Day 3 of the break-up turned out to be my “story day.” For some reason, probably because my dumb ass decided to write about all this on HHL, everybody – family, friends and acquaintances – started calling me wanting to hear the story of my break-up. In the past 24 hours, I’ve probably told the story twenty times.

Therefore, break-up week track #3 is You Got Me from one of my top five albums ever, “Things Fall Apart” by the Roots. This track is a lyrical masterpiece telling the story of a relationship turned sour, and contains one of the most universal truths I learned during my break-up: that “on the topic of trust, it’s just a matter of fact/ that people bite back/”. Click below to listen to the track:

[See post to listen to audio]

And follow along with the lyrics after the break.

[Chorus - Erykah Badu]
If you were worried ’bout where/
I been or who I saw or/
what club I went to with my homies/
Baby don’t worry you know that you got me/

[Verse 1 - Black Thought]
Somebody told me that this planet was small/
We used to live in the same building on the same floor/
And never met before/
Until I’m overseas on tour/
And peep this Ethiopian queen from Philly taking classes abroad/
She studying film and photo-flash focus record/
Said she working on a flick and could my click do the score/
She said she loved my show in Paris at Elysee Montmartre/
And that I stepped off the stage and took a piece of her heart/
we knew from the start/
That things fall apart/
And tend to shatter/
She like ‘that shit don’t matter’/
When I get home, get at her/
Through letter, phone, whatever/
Let’s link, let’s get together/
Shit you think not?/
Think that Thought went home and forgot?/
Time passed, we back in Philly now she up in my spot/
Telling me the things I’m telling her is making her hot/
Started building with her constantly ’round the clock/
Now she in my world like hip-hop/
And keep tellin me …

[Chorus - Erykah Badu]

[Verse 2 - Black Thought & Eve]
Yo, I’m the type that’s always catching a flight/
And sometimes I got to be out at the height of the night/
And that’s when she flip and get on some ‘ol ‘another lonely night?/
Seems like I’m on the side, you only loving your mic/
I know you gotta get that paper daddy keep that shit tight/
But yo I need some sort of love in my life/
You dig me?/
While politicing with my sister from New York City/
She said she know this ball player and he think I’m pretty/
Sike, I’m playin boo/
You know it’s just with you I’m staying boo/
And when cats be popping game, I don’t hear what they saying boo/
When you out there in the world, I’m still your girl/
With all my classes I don’t have the time for life’s thrills/
So when you sweating on stage think of me when you rhyme/
And don’t be listening to your homies they be leading you blind’/
So what you sayin I can trust you?/
Is you crazy, you my king for real/
But sometimes relationships get ill/
No doubt …

[Chorus - Erykah Badu]

[Verse 3 - Black Thought]
That snake could be that chick and that rat could be that cool cat/
That’s whispering ‘she trying to play you for the fool Black’/
If something’s on your chest then let it be known/
See I’m not your every five minutes all on the phone/
And on the topic of trust, it’s just a matter of fact/
That people bite back/
And fracture what’s intact/
And they’ll forever be/
I ain’t on some ‘oh I’m a celebrity’/
I deal with the real, so if it’s artificial let it be/
I seen people caught in love like whirlwinds/
Listening to their squads and listening to girlfriends/
That’s exactly the point where their whole world ends/
Lies come in/
That’s where that drama begins/
And she like …

[Chorus - Erykah Badu]

Aiight, so day 2 of the break-up has me feeling not quite as friendly as day 1, and quite a bit more pissed off. Therefore, break-up week track #2 is Fuck You Lucy, from Atmosphere’s classic 2002 release “God Loves Ugly.” This track pretty much epitomizes the anger common during a break-up. Click below to listen:

[See post to listen to audio]

And follow along with the lyrics after the break.

[Verse 1]
She say that she still wants a friendship/
She can’t live her life without me as a friend/
I can’t figure out why I give a damn to what she wants/
I don’t understand the now before the then/
Most of this garbage I write that these people seem to like/
Is about you and how I let you infect my life/
And if they got to know you, I doubt that they would see it/
They’d wonder what I showed you, how you could leave it/
A friend in Chicago said that I should stay persistent/
If I stay around I’m bound to break resistance/
Fuck you Lucy for defining my existence/
Fuck you and your differences/
Ever since I was a young lad with a part-time dad/
It was hard to find happiness inside of what I had/
I studied my mother, I digested her pain/
And vowed no women on my path would have to walk the same/
Travel like sound across the fate ladder/
I travel with spoon to mix this cake batter/
And I travel with feel, so I can deal with touch/
It’s like that, thank you very much, fuck you very much!/

[Chorus]
And everyone in his life would mistake it as love
Everyone in his life would mistake it as love

[Verse 2]
Fuck the ‘what happened?’ I got stuck/
They can peel pieces of me off the grill of her truck/
Used to walk with luck, used to hold her hand/
Fell behind and played the role of a slower man/
I want to stand on top of this mountain and yell/
I want to wake up and break up this lake of hell/
I feel like a bitch for letting the sheet twist me up/
The last starfighter was wounded, time to give it up/
On a pick it up mission, kept it bitter/
Gettin’ in a million memories just to forget her/
The difficulty in keeping emotions controlled/
Cookies for the road, took me by the soul/
Hunger for the drama, hunger for the nurture/
Gonna take it further, the hurt feels like murder/
Interpret the eyes, read the lines on her face/
The sunshine is fake – how much time did I waste?/
Fuck you Lucy for leaving me/
Fuck you Lucy for not needing me/
I wanna say fuck you because I still love you/
No, I’m not okay, and I don’t know what to do/

[Chorus]

[Verse 3]
Do I sound mad? Well I guess I’m a little pissed/
Every action has a point, five points make a fist/
You close em’, you swing em’, it’s hurts when it hits/
And the truth can be a bitch, but if the boot fits/
I got an idea – You should get a tattoo that says warning/
That’s all, just a warning/
So the potential victim can take a left and save breath/
And avoid you, sober and upset in the morning/
I wanna scream, ‘Fuck you Lucy!’/
But the problem is I love you Lucy/
So instead I’ma finish my drink and have another/
While you think about how you used to be my lover/

[Chorus]

Me and my girl broke up recently. She’s moving out this week. And due to the stress, I find myself doing a lot less work on the site, and doing a lot more getting high and listening to therapeutic hip-hop (my bad if you’re waiting for a review). So instead of letting my anxietied-inability to keep up with my blog affect HHL, I’ve decided to create a new series: Hip-Hop Break-Up Week. It will include songs that relate to the whole break-up experience.

Break-up track #1 is Breathe in the Sun, from the Perceptionists’ classic 2005 album “Black Dialogue.” It has a peaceful piano intro and melodic chorus. The first verse by Akrobatik doesn’t really relate, at least until the last couple lines, but Mr. Lif’s verse almost perfectly summarizes my thought process upon solidifying the break-up. Click below to listen to the track:

[See post to listen to audio]

And follow along with the lyrics, especially Akrobatik’s chorus and the entire 2nd verse, after the break.

[Akrobatik]
Damn, what does my calendar date say?/
I can see my breath outside and it’s late May/
This is not condusive to a great day/
Man I wanna (breathe in the sun …)/
Yeah, I just wanna sleep the night away/
Wake up, and go outside to see a brighter day/
Not when I can get around to it, but right away/

I always said I’d leave the city I love/
And that no matter where I’m resting, Bean I’m always thinking of
Been in the same city my whole life/
And still no wife, it’s time for Ak to get his groove back/
And maybe if I bounce, it’ll just prove that/
This is where I always needed to be and then I’ll move back/
But now it’s time for me to expand/
And it ain’t about the music cause I got my own fans/
Yeah, I toured the world and it was part of my plan/
But now I need a couple months of chillin’ in the hot sand/
Watch my lady hit that dope complexion of honey brown/
Drop the top, hit the water and run around/
Maybe I can clear my head in the sun rays/
And live how Roy Aidans used to talk about one day/
Tired of being surrounded by the drugs and the gunplay/
I’ll promise I’ll be back, but for now big Ak got to (breathe in the sun …)/

Before your sanity’s gone/
Instead of stressing over something from night to morn/
Sometimes the only thing you got to do is move on/
And (breathe in the sun …)/
Yeah, before your sanity’s gone/
Instead of stressing over something from night to morn/
Sometimes the only thing that you can do is move on/

[Mr. Lif]
When we met in the beggining I’da never have thought/
That we’d have ever been caught/
In such an intricate plot/
You posessed all the things I had sought/
Intelligence, grace, a beautiful face, benevolent heart/
Who’s to blame when people choose goals that oppose?/
Though they’re kindred souls/
Yet they can’t find the time to grow/
I know you molded me into a better man/
Showed me finer points in life, plus you helped me strengthen my plans/
And I tried all these things I never knew/
My abilities grew because I love you/
Over clouds I flew/
But I landed in our own sorrow/
Brought you tears today, I must say, I see you crying tomorrow/
And I could conjure up a million selfish reasons to stay/
But I know we’ll never grow that way/
So I’m letting you go although I truly don’t believe that we’re done/
In my heart I always felt that you were number one/
Now you can (breathe in the sun …)/

You’ve been my love, my joy, my guiding light/
But I’m not the type to stick around if I ain’t treating you right/
So you should (breathe in the sun …)/
So I think we should leave before we tarnish what we have together/
Our bond is hard to severe/
I’ll hold you in my heart forever/
While you (breathe in the sun …)/

Hip-Hop has historically existed as a male-dominated industry. Being a reflection of urban life and struggle, past Hip-Hop artists have been forced to maintain a certain level of masculinity in order to be accepted by their urban communities. Old school rappers who talked about love were often viewed as soft or corny.

Because of this perception, the existence of love in Hip-Hop is a fairly new concept. As the movement has gained support and recognition throughout the world, love has become an increasingly common theme in Hip-Hop music and poetry.

However, the taboo still exists. Even today, Hip-Hop artists and poets present their love stories in a manner that allows them to maintain socially acceptable identities. Hip-Hop stories about love must still meet the masculine ideology in which the movement is rooted in order to be perceived as real and true.

The purpose of this study is to analyze Hip-Hop love songs and how artists present these love stories in order to construct socially acceptable identities. I believe personal narratives are closely tied to the construction of identities. It is through personal narratives that people can recount life-changing events, realize socially acceptable behavior and create individual identities.

I have researched and studied several Hip-Hop love songs and analyzed the lyrics as text and poetry. In my research, I have found five common narrative forms used by Hip-Hop poets to tell their love stories: contrasting, perceptual, spiritual, conversational and metaphoric. These five narrative forms are used not only to present the story correctly, but also to maintain positive perception among a society that might view this sensitivity as weak or disrespectable. I plan to demonstrate each of these narrative forms and show how the poets use them to tell their love stories while establishing acceptable identities.

Contrasting Narrative
One of the most common forms of Hip-Hop love stories is the contrasting narrative. Many artists use Hip-Hop music and poetry to tell stories about the negativity surrounding their urban environments. The contrasting narrative allows the poet to express his or her love story as a contrast to this negativity while constructing an acceptable identity because that negativity is real and understood in urban communities. A great introductory example to the contrasting narrative would be the following passage from Method Man’s “All I Need”:

Back when I was nothin’
You made a brother feel like he was somethin’
That’s why I’m with you to this day boo no frontin’
Even when the skies were gray
You would rub me on my back and say “Baby it’ll be okay”

In this song, the poet uses the contrasting narrative to show his love for someone who stood by him when “skies were gray.” He speaks of his love interest as someone who helped him get through troubled times, thus providing a positive contrast to his negative surroundings.

Another example of the contrasting love narrative can be seen in this passage from Guru’s “All I Said”:

This world is crazy, she’s supposed to help me stay sane
Supposed to help with the pain
Supposed to help me maintain

In this song, Guru uses the contrasting narrative to share his view of what love should be. He admits that his “world is crazy”, and that his love interest is the one person who can make it bearable.

In “She Tried”, Bubba Sparxx uses the contrasting narrative to tell a story that actually recalls his love being there for him when he was in trouble with the law:

A fly country girl, just workin’ them gifts
She’s my queen, was a virgin I guess
But I ain’t never ask and I ain’t never tell
But Betty had the cash every time I went to jail

This song further illustrates the use of contrasting narratives to express love. Though the poet confesses spending a lot of time in jail, Betty was always there to bail him out, again acting as a positive contrast to his troubles.

Perceptual Narrative
Another common narrative form of Hip-Hop love stories is the perceptual narrative. Like the contrasting narrative, the perceptual narrative is based around the negativity that surrounds the poet’s life. But instead of presenting this love as a contrast to that negativity, the poet uses this narrative to explain how that love changed his or her previously negative perceptions. This narrative form also allows the poet to construct a socially acceptable identity due to the acknowledgement of the negativity of urban life. In “Jazzy Belle”, Andre of Outkast uses the perceptual narrative to tell of how his love changed his former perception of women:

Went from yellin’ crickets and crows, bitches and hoes to queen thangs
Over the years I been up on my toes and yes I seen thangs .
Now I’m willin to go the extra kilo-
Meter just to see my senorita get her pillow
On the side of my bed where no girl ever stay
House and doctor was the games we used to play
But now it’s real Jazzy Belle…

In this song, Andre talks about a personal change of perception caused by love. He admits that at one time he thought of women as “bitches and hoes.” But “now it’s real”, and he has a new perception of women as “queen thangs.”

Another great example of the perceptual narrative can be found in the following passage of Black Star’s “Brown Skin Lady”:

I don’t get many compliments, but I am confident
Used to have a complex about, gettin’ too complex
You got me, willin’ to try, looked me in the eye
My head is still in the sky, since you walked on by

In this example, the poet admits to having relationship issues, but tells of how love helped him to overcome these issues. The poet’s love interest helped him to change his perception of love and fear of “gettin’ too complex”.

In “Ms. Fat Booty”, Mos Def further illustrates this point by demonstrating the perception of other men and speaking to his love on how he is different:

Yo, let me apologize for the other night
I know it wasn’t right, but baby you know what it’s like
Some brothers don’t be comin’ right
I understand, I’m feelin’ you
Besides, ‘Can I have a dance?’ ain’t really that original

In this song, the poet uses the perceptual narrative to acknowledge that some men “don’t be comin’ right”, but that he has a different perception of women than these other men.

In “Come Close”, Common uses the perceptual narrative to express how love has made him change from his old ways:

I want to build a tribe wit you
Protect and provide for you
Truth is I can’t hide from you
The pimp in me May have to die with you

Although the poet used to be a “pimp”, an urban term for a man who romances a large number of women, he tells of how his love interest has changed his actions and perceptions.

Spiritual Narrative
A third common form of Hip-Hop love stories is what I like to refer to as the spiritual narrative. The spiritual narrative relies on the poet’s characterization of love as a kind of godly being, spiritual force or royalty, often with the feeling that the story teller has to protect that force. The spiritual narrative allows the storyteller to construct an acceptable identity by characterizing love as spiritual or perhaps even predetermined. A great example of the spiritual narrative can be found in this passage of The Roots’ “You Got Me”:

Somebody told me that this planet was small
We use to live in the same building on the same floor
And never met before
Until I’m overseas on tour
And peep this Ethiopian queen from Philly
Taking classes abroad

Here, the poet uses the spiritual narrative to describe the time, place and emotions that his love was founded on, speaking of them as if they were somehow meant to happen. He also refers to his love interest as “this Ethiopian queen from Philly”, using the royal characterization so common in spiritual love narratives.

In “Love Language”, Talib Kweli also uses a spiritual narrative form and refers to his love as a kind of royalty:

Now if they call you out your name
Then that’s a different thing
Anything but Queen I’ll go to war like a King

This example shows the protection aspect of common spiritual love narratives. The poet feels it is unacceptable for anyone to “call you out your name”, or in other words, use derogatory language toward his love. If someone were to do so, he would “go to war like a King”, thus maintaining his masculinity.

In “Mind Sex”, Dead Prez uses the spiritual narrative to talk about love introductions:

African princess, tell me yo’ interests
Wait, let me guess boo, you probably like poetry
Here’s a little something I jotted down in case I spotted you around
So let me take this opportunity

In this song, the poet uses the spiritual narrative to tell a story about the introductory conversation he had with a love interest. He refers to her as “African princess”, once again showing the tendency of poets who use the spiritual narrative to refer to their love interests as royalty.

Conversational Narrative
The fourth common form for Hip-Hop love stories is the conversational narrative. The conversational narrative allows the poet to recite or recreate a conversation with his or her love and present it as play-like story about a specific love experience. Conversational love narratives are typically characterized by introductory speech and compliments, and are most commonly used as tools to tell a story about a first meeting or impression. These narratives allow the storyteller to construct an acceptable identity mainly because they often include many smoothly-structured compliments, and make the poet look like a cool ladies man. A great example of the conversational love narrative can be found this passage from Dead Prez’ previously mentioned “Mind Sex”:

Pardon me love but you seem like my type
What you doin’ tonight?
You should stop by the site
We could, roll some weed play some records and talk
I got a fly spot downtown Brooklyn, New York

In this example, the poet is reciting the conversation between himself and a love interest. As with many conversational narratives, it is based around meeting someone for the first time. The poet is telling a story about a girl he met that “seem[ed] like my type”. He then inquires “What you doin’ tonight?”, and follows with a list of charming speech in an attempt to create a social relationship with the girl.

In a similar narrative, “Beautiful Skin”, Goodie Mob uses the following conversational narrative to retell the first phone conversation he had with his love interest:

This is Carlito from a couple of days ago, you sound tired
Forgive me if I’ve called you too late
But what better time to relate mind-states?
Where could I begin?
Has anyone ever told you ‘You got beautiful skin’?

This example further illustrates the use of introductory language in conversational narratives. The poet asks his love interest if she would like to “relate mind-states”, or get to know each other. He then tells her that she has “beautiful skin”, an often successful introductory complement given to women.

Cee Lo uses the following conversational narrative in “Slum Beautiful”:

Look at you, unbelievably, brilliant beautiful you
You’re looking deliciously divine darling you really and truly do
The very thought of has got me running at the speed of love
Exploring everything about you from the ground to the God above

In this song, the poet uses the conversational narrative to speak directly to his love interest through the song. Note the wide range of compliments offered in this passage, as well as the charm, again illustrating a common aspect of the conversational narrative.

Metaphoric Narrative
The fifth form of Hip-Hop love stories is possibly the most fascinating. It is the metaphoric narrative. The metaphoric narrative is used when the poet speaks of love in a metaphor of some kind. The most popular and socially acceptable form of metaphoric narrative is using Hip-Hop as the metaphor. Many followers of the movement view Hip-Hop as a driving force of love and happiness in their lives. Thus, many metaphoric love narratives revolve around Hip-Hop itself. A good example of such a metaphoric narrative is the following passage from Black Eyed Peas’ “Rap Song”:

Yo, she got hips to hop
And she ain’t goin’ pop
She like a record that I wanna rock
When I’m rollin’ in my ride cruisin’ down my block

In this example, the poet actually uses a unique play on words and speaks of a love interest as a Hip-Hop metaphor. He relates this person to “a record that I wanna rock”. The group further extends the metaphor in the following passage:

She like a beat that makes me wanna grab the mic
She like the lyrics that I wanna recite
She like the old school mic with the cable
You can bring your records and I’ll bring the turntable yo

Again, the poet relates his love interest to other things he and his audience love, including “old school mic with the cable”, reciting lyrics and spinning records on a turntable.

Another great example of the metaphoric narrative is in The Roots’ “Act Too . Love of My Life”:

Learnin’ the ropes of ghetto survival
Peepin’ out the situation I had to slide through
Had to watch my back my front plus my sides too
When it came to gettin’ mine I ain’t tryin’ to argue
Sometimes I wouldn’ta made it if it wasn’t for you
Hip-Hop, you the love of my life and that’s true

This passage is unique because it utilizes both the metaphoric and contrasting narrative techniques. The poet refers to Hip-Hop as “the love of my life”, while simultaneously showing how that love created a positive contrast to the tough “ropes of ghetto survival”. The poet admits that he “wouldn’ta made it if it wasn’t for you”, showing that his love for Hip-Hop was and is a driving force in his life.

And that leads us to the most popular metaphoric Hip-Hop love narrative of our time. In “I Used to Love H.E.R.”, Common Sense uses the metaphoric narrative to express his love for Hip-Hop. He starts off the narrative with the following passage:

I met this girl, when I was ten years old
And what I loved most she had so much soul
She was old school, when I was just a shorty
Never knew throughout my life she would be there for me

In this example, the poet starts off telling a story about a girl he met when he “was ten years old”, and how she was always there for him. The poet continues to use the metaphoric narrative to speak of this girl, including the good times and hardships they faced together. Not until the end of the poem does the listener actually realize that the entire song is a metaphor. The song ends with the following passage:

I see rappers slammin’ her, and takin’ her to the sewer
But I’ma take her back hopin’ that the shit stop
Cause who I’m talkin’ bout y’all is Hip-Hop

In this song, the poet used the metaphoric narrative to tell a story about the love of his life, the struggles she faced, and his desire to save her. In the end, he admits that this love is not a real person, but instead his love of Hip-Hop.

The presentation of Hip-Hop love narratives and their relation to identity construction is a very difficult task. In order to talk about love and still construct a socially acceptable urban identity, artists tend to implement one of the five successful love narrative forms. I believe that our society’s analysis of Hip-Hop music and culture is lackluster at best. The Hip-Hop love narratives presented above could provide a great basis for linguistic and sociolinguistic studies. Not only are they presented in a variety of styled narrative forms, but they also include deep thought, perception and analysis of the urban environment that characterizes an increasing majority of American society. Through the analysis and study of these love narratives, linguists could come to a greater understanding of and appreciation for the Hip-Hop vernacular, literature and, ultimately, culture.

Works Cited Discography
A Tribe Called Quest. People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm. Jive Records, 1990.
Black Eyed Peas. Bridging the Gap. Interscope Records, 2000.
Black Star. Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star. Rawkus Records, 1998.
Bubba Sparxx. Deliverance. Interscope Records, 2003.
Common. Electric Circus. MCA Records, 2002.
Common Sense. Resurrection. Relativity Records, 1994.
Dead Prez. Let’s Get Free. Relativity Records, 2000.
Goodie Mob. Still Standing. La Face Records, 1998.
Guru. Jazzmatazz Streetsoul Vol. 3. Virgin Records, 2000.
Method Man. Tical. Def Jam Records, 1994.
Mos Def. Black on Both Sides. Priority Records, 1999.
Outkast. ATLiens. La Face Records, 1996.
Outkast. Stankonia. La Face Records, 2003.
Talib Kweli & DJ Hi-Tek. Train of Thought. Rawkus Records, 2000.
The Roots. Things Fall Apart. MCA Records, 1999.

Editor’s Note: This article was first published on January 13, 2005. It is now republished every February 14. Happy Valentine’s Day!