B+ // Hey Brother // Avicii

I suppose one could over-analyze the differences between what is paired with borthe rvs. sister, but I think it's actually meant to be inclusive rather than divisive.

Hey, brother.
There's an endless road to rediscover.
Hey, sister.
Know the water's sweet but blood is thicker.

Hey, brother.
Do you still believe in one another?
Hey, sister.
Do you still believe in love, I wonder?

What if I'm far from home?
Oh brother I will hear you call.
What if I'd lose it all?
Oh sister, I will help you out.

• No name calling
• Not objectifying women
• Neither empowering nor disempowering
• Not really about women in relation to man.

C // Animals // Martin Garrix

Not about women. It's about...well...there's one line..."We're the fuckin animals" *shrug*

C+ // Best Day of My Life // American Authors

Not about women. Pretty Positive. I'll throw in some plus points.

F // Loyal // Chris Brown ft. Lil Wayne & French Montana, Too $hort, Tyga

This song is a women-hatin song! In three versions depending on which coast you rep. Which is kind of cool. Makes my job harder, but onward!


I know these hoes ain't right (Can' trust 'em!)


Why give a bitch your heart?
When she rather have a purse (money-grabbing!)
Why give a bitch an inch?
When she rather have nine (dick joke!)
You know how the game goes
She be mine, by half-time, I'm the shit, oh (they're all so easy!)


You all about her, and she all about hers (cold and selfish!)

When a rich nigga want you
And your nigga can do nothing for ya
These hoes ain't loyal (all they want is $$$ if they can get it!)
 

Just got rich
Took a broke nigga's bitch
I can make a broke bitch rich
But I don't fuck with broke bitches
Got a white girl with some fake titties (good identifiers)
I took her to the bay with me

She wanna do drugs, smoke weed, get drunk
She wanna see a nigga trapped (deal drugs)
She wanna fuck all the rappers (what a ho!)

Black girl with a big booty (well, we had a verse about white and tits, now we get black and ass. covering all the bases. )
If she a bad bitch, let's get to it, right away

I know girl, that you came in this bitch with your man
That's a no no girl (what were you THINKING?!)
All this money in the air
I wanna see you dance (all girls dance for money!)

Come on, come on, girl
Why you frontin'? (you don't ACTUALLY care about your man)
Baby show me something (you KNOW you want me.)
When I call her, she gon' leave
And I bet that bottom dollars she gon' cheat (those women, always cheating!)

You just spent your bread on her
And it's all for nothing (not even money can keep this girl loyal!)


Tyga's Verse (Remix)


Hah, me and CB in the bay with her
Send her back home so you can lay with her (just pass her around!)


Shout-out Weezy F., keep a red bone wet (red bone=light-skinned black woman)
Rose rolex, hoes on deck (get in line, hoes)
She know I got a check
Do it too good when she ride that dick (she's too good at sex. Must be from all that whoring!)
Man I wouldn't trust that bitch
 Too $hort's Verse (West Coast)


A nigga fell in love
Turn into a woosy (what an idiot!)
24-7 he was eating that pussy (not worth it.)
But these hoes ain't faithful
A nigga like me will have your bitch on tape though (all girls are porn stars!)
I been knowing not to trust these hoes
I get bread, get head, and fuck these hoes (money, BJs, and then sex. keep your priorities straight!)
In that order
Don't switch it around
Relationships change, it's so different now
No high-school sweetheart
These bitches pimpin'
All these opinions (women with opinions. That's as bad as pimpin!)
Women on women (how bout them lesbian hoes?!)
Lickin' them titties
Sex in the city
Hella "Instagram likes" but you ain't pretty (destroying our only validation!)
Bitch!

French Montana's Verse (East Coast)
HAH! Once Cirocs in the system  (oh, these classic biggie lyrics again...)
Ain’t no telling will I fuck them, will I diss them (because it's all up to him in this equation)
That’s what they be yelling, I’m a pimp by blood
Not relation, I don’t chase em, I replace em (HAH!)
LVs, Hermes, Dolces
Them hoes, ain’t loyal, man, they rotate
School me to the game, now I know my duty
Put her in the Lotus
She was riding in that hoopty (WHOOP!) (hoopty=shit car)
Fuck that bitch
I got my own ho (someone finally has his own girl instead of "someone else's". Congrats!)
Fuck your weed
I got my own smoke
Had to put my mink back on
Tell that bitch, put her ring back on
Montana

Do I really need to say much else?

B- // Not A Bad Thing // Justin Timberlake

JT, what a crooner, right? It's hard to make a feminist love song. Let's take a stab at this one:

• The first good news is that there's no objectifying. There's no "I want you because you're pretty." Nice!
• And other than Justin references himself as "that guy", there seems to be a possibly conscious choice to keep gender out of the song. people, someone, and baby are gender-neutral. So although this song is likely written as women in relation to man, I will give it some cred for not making it obviously so.
• I know people make promises all the time
  Then they turn right around and break them
  When someone cuts your heart open with a knife and you're bleeding
  But I could be that guy to heal it over time
  And I won't stop until you believe it
  'Cause baby you're worth it
• There's some self-consciously silly stuff in here. He fantasizes about saving her from her troubles, but at the same time acknowledges that he can't.
• If I had a pair of wings
  I'd scoop you up we'd fly away and disappear
  Then you could put your worries upon my shoulders, my dear
  And I know I can't save you
  From the troubles of the world
  I know this sounds like such a silly thing
  But if I could I'd fly you away
  On a big old pair of wings

         He seems to respect her. But is that enough to be empowering? I think not. Still, I also don't think it's disempowering. Pretty neutral on this one.

• No I won't fill your mind with broken promises
  And wasted time
  And if you fall
  You'll always land right in these arms
  These arms of mine

• No name calling

C // Turn Down for What // DJ Snake & Lil Jon

Not about women. Just about partying with substances.

C // The Man // Aloe Blacc

The man is another positive song. Some have suggested it may be in reference to relationships, but he has stated in interviews that it is about the moment of going into competition and how "you gotta get up and be strong". He was considering making it a hip hop song, which is why it has such swag.

So, not about women. Too bad the main refrain is "I'm the man" and not something more gender-neutral. Could've been one for all of us. 

B // All of Me // John Legend

I wish I liked this song more. Maybe I'll enjoy a good remix. Regardless of this, Legend is a champ, and it's a huge relief.

let's look at some of the ways he describes his woman:

• smart mouth
• beautiful mind
• I can't pin you down
• Love your curves and all your edges
  All your perfect imperfections
• Even when you're crying you're beautiful
• You're my downfall, you're my muse
  My worst distraction, my rhythm and blues
  
• You're crazy and I'm out of my mind (usually I am hard against calling women crazy, but it seems pretty mutual)

And how he describes their relationship:

• Cards on the table, we're both showing hearts
  Risking it all, though it's hard
• The world is beating you down, I'm around through every mood
  
• You're my end and my beginning
  Even when I lose I'm winning
  Cause I give you all of me
  And you give me all of you
  

That is some good love song right there. It doesn't objectify her, he cant "pin her down", he's asking for them to be their honest full self with each other. 

But of course one downfall about love songs is that they are usually woman in relation to a man. Check.

And the difficult question is: does this empower women? Being appreciated for who we are is great, but does it give us power, autonomy, influence, freedom? I'm not sure it does.

It's a question I will probably wrestle with again later, but for now these doubts about love songs is what will keep this nice one at a B.

F // Talk Dirty // Jason Derulo ft. 2 Chainz

I love the Balkan Beat Box sample, but let' get to the offensive shit, shall we?

• Name calling...well, does being saved in someone's phone as "Big Booty" count as name calling or just extreme objectification?
• Woman in relation to man: oh, yeah. She's his sex object. And he knows what she needs. His dick. Obviously, ladies.
• Cause I know what the girl them need
• First class seat on my lap girl, riding comfortable
• Objectification. Yes, booty and pussy. That's what she boils down to. How she can be used. Oh, and a good dick suck.
• But your booty don't need explaining / All I really need to understand is / When you talk dirty to me
• Sold out arenas, you can suck my penis
• Her pussy so good I bought her a pet
• Not empowering women. Pretty easy call. 

C+// Happy // Pharrell Williams

I love this song. What a joy. It's not about women. But its so positive! 

C // Stay The Night // Zedd ft. Hayley Williams

"...it's about a breakup and about a couple spending their last night together although they both know it's not the right thing"  

It's actually unclear to me who wrote the lyrics. Zedd (Zaslavski) wrote the song, initially intending to have a male singer, but then sent it to Williams. She says she loved it and wanted to make sure it had words she wanted to sing. It's also unclear what singer/songwriter Carah Faye's credit is doing on the song. 

It only matters when we're trying to consider whether the song empowers women. I guess in this haze of who wrote what, it should be considered as gender-neutral. Therefore:

• Neither empowers nor disempowers women
• No name calling
• No real objectification
• I am fire gasoline, 
  Come pour yourself all over me
  We'll let this place go down in flames only one more time
  
  You kill the lights, I'll draw the blinds
  Don't dull the sparkle in your eyes
  I know that we were made to break
  So what? I don't mind
• Women in relation to man, if assuming heteronormativity, which is not specified. 

I'm basically going to give it the not about women grade of average. 

C // Pompeii // Bastille

Not about women

A // Team // Lorde

Team is a pretty positive jam. It seems to be just about growing up, being a normal teen from nowhere. She continues to critique shallow pop culture as she did in Royals. "I'm kind of over gettin' told to throw my hands up in the air." Yes, aren't we all. Here comes the feminist run-down.

• No name calling
• Empowering women
• Look upon your greatness and she'll send the call out
• Not objectifying, maybe even speaking out against it?
• Call all the ladies out, they're in their finery
  A hundred jewels on throats
  A hundred jewels between teeth
• Not about women in relation to man. She does mention boys, but  the song is not about her in relation to them, it's about just being supportive of each other in general."We're on each other's team" is the phrase repeated over and over.
• Now bring my boys in, their skin in craters like the moon
  The moon we love like a brother, while he glows through the room

Well done. If it were just a little more obviously woman-positive, it might get the plus.

D // Drunk In Love // Beyonce ft Jay-Z

Tough one. lets get it out there from the top: this song is about sex. lots of it in all kinds a ways. that's pretty much all its about. but wait--the internet has made the point that despite references to ike turner and mike tyson (woo--beat that pussy up, yeah...awkwaaaard), this song is beyonce being a feminist. Partially by the virtue that they are in fact married. he is saying these things ON his wife's song. It's not like it's not consensual. There's been a lot already written about this. Most of the attention has been in dividing black from white feminists and some legitimate critique of the sometimes exclusionary view of mainstream feminism. But whether you think beyonce, in affirming her (married) sexuality, is promoting a certain kind of feminism, most people think Jay-Z went too far. What's up with that?!

As I have said many times before, I am not anti-sex, I am anti-objectification. Women are very capable of turning themselves into objects. The question is does this sexually or otherwise empower her, and us, or does it diminish her power? I mean, it's beyonce, that's a hard task. But by the end, who does it seem comes out on top? Beyonce? Jay? or both? Personally, I feel like both, but my hunch is that this would depend a lot on the context of the listener and their personal history.

She does call this her rebellion against perfection. And in her "Self-Titled" webisode, it has been noted that she seemed surprised by Jay's lyrics. But let's get down to the way this blog runs:

• No name calling. Jay does mention that she has been sayin she's the baddest bitch. But the bitch issue has already been cleared up. There is empowering bitch and mean bitch, and this is the good kind.
• Woman in relation to man. Yeah...and to her sexuality...but there's definitely some man going on here. 
• Objectification: This happens. I'm actually surprised there isn't more considering the sexual content. Well done. Though we do get quite a bit of info about Jay's penis.
• We sex again in the morning, your breastetests is my breakfast
  
• Can't keep your eyes off my fatty (her butt)
• Empowering? Well, this is the money question really. Would I want to sing this song with my husband. kinda? maybe in private? I dunno...Jay's verse does get in the way a bit. Maybe if she had come back with some Mary Todd Lincoln references...like if you dont use enough wood or bring the right kinda meat, ima throw a log at you, Abraham! (Don't know what I'm talking about? Just google women who beat their spouses.)

So I'm giving it a D. *shrug* Maybe that feels like a cop out, but it also feels right.

C+ // Burn // Ellie Goulding

This song is about dancing and maybe whatever you associate "burning" with. It's boring, and it has nothing to do with women specifically. I suppose being that it is recorded by one and the message is positive, I can give it the plus. 

C+ // Say Something // A Great Big World & Christina Aguilera

This song is pretty gorgeous. The video shows three scenes, a woman leaving her lover, a child in a parent's fighting, and an elderly man and his sick wife.

The lyrics are a little heartbreaking. with a lot of "Say something, I'm giving up on you"

But it's not about women.

But Christina does some awesome harmony. props. for that, i give it the plus.

C // Story of My Life // One Direction

really this song just feels like a bunch of nonsense drivel.

The story of my life I take her home
I drive all night to keep her warm and time is frozen 

The story of my life I give her hope
I spend her love until she's broke inside

She told me in the morning she don't feel the same about us in her bones,

And I been waiting for this time to come around
But baby running after you is like chasing the clouds

• No name calling
• Not really objectifying
• Woman somewhat an agent/empowered, though also needs help/hope/a ride?
• woman in relation to man

D // Sweater Weather // The Neighbourhood

Somehow, despite it being cold and needing a sweater, there is a whole lotta naked going on...maybe it's a PSA. Like: "Girls, it's getting cold. Bring a sweater. Wear some pants." Nope. Just about sex.

• You in those little high waisted shorts, oh
  
• No shirt, no blouse

Here we go, foreplay!

• The goose bumps start to raise / The minute that my left hand meets your waist / And then I watch your face / Put my finger on your tongue / 'Cause you love the taste yeah

• No name calling
• Woman in relation to man and temperatures
• Some objectification
• Not empowering women. Where does she have agency in this song? I'll tell you: nowhere.

D // Let Her Go // Passenger

A (bitter) sweet song.

• No name calling
• Slight objectification: woman is not a "thing" that you let go. Women have agency, people! I know there are ways you could interpret this song to make this line mean otherwise, but in context, this is definitely what he means.
• 'Cause you only need the light when it's burning low
  Only miss the sun when it starts to snow
  Only know you love her when you let her go
  
  Only know you've been high when you're feeling low
  Only hate the road when you're missing home
  Only know you love her when you let her go
• Does not empower women. ^ And who really knows what this part is about:
• Well you see her when you fall asleep
  But never to touch and never to keep
  'Cause you loved her too much and you dive too deep
• Women in relation to man

B+ // Unconditionally // Katy Perry

Musically, I find this song terribly boring. The lyrics are sweet. It would be nice if this were the kind of love songs we ladies got from men instead of the "you're beautiful" line.

• No name calling
• No objectification
• Women in relation to... I mean, I guess you could sing this even to your mom. Which Perry has acknowledged. So, I guess not.
• I happen to think that the human power to love unconditionally is pretty special. So to acknowledge that...maybe it's empowering. 

F // Timber // Pitbull ft Ke$ha

Well, this song is gross. 

I have ‘em like Miley Cyrus, clothes off
Twerking in their bras and thongs, timber
Face down, booty up, timber
That’s the way we like the what, timber
I’m slicker than an oil spill
She say she won’t, but I bet she will, timber
Swing your partner round and round
End of the night, it’s going down

• No name calling
• Objectifies women. Hard.
• Women not empowered. Okay, I get it, women like to dance. But HE has them do it naked. *rolls eyes*
• Women in relation to man. It's going down with a "partner," I'm pretty sure he's talking about hetero-sex here. Correct me if I'm wrong.

D // Rap God // Eminem

Eminem is not known for feminism. He even addresses it in this song.

Angels fight with devils, here's what they want from me

They asking me to eliminate some of the women hate

But if you take into consideration the bitter hatred that I had

Then you may be a little patient and more sympathetic to the situation

And understand the discrimination

But fuck it, life's handing you lemons, make lemonade then

But if I can't batter the women how the fuck am I supposed to bake them a cake then?

Don't mistake it for Satan

It's a fatal mistake if you think I need to be overseas

And take a vacation to trip a broad

And make her fall on her face and don't be a retard

Be a king? Think not, why be a king when you can be a God?

Eminem is often smarter than he seems. You can often realize more of the layers that he's playing with after a few listens. That said:

• No name calling
• Does not objectify women
• Does not empower women
• Woman in relation to man

C // The Monster // Eminem ft. Rihanna

Despite the hum on facebook about not calling women "crazy", I'm going to rule that this collaboration is not about women.

D // Gorilla // Bruno Mars

Okay, vocally, Bruno Mars pulls is out on this song in an impressive way. But lyrically...I know when I want to do a reading of a song to my roommates, it's bad. But maybe in a Prince-y way? Cuz on the other hand...maybe I want to send the lyrics to a lover...hmmm...

Ooh I got a body full of liquor with a cocaine kicker and I'm feeling like I'm thirty feet tall
So lay it down, lay it down

You got your legs up in the sky with the devil in your eyes
Let me hear you say you want it all
Say it now, say it now

Look what you're doing, look what you done
But in this jungle you can't run
Cause what I got for you
I promise it's a killer, you'll be banging on my chest
Bang bang, gorilla

Ooh Ooh Yeah You and me baby making love like gorillas

Yeah I got a fistful of your hair
But you don't look like you're scared
You're just smiling, tell me, daddy it's yours
Cause you know how I like it, you's a dirty little lover
If the neighbors call the cops, call the sheriff, call the SWAT we don't stop, we keep rocking while they knocking on our door
And you're screaming, give it to me baby
Give it to me motherfucker

I bet you never ever felt so good, so good
I got your body trembling like it should, it should
You'll never be the same baby once I'm done with you

The question here is really whether this empowers women or subjugates them. At times the song gets that rapey vibe. "You can't run"? "A killer"? "Call the cops"? She doesn't "look" scared? Not great consent practice. And my personal fave, "Once I'm done with you." But at times it seems quite consensual. She's smiling, screaming for him to give it to her, and she's trembling, presumably from pleasure. 

If we assume Bruno Mars is not singing about rape, because it's not what he intended, and is rather about "animalistic sex", as he describes in interviews, then maybe there is no harm other than the perpetuation of a culture that can't help but discuss women without discussing sex or her body, and that does not promote clear lines of consent during sex. Should we hold Bruno Mars accountable for that? Isn't that kind of the point?

Many women enjoy the kind of sex described. I certainly would not want to take good, consensual sex away from anyone. But I can't call this empowering when it feels like Bruno's fantasy more than it feels like his partner's by the virtue of it being from his point of view. If it were a woman singing, it would likely be different. Just read it in the voice of Nicki Minaj but substitute "daddy" with mami. How does it sound now? To me, she'd be taking power, not giving it, and that's a sign that on some level, my subconscious empowers men so that when I listen to this song, any minuscule bit he gives over is considered. *sigh* 

• Does not empower women

Which has some standing in the next question--does this objectify women?

If you want some go-to feminist guidelines on objectification, check this out. But as the wiki makes a little clearer, objectification is treating a person as a thing, without regard to their dignity. So the antonymous question of whether a song objectifies women is whether or not it dignifies them. I'm going to go with no. 

• Objectifies women

And the easy ones

• Women in relation to man
• No name calling

Many have drawn comparisons to Blurred Lines, which I also gave a D. Part of me thinks I should fail them both. So why didn't I? I mean, I failed Treasure, which seems like a much more vanilla song. But it isn't women enjoying sex, rough or gentle, that the feminist in me is against. Certainly the part of me that values modesty does not like it, but that isn't what this blog is about. I'm against women not having a voice, not being valued (for more than their bodies), lacking power, and violence against women.

Well, this post is long enough. I welcome your thoughts!

B // Still Into You // Paramore

It's surprising to hear a Taylor Swift song come from Paramore. Guess they've got a new sound.

• No name calling
• No objectification of women
• Women in relation to man
• Woman slightly empowered. She's totally happy. Good for her.
• I should be over all the butterflies
  But i'm into you (I'm in to you)
  And baby even on our worst nights
  I'm into you (I'm into you)
  Let them wonder how we got this far
  Cause I don't really need to wonder at all
  Yeah after all this time
  I'm still into you

D+ // It Goes Like This // Thomas Rhett

With opening line "Hey, girl, you make me wanna write a song", I was a little worried this was going to go the way of "Cruise", but it's much better. It's written by Thomas Rhett's dad (Rhett Akins) and produced by Michael Knox, who also produced Night Train. 

Here we go:

• No name calling
• Woman not so objectified
• Woman in relation to man
• And it goes like, oooh
  What I wouldn't do
  To write my name on your heart
  Get to wrapping my arms
  Baby, all around you
  
  And it goes like, hey
  Girl, I'm blown away
  Yeah, it starts with a smile
  And it ends with an all night long, slow kiss
  Yeah, it goes like this
  
  Hey, girl, you make me wanna drive you home
  Get you outta here and get you all alone
• Woman is not empowered. She is hardly a character. She impresses him, and inspires his lust and music. Bo-ring.

B- // Can't Hold Us // Macklemore and Ryan Lewis ft. Ray Dalton

This song is so full of positive energy! It only has one reference in particular to women:

Deuces, goodbye, I got a world to see
And my girl, she wanna see Rome
Caesar'll make you a believer
Nah, I never, ever did it for a throne

I appreciate that this is acknowledging what she wants and being excited about it. It's 1. Not just her in relation to him and 2. I assume he's going to get her there, possibly empowering her? 3. Not really objectifying and 4. Not name calling

C // Demons // Imagine Dragons

Imagine Dragons does not like to give away their intended meanings for songs, preferring to leave it up to the listener. Although the song is sung to someone, presumably a romantic interest, but not necessarily, I rule that does not really make it about women. 

C- // Survival // Eminem

Not about women

Except for the random, unnecessary use of the word slut for the sake of a rhyme. There are a couple of times he uses the word bitch, but it's not in reference to any person (rather to your hands, a place).

Let me remind you of what got me this far, picture me quitting // Now draw a circle around it and put a line through it, slut // It's survival of what?

C // Heartbreaker // Justin Bieber

I don't understand why this is a top 40 song, but I guess Bieber's R&B is a hit. 

• No name calling
• No objectification
• Woman only in relation to man
• Woman not really empowered nor disempowered. Okay, she is holding a line. She doesn't want to talk. She's a heartbreaker, but not in a blaming way. There's no real indication of what she does want. He does seem to be struggling to respect her wish not to talk on the one hand, and his desire to still be with her on the other, which I can respect. She also either taught/told him to be be careful with her heart. I guess that's good in that she was looking out for herself while at the same time potentially portraying her as fragile? To be fair, we are all kind of fragile. 

D- // Gone // Kanye West ft. Cam'ron & Consequence

I dig this song. And I have a thing for Kanye. So it hurts me too much to fail it. Maybe you think I should?
Let me know.

• Name calling
• They got a new bitch, now you Jennifer Aniston
• Aaron love the raw dog, when will he learn
  Caught something on the Usher tour he had to let it burn
  Plus he already got three children
  Arguin over babysitters like bitch it's yo turn
• Objectification of women
• Before model chicks was bending over 
• Women in relation to men, but also in some interesting contexts
• I been pouring out some liquor for the fact that my pal's gone
  And trying to help his Momma with the fact that her child gone
  And since we used to bubble like a tub full of Calgon
  Guess it's only right that I should help her from now on
• Gave Weezie a piece of the pie and
  You can ask George or Regina
• Women not empowered. Mostly depicted as shallow.
• Says she want diamonds, I took her to Ruby Tuesdays

C // Mirrors // Justin Timberlake

• Woman in relation to man
• It's like you're my mirror
  My mirror staring back at me
  I couldn't get any bigger
  With anyone else beside of me
  And now it's clear as this promise
  That we're making two reflections into one
  
• No name calling
• Woman not objectified! (okay, she is literally compared to an object-a mirror-but it's for the use of some nice, extended metaphor that doesn't really have to do with her body)
• Woman neither empowered nor disempowered

C // 23 // Mike WiLL Made-It ft. Miley Cyrus, Wiz Khalifa, and Juicy J

This song is about...shoes. And likely the popular purple drank (made with cough syrup). (Also possibly quality weed.)

• Objectifies women
• I'm so high, I got three bitches that go bi / I'm so fly, I'm gettin' head like a blow dryer
• More kicks than the players, call me up I'm scorin' / Hit it like a free throw, tongue out like I'm Jordan / Smiley, Miley, come swing the thing right by me
• Name calling: bitches
• Women as slightly empowered? Miley's verse seems to be boastful, which is a form of power, and at the same time a little dead inside with no respect and not giving a fuck. I do not, however, take issue with the fact she's in a mini skirt. Mostly cuz it's all about the shoes which are being touted by both the male and female characters. 
• I be in the club standing on the couch
  In them Wolf Grays like it's my house
  Drinking out the bottle, I got no respect
  Looking like a model, you just got a check
  I back it up, cause I don't give a fuck
  If you're a lame, that's a shame you can't hang with us
  I'm MC Hammer fly, you can't touch
  J's so fly I should work at Flight Club
• Woman not only in relation to man.

Bonus - guns!: Gotta a joint if you wanna get stoned, got choppers if they wanna try me chopper=AK47

C+ // Crooked Smile // J. Cole ft. TLC

This song is REAL. 

There's a lot of strong messaging to women, mostly about insecurity about looks.

• Love yourself, girl, or nobody will / Oh, you a woman? I don't know how you deal / With all the pressure to look impressive and go out in heels / I feel for you / Killing yourself to find a man that'll kill for you / You wake up, put makeup on / Stare in the mirror but its clear that you can’t face what’s wrong / No need to fix what God already put his paint brush on / Your roommate yelling, "Why you gotta take so long?"

Then there's this verse:

• To all the women with the flaws, know it's hard my darling
  You wonder why you're lonely and your man's not calling
  You keep falling victim cause you're insecure
  And when I tell you that you're beautiful you can't be sure
  'Cause he don't seem to want you back
  And it got you asking
  So all you see is what you lacking
  Not what you packing
  Take it from a man that loves what you got
  And baby girl you're a star, don't let 'em tell you you're not
  Now is it real? Eyebrows, fingernails, hair
  Is it real? if it's not, girl you don't care
  Cause what's real is something that the eyes can't see
  That the hands can't touch
  That them broads can't be, and that's you
  Never let 'em see you frown
  And if you need a friend to pick you up, I'll be around
  And we can ride with the windows down, the music loud
  I can tell you ain't laughed in a while
  But I wanna see that crooked smile

And then he starts talking about racism and the system! oh snap! Crooked Smile vs. Lolly? No comparison.

But let's break it down according to criteria:

• Name calling? Bitch is a weird word. Sometimes it's empowered. Sometimes it's mean. Sometimes it's an identity. Sometimes it feels...objectifying, as it does here. *sigh*
• I got smart, I got rich, and I got bitches still / And they all look like my eyebrows: thick. 
• Woman in relation to man? Mostly I think it's in relation to herself and her internal criticism. Yes, it seems like the cure is first that he tells her she's beautiful. And she is totally worried about what guys think, but he seems to be calling that out. 
• Woman objectified? It seems to switch off from complimenting/objectifying "what you packing" and then saying the outside doesn't matter/you're made by God. Mixed messages.
• Woman disempowered? But calling that out. AND calling out racial power systems. yay!!
• We don't look nothing like the people on the screen
  You know them movie stars, picture perfect beauty queens
  But we got dreams and we got the right to chase em
  Look at the nation, that's a crooked smile braces couldn't even straighten
  Seem like half the race is either on probation, or in jail
  Wonder why we inhale, cause we in hell already
  I asked if my skin pale, would I then sell like Eminem or Adele?
• 
  

Ultimately, the song, though giving some mixed messages, is trying to empower people to embrace their flaws/not really care about them so much. Amen to that. 

• My shit is crooked look at how far I done got without it / I keep my twisted grill, just to show them kids it's real / We ain't picture perfect but we worth the picture still

C // Counting Stars // One Republic

Hard to say what role women play in this song.

• Woman not really in relation to man. He's talking about "we". This is a dream for him and his partner, but not ABOUT him in relation to his partner. It feels more like a conversation. There is also a mention of love and hope, but it's kind of general. The song is more about trying to live a different life.
• Lately, I've been, I've been losing sleep / Dreaming about the things we could be / But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard, / Said no more counting dollars / We'll be counting stars, yeah we'll be counting stars
• I feel the love and I feel it burn / Down this river, every turn / Hope is our four-letter word / Make that money, watch it burn

I'm going to go with not about women. Which gives you a C.

F // Lolly // Maejor Ali ft Juicy J and Justin Beiber

Gross.
I've left you all of the lyrics. But first, let me break a few things down:

• Yup, another dick-ducking song!
• Justin Beiber(!) throws down a grand...whatever for? I don't think it's the sparkling water.
• Ass everywhere, throw them dollars in the air (mhmm) - oh! the grand is because we're in a strip club
• Bands a make her dance, molly make her lose them underwear - "band" = $1,000, molly=MDMA/ecstasy
• Booty cheeks I'm geek'd - geeked=similar to coked out (the molly version)
• I'm Rick James bitch, I slip myself a mickey slip a mickey= put a roofie or sleeping pill in a drink
• Make her bounce it like hydraulics hydraulics usually make cars bounce
• Kevin Hart, I got purple on the plane (we smoking) purple=weed
• Let's call a bull (let's go), let's run a train (trippy) a bull=a man who has sex with a married woman to humiliate her husband. run a train= a lineup of guys having sex one after another with the same woman
• The good news? No name calling and the woman is described as excited by this. She's a "super freak" and she likes it! That's okay. You can rock that. Just not as described by these gentlemen. 

She say she love my lolly
She wanna make it pop
She say she love my lolly
She want to kiss the top
She say she love my lolly
She love my lollipop

She say she love to party
Girl I love your body
Why you on the table?
Cause you know I'm watching
She say she love my molly
So we can leave this party
And go back to my hotel
And don't stop for hibachi
And don't stop in the lobby
I hope you massage me
I hope you can take it when i make you call me papi
The club about to close
Come up out them clothes
I'm about to give you watchu asking for

Order what you want
Girl it ain't no problem
Imma tell the waitress
that my baby need a bottle
Order what you want
Said it ain't no problem
Gotta piece of candy
And its all for you

Girl i love them heels
Yeah, i love that dress
Wanna take you home
Show you I'm the best

Throwing up a G note
Like i'm at a casino
I'm all fancy yeah
I'm poppin' Pellegrino
Im in the El Camino
And i pull up on the scene though
You know I'm a real OG
And baby i ain't from the T.O
You ain't messing with the clique though
Meet me on the 6th floor
Know you ain't a model
You should let me take some pics tho
Windows down
Speakers loud
Look down at my sneakers now
Got so many features
Tell the creatures just to beat it now
50 for that necklace
Look down at my set list
Got your girlfriend at my crib watching Netflix
Let's just admit that I'm the bestest
Guess this you ain't never ever on the guest list

Yessir
Ass everywhere
Throw them dollars in the air (mhmm)
Bring your swimming gear
Juicy J the millionaire (mhmm)
She pop that pussy on me
I fell back in the chair
Bands a make her dance
Molly make her lose them underwear
Booty cheeks
I'm geeked, (you know it)
All her friends are freaks (you know it)
And I think she love me
I've been hitting it for a week (swish)
I drill it
Slap it silly
Need a super freak like Ricky
I'm Rick James bitch
I slip myself a mickey
Got so much money in my pocket
With a real bad chick from the tropics
With silicone racks with a real big ass
Make her bounce it like hydraulics
Kevin Hart, I got purple on the plane (we smoking)
Let's call a bull (let's go)
Let's run a train (trippy)

D // Dark Horse // Katy Perry ft Juicy Jay

• No name calling
• Woman objectified
• I'm sprung and I don't care
  She got me like a roller coaster
  Turn the bedroom into a fair
  Her love is like a drug
  I was tryna hit it and quit it
  But lil' mama so dope
  I messed around and got addicted
• Woman in relation to man
• Make me your Aphrodite
  Make me your one and only
  But don't make me your enemy
• Woman as empowered? This song is a little hard to wade through--one of those weird Katy songs. I think she's admitting to being intense, maybe a little cray--a "perfect storm". She's demanding real commitment. Actually, that's kind of all she's really asking for...why is that intense/crazy? Is Katy (unknowingly?) buying into women-hating stereotypes? Juicy J finds her dangerous, comparing her to a famous cannibalistic serial killer. I guess that's powerful, but it also seems strange and unfair. I can't quite tell what to make of it. 

• It's in the palm of your hand now baby / It's a yes or a no / No maybe / So just be sure / Before you give it up to me / Up to me / Give it up to me
  
  So you wanna play with magic / Boy you should know what you're fallin' for / Baby do you dare to do this / Cause I'm comin' at you like a dark horse
  
  Are you ready for / Ready for / A perfect storm / Perfect storm / Cause once you're mine / Once you're mine / There's no goin' back
• She's a beast / I call her Karma / She eat your heart out / Like Jeffrey Dahmer / Be careful / Try not to lead her on / Shawty's heart was on steroids / Cause her love was so strong / You may fall in love / When you meet her / If you get the chance you better keep her / She swears by it but if you break her heart / She turn cold as a freezer

A- // Work B**ch! // Britney Spears

• Name calling. There's a lot of the word bitch. Britney loves calling people bitch. But it's in that kind of gay community way where it's not so offensive?
• Woman not in relation to man
• Woman is not really objectified. The things we want in life are a bikini body and a fancy car? But we get it by working. This is kind of in the vein of Destiny's Independent Women. But I think it may be doing even more than that. Britney is also making the claim that she works hard for what she's got. Some of which may be because of her body, but she works hard for that too. It's not just sitting pretty that will get you by.
• You wanna hot body
  You wanna Bugatti
  You wanna Maserati
  You better work bitch
• Women as empowered. First of all, Britney is fierce. Second, she's encouraging all y'all bitches to be fierce, too. 

F // Give It 2 U // Robin Thicke ft. Kendrick Lamar

Stunning. You know it's bad when I want to quote the entire song. In fact, I'm going to just leave you the lyrics. (I didn't include 2 Chainz verse because it isn't the version on the top 40, but it's also probably the least offensive verse of the song. You read that right.)

• Objectifies women. Like, a lot.
• Women in relation to men. Basically as a sex toy.
• No real name calling (Kendrick does mention a "fat ass", but I think he means it positively and it actually referring to a large butt)
• Women not empowered. Okay, yes, he is saying he's going to make her fantasies come true, but he's saying it in a "my dick is a gift" way. Thanks, but no thanks.

Girl give it to me
Girl you know what it do, girl give it to me
I got somethin brand new, girl give it to me
I'll put it all on you, girl give it to me
Wooo! I got a gift for ya
I got this for ya, a little Thicke for ya
A big kiss for ya, I got a hit for ya
Big dick for ya, let me give it to yaBaby baby, I got a call for ya
I got a whip for ya, black car for ya
Ball hard for ya, I know you wanna get fancy
I know you wanna start dancin

Hey... girl
You know you're lookin so damn fly
You're lookin like you fell from the sky
You know you make a grown man cry

I wanna give it to you, tonight
And make everything you fantasize
come true, ooh baby
I'll make you so so so amazing
I'll give it to you

Ooh! What's that girl?
What's that baby? I like that girl
I like that baby, on your back girl
On your back, yeah shake it like that girl
Baby baby, I got an eye for ya
Got an eye for ya, I got a smile for ya
Cheese, let me put it on your face for ya
Please, I got a taste for ya
Tasty, I bought lace for ya
Freaky, I'll put it on ya
Yeah, so I can come and take it off ya
Yeah, and get off to ya

Uh, you're like a needle in a haystack
Uh, I wanna sit you where my face at
Uh, lunch with a few Mai-Tais
Uh, purple kisses on my tie
Uh, life can leave a dick loved
Uh, now you gettin this dick, love
Uh, I'm lookin for you with a flashlight
I wanna feel what a real fat ass like
No injection, I learned my lesson
I walk it like I talk it, baby this pedestrian
Runnin through your mind like Jackie Joyner
Pussy like pop like "DO!" Go get me a burner
Got shot like "DO!" This can be detrimental
T-shirt and panties, that's your credential
You're cotton candy, I need a fistful
I'm often antsy, hope that convince you