10 Really Black TV Theme Songs

1) Proud Family (2001-2005)

“They’ll push your buttons
They’ll make you wanna hug ‘em”

— Destiny's Child

2001, it’s hard to imagine a world where Beyoncé is just a 20 year-old burgeoning r&b/pop star recording theme music for a cartoon, and making guest appearances on WB sitcoms like Smart Guy.

Fast forward to today and Beyoncé has solidified herself as a musical genius, transcendent entertainer rivaled only by the late Michael Jackson, and a cultural icon so powerful that she tells Anna Wintour, Vogue, and Coachella how and when things will be done.

The star of the Proud Family’s intro is actually Beyonce’s younger sister Solange. Solange’s evolution has also been quite amazing. One of the most gifted and creative musicians we have today, Solange runs Saint records and gave us a masterpiece that was 2016’s A Seat at the Table.

Accompanying the Knowles sisters in this collaboration are Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, two thirds of Destiny’s Child. Michelle has ventured into gospel music and Kelly Rowland has had a successful r&b career, even collecting a 2000s classic hit, “Dilemma” with rapper Nelly. It is also important to note that Kelendria Rowland seems to never age and is best friends with Serena Williams and Ciara.

Solange is giving us an inspired solo running lines like “even when you start acting like a fool, you know I'm loving every single thing you do”. Beyonce, her thick Houston accent and the other two women are in the background harmonizing “they’ll make you scream, they’ll make you wanna sing!” just like an Aretha Franklin led church choir; Destiny’s Child AME. Beyoncé even gets to a falsetto.

Not pertaining to the song exactly, but a critical part of Black artistry is the work of Ms. Tina, Beyoncé and Solange’s momma. She was the girls’ stylists for many years and the outfits she has them in are peak 2001 swap meet fashion. Bedazzled denim jackets, air brushed cropped tanks, chunky belts, crinkled hair, a cowboy hat, lots of lipgloss, and Kelly Rowland’s Mary J. Blige “dancery” red hair. They were ready for any 106 and Park 2001 music video.

2) The Wayans Bros. (1995-1999)

“We’re brothers, we’re happy and we’re singing and we’re colored”

The opening sequence for The Wayans Bros is a satirical look at the way Hollywood caricatures Black actors. Two Black brothers in the “ghetto” dancing, high-fiving, patting their Afros while giving big slapstick smiles. Once the director screams, “cut, dynomite!", a ‘70s jive term from the Blaxploitation films of that decade, we transition to the rage and frustration Shawn and Marlon feel over this demeaning portrayal. Shaking their heads, deciding they’ve had enough, the two brothers slap the camera out of their purview and walk off set. Like other productions made by the Wayans such as Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, the whole segment is a “message”.

What makes this opening so brilliant is the juxtaposition of Blackness immediately after as rap group A Tribe Called Quest’s “Electric Relaxation” begins to play. For those unfamiliar with A Tribe Called Quest and their cultural significance, the Queens rap trio (sometimes quartet) are the innovators of jazz hip-hop. Jazz being the improvisational musical language of Black people in America post trans-Atlantic salve trade with roots extending back to Africa, the song samples the riff on Ronnie Foster’s “Mystic Brew”. Seeing Tribe’s influence 20 years later, J.Cole sampled that same riff for his song “Forbidden Fruit’ featuring Kendrick Lamar.

3) Moesha (1996-2001)

“Mo to tha E to tha...”

— Brandy Norwood AKA Moesha

The ‘90s and ‘00s saw many popular artists test out their acting skills on the TV screen. At only 17 years of age Brandy Norwood was coming off of her two-time platinum selling self-titled debut with singles like “Best Friend”, “Baby”, and “I Wanna Be Down’. Using the same talents that gave us one of the best r&b albums of the ‘90s, Brandy sang one of catchiest theme songs in recent memory.

Growing up, I was inspired seeing a brown-skinned black girl with braids, “Individuals” as we call them, “Singles” if you’re from the Bay Area, or Kardashian Box Braids if you sadly have no reference to Black culture, with her own show about everyday life in South Los Angeles. Outside of her chanting “Mo to the E to the” over and over again, my favorite moment is when she sings, “I gotta do what I gotta do. I gotta moooove”. Black colloquialism at its finest, Moesha offers no specificity in her intent or meaning yet every Black person understands what she’s trying to convey.

Capturing true Black life in South Los Angeles, the intro is shot in the historic neighborhood of Leimert Park with Moesha dancing in front of the fountain that has been a fixture there since the 1920’s.

If you watch HBO’s Insecure, Leimert Park is where Issa’s former employer, “We Got Y’all” is located and where she gives Nathan a tour of Hot and Cool Cafe, Eso Won Books and World Stage.

4) The Parkers (1999-2004)

“Daaaang Momma! Oouuu let’s party.”

— Countess Vaughn AKA Kimberly Ann Parker

Important Black History fact, The Parkers was the first sitcom to implement auto-tune for a theme song. True trailblazers, The Parkers intro music walked in order for That’s So Raven’s to fly. Because a couple of years after The Parkers first aired, Disney Channel used the same auto-tune and had Raven Simone sounding like T-Pain as she sang, “it’s the future I can see. It’s so mysterious to me”.

A spin-off of Moesha, The Parkers stars pre-meme era Countess Vaughn as Kim Parker. She was Moesha’s best friend and got her own series when her character went off to college. In the show, Kim is joined by her young mother, played by legendary comedian and actress Mo’Nique, who also enrolls at the same time to complete her education. The show follows their lives as not only mother and daughter, but now roommates and college cohorts.

Listening to the ad libs alone, Countess Vaugn is yelling out urban dictionary terminology like “Heeeey”, “That is cayute!”, “Daaaang momma”, and my favorite, “ouuu let’s party!”. Today, City Girls would for sure be doing the remix, period.

5) Living Single (1993-1998)

“Keep your head up, what?
Keep your head up, that’s right
Whenever this life get tough, you gotta fight
With my homegirls standing to my left and my right
True blue, it’s tight like glue”

— Queen Latifah

Another example of a successful solo artist transitioning to television. Hip-hip pioneer, Queen Latifah was coming off of her most successful album yet, Black Reign, featuring hit singles “U.N.I.T.Y.” and “Just Another Day” when she was offered the starring role of Khadijah James, editor and publisher of Flavor Magazine, an independent magazine all about the interests of the urban community. An accomplished rapper, singer, and actress, the New Jersey native did it all.

Following the lives of six young Black professionals maneuvering life in pre-gentrified Brooklyn, Living Single ran for five seasons and became one of the most popular and important TV shows of the last 30 years. Centered around sisterhood, dating, managing your career, and friendship among six very different personalities, Living Single is widely known as the show Friends stole its concept from, adding white characters, making it one of the longest running shows on TV.

If Living Single’s theme song became available for streaming, it would immediately chart. To this day people finish “Ooo in a 90s kinda world…” with “I’m glad I got my girls!”. The empowering lyrics reflect the attitude of the shows female characters who are not ashamed to be living their best single life. Even the video exudes Black womanist power with a dance solo from choreographer Leslie "Big Lez" Segar. 25 years later, that kick is still remembered.

6) Cousin Skeeter (1998-2001)

“You know how he does, and you Skeeter flows
All I wanna do is hug ya ‘cause I like your steelo
And I dig the way you move, and the way you do your thing”

— 702

I can’t tell if this is a Nickelodeon pre-teen program or a Puff Daddy music video. Platinum bubble jackets, all white suits, stage lights, background dancers, and a young Megan Good. Performing a rendition of their hit song “Steelo”, r&b group 702 remixes the song adding Skeeter’s name to the lyrics. Lusting and dancing over a puppet, the ladies are serenading him with lines like “Skeeter is what I want, Skeeter is what I need.” His puppetry aside, Skeeter is charming so the ladies attraction towards him is understandable.

Side note, 702 has one of the best Pharrell beats of all time for their song “I Still Love You”

7) Smart Guy (1997-1999)

“If I make a wrong decision it’s not the end of the world
I will reach my destination
make mistakes from A to Z
with each mistake there’s a new lesson
I can be...
(Anything you want to be!)”

This video has a freestyle rap verse, high-end fashion apparel in the form of a jersey, and the go-to dance move of this time, “The Bankhead Bounce”; the 1998 formula for success. When the Montell Jordan sounding singer croons the words “every day is a new lesson”, I felt that. The beat, the lyrics, the song is legitimately good and saying something quite important.

Bankhead Bounce

Smart Guy deserves infinite praise for 3 reasons in particular. 1) The star who plays TJ Henderson, Tahj Mowry, is the younger brother of twin actresses Tia and Tamera Mowry aka Sister, Sister. 2) Jason Weaver, who plays TJ’s older brother, is one of the most underappreciated actors of the past 30 years. Not only did he sing the role of young Simba in The Lion King movie, he played young Michael Jackson in The Jacksons: An American Dream so well you really believed he was him. 3) Destiny’s Child makes a cameo for an episode in which Beyoncé experiences and enjoys everyday teenage life so much that she contemplates walking away from her blossoming career to be a normal high school student and date Jason Weaver. Thank God this did not happen.

8) Kenan & Kel (1996-2000)

“Everybody out there go run and tell
Your homeboys and home girls it’s time for Kenan and Kel”

— Coolio

As you can tell, Nickelodeon was fully invested in the “urban” demographic. So much so they heard Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise” and thought that he would be perfect to record the theme music for their latest young adult program. Fun fact, “Gangsta’s Paradise” is one of the best-selling singles of all time having sold over 6 million copies worldwide.

The lyrics: “Aww here it goes!”, “you gotta watch Kenan ‘cause Kenan be schemin’”, “this ain’t the Hardy Boys or a Nancy Drew mystery”. Those are great hip-hop bars that just happen to be for a teen show. The west coast G-funk instrumental is the perfect beat for Compton, California native Coolio to rhyme to. With the synthesizers, bass and strings, Snoop Dogg would have also been great on this.

Before Kenan & Kel, the trio had previously worked together on All That when Coolio appeared as a musical guest. Again, Nickelodeon was all about the urban vibe. So the trio is having the time of their life dancing around, interacting with fans at Universal Studios.

Another piece of Black History, Kel invents the popular dance “The Milly Rock” 20 years before it comes to Brooklyn, New York. It’s now so mainstream that characters can do it in the addictive video game Fortnite.

9) In the House (1995-1999)

“No diggity, no doubt baby
No diggity, no doubt
No diggity, no doubt baby
No diggity, no doubt
We in the house”

— LL Cool J

“No Diggity”, the phrase meaning “most definitely, for sure, absolutely” was popularized by the r&b group Blackstreet on their Dr. Dre produced hit of the same name and became a staple for ‘90s slang lexicon. The In The House theme song doesn’t have a verse and is only LL Cool J repeating the affirmation in his sultry deep voice. But the video, a behind the scenes photo shoot of the cast just looks really cool. Starring the one and only Ladies Love Cool James who was a superstar rapper and sex symbol before he was on NCIS, everyone is stylish and suave in all their black ensembles. Even Alphonso Ribeiro is oozing sex appeal shedding his familiar nerdy look as Carlton on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

10) The Jeffersons (1975-1985)

“Fish don’t fry in the kitchen;
Beans don’t burn on the grill.
Took a whole lotta tryin’ just to get up that hill
”

— Ja'net Dubois

A Negro spiritual, complete with a choir and church organ, “Movin on Up” is all about this Black family in the ‘70s who beat the odds and reached “The American Dream”. George Jefferson’s dry-cleaning chain had become so successful that he was able to move his wife "Weezy” (Louise) and their son from Queens to a penthouse in Manhattan. And as the song tells us, they took all of their blackness with them; fried fish, beans, and their piece of the pie thanks to a “whole lotta tuh-rying”. All of this not even a decade post-Jim Crow. Racial tension was so high in the show that the White and Black characters were still calling each other Negroes and Honkys.

Honorable Mention:

May have went too far: Cita’s World (1999-2003)

“‘Cause I’m a strong black woman!”

— Cita

Did Cita’s World play into harmful stereotypical tropes about Black women? Absolutely, she is yelling “Cause I’m a strong black woman!” while thrusting her hips and smacking her lips. But, to the shows credit, the BET video music show was the first program to feature a virtual reality Black host. So in that way it broke boundaries and should be included in the litany of Black history facts we tell kids for 28 days out of a year.

The Most Non-Black Black TV Theme Song: Family Matters (1989-1999)

“Well then there must be some magic clue inside these gentle walls
”

— "As Days Go By", Jesse Frederick

Family Matters is the Black Full House. The same way the music of Creed, Nickleback and 3 Doors Down are indistinguishable from one another, if I close my eyes and listen to “As Days Go By” and “Everywhere You Look” I could not tell you which one is for Michelle Turner and which one if for Steve Urkel. Turns out, Jesse Frederick wrote and preformed the theme music for both TV shows.

Nothing about “As Days Go By” makes you think of a Black middle-class family in Chicago. The second that old-time saloon piano plays, and Frederick’s rough cigarette tinged ‘80s soft-rock ballad voice belts out “cause all I see is a tower of dreams, real love burstin' out of every seam”, I mentally check-out.

Also, we see the grandmother sitting outside on a rocking bench reading a copy of Rolling Stone with U2 on the cover, and I have a hard time believing this. Grandma “Mother” Winslow would have definitely been reading a copy of Ebony with Luther Vandross or Anita Baker gracing the cover while smiling looking at a Colt 45 Billy Dee Williams advertisement.

Bonus: All That ft. TLC (Tek.Lun Remix)

“Now this is just an introduction before we blow your mind
The show is All of That and yes we do it all the time”

— Left Eye

Nickelodeon was so popular in the ‘90s, the network got TLC to sing the theme music for teen variety show All That. I found this remix by Baltimore producer Tek.Lun a few years ago and it has become one of my favorite songs ever since. The saxophone filled jazz instrumental and heavy 808 drums gives the already great song a creative rework. Enjoy

Top 5 Kendrick Lamar Songs

“And, uh, I don’t - what keeps me alive? Shit. Music, I have to listen to music all day long. I’d say that keeps me going. I’m a pretty dark person, I’ve thought about ending it a million times. And I have to say that music keeps me here, by far, the main thing.”

— Dash Snow

This is the introduction for Kendrick Lamar's "The Heart Pt. 2". Here, Kendrick takes an interview clip in which photographer and New York based artist, Dash Snow, is asked what keeps him alive. Behind Dash's response we hear the beat slowly and softly build; the instrumentation is an extended version of The Roots "A Piece of Light". Immediately after Dash gives his somber answer, Kendrick Lamar starts his verse with a "thank you" for the honesty of Dash's words. Dash Snow died of a drug overdose in 2009.

"The Heart Pt. 2" was released in 2010, appearing on Kendrick Lamar's fifth mixtape, O(verly) D(edicated), also known as “OD”. Since that very moment, Kendrick Lamar has been my favorite rapper. Growing up in Los Angeles, I was an outsider when it came to my tastes in hip hop. I would listen to 92.3 The Beat, where the playlist was dominated by west coast g-funk and gangsta rap: Tupac, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, DJ Quik, Warren G, Kurupt, Nate Dogg, Ice Cube. All of these artists are great and have given us incredible music. But my ears craved all things east coast; A Tribe Called Quest, Wu-Tang Clan, Black Moon, The Fugees, Slum Village, The Roots, Mos Def & Talib Kweli, J Dilla, Common, Dipset, DMX, Nas, Biggie, and every single Bad Boy Records artist. It was Tribe in particular who stole my heart. To put my affection and fanaticism for the Linden Boulevard Queens rap group in perspective, I had about a dozen friends call or text me the day Malik “Phifie Dawg” Taylor of A Tribe Called Quest died. Anyone who is close to me knows what Tribe has meant for my life. They grew my love for hip hop and to them I am forever grateful.

RIP Phife Dawg (1970-2016)

Not having an LA artist to call my own was tough. I love hip hop and I love my city, but no one's story spoke to me. I wanted a voice of my generation from my area. In 2010, while a freshman at the University of California Berkeley, friends of mine kept suggesting I listen to this rapper who went by K.Dot. I was a stereotypical backpack hip hop fan straight out of the movie Brown Sugar. I wanted to save hip hop. If the artist wasn't from the golden era of the 90's, I didn't want to listen. But everyone I knew and trusted insisted that this guy named Kendrick was my vibe. I finally acquiesced and downloaded O(verly) D(edicated) and never looked back.

On the night of March 23rd, Kendrick Lamar released "The Heart Pt. 4", a new edition to a series of songs he’s been doing since 2010. The song is comprised of 3 different beats and varies from "introspective" Kendrick, "diss track" Kendrick, to "spazz out" Kendrick, accompanied by all his different voices-just like a true Gemini. At the end of the track, Lamar warns every other rapper that they have until April 7th to get ready. Right there we have an album date. 

Fast forward to March 30th, exactly one week after the surprise release of "The Heart Pt. 4", Kendrick releases a video for a track called “Humble”. I was driving five and a half hours from Los Angeles to Sacramento when the video was released. I spent 30 minutes of that drive not paying much attention to the Golden State 5 Freeway, but instead watching the visual over and over again. It was perfect. "Humble" is Kendrick in ultimate flex mode. He takes fellow rapper Big Sean’s own ad-lib to eviscerate him and tells us that the song he released the previous week, “The Heart Pt. 4”, was simply his left stroke, a warm up, that went viral. The internet lost its collective mind. "Humble" generated half a million views in about 90 minutes. Between YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, SnapChat, we were salivating for this album.

The night of April 5th, I tweet:

So here we are, Kendrick Lamar Day. We have been gifted with Damn. on this beautiful day of April 14th 2017. I have already played this album 5 times and will surely need a couple of months to absorb and dissect all its gems before I even attempt to write about this masterpiece. In celebration of the release of Damn., let’s countdown some of K.Dot’s best songs. Disclaimer, not all of these are my favorite, or necessarily his best. I used a criteria of content, significance, mainstream popularity, cultural relevancy, and listener digestibility.

5) Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe

“And I’m lookin’ right past you
We live in a world, we live in a world on two different axles
You live in a world, you livin’ behind the mirror
I know what you scared of
The feeling of feeling emotions inferior”

A radio favorite from his major label debut and certified classic Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City, the hook is Kendrick grappling with this new level of attention. Kendrick feels the expectations and energies of those around him shifting. He needs people to know that he isn't their messiah and does not want to be idolized, but is simply a sinning man who needs his alone time. The ability to tap into his truest internal emotions is something he holds dearly and does not want it to fade away. He refuses to play a role, chasing a false image in order to reach commercial appeal. Kendrick powerfully declares, "I'ma break out, and then hide every lock, I'ma break out, and then hide every lock". Lamar lets us know early on in his super-stardom that he will not compromise or be pigeonholed into the industry's idea of what he's suppose to be as a rapper.

4) Poetic Justice

“I mean you need to hear this, love is not just a verb
It’s you looking in the mirror, love is not just a verb
It’s you looking for it, maybe, call me crazy, we can both be insane
A fatal attraction is common and what we have common is pain”

Another single from Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, "Poetic Justice" features a rare collaboration between sometimes rivals, sometimes peers, Kendrick and Drake. The song was inspired by the John Singleton directed film, Poetic Justice, starring Janet Jackson and Tupac. Janet's intimate and sultry "Anytime, Anyplace" is used as a sample. "Poetic Justice" mirrors a spoken word piece in that it's detailed, compassionate, yet urgent. Kendrick's edifying words are used to tell this woman just how worthy she is. He understands the power of truth and empathy held in his pen.

3) Alright

“Alls my life I has to fight, nigga
Alls my life I...
Hard times like, “God!”
Bad trips like, “Yeah!”
Nazareth, I’m fucked up
Homie, you fucked up
But if God got us, then we gon’ be alright”

The significance of this song is deeper than its radio appeal. Released in the middle of 2015 post-Ferguson uprising, the song became the unifying and uplifting chant for Black Lives Matter protests across the country. Over Jazz and Funk beats, Kendrick is battling his inner-demons on To Pimp a Butterfly. Ending a majority of the songs with the line, "I remembered you was conflicted, misusing your influence". Kendrick is fighting a spiritual battle between pursing his career, and wanting to do more while keeping his sanity. More acclaim, more money, yet none of those material comforts can ward off the depression and pain he feels watching the struggles of his people.

It was fitting that as weary protestors took to the streets in solidarity with victims and their families to demand justice for the killing of black bodies at the hands of public servants, the words "we gon' be alright!" became the rallying cry. Amongst the militarized police tactics used against the bodies of peaceful protesters; violent arrests, painful tear gas, dehumanizing speech and treatment, Kendrick's "Alright" offered a bit of hope and strength for the freedom fighters.

2) A.D.H.D.

“You can have all my shine,
I’ll give you the light”

Section. 80 is centered around the damage done to the babies of the Ronald Reagan Era.  "A.D.H.D." in particular focuses on the self-medication these youth have been conditioned to rely on. How do you relieve yourself of the pains of systematic oppression that plague your community? Resources are either inadequate or non-existent, you're painted as nothing more than a problem, you're met with daily trauma as the people in power feel they must institutionally "fix" you. Eventually you are left feeling emotionally and physically empty. So you engage in any behavior that reminds you that you're alive; the distractions are numerous, the solutions aren't available, you can't focus. Everything you crave is a means to detract and distract from the problems that leave you feeling hopeless. Environmentalist and author Paul Hawken wrote about this saying:

We can't -- whether through monetary means, government programs, or charity -- create a sense of value and dignity in people's lives when we're simultaneously developing a society that doesn't need them. If people don't feel valued, they will act out society's verdict in sometimes shocking ways. William Strickland, a pioneer in working with inner-city children, once said that "you can't teach algebra to someone who doesn't want to be here." He meant that urban kids don't want to be here at all, alive, anywhere on earth. They try to tell us, but we don't listen. So they engage in increasingly risky behavior -- unprotected sex, drugs, violence -- until we notice. By that time, their conduct has usually reached criminal proportions -- and then we blame the victims, build more jails, and lump the costs into the GDP.

1) The Heart Pt. 2

“But really I’m just caught in the loop
of understanding the truth
Because it seem like it’s always clashing with science
I got a big fear of flying
My future so bright I’d probably go blind before I blink twice, I ain’t lying”

"The Heart Pt 2". is Kendrick's most emotionally raw recording and my personal favorite. He seemingly raps the 5 minute track in one breath. It literally ends with him gasping for air as he urgently and emphatically chokes out his final verse. Touching on an array of topics ranging from his impending career ascent, the fear in recognizing there's no limit on how great he can be, survivor's remorse, and his desire to stay connected to those in the struggle; he understands that people are facing very real life and death decisions everyday. "The Heart Pt 2." is Kendrick passionately prophesying that his artistry is not only going to change rap, but change the world around him. He told us seven years ago that he will not be influenced or swayed by the powers that be: "I pray these bars get farther than Compton, and if our record never break, I still won't break my promise, I promise to keep it honest". You have more than kept your promise, Kenny.

Honorable Mention: Rigamortis

“We all are sinners
Won’t you send us to bible study faster
Your hypocritesque reaction a blasphemy
I assassin my casualty
And it’s casually done
And tell ‘me my salary come ”

"Rigamortis" is what I call quintessential “spazz-out” Kendrick. "Spazz-out" Kendrick transcends into this intentional yet chaotic stream of conscious rapping style. His wordplay, metaphors, entendres, and punch lines hit like a flurry of sharp jabs, hooks and uppercuts. Absent of a chorus, Kendrick increases the speed of his verbal assault as each verse progresses. You wonder where he gets the lung power to execute this piece as he rarely takes a breathe. All the while, the improvisational jazz instrumentation grows its pace like a freight train with no intention of stopping. The listener's adrenaline and pulse increase with the track as Kendrick Lamar warns them that their favorite rapper will have an ill awaited fate if they dare to duel. The songs title comes from the Latin term Rigor Mortis, meaning “stiffness of death”; a condition that occurs a few hours after death when chemicals are depleted from muscle fibers. By the end of the song, Kendrick has in fact demolished everything in his path and respectfully ends with “amen”. The New Orleans style funeral procession jazz horns in the background are perfectly fitting.

Sleeper: Momma

“Been in it before internet had new acts
Mimicking radio’s nemesis made me wack
My innocence limited the experience lacked”

“Momma” is my favorite song on To Pimp a Butterfly. Following the theme of the album, Kendrick continues to confront the source of imbalance in his life repeating to himself, “I remembered you was conflicted, misusing your influence, sometimes I did the same, abusing my power, full of resentment, resentment that turned into a deep depression”. The forthright Gemini has a man in the mirror moment acknowledging that all of his talent, success and achievements still don’t match the securities of his upbringing which bring him ultimate peace. While Kendrick theorizes and self-analyzes, he goes through a checklist of all the things he knows, only to circle back and realize he knows nothing. It’s not until he returns home to God, his city, his family, his people, that he sees real truth.

Celebrating the Insecure Rapper

“I invented swag
Poppin’ bottles, puttin’ supermodels in the cab, proof.
I guess I got my swagger back, truth
New watch alert, Hublot’s
Or the big face Rollie I got two of those”

— Jay-Z

The opening lines of Jay-Z and Kanye West's debut single, “Otis,” from their 2011 collaborative album Watch The Throne. And if you listen to any radio station that plays rap, you will here a dozen more songs that go something along those same lines.

“They ain’t seen me cause I pulled up in my other Benz
Last week I was in my other other Benz”

— Kanye West

I love rap. I enjoy the hard hitting beats, the storytelling, the clever metaphors and wordplay, the uniqueness of rappers' voice and dialects (unless you're Desiigner), all of it. Rap is a sport and I'm drawn to its competitiveness. The stakes are high in a genre centered around knowing who's better. Rappers have to be hyper aggressive, tough, and self-confident in order to have a chance at "making it".

The egotism rappers exude is more than fun showmanship. Their brash is an attempt to immortalize and elevate themselves to legendary status. The ante is constantly being raised on who can be the most outlandish, flagrant and braggadocios. One of the boldest examples of this is on 2013's Yeezus. On a song titled, "I Am a God", Kanye West literally gives God a feature credit. I mean that is next level narcissism right there and I love it.

Excess and opulence are important themes in the vivid and imaginative lyrics of many rappers. It's all about obtaining colossal sized Picassos, putting 5 carats in your baby girl's ears, driving around with rims whose inch size match your age number. Whether it's cars, clothes, women, jewelry, or houses, the aim is to have as much as possible. Rappers are so infatuated with luxury, that you can point to over 20 songs in which rappers have compared themselves to Liberace himself:

“Liberace fingers, ni—-s hit Lorraine up”

— Pharrell Williams

“Diamonds shining, looking like I robbed Liberace”

— Dr. Dre

Paris, Hublots, Benzes, and of course, the women. In rap, the guy always get the girl; or at least they tell us they do. Even as I continue to confront my conflict with raps’ objectification of women, one of my favorite moments in rap history is on rapper DMX and Sisqo's "What They Really Want". DMX, in the most DMX way, raps and barks the names of 44 women he keeps on constant rotation in his Rolodex.

"There was Brenda, LaTisha, Linda, Felicia (okay!)
Dawn, LeShaun, Ines, and Alicia (ooh!)
Teresa, Monica, Sharron, Nicki (uh-huh!)
Lisa, Veronica, Karen, Vicky (damn!)
Cookies, well I met her in a ice cream parlor (aight?!)
Tonya, Diane, Lori and Carla (okay!)
Marina (uhh) Selena (uhh) Katrina (uhh) Sabrina (uhh)
About three Kim's (What!) LaToya, and Tina (Whoo!)
Shelley, Bridget, Cavi, Rasheeda (uh-huh)
Kelly, Nicole, Angel, Juanita (damn!)
Stacy, Tracie, Rohna, and Ronda (WHAT?!)
Donna, Ulanda (WHAT?!) Tawana, and Wanda"

For fans, it can be hard to listen to music that is so far from your life. How many of us are throwing our Rollies in the sky, popping bottles in VIP, taking PJs (private jets) around the world and courting anyone we desire? We're constantly being reminded that we aren't where they are, doing what they're doing as fresh and cool as them.

“We were down in Pari, keepin’ it Eiflin
You was at home, keepin’ it triflin.”

— 2 Chainz

Rappers and their god like personas can create a distance between us and them. But good music is for the people, to unify us through shared experiences we can all relate to. The pictures these artists paint aren't real life. They are fun stories that take us to a fantasy land. The world isn't a 90's Puff Daddy music video; these guys have mo' money and mo' problems too. Even Yeezy comes clean in his classic song "All Falls Down" saying, "we all self-conscious I'm just the first to admit"; that's real, that's keeping it "one hunnid".

Rappers should feel free and safe enough to talk about their disappointments, their heartbreaks, their desires to change their circumstances. So let's give praise to the rappers who aren't "ballin", who don't get the dream girl, and who aren't the big man on their block.

Pharcyde's "Passin' Me By", Skee-Lo's "I Wish", and Biz Markie's "Just a Friend" are classic hip hop songs most casual listeners have heard at least once. While recognized for their mesmeric beats, catchy hooks, and savy rhyme schemes, rarely do people acknowledge the relatability of the stories told. Each rapper presents scenarios many of us have been in, but are too embarrassed to share. This is a unique gift and responsibility of true artists; to beautifully express the mundane, the normal, the commonalities with which we're all familiar.

1) The Pharcyde's "Passin' Me By"

"Passin Me By" has the quintessential 90's boom bap sound to methodically nod your head to. Hailing from my hometown of Los Angeles, California, Bootie Brown, SlimKid3, Imani, and Fatlip's articulated cadences make rhyming along easy. When I first heard this song at the age of 11, I ran home, printed out the lyrics, and proceeded to memorize every word. It is one of my favorite songs of all time and I still know every line verbatim.

Although the chorus clearly repeats "She keeps on passin' me by", it wasn't until recently at the age of 25 that I realized just how sad their love lives were. All of their crushes really do pass them by. The last verse in particular illustrates the overall mood of the song and plight of these fellows. It's here Fatlip puts his heart on the track while rapping about the dopest Ethiopian woman who simply won't give him the time of day.

Now there she goes again, the dopest Ethiopian
And now the world around me be gets movin in slow motion
when-ever she happens to walk by - why does the apple of my eye
overlook and disregard my feelings no matter how much I try?
Wait, no, i did not really pursue my little princess with persistence;
And I was so low-key that she was unaware of my existence
From a distance I desired, secretly admired her;
Wired her, a letter to get her, and it went:
My dear, my dear, my dear, you do not know me but I know you very well
Now let me tell you bout the feelings I have for you
When I try, or make some sort of attempt, I simp
Damn I wish I wasn't such a wimp!
'Cause then I would let you know that I love you so
And if I was your man then I would be true
The only lying I would do is in the bed with you
Then I signed sincerely the one who loves you dearly, PS love me tender
The letter came back three days later: Return to Sender
Damn!

Poetry. We've all experienced rejection in some form. But it's not often that a rapper admits to being overlooked and disregarded by a woman. Already, his vulnerability is tugging at my heart strings. This woman is the apple of Fatlip's eye. He calls her his little princess, not some b---ch or h-- . Describing a woman you're fond of without using derogatory terms always gets you a win in my book.

Fatlip is so unassuming in his pursuit of this woman that in order to make this young woman aware of his existence he has to write her a letter. Compared to today's suitors who simply slide in your DMs or swipe you to the right on some dating app, Fatlip's efforts are impressive. His salutations are chivalrous and polite harmonizing, "my dear my dear my dear". To be honest, I'd probably marry the first person who wrote me a letter.

While writing the letter Fatlip gets introspective in his admiration for this woman. He admits that he hasn't been able to work up the nerve to approach her and calls himself a wimp and simp. These are fighting words in the hip hop community. Urban Dictionary defines a simp as "a man that puts himself in a subservient/submissive position under women in hopes of winning them over." Unsubscribing to toxic masculinity, Fatlip clearly does not care what you or I think about his emotions. He knows what his heart wants.

Finally, Fatlip builds up the courage to send off the letter with a "the one who loves you dearly" farewell. 3 longs days pass and what happens? The letter is returned to sender. As a listener all you can do is echo Fatlip's final line; a defeated and breathy "damn!". Sometimes you can't win for losing.

2) Skee-Lo "I Wish"

Her boyfriend's tall and he plays ball
So how am I gonna compete with that?
'Cause when it comes to playing basketball
I'm always last to be picked
And in some cases never picked at all
So I just lean up on the wall

I wish I had a brand-new car
So far, I got this hatchback
And everywhere I go, yo, I gets laughed at

Intentionally or unintentionally, Skee-Lo is breaking black male stereotypes by airing out his perceived shortcomings; he's not tall and he's not good at basketball. Meanwhile, Ice Cube was still trying to convince us that he registered a triple double in a pick-up game. There is a historical symbiotic relationship between basketball and hip-hop. Every rapper wants to be a hooper and every hooper wants to be a rapper. This is a biblical fact. Fortunately and unfortunately, many have dabbled in both. 

In this case, the undersized Skee-Lo is not a basketball playing, hip hop rhyming double threat. And he believes these perceived limitations are holding him back from being a cooler, more prosperous guy. So doing what he can with what he has, he brilliantly creates a hit rapping about the things he wishes he had.  Most rap songs sound something like "Yo, I got this, yea I got that, of course I got her, and I even got way more of that". Skee-Lo does the exact opposite, saying "Yo, I wish I had height, I wish I had basketball skills, I really wish I had a girl and a '64 impala, I'll even take a rabbit in a hat". This would have been the perfect time for Shaquille O'Neal as Kazaam the genie to appear.

I'm don't know if Skee-Lo ever got his wishes, but his song sold over 600,000 copies, went gold, and was nominated for Best Rap Solo performance at the 1996 Grammy's. He lost to Coolio's "Gangsta Paradise", but he was so close.

3) Biz Markie "Just a Friend"

So I came to her college on a surprise visit
To see my girl that was so exquisite
It was a school day, I knew she was there
The first semester of the school year
I went to a gate to ask where was her dorm
This guy made me fill out a visitor's form
He told me where it was and I was on my way
To see my baby doll, I was happy to say
I arrived in front of the dormitory
Yo, could you tell me where is door three?
They showed me where it was for the moment
I didn't know I was in for such an event
So I came to her room and opened the door
Oh, snap! Guess what I saw?
A fella tongue-kissin' my girl in the mouth,
I was so in shock my heart went down south
So please listen to the message that I say
Don't ever talk to a girl who says she just has a friend

This is what us young people call "getting played".

Biz Markie's "Just a Friend" is a great karaoke jam. Released in 1989, before rappers were singing hooks and choruses, it's a 80's hip hop love ballad that I will always choose over LL Cool J's "I need love" which has aged terribly.

No matter where you go in the country, most people join along when they hear Biz belt out, "Ohhh babyyy youuuu! Youu got what I neeeeeed!".  A contrast from the tough guy role rappers portray, Biz's playfulness makes this one of the most lighthearted song's in hip hop. His infectious personality and fun rap-a-long style gains the affection of fans. This makes his predicament even more devastating. We love Biz, we are rooting for Biz, we want Biz to win and get the girl.

Being the consummate gentleman, Biz makes a trip to surprise his lady friend while she's at college. He probably has a nice romantic weekend all planned out for him and his lady; beat boxing, taking long walks in the park, making mixtapes on his boombox. You can visualize the whole thing. Yet, to his shock, he finds the lady he's been dating kissing another guy.

We don't know the dynamics of Biz and this woman's relationship, but he's soundly invested. And while she has the right to do what she pleases without his permission, communication could have definitely been clearer. Biz thought his lady was hanging with a platonic friend. She thought Biz was just another friend. You can't help but empathize with the guy.

After such a tragic ordeal, you wonder if Biz developed serious trust issues. But, as a consolation prize, Biz's misfortune has made him a fortune. This hit is still popular 30 years later and has gone on to influence music today. Taking Biz's advice, Chris Brown would go on to make an anthem reminding us that "these h--- ain't loyal".

Hopefully rap will continue to evolve and become more comfortable being self deprecating and despondent. Talking about our pain is a human right that helps us lead healthier lives. We all take L's, but what's most important is that you keep showing up for the game. Law of averages says that you're eventually going to win. Keep swinging.

“Last night took an L but tonight I bounced back”

— Big Sean