Last night, Kanye went on a bit of a philosophical quest on Twitter. “I usually never tweet questions but I struggle with this so here goes… Is the word BITCH acceptable?” he asked, presumably referring to the uproar over ‘Perfect Bitch’, his upcoming Kim Kardashian-inspired track. “Is it acceptable for a man to call a woman a bitch even if it’s endearing?” Yeezy, we’ve rounded up the best and worst songs using the word ‘bitch’ for you. Listen and learn. Here’s what we learned: once you start asking your bitch to make you food, that’s when trouble starts.
(1) Queen Bitch – Lil’ Kim
Before Azealia Banks was a twinkle in her mother’s eyes, Lil’ Kim was showing the hip-hop world that ladies could rap with the best of them. Calling herself the “rap Pam Grier”? That’s pretty Queen Bitch, alright.
Standout line: I am a diamond cluster hustler/ Queen bitch, supreme bitch
(2) Nicki Minaj – Baddest Bitch
Remember when Nicki Minaj used to rap? Ah, good times. This is vintage Nicki rap about going through hard times but coming up on top. The production’s almost retro by Minaj standards – no David Guetta style drops here – but it’s all the better for it.
Standout line: If he wants some pussy, that’s a no no/ I only fuck with bad bitches, no homo
(3) Lil B – Pretty Bitch
If you’re a man in rap, you are NEVER the bitch. Full stop. So Lil B is trolling everyone (again) by referring to himself as the prettiest bitch. It’s not all Sociology 101: Re-tooling Masculinity For Social Good here, though (“he does refer to his love rivals as “faggots”) but we’re prepared to give Based God a pass this time.
Standout line: “Yeah nigga I’m that pretty bitch/ I’m the prettiest bitch alive nigga”
WORST
(1) Mellowhype feat Taco and Odd Future – Real Bitch
It all starts off so well, with Hodgy Beats giving shout-outs to Chilli from TLC (a bad bitch if we ever heard one), but then quickly devolves into that good old rap trope: the bitch who cooks you food. In this case, Odd Future are jonesing for French toast. Boys, just go Wendy’s or something.
Offending line: Making steak and bacon, that’s your job, you stupid trick/ Your daddy’s rich, indeed, now please hit your knees
(2) That’s My Bitch – Jay-Z and Kanye West
Kanye’s got some precedent for trying to reclaim the word bitch on this track from Watch The Throne. But while Jay-Z gets points for accurately acknowledging that beauty standards are dominated by white women (“why are all the pretty icons always all white?”) but the duo promptly lose all those points by rounding the song off by comparing their bitches to a dog. What is this, Crufts?
Offending line: Now shoo children, stop looking at her tits / Get ya own dog, ya heard? That’s my bitch
(3) Bitch Bad – Lupe Fiasco
We loved this song when it first came out, but after some hard thinking we’ve come to the conclusion that Lupe’s got it wrong. Bitch bad, woman good, lady better? Why can’t ladies be bad bitches too? Also, why does a man get to decide what makes a bitch? Sisters (and bitches) should be doin’ it for themselves.
Offending line: Bad mean good to her, she really nice and smart/ But bad mean bad to him, bitch don’t play your part
Words: Zing Tsjeng