Songs of Women Empowerment: U.N.I.T.Y.

“Instinct leads me to another flow

Everytime I hear a brother call a girl a bitch or a ho

Trying to make a sister feel low

You know all of that gots to go

Now everybody knows there's exceptions to this rule

Now don't be getting mad, when we playing, it's cool

But don't you be calling out my name

I bring wrath to those who disrespect me like a dame

That's why I'm talking, one day I was walking down the block

I had my cutoff shorts on right cause it was crazy hot

I walked past these dudes when they passed me

One of 'em felt my booty, he was nasty

I turned around red, somebody was catching the wrath

Then the little one said (Yeah me bitch) and laughed

Since he was with his boys he tried to break fly

Huh, I punched him dead in his eye and said "Who you calling a bitch?" - Queen Latifah (U.N.I.T.Y.)

That’s the first verse from Hip Hop legend Queen Latifah’s 90’s classic song “U.N.I.T.Y.” Released in 1993 off her hit album Black Reign. The purpose of this song is to inspire women, especially Black women to stand up against abuse, whether it be verbal, physical or even mental.

I hit the bottom, there ain't nowhere else to go but up

Bad days at work, give you an attitude then you were rough

And take it out on me but that's about enough

You put your hands on me again I'll put your ass in handcuffs

I guess I fell so deep in love I grew dependency

I was too blind to see just how it was affecting me

All I knew was you, you was all the man I had

And I was scared to let you go, even though you treated me bad - Verse 2

From the very beginning of her career as a rapper Queen Latifah has always been about uplifting the Black community, men and women alike. With “U.N.I.T.Y.” Queen Latifah focuses on Black women who have been victims of ill words and actions by men, as well as each other.

The genius of this song is it is somewhat of a docu-drama. It’s basically half storytelling and have conscious commentary. She even starts off the song from multiple points of views. The first is from that of a women who has been groped and verbally berated by a man who showed absolutely no respect for her and the second point of view is from that of a woman who is in a toxic relationship with a man who she refuses to leave, due to her co-dependant attachment to her abuser.

So with this point of view which takes place during the second verse we see that Latifah is stern in being against the abuse, but she is not beyond empathy for those who choose to tolerate it. She’s basically saying I know you’re with this man because you feel like you can’t live without him, but you are not worthless and you are not supposed to be the target of abuse. The verse also highlights how this is most unhealthy of a sight for children’s eyes if the abuse victim has any.

You wear a rag around your head and you call yourself

a "Gangsta Bitch" now that you saw Apache's video

I saw you wilding, acting like a fool

I peeped you out the window jumping girls after school

But where did all of this come from?

A minute ago, you was a nerd and nobody ever heard of ya - Verse 3

The third verse takes what is perhaps the most interest turn in commentary because it is here that Latifah focuses on the self reflective image of women mistreating each other. She breaks down how women disrespect each other with hostile attitudes and physical threats to one another that not only tear down their livelihoods as women, but also make them no different than their make counterparts of abuse. She even concludes the verse by highlighting the scars of this hostility that the female bearer has to carry around permanently.

With its production by KayGee and a sample of “Message From The Inner City” by The Crusaders, “U.N.I.T.Y” is a certified anthem of women empowerment. The messaging of the song was so effective that television stations like MTV allowed the words “bitch” and “hoe” to be played without censorship due to the significance of the song’s message. The song also made an appearance on Latifah’s hit tv sitcom Living Single due to its shared moment of importance on one of the show’s episodes. For her empowering and uplifting message of “U.N.I.T.Y” Women’s History Month celebrates Queen Latifah.

~~Happy birthday and Happy Women’s History Month to Dana Elaine “Queen Latifah” Owens.