If you’ve ever taken the time to listen—and we mean really listen—to your favorite artists' songs, there’s a strong possibility that you’ve heard lyrics that directly or indirectly promote rape. Hip hop artists (as well as R&B, rock and others) have long crossed the invisible line separating controversial lyrics from things you just don’t say, ever. The normalization of rape culture in our society today has in many ways been inextricably linked to our acceptance of the music that has infiltrated our radio waves and seeped through our headphones, not to mention that it's been voluntarily supported through album and concert ticket purchases.

This is speech that is not "free." In fact, there is a hefty cost for it—one we all pay. 

Go through this photo gallery, read the lyrics in question and decide for yourself who is guilty. Then let us know which artists and lyrics we've left out.

-Shanell Simmons