Music is one of the realest ways to get in your feelings about something, and a break up is one of the times you're gonna need to do that the most.
There's a good reason almost every breakup in a rom-com movie is followed by a scene with the main character dancing/crying/screaming to an intense song in their bedroom - it works.
Luckily, hip hop music has given us some of the GOAT break up lyrics, from heartbreak heroes like Drake through to Jay-Z and Frank Ocean.
For the purposes of this list, we've gone for the slower tracks that take the subject of breaking up to heart and get deep, but never forget it's more than all good to deal with heartbreak with a song like this instead:
J Cole - 'Love Me Not'
J Cole takes us on a rollercoaster journey of the ups and downs of a relationship where both parties are a little unsure where they stand. He also acknowledges his flaws and realises his partner ultimately isn't getting what she deserves.
"Hey, I know that this ain't nothing that you used to/Out of the ordinary, unusual/I know you had your whole life planned out/So to watch this pan out I know this shit gotta confuse you"
"I know you wonder why I had to choose you/Don't wanna take you for granted or abuse you"
SZA - 'Nobody Gets Me'
In this breakup ballad, SZA depicts her feelings throughout the dying days of her relationship with her ex-fiance, who she thought was the only person who really understood her.
"What's left of you/How am I supposed to tell you/I don't wanna see you with anyone but me?
Nobody gets me like you/How am I supposed to let you go?/Only like myself when I'm with you"
'Heartless' – Kanye West
This timeless banger deals with loss and betrayal, as well as the feeling of losing yourself in the pain of a break up. Kanye wonders if he'll ever be able to love again.
"In the night I hear 'em talk/The coldest story ever told/Somewhere far along this road/He lost his soul to a woman so heartless."
"How could you be so heartless?/Oh, how could you be so heartless?
"How could you be so Dr. Evil?/You bringin' out a side of me that I don't know.
I decided we weren't gon' speak so/Why we up 3:00 a.m. on the phone?"
Frank Ocean - 'Self Control'
This track sees Frank Ocean addressing an ex who has already moved on - owch. Because there are still feelings between the two, Frank is battling to keep his self-control and avoid hooking up with her again.
"Now and then you miss it, sounds make you cry/Some nights you dance with tears in your eyes
I came to visit, 'cause you see me like a UFO/That's like never
'Cause I made you use your self-control/And you made me lose my self-control, my self-control."
Mac Miller - 'Objects in the Mirror'
As the name suggests, 'Objects in the Mirror' is a deeply reflective song that explores Mac's feelings about love and personal growth.
“People love you when they on your mind, a thought is love’s currency.”
"Listen to me, I'mma set you free/Yeah, he ain't gonna break your heart again/Go through the worst to reach the ecstasy/When your imagination's on pretend."
Beyoncé - 'Irreplaceable'
What kind of list would this be without a bit of 'to the left, to the left'? This song about kicking out a cheating partner is all about self-empowerment and realising your worth isn't tied to anyone else.
"So since I'm not your everything/How about I'll be nothing, nothing at all to you?"
"Baby I won't shed a tear for you/I won't lose a wink of sleep/'Cause the truth of the matter is/Replacing you is so easy"
Drake - 'The Motion'
This track has Drake coming to terms with the fact an important relationship is over - and it relates to both romantic and friendship connections.
"It's not me and you, it's not me it's you/You're reckless and you know it, they don't love you like I do/Say you're moving on, well, I guess that's just the motion"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZy1f0Tl7OM
Jay-Z - 'Song Cry'
Straight from his iconic 2001 album 'The Blueprint', Jay-Z accepts the painful end of a serious relationship in 'Song Cry', while processing the fact that many of his actions lead to it.
"We was so happy poor, but when we got rich/That's when our signals got crossed, and we got flipped.
"Rather mine, I don't know what made me leave that shit/Made me speed that quick, let me see, that's it."
"Shit, I'm a man with pride, you don't do shit like that/You don't just pick up and leave and leave me sick like that. You don't throw away what we had, just like that."
Own the Feels is brought to you by #LoveBetter, a campaign funded by the Ministry for Social Development.
LoveBetter Youthline support channels:
Email: lovebetter@youthline.co.nz
Or rangatahi can text lovebetter to 234
