Hiphop Loves You*
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't of made it, if it wasn't for you.
Hip-Hop, you the love of my life and that's true.
The Roots - "Things Fall Apart"
Why a Hiphop Valentine? Hiphop love is not for the weak and insecure. It celebrates desire, bliss and the high of new beginnings, the lows of rejection, betrayal and loss as well as the promise and joy of true commitment. Any artist who lets their flow turn to love must wrestle with maintaining their persona as an artist - who is usually hard, real, and explicit about what they see, feel and think.
Every year we will pay tribute to artists who step up and interpret for us how hard it is to love in this day and age – and how important it is to try to love anyone anyway.
Hiphop Loves You!
Download Hiphop Loves You Art
Check out this "Hiphop Loves You" Valentine's Day card created specially for The Hiphop Archive by Ariel Shepard. Feel free to download and distribute it to the ones you love.
Check Out The Hiphop Archive's "Hiphop Loves You" Valentine's Day Compilation Album
As much as Hiphop is known for its gangsta isms and misogyny, it is also known for its odes to love. This year's Hiphop Archive Valentine's Day compilation seeks to show the range, depth, and commitment of Hiphop artists as they use their craft to express their relationships to love and to the opposite sex. We've dug deep into the crates to find you gems from Whodini, Spoonie Gee, and UMC's. We've also included well-known classics such as Tribe's "Bonita Applebum" and Cool James' "I Need Love". If you don't know, ask the Archive.
-DJ Bobby Drake
"Hiphop Loves You" Tracklist:
Go to Amazon.com to look up and purchase all of the entire albums.
Other Hiphop "Love" Links From Around The Web
* This year we did not include duets or recordings where the rhythm & blues singer was important (We’ll do that next year).