It’s not uncommon to hear rappers pay tribute to the women that raised them, but sometimes it’s a little harder to source songs you can actually play around your own mom.
With Mother’s Day right around the corner, here’s a playlist of 20 hip-hop and R&B songs that you can play for and with your mom this Sunday.
1. Kanye West – “Hey Mama”
“I wanna tell the whole world about a friend of mine / This little light of mine and I’m finna let it shine / I’m finna take yall back to them better times / I’m finna talk about my mama if yall don’t mind.” – Kanye West
2. Nelly – “Luven Me”
“Ayo ma, how you doin’, It’s your son now / And I picked up the mic and put the drugs down / Now I’m tryin’ to do some things that’ll make you proud / Instead of every time I call it’s to bail me out.” – Nelly
3. Jay Z – “Momma Loves Me”
“Momma loved me, pop left me / Grandma dressed me, plus she fed me / Banana puddin, was in the hood then.” – Jay Z
4. Ghostface Killa feat. Tekitha – “All I Got Is You”
“Daddy left me at the age of six / I didn’t know nuttin’ but mommy neatly packed his shit / She cried, and grandma held the family down.” – Ghostface Killah
5. Brand Nubian – “Momma”
“At childhood I never really understood / All your heartache and pain and how difficult it was for you to maintain / To make sho’ yo’ seeds eat / Even if we had to foodstamp it every week.” – Grand Puba
6. Nas – “Dance”
“Job well done, you lived through your sons and grandchildren / Jesus finally got his bride, mommy dance with him.” – Nas
7. Canibus – “I Honor U”
“Women never get it often enough / And the reason people love they mother so much / Besides the fact she carried you for nine months, is trust.” – Canibus
8. Beanie Sigel feat. Scarface – “Mom Praying”
“Don’t cry mama, your baby boy done weathered the storm / And I found peace right here in your arms / By the way, how you gettin along, huh?” – Scarface
9. Saigon – “If My Mommy”
“I hated to see you struggle for gold / When you really deserved ice, double the cold / That glow like your colorful soul / Mom, my love for you has wanted to grow.” – Saigon
10. LL Cool J – “Big Mama”
“As a young boy you gave me whoopings to save my life / Cursed me out, to keep me out the streets at night.” – LL Cool J
11. Outkast (Andre 3000) – “She’s Alive”
“A boy to raise / At a young age / No help from him but she’s alive.” – Andre 3000
12. E-40 – “I Love My Momma”
“Worked 3 jobs all through the weekdays / But still managed to make it out to my baseball games.” – E-40
13. R. Kelly – “Sadie”
“I just can’t forget how you gave me love, oh no / If there’s a heaven up above / know she’s teaching angels how to love.” – R. Kelly
14. I’ll Be There – Mac Miller
“See I was 6 years old with a dream, when my mums told me I can do anything / Said she’d be there forever, no matter what’s the weather / She’d always have my back even when we weren’t together.” – Mac Miler