Happy Sunday, folks!
This week’s “Song Sunday” came out a couple of months ago, but it’s still a really catchy song, and I wanted to share it with you! Titled “Nice For What” by Canadian rapper Drake, the track (along with the music video) is about female empowerment, a *still* important topic to discuss in this day and age.
Besides the ear-worm extrapolation of Lauryn Hill’s “Ex-Factor,” Drake’s lyrics tell of a woman who’s moving on from her ex by being basically a “bad-ass woman” in the 21st century: working hard in a 9-to-5 job, but still going out to clubs with her girl friends to let loose and have fun afterwards– she doesn’t need a man in her life to be happy, and after all, why does she need to be “nice for what?” to men? She’s a strong, independent individual living her own life, and she’s cool with it.
I appreciate Drake rapping about female empowerment, especially when the rap genre is *still* so heavily dominated by male artists who pretty much rap about misogyny and objectification of women. Granted, I did have an issue with the part in “Nice For What” when Drake raps about “gotta make that ass jump” and, in the bridge, repeating it with the repetition “bend it over, lift it up” to refer, once again, to ass– it’s objectification, which I don’t really excuse, but otherwise, the rest of the song is all right.
As for the music video, I think it’s got to be one of the best ones of this year. Featuring an ensemble of female celebrities (and directed by a female director), the music video showcases each women at their best, without any need for over-sexualization, as often seen in other rap MVs. Showing plenty of powerful women (especially women of color), “Nice For What” demonstrates just how far we as women have come in the world, from sports to entertainment to politics.
*plus, Olivia Wilde and Rashida Jones are absolutely STUNNING. Kind of low-key girl-crushing on them… 😉
Give this song a listen, will you? Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
— The Finicky Cynic
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The Finicky Cynic 
I don’t like Drake’s FACE lol (I can’t explain it he just looks like a little baby girl to me which makes me want to laugh whenever he raps) but I am easily captivated by his music so I guess I AM a fan and I this topic is catchy and a Smart move on his end if you ask me. He’s breaking the mold. Adam Levine used a group of powerful women in his video for “Girls” which didn’t give the lyrics anymore value… not sure how it was relevant but i love that he picked women from Ellen Degeneres to like, some famous YouTuber and an immigration activist. Anyways thanks for sharing!
I wouldn’t say that Drake is the best rapper of our time, but he does know how to produce and promote catchy music. His take on feminism isn’t anything new to the music industry, but for the rap genre, it’s refreshing.
Personally, I used to like Maroon 5’s old songs (prior to 2010), and I feel that they sold themselves out long ago. I don’t like “Girls” very much, but like you wrote, I do appreciate his music video including powerful women. Especially in today’s entertainment industry (particularly with so many female celebrities coming forth to address sexual abuse allegations), we need feminism more than ever.
Thanks for reading!