We can finally say that we’ve made it through the wet and windy April showers, and now we only have the May flowers to look forward to. And while May brings joyous flowers, FEST and food festivals, it also marks the month Mother’s Day falls under.
Though Mother’s Day gifts can vary, there may be nothing as touching or meaningful as writing a song for your mother. From 2Pac to Kanye and Chance the Rapper to Lukas Graham, artists have always made sure to pay their respects to that mother figure in their life. If you can’t sing or write, no need to fret. Here are four songs to listen to for Mother’s Day this month.
1. “Dear Mama” — 2Pac
Easily one of the all-time best mother tributes, 2Pac released “Dear Mama” as the lead single from his third studio album, “Me Against the World” in 1995. 2Pac’s lyrics detail the highs and lows of his mother Afeni Shakur’s life, who raised her son in a poverty-stricken neighborhood prone to drug addiction. The song not only stands as a representation of 2Pac’s mother but all mothers in the world, and is one of the earliest entries of a long line of hip-hop songs in which rappers state respect for their mothers
2. “Hey Mama” — Kanye West
One of the most popular tracks off his second studio album “Late Registration,” Kanye West’s “Hey Mama” expresses the rapper’s deep reverence for his mother ,Donda West. Written in the early 2000s before West hit fame, the song chronicles the hardships the rapper experienced as his mother raised him in West Chicago. Since Donda West’s death in 2007, the testament song has been played less and less at West’s concerts.
3. “Hey Ma” — Chance the Rapper
From his “10 Day” album, Chance the Rapper’s “Hey Ma” follows the same vein of 2Pac’s and Kanye’s, as the song chronicles Bennett’s life of growing up in Chicago while the rapper embraced the music scene more than school. The song ends as one big thank you to the life lessons and teachings that his mother and teachers taught him.
4. “Fam” — Brian Fresco
Having grown up with the same musical ambitions as Chance the Rapper, Bronzeville-based rapper Brian Fresco would balance time from high school at Simeon between music venues at night. While the two have collaborated frequently, Fresco’s solo song “Fam” is one of his best, as he depicts everything his individual family members have done in order for his music career to succeed.