Love && Hip-Hop (Midterm) Post 1

First, let me address that this blog post is not about the show Love & Hip Hop that comes on VH1. Although, I do watch the show, and I enjoy it. This blog is about love and the love seen in Hip Hop. So I hope you take the time to read it and that you enjoy it.


I'm sure most people have questioned what love is. Well there are several definitions of love according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Here are some of the definitions.

Love (noun): 1. strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties <maternal love for a child> (2): attraction based on sexual desire: affection and tenderness felt by lovers (3): affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests <love for his old schoolmates>

2. warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion <love of the sea>

3. the object of attachment, devotion, or admiration <baseball was his first love>

4.  unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another: as (1): the fatherly concern of God for humankind (2): brotherly concern for others 

Love (verb):

1. to hold dear: cherish

 

2. to feel a lover's passion, devotion, or tenderness for

 

However, let's not take these definitions too serious. People have their own opinions and ideas of what love is. Pausanias, a Greek philosopher, feels that love comes in two forms, vulgar and spiritual. When a person goes after the physical lust of someone's body, especially if they are cute, this is vulgar love. According to Pausanias, a love like this should not be honored or praised. Not only does Pausanias, but singer Trey Songz feels the same way with his song Sex Ain't Better Than Love, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8ZbT2aKh6o . Now, the second kind of love is spiritual. In a spiritual love, a person should be interested in another person's soul, and it should be the soul of a righteous person. While in a spiritual love, the two people want to share and spend their lives together. Therefore, Pausanias believes spiritual love is honorable (page 15). The love shared between Hip Hop icons T. I. and Tiny is one that consists of love for another person and everything that comes with them and that is not simply about sex.

 

 

In the world of Hip Hop music, love has been talked about from several different artists. These artists range from Common, J. Cole, Drake, Jay-Z, Andre 3000, and Eminem just to name a few. To some artist, love is something that they want to avoid. They see love as trouble, and they need to stay away from it. For example, Jay-Z's song Big Pimpin says, "Me give my heart to a woman? / Not for nothin', never happen/ I'll be forever mackin'/ Heart cold as assassins/ I got no passion." If you would like to listen to the full song, here is a link.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xb8T4xIa3o4 . Is love that bad of thing that someone must try to avoid it? I'm pretty sure that they are some people who do not see love as a bad thing. Like the couple Swizz Beats and Alicia Keys. They appear to be in love and happy with it, so happy that they brought a baby boy into the world. Even rap artist, Common feels love can be a good thing. With his song The Light, (one of my favorite songs), Common expresses his love for someone. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i3_VuRyGEg .

 

Well, let me tell you about the philosopher Aristophanes who also had a positive opinion of love. Aristophanes believes that until a person finds true love, they will be incomplete and discontent. As a single person and in imperfect state, a person hopes to be whole and at peace. People search for their missing half.  Now, after meeting that special person, the couple feels a sense of belonging to one another and not wanting to be separate from each other. Furthermore, Aristophanes comments, "Most lovers cannot explain why they desire to be together forever (page 17)." If you have ever been in love, I can more than likely guarantee, you agree with the previous statement. There is just something about that person you cannot explain, but you know that is the person you want to be with. Sometimes, words just are not enough to explain how you feel about someone or how the make you feel. The relationship between Rick Ross and Trina is a good for example. The outside world may not understand why they have feelings for one another, but to them they know. The song, You're All I Need to Get By performed by Marvin Gaye says, "Like sweet morning dew/ I took one look at you/ And it was plain to see/ You were my destiny."

 

Love is not a one way street full of happiness and smiles. Love is a two way street; also, consisting of hurt. Just like there are songs that make love appear to be something beautiful. There also songs that shows another side of love. For instance, Lauryn Hill's Ex Factor is a good example of how hurtful love can be. The song starts off saying, "It could all be so simple. / But you'd rather make it hard. / Loving you is like a battle. / And we both end up with scars." (This is also another one of my favorite songs and you should listen to it) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxH61J0M66s . Philosopher Alcibiades believes love can drive a person mad, mad enough to wish that person was dead. But, if that person was dead would it really solve anything? Also, he sees love as a type of emotional slavery.  Love is a high risk type of thing. It is a life-long commitment that could seem scary (page 24).

 

As this blog comes to close, I would like to leave you all with my personal opinion about love. To me, love each person experiences differently. From that first boyfriend or girlfriend that we just knew we were going to marry until the relationship ended, to the person we actually do spend the rest of our lives with, love is a journey. A journey full of happiness, sadness, smiles, frowns, tears, laughs, and etc. Everyone's journey will be different, but it is something we need to experience. We also must realize that no one is perfect. We must accept a person for who they are, and this means for their successes and their short comings. One of my favorite quotes comes from the movie Juno, "The best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for exactly what you are. Good mood, bad mood, ugly, pretty, handsome. What have you? The right person will still think the sun shines out your ass. That's the kind of person that's worth sticking with."