On her 2016 EP, Coconut Oil, Lizzo elevates feeling good about yourself to an art form, all while proclaiming that self-care is not a luxury but a necessity—especially for the strong black women to whom the album is dedicated.
“A lot of my fans are backpackers and white kids, but as much as I love that, when I got to tour with SZA, I saw black women in the audience, and the way they connected with my music was different than I had experienced,” she told Rolling Stone, explaining the origin story behind Coconut Oil‘s title track.
It’s a glittery and unabashed major-label debut, with six raucous tracks giddily mingling gospel, house, R&B, and soul with clever, sexy, wily rhymes. Coconut Oil isn’t asking you, it’s telling you: Love me for who I am, or I’m out the door.