10 Hip-Hop songs to love a woman to

Before we get into this, I'll say that hip-hop is rarely the best way to serenade that special lady. Rapping is great for bursts of emotion, for when you just have so much on your mind that you need to just open the floodgates and let it pour out at this rapid-fire pace. But hip-hop as a means of softly brushing away someone's hair to look into her eyes as you caress her cheek in a candlelit room? Maybe not so great.

But if you absolutely need some hip-hop to set the mood come this Valentine's Day, there are songs that do exist that fit the bill occasionally. Here are just a handful of the good ones that I've picked out:

1. Common "The Light"
Common wrote this letter when he was dating neo-soul songstress Erykah Badu (she even appears in the music video). More than romantic love, this song is about security, about letting her know that you'll be down for her in the long haul through thick and thin, that you'll still love her when your love is tested by the complications of life. Common's smooth but kinda charmingly nasal voice fits this "sensitive guy" character he's got in the song. The J Dilla production is simple with caring, ambient rhodes contrasting against these light, sorta golden stabs. And then this beautiful Bobby Caldwell sample comes in on the chorus to sweep her off her feet.

2. J Dilla "Bye"
Common later laid vocals onto this J Dilla track too and made it into a sequel to his hit "Go". But this track really speaks for itself. The way those main waterdrop-esque sounds echo and the drums echo and there's this crackle in the background--it all comes together to create this very tender, very intimate moment between two people. The echoing lends this song this dreamy quality and record crackle sounds like a fireplace crackle. It's almost like you're alone together, looking into each other's eyes and just entering this whole new dimension of harmony before you make love.

3. The Roots "The 'Notic"
This is actually the remix to "The Hypnotic". The narrative is similar but here, it focuses much more on the beauty of the woman in question and the rapper's love for her than on the tragic ending of it. Rapper Black Thought's speech is much more elevated too, in the traditional poetic sense, which makes his imagery just golden. The inviting rhodes and both D'Angelo's and Erykah Badu's crooning in the background are just icing on the cake.

4. Felt "Dirty Girl"
Somehow, this feels like the rap equivalent of a classic doo-wop song. Mostly, this is a case of great, clever song-writing. "Dirty Girl" is a tongue-in-cheek pun where "dirty" doesn't mean anything immediately sexual like you'd expect from a rap song. "Dirty Girl" is about the rappers meeting girls, who because of their occupations (a mechanic and a waitress) are literally dirty and look kinda mussed up. But then rappers Slug and Murs still find these ladies really attractive, despite their rough edges. Plus, Slug flips 50 Cent's "Love you like a fat kid loves cake" line just perfectly for rap nerds.

5. A Tribe Called Quest "Electric Relaxation"
This song takes it back to an innocent teenage type of love and the simplicity of their rhyme styles fits perfectly. But it's not at all about the lyrics anyway, which are good mostly for not distracting from the super chilled-out beat. Great bassline with bird-chirps or something and warm rhodes make for a care-free time and a care-free love.

6. Ghostface Killah "Killa Lipstick"
Another case of excellent song-writing, including the best hook I've heard from the Wu-Tang Clan in a long time. The song details the type of strong women that Ghostface prefers, those strong enough that they have a gangsta element to them that enables them to even be assassins. Ghostface always includes these awesome details that just make the song like the fact that her "feet had no callouses" and her father had "sixteen Palestine palaces".

7. J-Live "The 4th Third"
Similar to "The 'Notic", this song wins on the strength of this highly poetic, elevated language. The title "The 4th Third" is a reference to a previous song in J-Live's catalog, "Get The Third". When J had made the first song, he had believed that all women could fit into three kinds of relationships. But after he met a very special woman, J-Live crafted this sequel. To him, this woman transcended all those categories. She was "The 4th Third" or the 4/3, an improper fraction, an anomaly. Also like "The 'Notic", this song ends on a sad note but it's still very pristine and I've actually used some of these lines before so I know it works (hah!).

8. Lil Boosie "Let Me Ease Your Mind"
When Lil Boosie isn't making decent pop tunes, he's making great blues-rap music. This comes off his excellent "Da Beginning" mixtape. Despite his almost comically-high-pitched delivery, Boosie's crooning is effective and affecting. The track sounds like some classic, too-sexy-for-you slow jams from the '90s.

9. Blu & Exile "No Greater Love"
Producer Exile takes a cue from J Dilla's late-career style in the way he chops up and lays this vocal sample, using it as an ambient instrument and exposing its frayed edges. And it just makes the sample sound all the more earnest and desperate for it.

10. UGK f. Outkast "International Players Anthem"
Andre 3000's opening verse is just perfect, deceptively simple in its arhythmic delivery and use of common, home-y idioms like "no man is an island". But really, it's the perfect balance between pimp/player braggadocio and loving, devoted husband, which is what most women seem to want. Even though the rest of the verses don't stick to this script very closely, the rich gospel voices and triumphant horns carry this straight into your heart.

For some really excellent Valentine's music, Souled On Music's Love Lockdown series provides a lot of different mixes from various reputable bloggers. Check it out.