Hip-Hop’s Finest: 30 Great Rap Lyrics

Some MCs give us fun turns of phrases, others rap words that we live by to this day. We use lyrics to get pumped up, to remind ourselves everything is going to be OK or simply to write captions on Instagram. Lyrics, some would say, are not always what makes a song great. Some rappers say too much, others too little. But whether it’s the way the artist said it or the actual content, lyrics that stay with us long after the song is over are some of the best ways to determine their greatness.

In honor of African-American Music Appreciation Month, we asked three tastemakers—all of whom have long relationships with hip-hop, both as fans and as people who have made their careers working in the culture—a simple but challenging question: What are your 10 favorite lyrics of all time? Some of the rhymes were couplets, others were whole verses. Some were even straightforward one-liners. Read their responses and then let us know your favorite rhymes.

HARRY ALLEN Twitter: @harryallen Allen is a hip-hop activist and “media assassin” who publishes the blog Media Assassin at harryallen.info. He writes about race, politics and culture, and has been doing so for more than 25 years. Currently, he is touring colleges and universities presenting “Shooting the Enemy,” a multimedia lecture featuring photos he shot of Public Enemy’s members in the early 1980s.

ARTIST: Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five SONG: “Superappin’” (1979) LYRICS: “Italian, Caucasian, Japanese, Spanish, Indian, Negro, Vietnamese MCs, disc jockeys, To all the fly kids and the young ladies …”

ARTIST Brother J, X Clan SONG: “Heed the Word of the Brother”  (1990) LYRIC: “Funk is a force I exert …"

ARTIST: Chuck D, Public Enemy SONG: “Brothers Gonna Work It Out” (1990) LYRICS: “In 1995, you'll twist to this As you raise your fist to the music United we stand, yes, divided we fall Together we can stand tall”

ARTIST: Jay Z SONG: “Brooklyn’s Finest” (1996) LYRIC: “I’m from Marcy, I’m varsity, chump, you’re JV (Jigga) Jay Z”

ARTIST: Grand Puba, Brand Nubian SONG: “Brand Nubian” (1989) LYRICS: “Now if this falls short I’ll try harder A wisdom to me is someone like Assata I’d like to say peace to Bambaata Tasa Kuma, Achmed, and Kenyatta Brothers that’ll fight for the cause And they live in the boundaries of the righteous laws To put it exact dominant means black But some have a hard time trying to swallow that Now we have some that are fake Wearing blue eyes and green eyes, come on gimme a break Brand Nubian here to wake up Take off the makeup cause all it’ll do is cake up Just be real that’s how I feel Brand Nubian”

ARTIST: Big Daddy Kane SONG: “Ain’t No Half-Steppin’” (1988) LYRICS: “Rappers stepping to me, they want to get some But I’m the Kane, so yo, you know the outcome”

ARTIST: Pep Love, Hieroglyphics SONG: “Miles to the Sun” (1998) LYRICS: “Mine’s just beginning and I’m intending to infinitely exist like this Taking it to another dimension Discovering I got style with a twist consistently Distant from the brother uttering other nonsenses We gotta keep ya brain cells fluttering …”

ARTIST: Guru, Gang Starr SONG: “You Know My Steez” (1998) LYRICS: “The rejected stone is now the cornerstone Sort of like the master builder when I make my way home”

ARTIST: Rakim SONG: “Know the Ledge” (1992) LYRICS: "Shells lay around on the battleground Dead bodies are found throughout the town Tried to put shame in my game to make a name I’mma put it on a bullet, put it in your brain”

ARTIST: Saafir SONG: “3 Card Molly” (by Xzibit, 1998) LYRICS: “Keep tryin’ to go gold But all you’re gettin’ is a golden shower”

DATWON THOMAS Twitter: @Daydog Instagram: @Datwon Datwon Thomas is the founder of King Magazine, former editor-in-chief of XXL magazine, former executive editor for Vibe and currently heads up Respect magazine. He loves hip-hop and found this assignment to be harder than it seemed when he accepted the challenge. His favorite debut verse is Nas’ “Live at the Barbeque.”

ARTIST: Kendrick Lamar SONG: “Cut You Off (To Grow Closer)” (2010) LYRICS: “See what I was taught, family is all I need But indeed, them too can run me right up a tree Constantly talking s—t ‘bout the next relative Wanting me to take sides, but I’d never give in Ever since grandma died everyone parted ways Argue on holidays, left my uncle in prison For 15 years, no one paid him attention but moms Yeah, my momma as loyal as any sister would come Come to my house just to yap about your own people Dang, and if your blood wasn’t running through my veins I would probably cut y’all off, too, yep”

ARTIST: Phonte, Little Brother SONG: “Whatever You Say” (2003) LYRICS: “I usually play the background, you know clean cut Soft spoken well dressed dipped out straight chillin When I’m in the club yo, sipping the Sprite with the Ill lemon mixed in it sippin’ on it I was just chillin’ Til I saw you, that’s when my heart stopped knees gave Head sweating jaws locked I was sweating you Like g—damn girl you got a n—ga going buck wild Mesmerized star struck I was thinking maybe We can go out like to the movies or the Applebee’s Blockbuster, state fair but you looked at me and Said f—k that you just a herb with no money and No Jeep and no condo and I thought that Little Brother Had a record deal, OK I see where you going now Want a sweat a n—ga when you think he got a cash advance And some personal time but f—k that I got your head still bobbin’ and my verse didn’t rhyme So it’s whatever girl”

ARTIST: Nas SONG: “Rewind” (2001) LYRICS: “The bullet goes back in the gun The bullet hole’s closing this chest of a n—ga Now he back to square one Screaming, ‘Shoot, don’t please’ I put my fifth back on my hip It’s like a VCR rewinding a hit He put his hands back on his b—ch My caravan doors open up I jumped back in the van and closed it shut Going reverse, slowly prepared My n—ga Jungle utters out something crazy like, "Go, he there" Sitting in back of this chair, we hitting the roach The smoke goes back in the blunt, the blunt gets bigger in growth Jungle unrolls it, put his weed back in the jar The blunt turns back into a cigar We listen to Stevie, it sounded like heavy metal fans Spinning records backwards of AC/DC I give my n—gas dap, jump out the van back first…”

ARTIST: LL Cool J SONG:: “Rampage”  (by EPMD, 1990) LYRICS: “The Ripper, the master, the overlordian Playing MCs like a old accordion I get the inspiration from unnecessary station Them sayin’ I was vacationin’ You can't quote with your weaker throat Tryin to sneak a peek at how I freak the notes Major MCs become minor B-flats So retire the mic, get your chains and your bats Here’s your chance to advance, get in your stance I shoot the holster off your cowboy pants Pure entertainment, tonight’s your arraignment You’re guilty—face down on the pavement!”

ARTIST: Ice Cube SONG: “Color Blind” (1991) LYRICS: “Here’s another day at the stoplight I'm lookin’ in my mirror so I can see who can see me South Central is puttin’ Ice Cube to the test With four brothas in the SS I can’t go around and can’t back up So I gotta peep game layin in the cut Is this a jack or a kidnap? Since I’m never ever slippin’ fully strapped I grab my gat out the glove Do these fools got a problem with me? Or do they got love? So when the light turns green, I don’t bone out I wanna see what these black men are all about Cuz if it’s my time, I'm just short If not, I'm pluggin’ they Super Sport First they get behind my ride … Then they switch lanes to the left side I’m scopin’ out the one smokin’ indo Comin’ up fast, rollin’ down his window He threw up a sign, I put away my nine Fool, cuz I’m color blind.”

ARTIST: Gang Starr SONG: “Moment of Truth” (1998) LYRICS: “They say it's lonely at the top, in whatever you do You always gotta watch motherf—kers around you Nobody’s invincible, no plan is foolproof We all must meet our moment of truth.

ARTIST: Big Daddy Kane SONG: “The Symphony” (by Marley Marl, 1988) LYRICS: “And battlin’ me is hazardous to health, so put a quarter in your ass, cuz ya played yourself Like a game in the arcade. You need a far aid. I’m walkin’ the path that Allah made”

ARTIST: Jay Electronica SONG:  “Exhibit C” (2009) LYRICS: “They call me Jay Electronica—f—k that. Call me Jay ElecHannukah, Jay ElecYarmulke Jay ElecRamadaan Muhammad A’salaamaleikum

RasoulAllah Subhanahu wa ta’ala through your monitor My Uzi still weighs a ton check the barometer I’m hotter than the muthaf—kin’ sun; check the thermometer I’m bringing ancient mathematics back to modern man.”

ARTIST: Jay Z and the Notorious B.I.G. SONG: “Brooklyn’s Finest” (1996) LYRICS: Jay Z “Peep the style and the way the cops sweat us (uh-huh) The number one question is can the feds get us (uh-huh) I got vendettas in dice games against ass betters (uh-huh) and n—gas who pump wheels and drive Jettas Take that with ya” Notorious B.I.G “Hit ya, back split ya F—k fist fights and lame scuffles Pillowcase to your face, make the shell muffle Shoot your daughter in the calf muscle F—k a tussle, nickel-plated Sprinkle coke on the floor, make it drug related Most hated” Jay Z “Can’t fade it While y’all pump Willie, I run up in stunts silly Scared, so you sent your little mans to come kill me But on the contrilli, I packs the mack-milli Squeezed off on him, left them paramedics breathin’ soft on him What’s ya name?” Notorious B.I.G. “Who shot ya? Mob ties like Sinatra Peruvians tried to do me in, I ain’t paid them yet Tryin to push 700’s, they ain’t made them yet Rolex and bracelets is frostbit; rings too N—gas ’round the way call me Igloo—Stick who? Motherf—ker!”

ARTIST: Lupe Fiasco SONG: “Little Weapon” (2007) LYRICS: “Now little Terry got a gun he got from the store He bought it with the money he got from his chores He robbed a candy shop, told her ‘Lay down on the floor Put the cookies in the bag, take the pennies out the drawer’ Lil’ Khalil got a gun he got from the rebels to kill the infidels and the American devils A bomb on his waist, a mask on his face Prays five times a day and listens to heavy metal Little Alex got a gun he took from his dad that he snuck in the school is his black book bag His black nail polish, black boots, and black hat He gon blow away the bully that just pushed his ass …”

CHUCK CREEKMUR Twitter: @ChuckCreekmur Instagram: @ChuckCreekmur AllHipHop.com co-founder and co-chief excutive, Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur is a cultural critic and pundit who has been featured in Vibe, the Source, Complex and Giant and has been seen and heard on NPR, BET, TVOne, VH1, the E! Channel, MTV, The O’Reilly Factor and New York’s Hot 97 FM.

ARTIST: Jay Z SONG: “U Don’t Know” (2001) LYRICS: “That’s another difference that’s between me and them I smarten up, open the market up One million, two million, three million, four In 18 months, 80 million more Now add that number up with the one I said before You are now lookin’ at one smart black boy Momma ain’t raised no fool Put me anywhere on God’s green earth, I’ll triple my worth Motherf—ker—I, will, not, lose”

ARTIST: Redman SONG: “Time 4 Sum Aksion” (1993) LYRICS: “To show you what type of stuff I’m on You can’t puff or sniff it Because I was born with it”

ARTIST: Chuck D, Public Enemy SONG: “Rebel Without A Pause” (1988) LYRICS: “Smooth—not what I am Rough—‘cause I’m a man”

ARTIST: Eminem SONG: “Remember Me?” (2000) LYRICS: “Sick, sick dreams of picnic scenes Two kids, 16 with M-16’s and 10 clips each And them s—ts reach through six kids each”

ARTIST: DMC, Run-D.M.C. SONG: “Raising Hell” (1986) LYRICS: “The unbelieving receiving prophecy so true I cut the head off the devil and I throw it at you.”

ARTIST: Big Pun SONG: “Twinz (Deep Cover ‘98)” (1998) LYRICS: "Dead in the middle of Little Italy Little did we know that we riddled some middleman who didn’t do diddly"

ARTIST: Onyx, featuring Biohazard SONG: “Judgment Night” (1993) LYRICS: “Capture the rapture, come blackness after! I swear to f—kin’ God I’ll raise hell and make the white man call me master.”

ARTIST: Kool G Rap SONG: “Men at Work” (1989) LYRICS: “I’m alone but my tone is a sharp tune Developing pictures in your brain like a darkroom Rappers are captured and tortured with rapture In 3-D is a G coming at you”

ARTIST: Nas SONG: “Live at the Barbecue” (by Main Source, 1991) LYRICS: “Verbal assassin, my architect pleases When I was 12, I went to hell for snuffing Jesus Nasty Nas is a rebel to America Police murderer, I’m causing hysteria”

ARTIST: The Notorious B.I.G. SONG: “Me & My B—ch” (1994) LYRICS: “And then we lie together, cry together I swear to God, I hope we f—kin’ die together”

Jozen Cummings is a writer living in Harlem, N.Y. You can follow him on Twitter and read his blog, UntilIgetmarried.com.

Jozen Cummings is the author and creator of the popular relationship blog Until I Get Married, which is currently in development for a television series with Warner Bros. He also hosts a weekly podcast with WNYC about Empire called Empire Afterparty, is a contributor at VerySmartBrothas.com and works at Twitter as an editorial curator. Follow him on Twitter.