My favorite rap anthems Apr 11 '05    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet The Bottom Line Good music for good listeners After finishing up my Favorite Rap Albums of All-Time, I decided to list down Rap songs that have been my anthems. Some have been my anthems for the amazing beat, some for the extraordinary lyrics or some for the meaningful meanings of the songs. Whatever it is, I consider these great Rap tunes so tune in: DMX- Who We Be Why?: Alright, this is hands down the best DMX song, yes, its better than Ruff Ryders Anthem. This song always gets me hyped up and takes the anger away from me. He describes the struggled life perfectly, using simple lyrics turned classic. Favorite line: "My mother, my father, I love 'em, I hate 'em/Wish God, I didn't have 'em, but I'm glad that he made 'em" Boogie Down Productions- Elementary Why?: Man, I cannot express how much I love this track. KRS takes the time to take down any whack MC's and represent the real hip-hop (or in this case, Boom Bap, as KRS calls it). He's really onto it here. Here, he proves no one can miss with him. I guess Nelly was just too foolish to mess with the God. Favorite line: "I will emphasize so you will realize and come alive/Never close your eyes, never sleep or you might take a dive" Puff Daddy feat. The Notorious B.I.G. and Busta Rhymes- Victory Why?: To be honest, I absolutely hate Puff Daddy and the whole of Bad Boy (except for Biggie, of course). But for some reason, I'm just hooked on this song. It features pieces taken from the Rocky movie and is full of exceptional lyrics, especially by Biggie. I was actually surprised with the delivery Puff delivers, but Biggie takes the mic here with ease. Favorite line: "Ooops cristal keep spillin sh1t, you overdid it homes/You in the danger zone, you shouldn’t be alone" 2Pac- Keep Ya Head Up Why?: Simply my favorite 2Pac song, I reckon this is one of the best beats because this song is INFLUENTIAL. 2Pac basically changed the way America viewed him by showing love for the women who struggle and tells them to "Keep their heads up". The beat is reminiscing but 2Pac's lyrics outshine by a mile. Favorite line: "I think it's time to kill for our women/Time to heal our women, be real to our women" N.W.A.- F*ck tha Police Why?: I, personally, don't like police. Don't take me as a bad person but the cops have dealed with me a lot, and I seriously don't like how they handle things. Which is why I can relate a lot to this song. I also like this song because N.W.A. made themselves REAL GANGSTAZ by dissing the law enforcement publically, and with no shame. Favorite line: "Ice Cube will swarm/On any muthaf*cka in a blue uniform" Public Enemy- Fight the Power Why?: YES! This is one of my all-time favorites. I love this song to bits because it just always brings back my confidence to stand up for myself. Public Enemy were a real influential group, no doubt about that, and this song is part of the proof. If you ever feel like running things you're way but just can't find the courage, I'm sure this song will find it. Favorite line: "Our freedom of speech is freedom or death/We got to fight the powers that be" Eric B. and Rakim- What's On Your Mind Why?: This became one of my favorite songs for personal reasons. Now, whenever I listen to this song, it always brings my baby girl's face to my head (sorry for being corny but its the truth) and it brightens up my day. I love the beat, one of the best off the CD, and Rakim's more mature voice always makes me want to sing to it. Favorite line: "She turned away, no play, I said ok/You don't really look good, I hope you have a bad day" A Tribe Called Quest- After Hours Why?: Lovin' the production on this CD, Q. Tip delivers excellent lyrics about his favorite time of day- night time (which is my favorite part of the day too). This always brings back memories of good times in the city, which I really love to be at. Favorite line: "Expedition for the song is simp'/The hours creep, excuse me, I mean limp" OUTLAWZ- Our Life Why?: An excellent song, with a great guitar strum, this song brings back the peace every time I listen to it. I also love the lyrics by the OUTLAWZ, where they go back to the good ol' days and remember the good times. Favorite line: "I got the spirit of a angel, the heart of a soldier/The mind of a militant, was blessed by my mother" Run DMC- Sucker MC's Why?: Like Elementary, I love this song for its meaning. Run DMC clearly talk about how they dislike wannabes biting off their lyrics just to make a name for themselves. And they could never be much truer than that. Favorite line: "I don't wear no Calvin Klein 'coz Calvin Klein ain't no friend of mine" Geto Boys- Do it Like G.O. Why?: Man, do these guys come off hard or what? This is honestly one of the hardest songs I've heard, coming out of a Gangsta Rapper's mouth. The meanings of this song range but mainly talk about blacks' problems with school education, racism and radio play. I liked it because it shows people should never judge a book by its cover. Favorite line: "I'll f*ck her but my money is a no-no/(WHY?!) I'm a ho so I do it like a G.O.", classic. OutKast- Slump Why?: Man, this song has a real good feel to it. It always brings back good memories of the summertime, hahah. Its just mainly the beat I love about this song. Favorite line: "Cops and robbers n1ggaz be bound to get them dollars and cents/they get in a slump like baseball players, when they short on the rent" Ice Cube- Ghetto Bird Why?: Not many people see it but this is one of the best gangsta beats I've ever HEARD! QD3 (my favorite producer) is on the productions and Ice Cube spits more hard sh*t about the police. Ghetto Bird is a street slang for law enforcement helicopters flying through the air. Favorite line: "At night I see your light through my bedroom window But I ain't got sh*t but the pad and pencil" Jungle Brothers feat. Q. Tip- Black is Black Why?: Jungle Brothers were real influential on this track, which is why I love it. They inform the world that racism is over (which will never happen) and that we, as one, need to get along. Yeah, the beat's out of date, but it doesn't stop it from being a good song. Favorite line: "Judged by both my race and colour/Don't you know we need each other?" The Notorious B.I.G.- Gimme the Loot Why?: Biggie performs one heck of a performance on this track, using two different voices at different times, making it sound as if its a collaboration. The beat is old school but the lyrics take away the prize. Favorite line: "Oooh, Biggie let me hit her in the back, smack her witta gat/Yo, chill shorty, let me do that" Scarface feat. Kelly Price- What Can I Do? Why?: This is not your average Scarface. Here, its like he's reincarnated, which makes this song so unique. He takes the time to rap about child abuse and the way things are going in the world today. His words are from the heart and the song is influential. Favorite line: "The turn of the table, the tale of the tape/The destruction of human flesh, of the not so great" Westside Connection- Cross 'Em Out and Put a 'K Why?: This is one HARD song. Westside Connection put on their gasoline boots and walk through Hell, as they try to destroy the scene of the East Coast, as well as taking shots at enemies they despise (though I'm down with them, Cypress Hill and Q. Tip). Favorite line: "I'm not an MC, I'm not a G/I mean I'm A to f*ckin Z, and everythang in between" Bone Thugs 'N Harmony feat. 2Pac- Thug Luv Why?: Production is one of the finest I've ever seen, Bone unleash some of their best lyrics since E. 1999 Eternal. 2Pac performs a booming performance on the second verse, however its Layzie and Wish's part that I'm most into. Again, another puzzling performance by Bone Thugs 'N Harmony. Favorite line: "Give it to 'em on another level, n1gga/Get a shovel, you can dig a hole, b*tches is dead/Infrared to the head, you can beg, but still gon' bleed bloody red" LL Cool J- Dear Yvette Why?: LL performs one of his best performances on this song about a relationship gone wrong. He also performs some of the funniest lyrics I've heard. Which is why I love this track, because of its humor. Favorite line: "Like Santa Claus said, you're a HO HO HO" AHAHAHAHAHAHAH! Classic! Kurupt feat. Young Roscoe- I Call Shots Why?: Some of the West Coast's finest MC's come together to make, perhaps, the finest West Coast collaboration ever. What makes this even better is that the dynamic duo are brothers, having a similar style of rapping. Lyrics, production and flow in this are all complete. While Kurupt shines a lot, it is Young Roscoe that takes the mic away, performing a mind-blowing performance. Favorite line: "We astronomical, phenomenal, magical, mathematical Taking your first-born as collateral!" Geto Boys- Damn it Feels Good to Be a Gangsta Why?: I was real surprised to hear this song, especially by a group such as the Geto Boys. GB is known to make hardcore and gruesome songs, however, this song is real natural and soft-touching. The beat is just amazing, one of the best I've heard. Soft delivery is performed here but it is the beat that makes this song fresh. Favorite line: "Damn it feels good to be a gangsta/A real gangsta a55 n1gga plays his cards right/A real gangsta a55 n1gga never runs his f*ckin mouth/Coz real gangsta a55 n1ggaz don't start fights" Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth- T.R.O.Y. Why?: Beautiful horn productions, courtesy of Pete Rock, combined with reminiscing and dazzling lyrics by C.L., this is the best Rap eulogy, followed closely by Crossroads. Favorite line: "But only you saw what took many time to see I dedicate this to you for believing in me" 2Pac- Dear Mama Why?: A letter to Afeni from the belly of the beast provides us with an exceptional tune, produced by Tony Pizarro. Every word 2Pac says in this is true and from the heart. I especially loved the video for this because everytime I see it, I shed tears and think back to the days when 2Pac was alive. Damn, I miss him. "And even as a crack fiend, mama/You always was the black Queen, mama" Snoop Dogg- Murder Was the Case (Death After Visualizing Eternity) Why?: This is one song that seperates this Snoop from the Snoop we hear today. His lyrics are very dark, shining mostly on death, and the production, provided by Dr. Dre, is chilling and eerie. Even today, I still think this is Snoop at his best, providing us with exceptional lyrics that Snoop probably will never perform again. Favorite line: "And will I be, the G that I was?/ I'll make your life better than you can imagine or even dreamed of" Dr. Dre- A N1gga Witta Gun Why?: Dre's performance is really something, something I haven't seen since Deep Cover. Mixed with a rigid and rough production, Dre spits out rhymes that are probably his best. Favorite line: "Goddamn, 'coz its the city, and for a youth to survive, you gotta be a gangsta" Xzibit- Paparazzi Why?: Like other songs that include a strong topic, an underground Xzibit takes shots at fake MCs and the paparazzi. I totally agree on the chorus, which is one of the best bits of the song. The production is clearly unbelievable. Favorite line: "Either you're a soldier from the start/Or an actor, with a record deal, tryin to play the part, like dat" Eminem- Infinite Why?: Before the Eminem Show, Marshall Mathers L.P. or Slim Shady, was Infinite, an album Eminem should have released properly so he could expose his true skills. In this, Eminem states that he's just playing with words... well if that's the case, imagine him taking his songs seriously. G0d d4mn, now that would be a classic. Favorite line: "This is the season for noise pollution, contamination/Examination of more cartoons than animation", basically the whole song, including the influential chorus, is an EXCELLENT line Makaveli and Dillinger- Let's Fight Why?: Most people don't like this song because it doesn't have much life. I tend to think the beat is excellent, though very simple. But the lyrics can change your mind. Notice how it sounds very much like 2Pac's Realist N1ggaz off the Resurrection album? This is where 2Pac's verse comes from. Daz lets out a lot of psyche, which is a good thing. Favorite line: Sorry people, there's no lyrics for this D12- Fight Music Why?: I don't know why but I just like real hardcore beats. This has a simple but hard guitar line, which below-average lyrics by D12. I have to agree that D12 were never lyrically gifted (excluding Eminem) but this beat is what I basically like. Favorite line: Can't exactly put in a favorite line The Notorious B.I.G.- Big Poppa Why?: I really like the smooth beat, taken from the Isley Brothers. Biggie's slushy voice mixes in well with this, talking about how he gets with the girls. My only problem with this song is Puff Daddy at the end and throughout the whole song, just plain garbage talking. Favorite line: "Forget the telly, we just go to the crib/And watch a movie in a jacuzzi, smoke L's while you do me" Big Daddy Kane- Raw Why?: Raw is simply Big Daddy's best song. While he proved to suckers he couldn't be stopped with Raw, he confirmed it with Ain't No Half Steppin ("For you to beat me, it's gonna take a miracle) but I think people were more in love with the beat than the lyrics, which is why it scored higher. To me, Raw is simply the best of the best by Big Daddy Kane, his lyrics are truly... RAW Favorite line: "But a professional, unquestionable, without a doubt superb/So full of action, my name should be a verb" Naughty by Nature- Everything's Gonna Be Alright Why?: Bob Marley's music hardly ever gets sampled in the Rap industry. Here, NBN do a great job and sampling his music and perform some influential rhymes about the ghetto life and how everything is going to be alright. Treach's ruthless voice matches well and comes out very influential. Favorite line: "If you ain't ever been in the ghetto/Don't ever come to the ghetto/Coz you wouldn't understand the ghetto/So stay the F*CK out the ghetto" Wu-Tang Clan- C.R.E.A.M. Why?: Basically because it brought the slang that most people use for money, cream (meaning Cash Rules Everything Around Me). It uses a very underground beat but the Wu-Tang manage to top that with untouchable and focussed lyrics. Classic. Favorite line: "Neglected, but now, but yo, it gots to be accepted/That what? That life is hectic" Black Star- Definition Why?: 1-2-3, can we get another album, ple-ea-ease?, this song borrows samples from the remix of P is Free by BDP. Black Star are very influential and talk about violence in Hip-Hop, stating that it shouldn't be done. I really like the way Mos Def raps in this, an unusual but different style to most rappers. Favorite line: "My presence felt my name is Kweli from Eternal Reflection/People think MC is short hand for mis conception" There you have it, some of Rap songs which I highly enjoy listening to. Some people will have doubts about the songs I've chosen, some people won't. But hey, it's my opinion and everyone's allowed to stick with their own opinions. You dig, you dig, you don't dig, you don't dig. Its as simple as that. Hope you enjoyed, now J.T. will say PEACE!

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