This mixtape collection is going to talk all about love. Hip Hop approaches love in very different ways but nonetheless it comes across in powerful and subtle ways. I’ve included artists from all over the globe to include in this project and I’m excited to share them all with you. From self love to introspective love this lineup will give you food for thought and a warm heart.
First – Xidus Pain, from the United Kingdom he spent his early life in and around the hip hop scene. He is a very out of the box thinker and is big on introspective thinking. I’ve included his song A Million Ways in this mixtape because, sticking to our theme of love, he takes us through the feelings of love. His verses take up through the highs and lows and the lengths to which some people go for love. Though for me in particular Xidus describes where love can take you whilst being faithful to a bond, saying in his last line of the first bar “you can drown in love like a swimming pool”.
Second – 21 Savage’s song Letter 2 my Momma. 21 Savage was originally born in the United Kingdom but moved to the United States when he was seven years old. 21 Savage is known for striking a no nonsense attitude during his songs and this song is no different, but he weaves in his charisma and love for his mother gracefully. He talks about from childhood to present and how his mother created paths for him to stay happy and did whatever she could for his well being. I really chose this song because songs that pay homage to people strike a different chord in me because I recognize it takes a depth of emotion to recognize someone else’s influential presence in your life.
Honorable Mention for an homage to mother song: Lupe Fiasco’s More Than My Heart
Third – Gigi Lamayne’s Winne. True to our theme of love I think Gigi is speaking to a younger version of herself, and young girls who are told too much of what they “shouldn’t” do. To me I think she is telling her younger self that she loves her and that it’s okay to be everything people say she can’t be. I’d like to call it retroactive love. I chose this song in part because of the poem near the end of the song and the line
“when they push me down
I fly
Rather struggle than to die”
I love this part!
This song also has stuck out to me for a while because of the name Winnie. Being from South Africa I can only guess that Gigi is in some part referencing Winnie Mandela. Winnie was known for her strong fighting spirit and care for her people, but people usually juxtapose her with Nelson Mandela and say she is the aggressor of the two. I don’t take this belief. When I personally went to South African and asked people about Winnie Mandela I learned that she was a true lover and fighter and if she told her people to move—they moved.
Fourth – The Big Hash’s Outcast. The Big Hash is another major artist from South Africa and quite young for his hip hop influence. I chose this song because I believe it represents a form of self love. The song centers around his life growing up and the circumstances he left in order to become a rapper. Although he apologizes to his mother in the song I believe he’s telling himself that it was okay to leave high school and chase his dreams, because by chasing his dream he killed two birds with one stone. His features on this song also reference love for the people in their lives and not regretting their decision to pursue music. Self love can be hard but turning towards yourself can be fulfilling.
Lastly – Fid Q’s Love. I think this song is actually a hard look at what love is. Fid Q is from Tanzania and he makes it known in many of his songs. Love takes a hard look into what we think is love, from what the verses in English say.
“Love is blind
And it will take over your mind
What you think is love is truly not
You need to elevate and find”
This find of love I like to call elevation love. When I hear this song it reminds me to not stay stagnant in my relationships with myself and others around me. Love definitely is blind, but it also is dynamic and ever changing and should always be reaching for higher levels of elevation.
Honorable Mention for a song about elevation love: Big K.R.I.T’s Bury Me in Gold.
Check out the YouTube mix here! >> https://youtu.be/Qc22zNFc-E4