30 Rap Songs That Say Nice Things About Women

Hip-hop is an art form that carries multiple dimensions, and believe it or not, it often has nice things to say about women. Take a look at (and listen to) our picks, and don’t forget to show the ladies in your life some love.

Cardi B
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Image via Getty/Roy Rochlin

Cardi B

For decades, hip-hop has constantly been scrutinized for not being a particularly welcoming space for women. Even Cardi B’s breakthrough success is a reminder of that. “Bodak Yellow” became the No. 1 song in the country last September, the first song by a solo female rapper to do so in 19 years. Even the most dedicated hip-hop fans stretched out the syllables of "nineteen" in disbelief.

But of course, the issue isn’t just about the culture’s treatment of women as performers but also as human beings. Academics and lazy Fox News pundits eager to take a swing at black culture have constantly harped on hip-hop’s lack of respect for women. Hip-hop is an art form that carries multiple dimensions, though, so many of these criticisms tend to paint in broad strokes—or completely ignore the rappers who cut the posturing to appreciate the ladies, whether they be daughters, love interests, or mothers (rappers tend to not speak ill of their moms). 

These odes to women aren’t a new concept, either: MCA pledged to kill the disrespect to women on 1994’s “Sure Shot,” and De La Soul rapped endearingly about intimacy over a Steely Dan sample on 1989’s “Eye Know.”  Hip-hop has been through multiple changes since its golden era, but it hasn’t stopped giving the ladies their shine. Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly was a packed and ambitious black consciousness statement that felt even more complete when it included the female perspective. And of course, J. Cole, hip-hop’s poster boy for positivity, also has some words of encouragement for the ladies. 

Here’s our list of 30 rap songs that say nice things about women, although it is by no means definitive; there aren’t just 30 rap songs that respect women. This list offers another way to examine a genre that isn’t as one-dimensional as critics make it seem. Take a look at the picks below.

Kendrick Lamar f/ Rapsody "Complexion (A Zulu Love)" (2015)

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Album: To Pimp a Butterfly

Lyric: “Then Whit told me, ‘A woman is woman, love the creation’/It all came from God, then you was my confirmation”


Hip-hop’s pro-black manifestos have had a history of discounting the perspectives of the black women (why does the brainwashed TV viewer on “She Watch Channel Zero?!" have to be a woman?). It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back’s ideological descendant To Pimp a Butterfly at least addresses that blind spot. “Complexion (A Zulu Love)”—a soothing late-album entry that looks at what generations of colorism has done to our perceptions of black beauty—could be seen as Kendrick simply covering his woke bases. But, like much of his sophomore opus, there’s a genuine directness that makes potentially ostentatious lines like “Sneak me through the back window, I’m a good field nigga / I made a flower for you outta cotton just to chill with you” stick. It’s fitting that he cedes the final verse to Rapsody, who effortlessly makes the most out of her moment. 

Jay Z f/ Gloria Carter “Smile” (2017)

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Album: 4:44

Lyric: “Mama had four kids, but she's a lesbian/Had to pretend so long that she's a thespian/Had to hide in the closet, so she medicate/Society shame and the pain was too much to take/Cried tears of joy when you fell in love/Don't matter to me if it's a him or her/I just wanna see you smile through all the hate/Marie Antoinette, baby, let 'em eat cake”


Jay Z dedicates a large portion of 4:44 to the three women in his life: Beyoncé gets her apology on the title track, Blue Ivy gets a freestyle, and his mother Gloria Carter gets the spotlight on the album’s longest track, “Smile.” Following the brooding opener “Kill Jay-Z” and black capitalism ode “The Story of O.J.,” “Smile” sets the album’s emotionally transparent tone by notably having his mother come out, a moment that was enough of a milestone to earn an award from GLAAD. Jay Z gets his boasts in at the track’s latter half (“My therapist said I relapsed I said/’Pre-haps I Freudian slipped in European whips’”), but Ms. Carter appearing to recite her poem reminds us that this is also about her journey.

Remy Banks “Feast” (2015)

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Album: higher.

Lyric: “To my beautiful sister I heard you wanna be a singer/Well anything’s possible/You're too young for them boys/So stay focused and follow your dreams/Trust me anything’s possible”


Hip-hop has dedicated plenty of lines to the sisters in a colloquial sense, but not often to actual sisters. Queens-bred rhymer Remy Banks’ tender highlight “Feast” is mainly about enjoying the fruits of struggle as a family. He saves his most genuine rhymes for his younger sister at the song’s end, a reminding her that her dreams are as valid as his.

Nas “Bye Baby” (2013)

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Album: Life Is Good

Lyric: “You screaming at the racist cops in Miami was probably/The highlight of my life, like "’Ha, yo, look at my wife’"


The fervor surrounding 4:44 made some fans forget that Nas’ Life Is Good predates Jay Z when it comes to middle-age introspection raps. The difference is that Nas and Kelis’ marriage ended in divorce, a misfortune that inspired the project. What makes the recollection of their union compelling is how it skirts bitterness for an honest, clear-headed account. The closer is particularly affecting because of the details he infuses into their time together, from their first meeting (“Rewind it to the happy years / You and your Star Trak fam, I'm thinking you cats are weird”); to the specific, non-cliche events like the run-in with Miami cops; to the brutal nature of divorce (“Listen, could you imagine writing your deposition/Divorce lawyer telling you how this thing gonna be ending?/With you paying out the ass and I'm talking half”). Nas ends the song ready to move on, but you’ve lived inside the couple’s heads long enough to be convinced that he looks back on the marriage with fondness.

J. Cole f/ TLC “Crooked Smile” (2013)

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Album: Born Sinner

Lyric: “Take it from a man that loves what you got/And baby girl you’re a star, don’t let ’em tell you you’re not”


J. Cole’s catalog has a bunch of d’aaawwww moments, but nearly five years later, one of his biggest is still the Born Sinner hit “Crooked Smile.” The message to women here is as simple as his delivery: Your flaws are what makes you, you. Lines like, “Cause what's real is somethin' that the eyes can't see” became feel-good quotables that resonated on Instagram captions long after the song fell off the charts. It also helps to get the rare feature from TLC, whose 1999 hit “Unpretty” hit on the same topic.

Lost Boyz "Renee" (1996)

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Album: Legal Drug Money

Lyric: "I reminisce over my ghetto princess everyday."

On the Lost Boyz's most successful single "Renee," the heartfelt tale of meeting a girl named Renee on the train turns from a love story to a tragedy over the course of a few verses. As the story goes, Renee's studying to be a lawyer, and the two fall in love—over blunt wraps and mutual attraction. But (spoiler alert) Renee's shot and killed at the end of the song. It's a tragic story, but the love for Renee transcends the usual cliches of rappers crushing on women—in part because of the not-unrealistic situation that plays out—the respect for Renee is conveyed through every Lost Boyz rhyme therein.

Boogiemonsters "Honeydips in Gotham" (1995)

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Album: Riders of the Storm: The Underwater Album

Lyric: "The eye of the beholder couldn't handle you/You're precious."

From the hazy, sunny-day production thick with summer humidity to the face-value concept, which revolves around men (or Boogiemonsters, as it were) "standing on the block, watching you," this is a song that doesn't seem like much more than the ogling  of girls in Raekwon's "Ice Cream." But theses lyrics—while ogling, too—are respectful, rooted in a conscientious tradition and promising patience and conversation.

Outkast "Jazzy Belle" (1997)

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Album: ATLiens

Lyric: "I'm willing to go the extra kilometer/Just to see my senorita get her pillow/On the side of my bed where no girl ever stayed"

Sexual promiscuity and casual sex used to be taboo. Now, it simply isn't, or at least isn't as taboo as it used to be. On "Jazzy Belle," it's apparent that Andre 3000's tired of it. While he spends plenty of words on chastizing women with a long list of sexual partners, he opens up towards the end of it, revealing the source of his frustrations: He's never been with an upstanding woman. In turn, his ambition to "go the extra kilometer" to find one is duly noted. Even in the face of adversity from friends who think he's soft for pursuing "queen things," it's a journey worth making for 3 Stacks.

Beastie Boys "Sure Shot" (1994)

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Album: Ill Communication

Lyric: "I want to say a little something that's long overdue/The disrespect to the women has got to be through/To all the mothers and the sisters and the wives and friends/I want to offer my love and respect to the end"

Nearly every obituary of Beastie Boy member Adam Yauch quoted this line from "Sure Shot," with good reason: It was impactful and it marked maturity within the Beastie Boys and beyond them in hip-hop, as a whole. The feminist lyric, especially after the popularity of their earlier hit "Girls," showed a softer side to MCA, for a brief moment in the otherwise fun, upbeat track. While it wasn't career-defining for Yauch or the Beastie Boys—who, admittedly, had misogynist lyrics flowing through their earlier rhymes—it's widely seen as a turning point in their thinking, and an important part of how they continued to evolve over the course of their career as a group.

Webbie f/ Lil Boosie and Lil Phat "Independent" (2007)

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Album: Savage Life 2

Lyric: "Tryna get next to her, gotta be yaself mayne/Cause she got her own money she don't need no help mayne"

Forget, for a moment, Webbie's troubled history with women. Ignore, if you can, the occasional lyrical clunker that isn't quite as simpatico as it should be (Lil Phat's ideal lady behavior, "She cooks, she cleans," can be overlooked because he followed it up with "never smell like onion rings"). "Independent" is a song that celebrates women as true peers, rather than maligning them as gold-diggers, and in rap music, that's a truly bold leap for gender parity.

Ma$e f/ Total "What You Want" (1998)

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Album: Harlem World

Lyric: "Don't get too loud, got respect for you honey/To keep it all real, you come second to my money/And can you be my ghetto love prophecy?/Everybody love you girl, not just me/And I know that you really care a lot for me/Wanna to see you happy even if it's not with me"

Ma$e doesn't want to get rich and leave you in the hood, he wants to buy you karats until you feel like you're a rabbit. Sure, it's not the most romantic moment out there, but you know he means well. On "What You Want," Ma$e is a bit demanding: He wants to be treated royally, but he knows his girl holds it down for him, and he's definitely appreciative, as such, going so far as to open up on his true feelings for his girl. He even says his lady makes him want to get a legal gig—which, in terms of Ma$e's life these days, likely wasn't far from the truth.

Drake f/ T.I. and Swizz Beatz "Fancy" (2010)

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Album: Thank Me Later

Lyric: "And you don't do it for the men, men never notice/You just do it for yourself, you're the fucking coldest/Intelligent too, ooh you're my sweetheart/I've always liked my women book and street smart."

By the time his debut dropped, Drake was already known as a ladies man, crooner type. And he didn't shy away from his image on his album's fourth single which found him chanting the ladies on while Swizz Beatz hyped the moment up. Drake didn't just say nice things about women, but he appreciated a refined lady who had her own thing going on. In other words, girl power!

A Tribe Called Quest "Bonita Applebum" (1990)

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Album: People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm

Lyric: "Hey Bonita, glad to meet ya/For the kind of stunning newness, I must have foreseen ya/Hey, being with you is a top priority/Ain't no need to question the authority"

Bonita, whoever you are, you've got Q-Tip's heart wrapped around your finger. "Bonita Applebum," loosely based on a female that attended the same high school as members of A Tribe Called Quest. Q-Tip's rhetorical questions begin at the drop of the beat—"Do I love you? Do I lust for you? Am I a sinner 'cause I do the two?" At least he's being honest, girls. But his love for his woman shines through every line of the song.

Snoop Dogg "I Love My Momma" (1999)

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Album: No Limit Top Dogg

Lyric: "She the queen in my life, and I'mma make sure she gon' shine again/She taught me everything"

Yes, Snoop Dogg had a beautiful tribute to his mother on the same album he placed his hit single "Bitch Please." But that's neither here nor there, Snoop Lion raps "I love my momma/Through all the drama" and describes all the things she taught him-you know, how to read, write, fight. It's all in a letter signed Love, Snoop. "I Love My Momma" really shows off the D-O-double G s soft side, and adoration for his mother.

Lil Wayne "Something You Forgot" (2007)

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Album: Tha Carter III Sessions

Lyric: "Please don't worry 'bout the women I have been with/No engagement can amount to your friendship"

The song begins: "Since I've lost you, I'm lost, too." It's clear—Lil Wayne has never sounded more vulnerable. On "Something You Forgot," he's at that tragic, existential post-breakup moment, going as far as to state: "You give me back my girl, then you give me back my life." These emotional lows remove Weezy from his usual casanova context and leave him lonely and distraught, practically begging his former lover for a return to the way things were.

It inspires new-found, less misogynistic thoughts about women than we're accustomed to hearing from Wayne and the chilling, sped-up sample of Heart's "What About Love" is the perfect backdrop. Over it, tender moments like "You are the brightest star under sunlight" don't sound out of place. Nor does the heart-wrenching cliche about how none of the women Wayne's been with since the separation compare to the woman he's pining after on this song.

Jay Z "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" (2002)

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Album: The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse

Lyric: "Whatever she lacks, I'm right over her shoulder/When I'm off track, mami is keeping me focused"

As the first collaboration between Jay-Z and Beyoncé, "03 Bonnie & Clyde" marked Hov's change of heart with women in his music-more or less. We heard him two years prior rapping about the variety of women he liked in "Girls, Girls, Girls" and in this chart-topping single, he takes a sample from Tupac's 1996 song "Me and My Girlfriend" to tell the whole world about his ride or die girl.

T.I. f/ Keri Hilson "Got Your Back" (2010)

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Album: No Mercy

Lyric: "Just wanna let you that we appreciate it/Everything you do for us on a day to day/And I know we don't show you all the time but we lucky that you ours/No bouquet of flowers/Could ever show how much we know we need you/We do, all that's in our power just to please you."

Tiny, you are one lucky lady. On T.I.'s bonus track "Got Your Back" with Keri Hilson, the Atlanta rapper shows his appreciation for the ladies that have their man's back over a very upbeat, happy beat that gives anyone a little hope they'll find a girl to hold them down. The entire song is a feel-good ode to the power of women-and T.I. sounds just as excited to be rapping about his girl as his lady probably is hearing the song.

Black Star "Brown Skin Lady" (1998)

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Album: Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star

Lyric: "Over the years I met a few, none of them compare to you/Preparing you to make fruit bearablesomethin terrible, let's see/You fruitful, beautiful, smart, lovable, huggable/Doable like art, suitable to be part/Of my life."

Blackstar's debut album may have been loaded with thoughtful rhymes but "Brown Skin Lady" found them hitting on some sweeter notes. The rhymes aren't Mos or Kweli at their lyrical best, but it doesn't matter since Mos' crooning on this is top-notch. Kweli kicks things off listing all the things he loves about women, "You fruitful, beautiful, smart, lovable, huggable." Plus he wants his girl to be a permanent part of his life. 

Heems "Womyn" (2012)

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Album: Nehru Jackets

Lyric: "Women you're great, on behalf of men, Thanks/I'm glad to be a part of your ranks/If you accept me, women"

Heems' "Womyn" starts off with a very familiar hip-hop theme-"Bad business/A hundred million" but quickly progresses to a song all about females. It's random, its beat is irritatingly addictive, but Heems plays off every possible rhyme he can to talk about what women like to do. But the kicker of the track is what makes it great for the ladies-Heems, on behalf of men (!), thanks women for being great, and asks for acceptance. Yes, Heems has redeemed his membership to the Girls Club.

Goodie Mob "Beautiful Skin" (1998)

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Album: Still Standing

Lyric: "You sparks my interest/No m'aam I don't know you/Just offerin' the common respect I feel I owe you/Also, some conversation, companionship/Common ground and common sense."

Let's be honest, Cee-Lo's first few lines come off a bit offensive—"This particular song right here is dedicated to the black woman/And it doesn't pertain to all black women/Because some of y'all disrespect y'allself/Because you don't know who you are in the first place/This is out of common respect, for all women period." Yeah, we're confused too but don't worry, Cee-Lo means well and he's here to tell women just how beautiful they really are. Goodie Mob's love for their "sister, lover and friend" goes above and beyond a love song as it speaks to women everywhere. 

De La Soul "Eye Know" (1989)

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Album: 3 Feet High and Rising

Lyric: "Let me lay my had across yours/And aim a kiss upon your cheek/The name's Plug Two/And from the soul I bring you/The daisy of your choice"

De La Soul plays on metaphor after metaphor to reach the female they have their eyes set on-and all with the perfect level of respect for their lady. The Steely Dan sample they use over and over already makes it clear that they love their girl better than anyone else, but beyond that, Dove's entire verse is about how sex isn't as important as love and that he respects his lady. It's a love story told through De La Soul's rhymes so perfectly that even the Otis Redding whistling leaves you wanting to fall in love like them.

Ghostface Killah f/ Mary J. Blige "All That I Got Is You" (1996)

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Album: Ironman

Lyric: "Word up mommy, I love you"

Ghostface's debut was filled with vivid street tales but none of his tales were quite as vivid as the one about his childhood. Ghost recalled torrid details of his upbringing and touching moments about his mother like how she used to rub the cold out of his eyes and how she'd send a young Ghost Deni to a neighbor's house asking for food.

The Roots f/ Erykah Badu and Eve "You Got Me" (1999)

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Album: Things Fall Apart

Lyric: "Started building with her constantly round the clock/Now she in my world like hip-hop."

Ostensibly a song about trust, The Roots' "You Got Me" was also a step forward in men's attitudes towards and respect for women. It's a low bar to suggest Black Thought's character was a good guy for not dogging his girl, but it was more than that; the rapper encourages communication and honesty, rather than paying attention to what outsiders have to say. It's the value placed on trust that makes "I Got You" more than your typical song of devotion, but one of respect as well. The female is just as prevalent in Black Thought's life as hip-hop, and that's saying something.

Lauryn Hill "Doo Wop (That Thing)" (1998)

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Album: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Lyric: "Don't be a hard rock when you really are a gem/Baby girl, respect is just a minimum"

Who says women can't say nice things about women in hip-hop, too? On her debut single, Lauryn Hill made waves in the hip-hop world-and won two Grammys-for "Doo Wop (That Thing)" that was aimed at women caught in an area of struggle and insecurity, and urged them to rise above. The No. 1 single spoke to men, too, but it was a change of pace for a female rapper to support women respecting themselves by not playing into what men want.

Kanye West "Hey Mama" (2005)

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Album: Late Registration

Lyric: "And you never put no man over me/And I love you for that mommy can't you see?/Seven years old, caught you with tears in your eyes/Cuz a nigga cheatin, telling you lies, then I started to cry / As we knelt on the kitchen floor / I said mommy I'mma love you till you don't hurt no more"

It's heartbreaking to listen to Kanye's "Hey Mama" after Donda West passed in 2007, but it's one of the most beautiful hip-hop tributes to moms in hip-hop to this day. The Donal Leece "Today Won't Come Again sample that runs heavy under Kanye's rhymes becomes so nostalgic that you can't not feel for a young Kanye, knowing he had composed the song long before he was the star he is today. He recalls the struggles the two faced together when he was a child and talked about her support even when he dropped out of college before jumping into the chorus where he talks about how proud he is of Donda-and how proud she is of him.

KRS One "Womenology" (2002)

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Album: Prophets Vs. Profits

Lyric: "Begin with the heart, our sisters is a living art/Always givin', always deliverin', always making something bigger from just a little part"

KRS One studied women for his entire life just to write "Womenology" or, in short, Women 101. KRS wants an independent women with thoughts and opinions, and shouts out to all the ladies who started their own businesses. But besides the encouragement, he stresses the importance of women in the world-and specifically to the men they care for, while also acknowledging their power and respect.

Queen Latifah f/ Monie Love "Ladies First" (1989)

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Album: All Hail the Queen

Lyric: "We are the ones that give birth/To the generations of prophets because it's ladies first"

It was the feminist anthem of 1989-Queen Latifah's "Ladies First" featuring Monie Love off of All Hail The Queen lets all the men know how great it is to be a woman. No shots are fired at men who just don't understand or any females who aren't respecting themselves-it's just Monie and the Queen going back and forth about the power of women, and not only did it make waves for women in hip-hop but it's commercial success was groundbreaking for a rap song.

Common "The Light" (2000)

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Album: Like Water for Chocolate

Lyric: "It's important we communicate/And tune the fate of this union to the right pitch/I never call you my bitch or even my boo/There's so much in a name and so much more in you."

Common samples Bobby Caldwell's "Open Your Eyes" on his love song, "The Light," and it's perfect-he opens his eyes and realizes he's found his leading lady. Common goes so far to say he won't even call a woman "his bitch or even his boo." The song puts females in a light (pun so intended) that other hip-hop songs have not-his uplifting lyrics put his lady on a pedestal that is well-deserved, just like the Grammy he received for the song.

Method Man f/ Mary J. Blige "I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By" (1995)

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Album: Tical

Lyric: "Nothin' make a man feel better than a woman/Queen with a crown that be down for whatever/There are few things that's forever, my lady."

In the golden years of '90s hip-hop, Method Man and Mary J. Blige teamed up for what may be the greatest hip-hop love song of all time. The haunting melody provided by Mary's emotion-filled chorus flowed beautifully with Meth's bars on finding the love of his life who holds it down for him, and in return-he wants a "fat ass crib with thousands of kids." On the track's first verse, Meth calls his woman a "queen" and making hip-hop realize falling in love may be far greater than polygamy. "You're All I Need To Get By" sampled the famous Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell hit of the same name, and Mary J. hopped on the song which is a remix of Meth's "All I Need."

2Pac "Keep Ya Head Up" (1993)

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Album: Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.

Lyric: "Because there's too many things for you to deal with/Dyin' inside, but outside you're looking fearless"

Perhaps the greatest salute to women ever written in hip-hop, 2Pac's "Keep Ya Head Up" implicates men's roles in the oppression of women while uplifting women and encouraging courage in the face of mistreatment. It's at once sympathetic and realistic, making powerful statements that seem all the more significant because of the rapper's position at the time. He was rapidly becoming one of (if not the) central figures in hip-hop, and doing so without sacrificing his ideals or his understanding. He knew how to make an impact, and did so on the biggest possible platform.

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