Here’s a chat we did not have on our Hip Hop meets pop culture meets Hollywood bingo card. Monica Lewinsky and Halle Berry recently shared a playful social media moment, sparked by their shared presence in the world of hip-hop lyrics—though for very different reasons.
Get this, it all began when 57-year-old Halle Berry responded to a viral post that compiled how frequently her name has been mentioned in rap songs over the years. With a career filled with iconic roles and widespread admiration, Berry welcomed the tribute. “And I appreciate each rap song reference,” she posted on X (formerly Twitter). “What are you guys’ favorite?”
Her funny comment prompted a flurry of responses celebrating her name appearing in tracks by major artists like Kanye West, J. Cole, and Kendrick Lamar—usually as a symbol of elegance, beauty, and cultural impact.
Monica Lewinsky, 51, couldn’t resist joining the conversation with a bit of humor. “Wanna trade?!?” she replied, adding a wink to her comment. Her post lightly alluded to her own recurring name drops in rap, which tend to reference her infamous connection to President Bill Clinton during the late 1990s.
Oh Monica. Good for you to find the humor in it all.
What’s more, while Berry is often celebrated in lyrics, Lewinsky’s mentions have frequently leaned into scandal or innuendo. In a 2015 TED Talk, she estimated her name had been used in about 40 songs. However, an investigation by The Cut the same year found that her name had actually appeared in around 128 tracks, not including remixes. Artists such as Beyoncé (“Partition”), Eminem (“Rap God”), and Nicki Minaj (“Itty Bitty Piggy”) have all referenced her in their work, typically in edgy or provocative ways.
Berry, in contrast, has expressed genuine affection for the way her name has been used in music. During an appearance on Hot Ones, she told host Sean Evans, “I think of these references like my children. There’s no way I could pick one. I love them all.”