Best Rap Songs About Mom

Artist: 2 Pac

Song Title: Dear Mama

Released: 1994

You guys thought! 2Pac’s legendary tribute to his mother, Afeni Shakur, may be the most well-known mom-rap song. But it is by no means the greatest. Certainly, it is an early 2Pac success, but before he joined Death Row, before All Eyez On Me and Makaveli, Pac had not yet reached his creative peak. “Dear Mama” is one of the most lasting, emotional, and charming birth-giver songs ever written. A timeless song for a timeless mother by a timeless rapper. Still tenth, though.

Artist: Ghostface Killah ft. Mary J. Blige

Song Title: All That I Got Is You

Released: 1997

Ghostface recounts his difficult upbringing while appreciating his mother and grandmother for making his life simpler. Mom’s calming presence makes sleeping in a crowded apartment, sipping sugar water, and removing insects from a cereal box enjoyable. Mary’s tear-jerking chorus lends a sense of solemnity.

Artist: Drake

Song Title: You & The 6

Released: 2015

When Aubrey and his parents had a conversation, the two lines of “You And The 6” were based on their conversation. Among Drake’s greatest albums, “You And The 6” is the best song. For the first time in Drake’s career, he has written something really exceptional. Not just because the subject matter is so personal. But also because the song contains all of the traits that make it one of his greatest works to date, a Great Drake SongTM.

Artist: Earl Sweatshirt

Song Title: Azucar

Released: 2018

An unfortunate thing happened to Thebe Kgositsile when a gang of irate, young companions who only knew his mother as the person who sent him to an all-boys boarding school decided to mythologize and investigate their connection with her. Earl Sweatshirt, also known as Thebe, has had the unique experience of growing in the public eye despite his (successful) efforts to escape the attention of celebrity.

His mother Cheryl Harris, a UCLA professor, has been a frequent subject of his vinyl musings. However, on the interesting, futuristic Jazz Rap masterpiece, “Azucar” and “Playing Possum” The best rap songs are those that have the greatest depth and heft to them. An authentic hip-hop song, “Azucar” is full of lines like “Lost foot and it was sugar in my gas tank/My cushion was a bosom on bad days/There isn’t a black woman I can’t thank” and abstractions about a young man reflecting on his own personal growth.

Instead of a typical melody, “Playing Possum” is an interlude. Listen to Earl’s mother and his father read from “Anguish Longer Than Sorrow” by Keroapetse Kgositsile in this little audio clip. An album of words from his mother and father was meant to be a reconciliation gift for Earl. But his father died before he could hear it, thus the lovely song was never completed.

Artist: Brand Nubian

Song Title: Momma

Released: 2013

Lord Jamar, Sadat X, and Grand Puba (of Brand Nubian) take time out of their hectic schedules to thank their mother for all the love (and spankings) she gave them when they were younger (“You might not like it now, but you’ll thank me someday”). Mom was correct after all.

Artist: Jay-Z ft. Gloria Carter

Song Title: Smile

Released: 2017

4:44, Jay-unparalleled Z’s masterpiece at age 50, was primarily and appropriately an apology to Beyoncé for Lemonade. A sweet, sage dedication to his mother Gloria Carter is hidden behind the Black capitalist bars and penitent cadences. No ID’s “Smile,” which samples “Love’s In Need of Love Today,” takes the time to address his mother’s sacrifices, the grief and stress he inflicted with his criminal lifestyle, and the reality of his mother’s gay orientation. A moving moment from a moving album by a guy that few would characterize as moving. This is also the second collaboration between Gloria and Shawn Carter, since they previously worked together on “December 4” from The Black Album.

Artist: Kanye West ft. Paul McCartney

Song Title: Only One

Released: 2014

There are two Kanye West mom songs on this list; you are familiar with the other. But the often-overlooked, sugary, and tear-jerking dedication to his then-newborn daughter North, penned from the late Donda West’s viewpoint, is maybe the greatest Kanye West loosie of all time. He imagines the happiness a grandchild might bring to his mother in a beautiful story. It evokes Stevie Wonder’s parental hymn “Isn’t She Lovely” in that Kanye creates a place for the most treasured ladies in his life to share. They were never able to share the place on Earth, but it must be delightful in its heavenly location.

Artist: Clipse

Song Title: Momma I’m So Sorry

Released: 2006

The second track on Clipse’s groundbreaking sophomore album, Hell Hath No Fury, is not a traditional, sentimental tribute. Instead, it is a confessional for the Avon Barksdales that Pusha T and Malice become, despite their mother’s desires. But at least they are aware! His apologies comes out as haughty, since he is in top condition. His main regrets are that he has too many rocks in his pocket and that his Miami mansion is a little too grand. Malice, on the other hand, is more reflective about his criminal behavior: “I’m sorry, Grandmama, for the mistakes I’ve made/When I aired family business, how you put me in my place/Even my baby mama, I can’t look you in the face/Because I can’t do enough, you’re a symbol of God’s grace.”

Artist: The Lonely Island

Song Title: Mama

Released: 2011

What would your childhood have been like without your mother’s incessant disruptions when you were hanging out with your friends? On this tune from their 2011 album Turtleneck and Chain, The Lonely Island balance the affection we have for our moms with the annoyance they may cause. Prepare for the phrase “I know you guys said you weren’t hungry, but would you like some ants on a log?” to incite a level of agitation you haven’t felt in 15 years.

Artist: Rick Ross

Song Title: Smile Mama, Smile

Released: 2015

Ross declares in the opener, “I just want to see my mama smile,” setting the tone for a song that, along with customary Rozay flex bars, focuses on the influence his mother has had on him throughout his life. In the opening line, Ross recalls how his mother helped him cope with his seizures in 2011, before expressing gratitude for his upbringing and affirming that he would “always depend on his mama.”

In an interview with Billboard in which he discussed each track on Black Market, the album including the song, Ross said, “Once again, being jailed gives you time to reflect on what is most important to you. I wanted my album to be a stroll through my head, and that’s exactly what it was… by the time you lay your feet down on the bed, what’s on your mind is what’s most important to you, which for me is my family.”

Artist: Outkast

Song Title: Ms. Jackson

Released: 2000

Outkast’s classic-of-all-classics combines two of Big Boi and Three Stacks’ greatest performances. One of the most recognizable melodies in popular music, and the most unusual, amusing, and potentially realistic viewpoint on motherhood: dread of your lady’s grandmother.

Artist: Canibus

Song Title: I Honor U

Released: 1998

“I Honor U,” a memorable track from Canibus’ self-titled debut, recounts the birth of a kid surrounded by turmoil. Some of us may connect to portions of the narrative. Especially the dramatic occurrences that might often occur before to delivery. This one praises all moms for their courage and perseverance, especially during difficult times.

Artist: Mac Miller ft. Phonte

Song Title: I’ll Be There

Released: 2011

“I like so much of his music. I’m his greatest fan. His first and largest.” So said Mac Miller’s mother, Karen Meyers, in an interview with Complex in 2014. It’s no surprise that one of Mac’s mixtapes, Best Day Ever, has a single devoted entirely to his life-giver.

Over a soft instrumental that samples a 1965 track by The Impressions and features Phonte’s vocal assistance. Mac weaves the story of his childhood up to the present, mentioning his mother’s ability to give him the confidence to pursue his dreams. Her constant encouragement, and thanking her for being the reason he was able to eat and live. He concludes the song with some great advice: “If you have a mother, you should treat her right/Call her, say ‘wassup’ before you go to sleep tonight/Tell her you love her and thank her for what she did/You may be an adult now, but remember when she fed you in your bed when you were a child.”