Stories
Tough Love Joints - DJ Daggash
by Rapjoint Lagos
My curation of Rap love songs has evolved from confusion last year, when I struggled to either place love related tracks with negative lyrics either as a love joint or diss song, to settling for a new category: Tough Love Joints. I put them under love joints as it was decided that that is just the nature of some romantic relationships: toxic. But it’s still about love that has either gone sour or struggling against the odds to hold on.
Tough Love Joints’ is the title of my new playlist that captured tracks in this category of love/hate/diss/toxicity. Shockingly, about half (26) of the songs in my Love Joints Playlist (60) fell into this category. Though on a second thought, one shouldn’t be surprised. It is largely believed that 50% of 1st marriages don’t work. And, it gets worse with subsequent marriages. Think about the number of people you have dated so far or dated before marriage. Fair number of those relationships failed. Not necessarily due to lack of love but rather due to some irreconcilable differences. So, imagine if they were going to make a song about the relationship? They could be negative even though they were in love or are even still in love.
So, welcome to my Tough Love Category. Tough love is generally seen as enforcing a tough condition or constraints for the benefit of a loved one or both sides. It sometimes means laying down tough rules and conditions to sustain the love. It could mean loving someone from afar for their own benefit or for everyone’s benefit. It may include breaking up not for lack of love but perhaps you dated or married each other too early or too late or you are meant to be in love without dating or marrying. Like Jay-Z rapped in Mood and the Sun with Sade “the door is open but the window is closed”.
Examples of the songs in this category includes “Ex Factor”, Lauryn Hill; Break Ups to Make Ups, Method Man/D’Angelo; Moon and the Star, Sade Adu/Jay-Z; Fly Girl by Queen Latifah; Do For Love, Tupac; Ain’t No Nigga, Jay-Z; Trials of Love, Prodigy; Blame Game, Kanye; Gold Digger, Kanye; and, Undying Love, Nas”
By and large, the songs reflect the reality of love affairs and marriage. It can be sweet, sweet or bitter sweet or bitter. A lot of the songs expressed deep emotions for the other side and there are a lot to be gained and enjoying to the songs
We have curated about 26 Tough Love Joints for your enjoyment. We hope you enjoy it as much as much as we did putting it together. Happy Val’s Day.
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