BEST NEW SONG: LIZZO - BOYS

Minneapolis rapper Lizzo smashes gender double standards and stereotypes on "Boys."

People love to throw around sweeping statements about groups of people, about both how they are as well as how they're supposed to be. "Men are dogs," they'll say. "Women are jealous by nature," others will counter. Neither one could possibly be anywhere close to the truth. Making a true statement about a group comprising roughly 3.5 billion people on Earth would require an expert-level extended calculation formula and would most likely be so pointless as to not say anything at all about the actual member of the group. 

Prohibitive stereotypes are annoying, in the best popular circumstances, and downright damaging to those that don't fit the mold. For everyone who spouts "Women are nurturing," some lady somewhere will judge and question herself because she doesn't want kids. "Men are aggressive and competitive," others will say, and some shy young man somewhere will question whether or not they ever are a man. Not to mention all the social signaling happening around them questioning that very same thing. 

Quite simply, we need more gender nonconforming people to step out of the shadows and say, "I do not fit into your tidy box." Which is exactly what's happening on the funky, fun, fresh new single from Minneapolis' Lizzo, "Boys."

"Women are monogamous by nature," is one of those old chestnuts that gets tossed around a great deal, as if humans were as predictable as penguins or skinks. Sure, many women prefer having one mate at a time. Same thing is true for a lot of guys. It's a nonsensical, abstract, pointless statistical statement, at the end of the day, that doesn't do anybody any good. 

Women can be every bit as horny and detached about sex and hookups as men. Lizzo tells us all about in "Boys," along with a hilarious and also quite stylish b&w video. 

LIZZO - BOYS 

Lizzo is pretty straightforward about what she likes and looks for in a man. She's most definitely not looking to settle down, it doesn't seem. She's a player, and unapologetic about that fact, but she doesn't seem to be objectifying her playpals. If anything, she's throwing out a laundry list and litany of the beautiful men that she sometimes shares a bed (or bathroom, or wherever) with. 

She just knows what she likes, has a healthy appetite for life and love, and isn't afraid to go after what she wants. 

Musically, "Boys" has a throwback greasy, muscular 70s funk vibe going on - slinking, popping basslines and garage funk organ breaks. It brings to mind Beyonce's "Freedom," from her self-titled record, with Jack White. Maybe we're fumbling towards a new decade of freaky free-love and abandon. Lord knows we've got our own Vietnam's and Watergate's.

Ironically, in her lustful range, Lizzo actually frees the men she gets with from the expectations of toxic masculinity. "I like a big beard, I like a clean face

I don't discriminate, come and get a taste." So much of what's wrong with this world is men and women trying to shove themselves into restrictive boxes and then exploding when their peg doesn't fit. Lizzo shows a genuine fondness and understanding for guys of all spectrums and walks of life. 

Let's extend the courtesy the other way, shall we? Let's welcome every shade and spectrum of personality and expression without telling people what they are or aren't. Let's give each other the benefit of the doubt, shall we? We Are: The Guard are all about the crossover, breaking down battlelines so we can get together and groove.