acoustic version.
Nas – Black Girl Lost
Nas laments women who are more eager to party than to develop their minds, without an ounce of judgement.
The Game – Lost
From the Purp and Patron “Hangover” bonus mixtape, Game writes a hardcore street jam about the pain of a close family member turned runaway.
Ankore – Black Rose
This cut from indie Los Angeles hip hop collective Ankore about the beauty of black women never got radio play and should have.
Common – I Used To Love H.E.R.
Common’s classic jam portraying hip-hop itself as a lost woman helped him break out, but isn’t well known compared to his post-“Be” work.
Wyclef Jean, Akon, Lil’ Wayne, and Niia – Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)
At 35 million views, this is probably the least-overlooked cut in question – still, it never got as much radio airplay as Clef’s old Fugees work.
Bump Magazine 