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Top Socially Conscious Songs of the Year - Music has played an integral role in American society especially in African-American culture. In the 1800s, hymns were uses to tell stories of freedom and pain, and during the civil rights movement, music provided a guide map toward equality. Take a look at some powerful song lyrics of 2013 that sparked conversations and made headlines across the nation. — Dominique Zonyéé(Photos: Joseph Okpako/Getty Images; Charles Eshelman/FilmMagic/Getty Images; Taylor Hill/WireImage/Getty Images; Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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Black Skinhead - “They see a black man with a white woman And at the top floor they gon' come to kill King Kong Middle America packed in Came to see me in my black skin Number one question they askin F--k every question you askin”(Photo: Courtesy of Def Jam Records)

Photo By Photo: Courtesy of Def Jam Records

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Kanye West - When Kanye West was getting ready to drop Yeezus, the album title alone sparked controversy. But when his debut single “Black Skinhead” went viral, it sparked conversations about race, interracial dating and civil rights. (Photo: Taylor Hill/WireImage/Getty Images)

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"Crooked Smile" - “To all the women with the flaws, know it's hard my darling You wonder why you're lonely and your man's not calling You keep falling victim cause you're insecure And when I tell you that you're beautiful you can't be sure”(Photo: Courtesy of ROC NATION)

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J. Cole - J. Cole’s single “Crooked Smile,” from his sophomore album, Born Sinner, allowed Cole to bring to light some of society’s most debated issues. The lyrics not only served as positive reinforcements for women who were victims of violence, but the music video was also dedicated to seven-year-old Aiyana Stanley Jones, who was shot and killed in 2010 by a Detroit police officer in a drug bust gone bad.  (Photo: Steve Jennings/Getty Images)

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"Oceans" Featuring Frank Ocean - “The oil spill that BP ain't clean up I'm anti Santa Maria Only Christopher we acknowledge is Wallace I don't even like Washington’s in my pocket Black card go hard when I'm shopping Boat dock in front of Hermès picking cotton Silk and fleeces, lay on my Jesus Oh my God, I hope y'all don't get sea sick”(Photo: Courtesy of Roc Nation)

Photo By Photo: RocNation

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Jay Z - Jay Z has a way with words, which is why he is arguably one of the greatest lyricists alive. While Hov is known to drop a triple entendre or two, it took him until the release of his 12th album, Magna Carta Holy Grail, to dedicate an entire song to racial issues. On “Oceans,” Jay Z builds a bridge between slavery and his luxurious lifestyle.(Photos: Joseph Okpako/Getty Images; Mats Andersson/WENN.com)

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“Accidental Racist” - “I’m just a white man (If you don’t judge my do-rag) Comin’ to you from the southland (I won’t judge your red flag) Tryin’ to understand what it’s like not to be I’m proud of where I’m from (If you don’t judge my gold chains) But not everything we’ve done (I’ll forget the iron chains) it ain’t like you and me can re-write history (Can’t re-write history baby)”(Photo: Courtesy of Arista Nashville)

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Brad Paisley and LL Cool J - The mash-up between country star Brad Paisley and Grammy Award-winning rapper LL Cool J drew red flags from nearly every critic in America. How can someone be an accidental racist? Although LL and Paisley claimed their hearts were in the right place, many people deemed it as a poor way to bridge the gap between the racist South and Black America.(Photo: Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Clear Channel)

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"Karate Chop Remix" - “Pop a lot of pain pills Bout to put rims on my skateboard wheels Beat that p---y up like Emmett Till Yeah....”(Photo: Courtesy of Epic Records)

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Furture and Lil Wayne - Weezy’s offensive lyrics about Emmett Till, a 14-year-old Black boy who was brutally murdered in 1955 for allegedly “flirting with a white woman,” ignited backlash from the Till family and more. Although Tunechi apologized to the Till family, his lyrical snafu cost him his contract with Pepsi Co as the spokesman for Mountain Dew.(Photos: Johnny Nunez/Getty Images; Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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“'U.O.E.N.O.” - "Put Molly all in her champagneShe ain't even know itI took her home and I enjoyed thatShe ain't even know it”(Photo: Courtesy of A1)

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Rocko, Future and Rick Ross - Rick Ross offended rape victims across the nation and he didn’t even know it. Rocko’s song “U.O.E.N.O” became an infamous hit when Ricky Rozay’s lyrics about lacing a woman’s drink with drugs sparked activists to demand that Reebok fire him as the spokesman. Ultimately, the MMG boss lost his deal and several artists chimed in to discuss the controversial issue.(Photo: Charles Eshelman/FilmMagic/Getty Images)

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“New Slaves” - “My momma was raised in an era when Clean water was only served to the fairer skin Doing clothes you would have thought I had help But they wasn't satisfied unless I picked the cotton myself. You see it’s broke n---a racism That's that "Don't touch anything in the store" And there's rich n---a racism That's that "Come here, please buy more" What you want a Bentley, fur coat and diamond chain? All you blacks want all the same things”(Photo: Courtesy of Roc-a-Fella Records)

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Kanye West - Although he has his share of publicized rants, he never ceases to enlighten his audience with catchy rhymes saturated in satire and blatant truths. With “New Slaves,” another single off Yeezus, Kanye West addressed the African-American addiction to materialism and other issues that are inadvertent remnants of the American slave trade.(Photo: Ronin 47/Splash News)

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“It’s a Cold World – A Trayvon Martin Tribute” - “I'm losin' homies everyday, I'm like please somebody else If nothin' else n---a, I'mma do it for Trayvon That's on a stack of Bibles, least two or three Qurans And what about ?? murked my n---a at a wing stand Eight years in the feds, and he came home a changed man It's a cold world”(Photo: Courtesy of Def Jam Records)

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Young Jeezy - When George Zimmerman was acquitted for the murder of Trayvon Martin, the nation, particularly Black America, was outraged at the lack of justice for the slain teen. While many Americans took to social media to voice their frustration, Young Jeezy took to rapping on “It’s a Cold World – A Trayvon Martin Tribute” to describe how gun violence has affected him.(Photo: Mark Davis/Getty Images for BET)

Photo By Photo: Mark Davis/Getty Images for BET

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"You" - “You aint gonna let me f--k and I feel you, But you gone suck my d--k or I’ll kill you…”(Photo: Courtesy of Glory Boyz Entertainment)

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Chief Keef - Rapper Chief Keef made his share of headlines in 2013 for several arrests, baby mama drama and more. But Keef set the Internet off when he rapped about murdering a girl if she failed to perform oral sex on him. He even went so far as to tweet the line as well. (Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)

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"No Guns Allowed" - “Let the music play, me don't want no more gunplay When the bodies hit the ground, there's nothing left to say, ay, ay Me don't want to see no more innocent blood shed Me don't want to see no more youth dead Come hear me now”(Photo: Courtesy of RCA)

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Snoop Dogg - This was the year of the Lion — Snoop Lion that is. Snoop released his first reggae album, making a 180-turn from his “Gin n’ Juice” and DoggyStyle days. Snoop’s “No Guns Allowed” was so powerful that it sparked an anti-gun initiative led by the League of Young Voters Education Fund.(Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for BET)

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"Chum" - “It's probably been twelve years since my father left, left me fatherless And I just used to say I hate him in dishonest jest When honestly I miss this n---a, like when I was six And every time I got the chance to say it I would swallow it Sixteen, I'm hollow, intolerant, skipped shots I storm that whole bottle, I'll show you a role model I'm drunk pissy pissing on somebody front lawn”(Photo: Courtesy of Sony Music)

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Earl Sweatshirt - Earl Sweatshirt, a member of the hip hop collective Odd Future, dropped his sophomore album Doris in 2013 to critical acclaim. On “Chum,” Sweatshirt exposes his personal struggles with using alcohol to mask the pain the absence of his father caused him, being raised by a single mother and being an interracial child in America.  (Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)