Lizzo plays the flute, raps, and defines beauty on her own terms
Unpacking听Lizzo鈥檚 steady and fascinating rise in music proves to be as layered as the artist herself.
Named entertainer of the year for 2019 by both The Associated Press and Time magazine, the singer and rapper is also a contender for the most Grammy awards of any artist at Sunday鈥檚 awards show. Three of those are for her song 鈥淭ruth Hurts,鈥� off her third studio album, released in 2017. Last September, she broke a major Billboard record when the song became the longest-running No. 1 single by a female rapper, without other featured artists, in the chart鈥檚 history.听She is also the first black solo female R&B singer to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 since 2012.
Women rappers have been pushing hip-hop culture forward since the genre鈥檚 inception. However, what made 鈥淭ruth Hurts鈥� so popular two years after its release wasn鈥檛 just its undeniable catchiness or bold declarations of resilience and self-worth. As a full-figured black woman rapper,听Lizzo听celebrates her complexity in a society that remains determined to devalue it.听She has recently experienced body-shaming from public figures like author 听and fitness guru . Their commentary serves as a cruel reminder that the world has a particular vitriol for confident, visible, and successful black women.听
Why We Wrote This
Popularity and talent aren鈥檛 always followed by universal acceptance. As our columnist points out, for Grammy nominee Lizzo, success means continuing to making music while resisting people鈥檚 ideas of whom she should be.
Lizzo has also had to deal with rap鈥檚 notorious misogyny听and general exclusion of women. The current renaissance finally gives listeners a bevy of female lyricists to choose from, including Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, Tierra Whack, Rapsody, Noname, and Leikeli47. There is no longer just one domineering presence at the forefront.
Women rappers aren鈥檛 expected to stylistically embrace either androgyny or hypersexuality anymore; they are doing what feels natural to them.听Lizzo听is not only capitalizing on this palpable shift in rap; she is defying 鈥� and defining 鈥� what it means to be beautiful.听
We saw it at last June鈥檚 BET Awards as she sported a white bodice while dancing and playing the flute onstage. (She holds a degree in classical flute performance.) That live rendition of 鈥淭ruth Hurts鈥� earned her a standing ovation and even brought Rihanna to her feet, gazing in awe.听Lizzo听continued to showcase her infectious energy at August鈥檚 MTV Video Music Awards. Just like at the BET Awards, the stage at the VMAs was full of black female backup dancers of all shapes and sizes, as听Lizzo听impressed onlookers in a bright yellow leotard. The message of the night 鈥� in true alignment with her discography 鈥� was one of self-love and empowerment.听
As expected,听Lizzo鈥檚 rap skills are criticized and called into question more than those of her male counterparts. Pitchfork writer Rawiya Kameir infamously rated 鈥淐uz I Love You鈥� a 6.5 out of 10, saying some songs were 鈥渂urdened with overwrought production, awkward turns of phrase, and ham-handed rapping.鈥澨齃izzo听replied, in a now deleted tweet, 鈥淧EOPLE WHO 鈥楻EVIEW鈥� ALBUMS AND DON鈥橳 MAKE MUSIC THEMSELVES SHOULD BE UNEMPLOYED.鈥� After public backlash, she sent another tweet inviting music journalists to her studio.听
Lizzo听seems wholly aware that creating your own niche in hip-hop as a curvy black woman, in fact, makes you a bigger target. When she pointed out the double standard between herself and male rappers, she was met with ire. But it is more productive to keep making your art than defending it.听With a cameo in the film 鈥淗ustlers,鈥� a set at last year鈥檚 Made in America music festival in which Beyonc茅 took notice, and a monumental live performance last month on 鈥淪aturday Night Live,鈥� Lizzo听is rightfully securing听her place in music.听And her reign shows no sign of letting up.
