For a genre that has always held a mirror to society, it is no surprise that Hip Hop and R&B have long reflected on humanity’s treatment of the Earth. From soulful warnings about pollution to urgent bars on water crises and climate change, artists have used their platforms to speak to the planet’s cries for help. While Earth Day might not bring out protest tracks in the same way as elections or police brutality, there’s a deep catalog of music that captures the urgency and pain of environmental degradation.
This list honors seven standout songs that should be on rotation every April 22 — or any day you want to be reminded of our duty to the world around us. Some are somber, some uplifting and one or two might be considered downright unexpected. But together, they tell a story: Hip-Hop and R&B can be protest, prayer and planet-loving poetry all at once.
1. Earth Song – Michael Jackson
Few songs captured the emotional scope of planet’s health like Michael Jackson’s “Earth Song.” Released on HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I, it’s one of the most dramatic environmental anthems ever created. MJ pleaded with mankind to recognize the damage done to forests, animals and the natural world. It’s spiritual, political and explicitly apocalyptic.
The music video added to the song’s power by showing war-torn villages, burning rainforests and dying wildlife, all while Jackson sang from a place of raw anguish. When he yells, “What about us,” it’s less rhetorical and more like a soulful indictment.
2. S.O.S. (Mother Nature) – will.i.am
will.i.am doesn’t get enough credit for how futuristic his eco-conscious music was early on. On “S.O.S. (Mother Nature),” from his Songs About Girls project, he played the role of a planetary whistleblower. Backed by his own production, he mourned climate change, natural disasters and the greed behind environmental decay.
He directly called out the powers that be over “corruption and bulls**t politics.” The tone was dark, the delivery was passionate and it stood out as one of the few mainstream Hip Hop adjacent tracks to speak about ecological collapse in such a literal way.
3. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) – Marvin Gaye
Released on the timeless What’s Going On, Marvin Gaye’s “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)” was one of the earliest R&B songs to speak directly to the destruction of the environment. It’s elegant but heart-wrenching — Gaye crooned about poisoned waters, overcrowded cities and a dying natural world.
Gaye’s signature falsetto added a softness to the tragedy, and the production made the warning feel universal. The word “ecology” wasn’t exactly common in R&B at the time, and Gaye’s decision to place it right in the title signaled how ahead of the curve he was.
4. Trouble In The Water – Common
Part of the HOME (Heal.Our.Mother.Earth) compilation curated by Malik Yusef, “Trouble in the Water” was Common at his most urgent. He was joined by a collective of voices — including Choklate, Kumasi and Aaron Fresh — who each highlighted a different environmental injustice, from poisoned drinking water to climate displacement.
What separated this track from many others was its fusion of Hip Hop and spoken word. Common didn't rap so much as testify, and the layered vocals felt like a community sermon. One striking line cut through: “We think our opponent is overseas / But we’re messing with mother nature’s ovaries.”
5. Earth – Lil Dicky
It might be the most unexpected song on this list, but Lil Dicky’s “Earth” is one of the most high-profile Earth Day tracks out. Released as a charity single to support climate initiatives, the song featured an all-star cast voicing animals — Justin Bieber as a baboon, Ariana Grande as a zebra and so on.
While the lyrics were silly, the mission was not. Lil Dicky managed to blend humor with activism in a way that actually stuck. “Earth” was fun enough for kids but informative enough for adults, breaking down global warming, deforestation and pollution in digestible, meme-worthy ways. It’s not a traditional Hip Hop record by any means, but it was a great example of how the genre can play a role in mainstream environmental messaging, especially when targeting younger generations (vulgarity aside).
6. Planet Earth – Prince
On this often-overlooked title track from his album of the same name, Prince blended spirituality and science fiction to express awe and fear about the state of the planet. The track opened with the late musician’s one-of-a-kind vibes and slowly built into a slow-burning rock-soul hybrid that felt like it was coming from another galaxy.
Prince warned of climate change — “Imagine holding Planet Earth in the palm of your hand / With no regard for your place of birth, or claim to any land” — but also offered a sense of personal accountability. His tone was haunting, yet oddly hopeful.
The track was given away for free in The Mail on Sunday newspaper in the U.K., a bold move that prioritized message over profit. In classic Prince fashion, he did it his way — with elegance and defiance.
7. New World Water – Mos Def/Yasiin Bey
This was arguably the sharpest environmental track in Hip Hop history. Found on Black on Both Sides, Mos Def (or Yasiin Bey) used “New World Water” to school listeners on the commodification and pollution of water. He broke it all the way down: Corporate privatization, drought, contamination and the hypocrisy of selling bottled water as clean while communities suffer.
Mos kept it clever, too: “Used to be free, now it cost you a fee / 'Cause oil tankers spill they load as they roam across the sea.” He called out governments, advertisers and consumers alike, showing how water has become just another pawn in a profit-driven world.