Love & Hip Hop
By: Haniyah Philogene
A glimpse into the problematic relationships that keep Hip Hop interesting, dramatic, and very very entertaining.
Today, Hip Hop fans are all in situationships with their favorite artists.
I don’t know if it’s just me, but it feels like artists have been cooking up more love than heat in the studio. From Big Sean and Jhene Aiko’s on-again-off-again relationship to Saweetie and Quavo’s trap love story, relationships seem to be Hip Hop’s latest trend, and fans are eating it up.
Celebrity relationships aren’t uncommon in the Hip Hop industry. However, there appears to be a shift in the publicity surrounding them as well as the perception of the relationship. The rise of social media has allowed fans to experience their favorite artists through a more personal lense. As a result, fans get to experience the rise and quick fall of celebrity relationships. So, naturally, when artists like Megan Thee Stallion post suggestive videos and photos featuring artists like MoneyyBagg Yo and G-Eazy, fans begin to wonder “what’s the tea?!”
Eventually, this curiosity turns into investment and fans begin to create flipagrams, ship names, and assumptions of the celebrity’s relationship. But don’t get it twisted, it’s a two-way street. Artists begin to notice the spike in attention and media coverage when they suggest and hint at relationships on their social media, especially when these relationships feature another influencer. That being said, one can only wonder if all of this lovey-doveyness is a publicity stunt. Really think about it, would Big Sean still be relevant if Jhene Aiko wasn’t telling us that it's none of our concern? (is that a hot take?).
The most recent example of celebrities taking their love into the booth is YG and Kehlani. On Valentine’s Day Eve, the duo dropped a sultry single titled “Konclusions.” This came after the couple was seen boo’d up at Meek Mill’s Grammy After-Party. Not even a week later, Kehlani surprised fans with a raw single entitled “Valentine’s Day (Shameful)” in which she alluded to the California rapper cheating on her multiple times. Pretty shitty Valentine’s Day, if you ask me.
In the span of four days, fans witnessed the r&b singer go from blissfully singing “When I say I love you (Love you)/That means I love you/ No matter what conclusion we come to” to painfully singing “Wish I didn't check your text when you was drunk asleep/ I've seen everything that I ain't wanna see.” Unfortunately, this is not the first time fans witnessed such a drastic change in emotions within music. In fact, it seems as though some artists build their clout and shape their music around these, mostly toxic, relationships. Trust me when I say YG and Kehlani are not the only artists to take fans on this emotional rollercoaster.
Cardi B blatantly warned her now-husband Offset to be careful about dipping out on her in “Be Careful.” NBA Youngboy created an entire diss track entitled “Dirty Yanna” inspired by Micheal Jackson “Dirty Diana”. Nicki Minaj is notorious for directly and indirectly shading her romantic partners in her tracks. These romantic diss tracks have become so popular that even Queen Bey threw subs at Hov in her album Lemonade.
So, the next time you find yourself stanning a celebrity couple, remember it’s probably not going to last that long. But if you’re lucky, you might get some hits from it.
