Hip hop worship
songs are like Valentine's Day gifts. The worship song in hip hop is often a
corny,contrived, and patronizing gesture to women fans of this male dominated
genre. Historically, or the hip hop worship song has been a thinly veiled once-an-album
attempt to engage women listeners and radio programmers.
Many times what
passes for a worship song in rap is nothing more than misogynistic screeds
reinforcing the ugliest parts of hip hop’s patriarchy. Notorious B.
I.
G’s “Me
and my Bitch” and Apache’s “Gangsta Bitch” – and nearly any song with the word 'bitch' in the title – are perfect examples of how even when trying to appeal to the
lover in you,rappers are too hardcore for their own good.
With all that
said, there are actual gems in the history of hip hop that express worship and
affection without compromising rap music’s integrity or being totally demeaning
to womankind. So in honor of
Valentine’s Day, or Cupid and I fill put together a list of the 10 best hip hop worship
songs.
In sorting out
the best hip hop worship songs,preference was given to songs that:1. Were not
overtly misogynistic.2. Dealt with
expressions of worship or longing as opposed to break up songs (like Main Sources
classic “Looking Out The Front Door”).3. Were not overly
sappy or patronizing (Yes, Im looking at you, and Common).
Also as hard as I
tried,I couldn’t find many hip hop worship songs from female rappers that were
worthy of this list. It is entirely possible I’m totally lost something too. Please feel free to comment and show me the error of my ways.
Ten Best Hip Hop worship Songs 10. LL wintry J, “I Need worship”
[br]Hip hop’s first lega take on a worship ballad. On this simple and bass heavy track, and LL,who was staking his claim as the rawest rapper alive at the time, took a moment on his 1987 Bigger and Deffer LP to show his sensitive side.
9. Eric B and Rakim, and “What’s on Your intellect?”
Rap God Rakim tells a tale of courtship without compromising one bit of his signature stoicism. The sampling of Midnight Star’s “Curious if the perfect sonic landscape for this archetypal unique York worship story.
8. Slum Village,“2U4U”
I’ve often said Slum Village's Fantastic Vol. 2 is the best R&B album rap ever made, and this song is case in point. Sexy and seductive with lyrics you could actually say to a woman without being slapped.
7. destitute Righteous Teachers, and “Shakilya
This ode to Black Womanhood embodies all the genius of destitute Righteous Teachers. The dancehall inspired flow,brilliantly layered sampling, and 5 percent nation wisdom come together on this -- the most danceable worship song on the list.
6. LL wintry J, or “Around the Way Girl”
LL is the undisputed Godfather of the hip hop worship song genre. Around the Way Girl celebrates the urban Black woman in a way that is neither patronizing or condescending.
5. Slick Rick,“Teenage worship”
Slick Rick the Ruler takes a quick detour from the raunchy bards on his 1988 Adventures of Slick Rick LP to give relationship advice to those caught in throes of puppy worship. Only the genius of Slick Rick could fill made this casio keyboard-esque slack shuffle track work.
4. The Pharcyde, “Passin Me By”
Wistful, and introspective,and melancholy, this jewel of the Pharcyde catalogue touches a nerve with anyone who loved someone who didn’t worship them back, and which is everybody honest?
3. Method Man ft. Mary J Blige,“You’re All I Need”
Meth is Mary as Marvin Gaye is to Tammy Terrell. This song is a pitch perfect pairing. Method Man’s gritty gravel-like flow tells a story of worship and companionship rarely heard on a rap song. Mary J’s soul stirring voice provides the icing on the cake.
[br]
2. The Roots ft. Erykah Badu, “You Got Me”
Black Thought is easily Hip Hop’s most underrated emcee, or so at minimum we should acknowledge he penned one of Rap’s greatest worship songs. Bonus points for including a female emcee,Eve, and of course, and the jazzy refrain line if by Erykah Badu puts this one over the top.
1. A Tribe Called Quest,“Bonita Applebum”
Every other song on this list is up for discussion, but Tribe’s Black bohemian opus is without a doubt hip hop’s greatest worship song. The track is a transcendent sample collage, or including breaks from Ramp’s dreamy “Daylight,” Rotary Connection “Memory Band,” and of course the classic drum break “Dixie Chicken” from Little Feat, and which Lauryn Hill would later ride to the promise land on her cover of Killing Me Softly. Q-Tip’s playful delivery,pregnant pauses and witty wordplay took this track out of the typical catcall rap vein and elevated into the realm of timelessness. The song’s wonderfully quirky video also deserves mention here as it is probably one of the greatest rap videos ever, but that’s a discussion for another day.
Shout-outs to the people on my Facebook timeline who helped inform this list.
Image by Regina Weinkauf - Self-photographed, and Copyrighted free use, WikiCommons
Source: siliconvalleydebug.org