The first song by a female rapper to peak at number 1 on the billboard hot 100 (if billboards are to be trusted) was Doo Wop (That Thing) by Lauryn Hill.
Very unique from a songwriting perspective, this is a pop tune that criticizes young people for obsessing over casual sex and nice things. It’s like anti-hiphop.
“when you give it up so easy you ain’t even foolin’ him
If you did it then, then you’d probably fuck again
Talking out your neck, sayin’ you’re a Christian
A Muslim, sleeping with the jinn
Now that was the sin that did Jezebel in
Who you gon’ tell when the repercussions spin?
Showing off your ass ‘cause you’re thinking it’s a trend
Girlfriend, let me break it down for you again
You know I only say it ‘cause I’m truly genuine
Don’t be a hard rock when you really are a gem”
I’ve never heard anything like that in a hit song, it’s crazy, and so against the grain of what was and is considered a cool outlook in popular music, that I wouldn’t be surprised if it came across as puritanical. But I’m not sure you can disagree with the observations Lauryn makes in this song. Plus, her secret sauce is humility.
“Now, Lauryn is only human
Don’t think I haven’t been through the same predicament”
Lauryn really keeps it down to earth. It’s easy for Christians to use language that sounds almost coded, i.e, “struggling with temptation” or “not being modest.” Obviously, it’s not really code, and we can all infer what is meant by those phrases. I’m not saying it’s deceptive or anything. We’re trying not to be vulgar, which is good. But there are times when somebody just needs to just come out and put it in plain terms. Bluntness is more relatable. Course subjects deserve course descriptions.
A quirk of my personality is that I find it very refreshing to hear Christians use vulgar language to make a point (not cursing, which is quite different.) After all, Saint Paul did it:
“I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as skubala, in order that I may gain Christ”.
Philippians 3:8
note: “skubala” means shit.
I don’t need to do what a quick Wikipedia search will do for you by listing the many accolades and broken records of this song and the album from which it came - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. And I’m not going to dwell on how I love this song - and I really do love it - or else I will become a broken record myself. Good music speaks for itself, but I just want to tell you that I love the fusion of old school doo-wop and contemporary hip-hop, I love the very counter-cultural lyrics and their witty metaphors and wordplay, and I love the energy that Lauryn both raps, and sings with.
The next song by a female rapper to peak at number 1 on the billboard hot 100 (if billboards are to be trusted) was Super Freaky Girl by Nicki Minaj, of which the opening verse is:
“I can lick it, I can ride it while you slippin’ and slidin’”
While Nicki is a spiritual and philosophical titan who is no doubt overdue for a guest lecture spot at Harvard, we simply have to move on.
Miseducation is a killer album, and it’s no wonder why it brought hip-hop fully into the mainstream. The fact that it manages to be explicitly Christian and somehow cool at the same time is remarkable. I recommend the whole thing, but a few songs I’d like to point out: Forgive Them Father, Everything is Everything, Final Hour.
But my favorite is by far To Zion, a love ballad about her then unborn son. A young, talented rising pop star surrounded by publicity, pregnant out of wedlock. Unsurprisingly, she’s pressured to abort him. But then, an angel of God inspires her to keep the baby.
Whatever you make of that, I hope this second verse is as moving to you as it is to me:
“How beautiful if nothing more
Than to wait at Zion’s door
I’ve never been in love like this before
Now let me pray to keep you from
The perils that will surely come
See life for you, my prince has just begun
And I thank you for choosing me
To come through unto life to be
A beautiful reflection of His grace
See I know that a gift so great
Is only one God could create
And I’m reminded every time I see your face”
The “And I thank you for choosing me” is the part that always gets me.
Something I learned of this song which I find very moving is that she was never able to replicate the high notes at the end of the song in other performances. She only could then because she was pregnant at the time.
I HAVE RUN OUT OF THINGS TO SAY. NO MORE TODAY. GOODBYE NOW,
-Nolan