For too long hip-hop has been in love with a stripper. It’s been decades that hip-hop didn’t love these hoes. It’s been far too long that hip-hop never chased a bitch. It appears as if we are finally entering into an era where hip-hop isn’t afraid of talking about real love. Of course we’ve had rappers like Common, who’s made plenty of hip-hop music expressing his love and appreciation for women, but rappers like Common were few and far for most of the hip-hop era.

However, now it seems like love is in the air; and not only love, but commitment; which was never a common theme in hip-hop.  Today, there seems to be a meeting of the minds when it comes to couples, marriage and love. With stories like Remy and Papoose, a man that waited six years for his wife to return home from prison. To Keyshia Ka’Oir and Gucci Mane, a woman who also waited for her man to return home from behind bars; and not only did she wait but she took a bag, flipped it, and tumbled it. 444 was one of the biggest albums of 2017, and it was Jay Z’s declaration to Beyonce of how he almost lost her, and the mistakes he made as a man.  Now, we have Offset and Cardi B, hip-hop’s young prince and princess, who recently displayed their love for each other when Offset proposed to Cardi B in front of thousands at a recent concert.

At one point we thought that Reverend Run was the only happily married man in the genre, but we have now reached an era where rappers are not ashamed to say they’re in love. Rappers seem to be basking in the joy of having one woman and declaring themselves as a one-woman-man. Hip-Hoppers seem to be enjoying having that beautiful woman they can show off by their side.  And I say, “bout time”!

It’s about time that the genre grows up! Now don’t get me wrong, we are always going to have the misogynistic lyrical content that has plagued the hip-hop genre for generations.  We are always going to have those men who swear that machismo means not giving a f*ck about a girl, but let’s celebrate the A-list rappers who are not ashamed to show love; not ashamed to commit themselves to that one woman. So has hip hop evolved? Have we reached a point where hip hop has finally matured? Well, we can’t celebrate just yet.  I don’t believe that long gone are the days when women are believed to be useful for nothing else besides being the objects of sexual desires of a male hip-hop star. But, let’s celebrate these wins; let’s celebrate that some of the biggest rap stars of this current era are men who are successful, in love, and not afraid to let the world know.

For too long the disrespect of women in the hip-hop culture has influenced an entire generation of young men.   While our generation has bopped to being “in love with a stripper” and “women ain shit but hoes and tricks”, its high time that women are placed on a pedestal – especially since, black women have been some of the biggest supporters of the hip-hop genre. With the help of artists like Jay-Z and 2 Chainz, there’s a chance to influence a new generation of hip-hop fans about the regard for women. For this, I say we should be happy that hip-hop is maturing as rappers have matured, and as the industry matures. I mean Jay-Z was the guy that said he had, “99 problems but a bitch ain’t one” back in 2003. Obviously from the sounds of the 444 album, his problems with Beyonce were placed on center stage for the world to see, and it was a beautiful thing. (I’m not saying Beyonce’s a bitch, but you know what I mean). We are now at a point where women are actually being celebrated. They’re calling black women Queens, they’re being called wives.  There are even conversations now questioning whether or not the black woman is God?  Now although I may not agree with all of this, I appreciate the fact that there are some men who want to put us on the level of God – even though we ain’t quite there.

So let’s enjoy seeing Chance the Rapper spend time with the mother of his child and their daughter. Let’s celebrate J Cole and his college sweetheart, and the fact that they’re still together. Instead of being so bitter when we see Kendrick Lamar and his high-school sweetheart, let’s share the story of how she not only sang the background vocals on a few of his songs, but how she has supported his dream since they were children! Let’s share these stories, let’s celebrate the real love and hip-hop.