Bob Marley
“Emancipate yourself for mental slavery…” from Redemption Song
This line is famous due to the fact that Bob Marley encourages his fans to think. To be mentally aware of their surroundings: how they live their lives, how they think. How one perceives and processes affects the decisions that they make in their life.
Kendrick Lamar
“I love myself..” from I Love Myself
In a society that does not encourage men to express themselves and their emotions in a positive manner, Kendrick Lamar declaring that he does indeed love himself is a form of rebellion stating that self love and confidence are not things to be ashamed of and that we should aspire to this.
Tupac
“Cops give a damn about a negro? Pull the trigger, kill a nigga, he’s a hero.” from Changes
This line is about police brutality and specifically the tension that exists between the African American community and the LAPD. This line stands true to this day as police have carte blanche as to how they criminalize the African American youth in America.
Jay Z
“I ain’t passed the bar but I know a little bit to know that you can’t illegally search my shit… “ from 99 Problems
This line particularly talks of the infamous stop and frisk policy the NYPD have in regards to minorities in New York. Jay Z informs his fans this procedure is illegal and should not occur and lets the NYPD know that he will not be taken advantage of.
Beyonce
“You know you’re that bitch when you cause all this conversation…” from Formation
This is a line from her infamous Formation track, which had everyone buzzing about the song and it’s accompanying visuals. The line encompasses the following that she has amassed over the years and that she has gets the general public and the media talking every time she does something.
Kanye West
‘Real friends, how many of us? How many of us, how many jealous? Real friends. It’s not many of us, we smile at each other, but how many honest?” from Real Friends
This line talks of the falseness and hypocrisy that one finds in the entertainment industry and Kanye questions the realness of those around which is an issue that many got through everyday in their lives.
Prince
“I never meant to cause you any sorrow,
I never meant to cause you any pain,
I only wanted one time to see you laughing,
I only want to see you laughing in the purple rain…” from Purple Rain
This line talks of how sometimes we unintentionally hurt that the ones that we love, this line resonated with a lot of fans and undoubtedly Purple Rain was the song that Prince ended up famously being known for.
“I ain’t too proud to beg…” from Ain’t Too Proud To Beg
In a time when society was not very accepting of women being sexually active and vocal, TLC released this song to let their fellow women know that sexual desire and sexual needs are normal.
“If I ruled the world I’d free all my sons Black diamonds and pearls, if I ruled the world…” from If I Ruled The World
This song and this line in particular talks of the high rate of incarceration within the African American community and the imbalance of power that exists in America.
Salt n Peppa
“Let’s talk about sex baby, let’s talk about you and me, let’s talk about all the good things and the bad things that may be, let’s about sex, let’s talk about sex…” from Let’s Talk About Sex
This song and this line talks of a taboo topic in regards to women in the time that it was released. Sex was still a topic that was hush hush in society and Salt n Peppa felt that it really should be a topic that is discussed openly and honestly.
