,

From Marvin Gaye to Nicki Minaj, These 15 Black Songs Predicted the Future With Spooky Accuracy

These Black artists predicted everything from beating a murder case to the issues of climate change way before it even happened.

Photo: Getty Images Dimitrios Kambouris, Evening Standard, Frazer Harrison

Wouldnโ€™t you like to know the future? Well, if you ever heard any of these songs then you already did! Over the years, musicians have used music to help cope with the harsh realities of their lives, and many of them even gave listeners a glimpse into the future without even knowing it. From Nicki Minaj and Beyoncรฉ to Sean โ€œDiddyโ€ Combs and TLC, these 15 R&B and rap songs strangely predicted the futureโ€” and in some cases, even their own demise. Take a look and be prepared to be spooked!

Video will return here when scrolled back into view
Trump’s Tariffs Might Stick Around. What Should We Buy Now?
Trump’s Tariffs Might Stick Around. What Should We Buy Now?

Snoop Dogg - โ€œMurder Was the Caseโ€

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGFVySHbeqA

California rapper Snoop Dogg almost predicted his own demise with the 1993 song, โ€œMurder Was the Case.โ€ Just as the name suggest, Snoop rapped about beating a murder case, but this was just a couple years before he would actually be facing prison time for the exact same crime. As we all know, Snoop ended up beating the case before reinventing himself as one of Americaโ€™s favorite Hip-Hop uncles. Thirty years after the songโ€™s release, the 53-year-old rapper revealed he feels he manifested his potential demise. On โ€œThe Breakfast Club,โ€ Snoop said โ€œMy life and my freedom was on the line.โ€ He continued, โ€œIt just made me feel like my pen created this.โ€

Zapp - โ€œComputer Loveโ€

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aVa7qVKUHI

Way before online dating was a thing, Zapp, the โ€˜80s funk band, was singing about it on the radio. Their 1985 hit โ€œComputer Loveโ€ detailed falling in love digitally, and in 2025, the song rings true. โ€œNeed a special girl / To share in my computer world / I no longer need a strategy / Thanks to modern technology,โ€ Zapp sang on the song. Now, with apps like Hinge, eharmony and even social media DMs, folks are finding their computer love faster than anyone could imagine.

The Game - โ€œHard Timesโ€

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76GUCcB1vSg

In 2007, California rapper The Game released a song called โ€œHard Timesโ€ where he rapped about President Barack Obama one day capturing Osama bin Laden, the former leader of the al-Qaeda terrorist organization who claimed responsibility for the 9/11 attacks. The Game rapped โ€œIโ€™m feeling like a Black democrat / Barack Obama, the only n**** that can catch Osamaโ€ way before Obama even set foot in the White House. Four years later, in Obamaโ€™s first term, bin Laden was killed by U.S. troops.

Jimi Hendrix - โ€œUp From The Skiesโ€

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wagVqW_cD5c

Way back in 1967, rockstar Jimi Hendrix was warning folks about climate change. His song โ€œUp From The Skiesโ€ was written about an alien that returns to earth to see just how drastically our world has changed. And itโ€™s safe to say heโ€™s disappointed with his findings. โ€œThe smell of a world that has burned / Well, maybe, maybe itโ€™s just a change of climate.โ€ In 2025, his words hold a different weight as growing concerns about climate change continue to loom over the entire globe.

A$AP Rocky - โ€œFashion Killaโ€

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6VfsJ7LAlE

A$AP Rocky is the perfect example of manifesting exactly what you want for your future. In 2013, he dropped โ€œFashion Killaโ€ where he rapped about styling and profiling with his special lady. But specifically, he name dropped the Bajan billionaire saying, โ€œHer attitude Rihanna / She get it from her mama,โ€ which means so much more now as he and RiRi have a beautiful family with two children and another on the way. The song continued saying, โ€œBut she save it so our babies will be flyer than their parents.โ€ It looks like Rocky got his wish!

Diddy - โ€œLetโ€™s Get Itโ€

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdXdehsdO_o

If ever there was a time for Sean โ€œDiddyโ€ Combs to regret his past lyrics, itโ€™s right now as heโ€™s facing serious prison time for alleged human trafficking and racketeering. In 2001, Diddy featured on โ€œLetโ€™s Get It,โ€ a song all about money and power. But now, Combsโ€™ second verse takes a different light as heโ€™s in the middle of a federal trial. On the song, he rapped, โ€œAyo, call me Diddy, I run this city / Send the cops, the D.A. and Feds to come get me / Cats wanna leave me for dead you coming with me.โ€

Beyoncรฉ - โ€œRun the World (Girls)โ€

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBmMU_iwe6U

Beyoncรฉ broke the internet in 2011 with her womenโ€™s empowerment anthem, โ€œRun the World.โ€ The song came out one year before the queen gave birth to her first-born daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, but she was already talking about the strength of a mother in the 2011 song. โ€œWe smart enough to make these millions / Strong enough to bear the children / Then get back to business,โ€ she sang. After Blue Ivy was born, Beyoncรฉ went on a musical run that seemingly hasnโ€™t stopped. From the surprise release of her self-titled album to โ€œLemonade,โ€ the singer kept raising the bar for herself after. Then, she did it all again after her twins, Rumi and Sir, were born in 2017.

Tupac - โ€œIf I Die 2niteโ€

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDllENVj8Kk

Just one year before he was tragically gunned down, rapper Tupac recorded the song โ€œIf I Die 2nite,โ€ which, as it suggests, details what he wants to happen when he dies. The track was for his 1995 project titled โ€œMe Against The World,โ€ the second to last album he would ever release. In the song, the rapper says, โ€œI hope they bury me and send me to my rest / Headlines reading โ€˜Murdered to death / My last breath.โ€ And months later, Tupac would meet an eerily similar fate.

Busta Rhymes - โ€œAgainst All Oddsโ€

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrlX1Gj17cY

Honestly, we could go on and on about rappers who unknowingly predicted the tragedy of 9/11, and Rapper Busta Rhymes is on the list! On his song, โ€œAgainst All Odds,โ€ he rapped, โ€œNone of you n****s really wanna war / The type to fly a plane into your building in the name of Allahโ€ in 1998, just four years before the twin towers went down. And to make matter worse, the cover of his album โ€œExtinction Level Event: The Final World Frontโ€ depicts New York City being blitzed by bombs. After the 9/11 attacks, many folks drew comparisons between Bustaโ€™s album and the infamous event.

Miguel โ€“ โ€œNowโ€

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eFL1zzGK8o

In 2017, Miguel had all the smoke for President Donald Trump. On his record โ€œNow,โ€ the singer called out the then-45th president for his continuous plans to build a border wall and more. โ€œCEO of the free world now / Should we teach our children hatred? / Chase the inner cities, shoot them down /Itโ€™s like weโ€™re still running races,โ€ he sang. As we all know now, Trump was welcomed for a second term in 2024. Now, he has plans to finish exactly what he started... exactly what Miguel warned and predicted.

Jay-Z - โ€œPicassoโ€

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dp5sm0u_wrg

The Hip-Hop mogul has never shied away from speaking his mind and using his music to manifest what he wants, but the 2013 track โ€œPicasso Babyโ€ took things to a new level when he manifested his own billionaire status. โ€œOh what a feeling / f**k it I want a billion,โ€ he rapped. And just six years later, Jay would get his wish after he was officially named a billionaire in 2019.

Nicki Minaj - โ€œWe Miss Youโ€

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JMcTgSWwCM

Nicki Minajโ€™s song โ€œWe Miss Youโ€ was released soon after her cousin, Nicholas Telemaque, was shot and killed in 2011, but the record was actually recorded before the tragedy took place. โ€œWhyโ€™d you have to leave in July? / Why would they take you from me? / Why the doctors could not stop the bleeding? / I couldโ€™ve told you all about my intuition /I couldโ€™ve even brought the extra ammunition,โ€ she rapped.

TLC - โ€œWaterfallsโ€

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WEtxJ4-sh4

One of TLCโ€™s biggest hits, โ€œWaterfalls,โ€ is nothing but straight warnings and predictions for folks that canโ€™t get their act right. Beginning with the implications of gang life for young Black men, T-Boz sang about a mother having to mourn her son after heโ€™s killed while selling drugs. โ€œAll the praying just ainโ€™t helping at all / โ€˜Cause he canโ€™t seem to keep his self out of trouble / So, he goes out, and he makes his money the best way he know how /Another body laying cold in the gutter / Listen to me.โ€ In 2025, with the rise of trap music and ganger culture, this is unfortunately a reality for many Black mothers and sons in cities like Chicago, Atlanta and Washington, D.C.

Kanye West - โ€œGold Diggerโ€

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vwNcNOTVzY

Kanyeโ€™s 2005 hit โ€œGold Diggerโ€ was meant to warn Black men about women only after them for their money, but two decades later, it seems Mr. West fell victim to a similar fate. Weโ€™re not saying his billionaire ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, is a gold digger... but just take a look at some incriminating lyrics from the song: โ€œShe got one of your kids, got you for 18 years / His baby mamma car and crib is bigger than his... My psychic told me sheโ€™ll have a a** like Serena, Trina, Jennifer Lopez, four kids / And I gotta take all they bad asses to ShowBiz?โ€ It seems these lyrics paint a picture of Westโ€™s relationship with Kardashian. At this very moment, the two are in the midst of a custody brawl.

Marvin Gaye โ€“ โ€œWhatโ€™s Going Onโ€

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-kA3UtBj4M

Marvin Gaye was on to something... Because whatโ€™s really going on in the world?! The 1971 song details a Vietnam veteran returning to the U.S. in pure confusion and frustration about the state of the Black community and politics. And 50 years later, many of the same issues still plague the countryโ€” especially Black folks. โ€œPicket lines and picket signs / Donโ€™t punish me with brutality... Whatโ€™s going on,โ€ he sang. After the 1992 L.A. riots, the BLM protests after Michael Brownโ€™s murder and the 2020 protests after George Floyd was killed, it seems Gayeโ€™s question still havenโ€™t been answered.

Notorious B.I.G. - โ€œSuicidal Thoughtsโ€

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1mKGlYL9jg

On the 1994 track โ€œSuicidal Thoughts,โ€ Biggie Smalls get serious about thoughts of taking his own life. โ€œI swear to God I feel like death is f*****g calling me / But nah, you wouldnโ€™t understand / N***a, talk to me please, man,โ€ he rapped. In 1997, just three years after the songโ€™s release, Biggie was shot and killed in California. Although he ultimately met a different fate than what the song suggests, the lyrics bear eerie similarities to his ultimate demise.

Straight From The Root

Sign up for our free daily newsletter.

Latest from The Root

Our Fave Moments From A$AP Rocky's Fashion Show During Paris Men's Fashion Week

Our Fave Moments From A$AP Rocky’s Fashion Show During Paris Men’s Fashion Week

The rapper showed of the latest AWGE collection at a Paris Fashion Week show ...
15 Sneaky Moves Pulled by Trump That'll Have A Grave Impact On You

15 Sneaky Moves Pulled by Trump That’ll Have A Grave Impact On You

From cutting the Job Corps to sneaking in scary artificial intelligence regulation, many fear Trump is trying to distract Americans with an onslaught of questionable moves ...

Three Friends Were Headed To A Beyoncรฉ Concert, But One  Dies On the Way. Guess What The Other Two Did Next?

Three Friends Were Headed To A Beyoncรฉ Concert, But One Dies On the Way. Guess What The Other Two Did Next?

A group of friends who experienced tragedy on their way to a Cowboy Carter show have sparked a viral debate about what would keep fans from seeing Queen Bey ...
This White Singer Sang This Chaka Khan Iconic Hit and Black Internet Lost Its Mind

This White Singer Sang This Chaka Khan Iconic Hit and Black Internet Lost Its Mind

Once Hayley Williams' clip began to make the rounds on social media, a lot of Black folks had a myriad of reactions! Let's get into it ...
Will Smith Just Brought Up the Chris Rock Oscars Slap And He Doesn't Seem Sorry ...Anymore

Will Smith Just Brought Up the Chris Rock Oscars Slap And He Doesn’t Seem Sorry …Anymore

It looks like the "Fresh Prince" star is feeling a bit differently about it than before and we've got the tea to prove it! ...
Angela Bassett arrives for the 74th Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California, on September 12, 2022. Photo: Getty Images Chris Delmas / AFP

8 Black Actors Who Got Their Start in August Wilson Plays

Some of our greatest actors have appeared in the prolific playwright's shows on and Off Broadway ...
Many Believe This Prophecy That Predicts the Return of Christ Is Coming True ...Thanks Trump ...

Many Believe This Prophecy That Predicts the Return of Christ Is Coming True …Thanks Trump …

Whether you're religious or not, we know the stories of Sodom and Gomorrah and Noah's Ark, but how about the one predicting Jesus' return? ...
50 Cent is Being Dragged Over This Super-Shady Move Toward NYC Mayor Hopeful Zohran Mamdani

50 Cent is Being Dragged Over This Super-Shady Move Toward NYC Mayor Hopeful Zohran Mamdani

50 Cent doesn't shy away from the beef, so after Zohran Mamdani name-dropped him, the 49-year-old took to Instagram to get some things off his chest ...
Why Nelly, Ashanti's New Show Has the Internet Annoyed and Angry

Why Nelly, Ashanti’s New Show Has the Internet Annoyed and Angry

While some fans were excited to get an up-close and personal look at the couple, others weren't too pleased at what they saw ...
Amazing Story Behind Why Money Dropped From The Sky To a Black Detroit Neighborhood

Amazing Story Behind Why Money Dropped From The Sky To a Black Detroit Neighborhood

The son of a local car wash owner helped his father share his final wish with the community he loved ...
Enough Beyoncรฉ! For The Sake of Your of Your Kids, Safety of Fans, Stop Riding That Flying Car

Enough Beyoncรฉ! For The Sake of Your of Your Kids, Safety of Fans, Stop Riding That Flying Car

The singer was almost seriously injured on Saturday night. Time to let the car go ...
Black Internet Cheered 'Pop The Balloon' Contestant's  Clap back To A Male Panelist's Remarks About Black, Female Hair

Black Internet Cheered ‘Pop The Balloon’ Contestant’s Clap back To A Male Panelist’s Remarks About Black, Female Hair

Black social media cheered the female panelist on for her bold clapback towards this male contestant's insensitive remarks ...
Why Kountry Wayne's Latest Episode is a Reminder That Black Women Never Get the Grace Black Men Do

Why Kountry Wayne’s Latest Episode is a Reminder That Black Women Never Get the Grace Black Men Do

The popular internet soap opera sees a Black woman get dragged in the comments...while her equally trashy Black male equivalent skates off ...
Black Twitter Reacts to Trump Crushing on a Beautiful Black Woman In The Oval Office

Black Twitter Reacts to Trump Crushing on a Beautiful Black Woman In The Oval Office

The Black reporter was beautiful, but did President Trump have to make her looks front and center? ...
The Best Black TV Shows, Movies on Hulu to Stream

The Best Black TV Shows, Movies on Hulu to Stream

We rounded up a handful of the newest and best Black TV shows and movies currently streaming right now ...
Joy Reid: Fascism is Coming, Whether You Voted For it or Not

Joy Reid: Fascism is Coming, Whether You Voted For it or Not

EXCLUSIVE: The host of "The Joy Reid Show" gave us some real talk about the Trump agenda ...
Trump's Tariffs Might Stick Around. What Should We Buy Now?

Trump’s Tariffs Might Stick Around. What Should We Buy Now?

Buying a car or a phone? Hereโ€™s what to know about tariffs in 2025, according to Marketplace's Kimberly Adams ...
Why Halle Berry's Latest Post Is Sparking Hilarious Britney Spears Comparisons

Why Halle Berry’s Latest Post Is Sparking Hilarious Britney Spears Comparisons

The Oscar-winning star has never shied away from baring it all on social media, and her latest post certainly has people talking! ...
When A White Woman Was Told She Could Not Be Harriet Tubman In a Play, She Took Matters Into Her Own Hands

When A White Woman Was Told She Could Not Be Harriet Tubman In a Play, She Took Matters Into Her Own Hands

The longtime actress simply wanted to portray influential historical figures, but things unfortunately went South. Let's get into it! ...
Diddy's Daughters' Tearful Exit From Trial Ignites Black America's Outcry

Diddy’s Daughters’ Tearful Exit From Trial Ignites Black America’s Outcry

Video of Diddy's daughters circulated the internet, and just as folks continue to share their thoughts on the trial, the girls were also subjected to the public's court of opinions ...