14 Hip/Hop and R&B Feminist Anthems

1. Work–Iggy Azalea

This classic makes it on our list because it’s all about the struggle, which it often much more difficult for women trying to make it big (in the world of hip hop especially). This song is not about love or sex, but Azalea’s personal rags to riches story–and how she continues to strive for ultimate success. She also praises her mother in this song for her traditional yet important role as homemaker and caretaker, which is a plus; as I think most feminists would agree, it is important for us to support all of the women in our lives, on whatever chosen (or sometimes sadly forced) paths they are on. Video

2. Pu$$y–Iggy Azalea

This controversial hit sparked Azalea’s career and went viral due to its vulgarity. “Pu$$y” is essentially an “Oral Sex for Dummies,” and as feminists, we love that she is not shy to rap about things that have been taboo in female realms (and totally permissible in male realms) for a long time. When Iggy basically tells the world that: yes, I do like sexual pleasure and yes, I like men to go down on me; in fact, I have a great vagina and it’s basically a privilege for you to be near it, so you better do it well… Well, us feminists turn it up to maximum volume. Video

3. Work It–Missy Elliot

Elliot literally flips it and reverses it when she asks men to show her what they’re working with in this song. She expresses the desire for sexual encounters without romance or emotion, something usually frowned upon in female behavior even today. She’s not afraid to ask a guy to make sure it’s worth it for her, and that includes oral sex. She also praises women everywhere for doin’ their thang and getting where they need to be in order to be happy. Video

4. No Scrubs–TLC

This is a classic for many reasons. The main message in this song–”I’m not going to let you get away with sleazy actions just because you are a man”–speaks to every feminist. In this soulful song, TLC bashes men that cheat on their girlfriends, practice sexual harrassment, and freeload off of their friends and family. The message also encourages girls and women to have standards and not feel obligated to throw themselves at any man that shows them attention. Because, guess what? We’re not toys. We’re better than that. Video

5. Survivor–Destiny’s Child

Destiny’s Child (Beyonce Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams) have always been in the habit of providing feminists with songs that make them feel like strong, sexual, beautiful women, and this song may be their pinnacle work in that area. These ladies let everyone know that, while a break up is certainly difficult, no person in their group is going to give their life over to sorrow just for the lack of romance and male presence that happens after losing a significant other. This song encourages strength in women and tells all of us that it’s okay to stand up for ourselves, as well as condemning men that are spiteful and don’t know how to check their privilege. 10/10. Video

6. Bad Girls–M.I.A.

M.I.A. is one of my personal favorites and this song makes the list for various reasons. First off, it’s a banger, which in itself is unusual and even groundbreaking for a female artist. Not only does M.I.A. talk openly about sexual desire in this song, but also addresses money and violence. Despite the fact that she’s a woman, she can run with the big boys; and if she wants you in her bed, she’s going to let you know. As a feminist I am especially appreciative of her work for its intersectionality with race and class issues; M.I.A., being of Sri Lankan descent and born to a highly politically active father, has seen first hand the struggles of Sri Lankan civil war and the poverty born out of national conflict. Video

7. Feelin’ Myself–Nicki Minaj ft. Beyonce

The title of this song basically says it all. The Queen of Rap and Queen B are not afraid to talk about sex or masturbation–whether it is envious men masturbating to images of them, or these women getting themselves off. Not unlike the other women on this list, they are also willing to ask for oral sex if a man is not willing to give it initially. Minaj’s title as the Queen of Rap is self-proclaimed, but she makes a pretty good case of it in this hit, telling men in the hip hop and rap world to watch their spot on the charts, because she’s coming for them. Video

8. ***Flawless (and the Remix)–Beyonce (ft. Nicki Minaj)

Beyonce makes it clear that she demands respect as an artist and a woman in this track from her self-titled album. She expands on her success as a singer, mother and wife, condemning anyone who thinks her life decisions are low, passive, or unfeminist. Her remix with Minaj gives both even more reason to collaborate to express their feminist views through their music. Minaj takes the opportunity once again to not just ask but demand oral sex from her sexual partners and praise women’s bodies (in she and Bey’s case, curves). Overall, Beyonce tells all women to be more than comfortable with themselves–to love themselves and to never stop elevating themselves, which is certainly music to a feminist’s ear. Video

9. Bossy–Kelis

“You don’t have to love me. You don’t even have to like me. But you will respect me.” Kelis lets everyone know in this song that it is okay to be a woman and also be a boss. Being a female boss in the business world often translates into “bitch” rather than gaining the respect deserved. In this song, Kelis simultaneously owns her bossiness and says that she doesn’t really care if she is perceived as a bitch, because she is the one that’s in charge and making the money, after all. This is a great empowering, pump-up jam for any feminist. Video

10. Run the World (Girls)–Beyonce

Of course this tune has to make the list of boss-ladies that not only know they are in charge, but assert that any woman can take charge and run the world. It has often been said that women are capable of controlling many situations in their lives with sex and sex appeal, but we all know that the patriarchy can no longer limit our powers to use our minds and personalities rather than our bodies. Beyonce makes this abundantly clear in her hit and also makes us all want to dance–the best of both worlds. Video

11. Only–Nicki Minaj ft. Drake and Lil Wayne

The first three minutes of this song is near perfect. Ignore the chorus by the that beat up Rihanna. Lil Wayne is also a little off his game. But this song is important for a few reasons. Not only is Minaj reinforcing some of her recurring themes of female sexuality, emphasizing her power as a woman, and taking pride in her body and daring people to “worry ‘bout if [her] butt’s fake,” but Drake’s verse is, frankly, shockingly respectful and feminist. He begins by telling his audience that he would never try to get Minaj to cheat, but if she’s ever single he makes it clear that he would love to have sex with her. He also says he likes his girls BBW, honoring a body style that is not always praised or even accepted in women. As a feminist, I am definitely starting to reevaluate my previous negative feelings toward Drake. Video

12. Cockiness (Love It)–Rihanna

This song expresses one of the main themes of this article–oral sex. I feel the need to emphasize this because it seems to some men that the fact that women like oral sex is either myth or hearsay. I promise, it’s really real. Not only does she talk about oral sex and women taking active and even dominant roles in sex, she tells men to “swallow [their] pride down” and accept that she is cocky, persuasive, and she’s not going to tone down any of her words or actions just be the “ideal” or stereotypical woman. Like she says in the song, “you’ll come around”… to feminism. Video

13. Listen– Beyonce

This intense anthem speaks to the women who need out of the vicious cycle of their overwhelming relationships. It gives them not only the empowerment to face the man that rules over them, but it also gives them the words to say, which pushes the process along. Beyonce’s voice and lyrics have so much power and passion behind them that one must only listen to this song once to gain the energy and strength to tackle the largest of obstacles. Video

14. It’s A Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World– James Brown

Though this is neither Hip-Hop nor R&B, I chose to add this because I believe it is a song that must be heard. Though it does have a few flaws I would encourage you to listen to it. Some of the lyrics go something like this: “This is a man’s world, but it would be nothing, Not one little thing, without a woman or a girl. He’s lost in the wilderness, he’s lost in bitterness, he’s lost.”

What does this show? The whole world, it seems, has become over run by men who have forgotten their true roots. A debate could spark up here about which came first: “the chicken” or “ the egg,” but how far will that get us really? Men have made advancements in the past 115 years at a rate that tops all other centuries ever. BUT who really made that possible, ladies? Who carried these men for 9 months, fed them, made sure they got enough sleep, sent them to school, gave them the right amount of money to get a healthy lunch? Women make it possible for this “man’s world” to keep turning on it’s axis. Video (Please excuse the spanish at the beginning…)

A few that didn’t make our list…

Anaconda–Nicki Minaj

Most of the time, we love Nicki. We love her because she is strong, independent, capable of making and flaunting her own money, and taking pride in and respecting her body, as she shows us in this song. She is proud of her sexy curves and is not afraid to show them off. However, she gets a little shady in this song by bashing skinny girls. As any feminist should agree, all women’s bodies are beautiful and all women’s bodies deserve respect. So, I have to say, Minaj has some bad form in this one.

Partition–Beyonce

Despite the fact that I know that Beyonce is singing to her love Jay-Z in most of the songs on this album, I think this one sends to wrong message to everyone else. The chorus of this songs seems to endorse a woman changing her body or personality just to attract the man she’s interested in. Ladies, I urge you to not try to change or give up who you are just for the chance at romance. We deserve more love and respect than that.

Do What U Want– Lady Gaga

“Do what you want, what you want with my body,” This is the main chorus of Ms. Gaga’s popular hip-hop tune. I’m not sure about you, but I’d like to point out that by telling someone, “Yeah, sure, do what you want with my body,” you are giving them full license to do ANYTHING to you. Some might think that’s nice, I’m sure. But what if they start doing something you don’t like? You can’t tell them to stop because you would be contradicting your prior statement. Telling a man to “do what you want,” just sounds like a recipe for miscommunication, hard feelings, and disaster.