Check out this playlist on Spotify!
Erika:
Hit me! — The Sounds
It's Obvious — Au Pairs
Ride This Out — Imaginary Cities
Sailin’ On — Bad Brains
Army of Me — Björk
Rebel Girl — Bikini Kill
"Rebel Girl" is the most important song in feminist punk, making it the anthem behind the Riot Grrrl movement. Bikini Kill was just one of the bands that had third wave feminists fighting for social justice through arts and activism. Women across the country banned together to draw attention to the systemic sexism and rape culture that plagues our culture, because being a woman is kicka--, but the general treatment of women isn't.
Belvin:
Bizness — Tune-yards
Cheerleader — St. Vincent
Forgiven/Forgotten — Angel Olsen
I'm So Free — Lou Reed
Like most Lou Reed songs, "I'm So Free" is full of contradictions. "Yes I am mother nature's son / And I'm the only one" is a complicated lyric, with earthy reverence rubbing right up against ego. But that contradiction (plus its incredible catchiness) is what makes it so empowering. Life is complicated and twisted, and Lou Reed makes pop songs that doesn't shy away from that. "I'm So Free" doesn't make you forget your problems — it makes you embrace them.
Kamila:
Hate — Ruby Ibarra
Electric Lady — Janelle Monae ft. Solange
Be Like Him (How To Be Like Him) — The Belle Brigade
Runaway Love — Ludacris feat. Mary J. Blige
Blood Brothers — Ingrid Michaelson
Rescue — Yuna
I discovered Yuna through an article showcasing emerging modern musicians of Asian decent. She has not let her growing fame change her image and continues to where a headdress in accordance to her faith (Islam). In her album "Nocturnal" she keeps the beats light and upbeat. The song listed, "Rescue," has simple lyrics but it speaks volumes to about how strong one can be. The beat is fun to dance to and it's not hard to sing along to.
Kelly:
i - Kendrick Lamar
No Scrubs - TLC
Freakum Dress - Beyoncé
Feeling Myself - Nicki Minaj feat. Beyoncé
When Nicki Minaj first came on the scene, I was super wary of her caricatured feminine persona. Now, she's the baddest b---- ever. I love her. Every song in her new album "The Pinkprint" (a play off the iconic Jay-Z album) is powerful. It's super sexual and emotional and sassy and perfect. I just listed my favorite song on the album here (featuring Queen B), but listen to the entire album.
Drew:
Glamorous — Fergie feat. Ludacris
II. Zealots of Stockholm [Free Information] — Childish Gambino
Before He Cheats — Carrie Underwood
Never Gonna Give You Up — Rick Astley
Even If It Breaks Your Heart — Eli Young Band
Ms. Hill — Talib Kweli
As a former member of the 1990s group the Fugees and a Grammy Award winner, Lauryn Hill quickly rose to success before dropping out of the public eye. Talib Kweli backs the controversial yet inspirational Lauryn Hill in his lyrics. On the chorus, he says, "Ms. Hill, you got skill, that's a gift, it's real," showing his admiration for a woman who spoke up against bigotry and received the blunt end of racism. Anyone who writes a song standing up to someone who was bashed about a just stance like hers gets an A in my grade book.
Mary Kate:
Bad Reputation — Joan Jett
Run the World (Girls) — Beyoncé
Man! I Feel Like a Woman! — Shania Twain
Respect — Aretha Franklin
None of Your Business — Salt 'n' Pepa
Girl in a Country Song — Maddie and Tae
Now, I’m not a country fan by any stretch of the imagination, but Maddie and Tae’s is a song I can get down to anytime, anywhere. Subtlety is thrown to the wayside and this duo directly calls out their male counterparts’ “bro country” stereotypes. They poke fun at the ridiculous and unattainable expectations of what it’s like to be a girl portrayed by one of these country songs—barefoot, sitting on a tailgate and forever in a bikini and cutoff shorts—and criticize the notion that all girls are good for is looking good for men. Cue snaps. It’s brilliant to see that feminist ideals are spanning across multiple genres and are able to reach a wider audience.
Lois:
22 — Lily Allen
Just A Girl — No Doubt
Body of My Own — Charli XCX
Just One Of The Guys — Jenny Lewis
Sex Yeah — Marina and The Diamonds
Mariella — Kate Nash
I would hazard to say that Kate Nash is one of the most forward-thinking, femme-positive British artists currently making music. Not only does she head up the feminist collective, Girl Gang, but she shirks any critical remarks as misunderstandings. Mariella is not only a song about what it means to be your own person, but what it means to stand up for whatever sits in your heart. By recreating the world of a child, with all of its black-and-white simplicities, this song is a gentle reminder that social pressures are a false construct invented by the fragile anxieties of growing older. For Mariella, life is not a matter of fitting in, or hating on her peers or screaming at her parents, but doing what makes her feel her best. What better world can you ask for?