History AwesomeMusic / Rap

* ''Spin'' called Music/{{Cage}}'s ''Depart from Me'' "the most seamless, compelling [[RapRock union of hip-hop and modern rock]] since the two genres first collided".

* In addition to being catchy, [[https://youtu.be/j_QKKkWJjqk "Shadrach"]] by The Music/BeastieBoys is quite funky. Which it should be, being based on a sample of [[https://youtu.be/1HIIErMKNnY "Loose Booty"]] by Music/SlyAndTheFamilyStone.

* Music/KoolAndTheGang. Nigh everything they've done is enough to make you jump up from your seat, but in off case that "Heaven At Once", [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgynbFoA9to "Jungle Boogie"]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHP3svO704s "Hollywood Swingin'"]]," or [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ivlp8aVDuxE "Celebration"]] weren't awesome enough for you, there's the utterly stunning [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKGUhLyzaq4 "Light Of Worlds"]], with it's children's choir, steady sax, with rapid funk beats pushing you the whole way, all the while giving a message of unity to the world, from the America America forgot. Brilliant.
* Music/{{Outkast}}'s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qc6WnUfmAdI "Hey Ya"]] is a fun upbeat dance tune. Folk band Obadiah Parker takes that and turns it into a [[TearJerker plaintive lament]] that is so [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZFj_o1n6WE awesome its ridiculous.]]

** Speaking of [=OutKast=], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaFygeknae8 "B.O.B."]] might just be the most epic hip-hop song ever written. Heck, most of ''Stankonia'', especially "Ms. Jackson" though.
** Add ''Aquemini'' to the list of great [=OutKast=] albums with special mention going to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drsQLEU0N1Y "Rosa Parks"]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXmqauitBkM "SpottieOttieDopeliscious"]], and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXSWwsrSZ9o Return of the "G".]]
** What happens when UGK and Music/{{OutKast}} meet up over a classic soul sample? [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awMIbA34MT8 Pure magic.]]
* They're very obscure, but Music/DanLeSacVsScroobiusPip have a talent of mixing meaningful lyrics with awesome lyrics. Listen to the haunting [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VH9CxM6o-eI "Magician's Assistant"]] or the Music/{{Radiohead}} sampling [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4467CI4y0M "Letter From God To Man"]].

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfLEc09tTjI BA DE YA DE YA DE YA!]]

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1V1Pg8JfZs8 "Soul Power '74"]]. Man, where sound clips mix with funk, and, man, that SAX.

** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGk2qmDmvT8 I'm Slim Shady, yes I'm the real Shady, all you other Slim Shadys are just imitating...]]"
** Eminem + Music/MarilynManson = [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTSKWg67jZo Freakin' AWESOME]], and the lyrics even more so.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8ymuoSly_Q "Won't Back Down"]] from ''Recovery'' is just incredible.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnslrTTXQSA "Till I Collapse"]] anyone? Both this and "Won't Back Down" were used in trailers for ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Goseqq9olU 2]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps Black]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrQOcE_osjE Ops]]'', respectively, because of their popularity.
** The [[NightmareFuel spine-chillingly]] [[TearJerker heartbreaking]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snHfdV3gw9Q Stan.]]
** "Now this looks like a job for me, so everybody just follow me, [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools 'cause we need a little controversy,]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVkUvmDQ3HY 'cause it feels so EMPTY without me!]]"
** Em would like you to know that he's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlfh2FuhntM Not Afraid]].

*** The 2-part [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71xeMTazmMo Bad Guy]], which is a sequel to "Stan", is ''mind-blowing''. If you can't appreciate the flow, lyricism, and storytelling in this song, you just don't like hip hop.
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRMUeJRxN0c Groundhog Day]] is pure vintage Eminem. The youthful nasal flow, quirky lyrics, and long verses are a perfect reminder that Em is finally back to his roots. Too bad it's only on the deluxe edition....
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWKNEJ5QNuU Headlights]] is an emotional, long-awaiting apology to Em's mother. It is ''breathtaking''.
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlmezywdxPI Survival]], arguably the most rock-influenced song Em has ever done, is one of the most aggressive and in-your-face tracks he has ever laid a verse on.
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHkozMIXZ8w The Monster (ft. Rihanna)]], hands down one of Em's best songs. It features some of his most aggressive lines and spits in his career, all contrasted with Rihanna's beautiful vocals.
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=359na4NeaVA Berzerk]] is probably his hardest-hitting song, with noticeably angry rapping and a few {{Epic Riff}}s here and there. ''Pure gold.''

%%*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbGs_qK2PQA Rap God]]. Just... Yeah.
** Even the divisive ''Encore'' and ''Relapse'' (although the latter has since been VindicatedByHistory) have some gems hidden on them. From the former, you get [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqPHAeqMvI8 Mosh]], a political Anti-Bush anthem that is one of the angriest songs Em has ever recorded, and from the latter, you get [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aC6LXYOdrRo Deja Vu]], featuring one of Music/DrDre's best beats to date. There's more, but those are just a few highlights.
* Music/StevieWonder [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OJsYwLs7yE "Superstition"]] from ''Music/TalkingBook''.

** First of all, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z13AjI8n4I "D.O.A (Death of Auto-Tune)"]]
** Also, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVA-xTBeHyM "Run This Town"]], featuring Rihanna and Kanye West. The remix from E.S. Posthumus [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kS77mSwHAkU is just as good]], [[EvenBetterSequel if not better than the original.]]
** If you havin' girl problem, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5W80Ae5hEOA I feel bad for you, son.]]
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PHOeXIPNZE "Empire. State. Of. Mind."]] BigApplesauce done ''[[Administrivia/TropesAreTools oh so right.]]''
** His debut album ''Reasonable Doubt'' could very well be his best, but [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNe4vE5Zels "Brooklyn's Finest"]] stands out. Why? Simple: It features Jay-Z's friend, Music/TheNotoriousBIG. They just tear up the mic together.
** Sometime after that, he came up with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlT_Jt-dQ00 a classic]] that was so good he managed to do it at [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM9HRn6Vrp0 Carnegie Hall]] with a full complement of orchestral instruments. And to take it a step further? He asked Just Blaze and M.O.P to come along for the remix and DUMP FIYAH.
* Nas's ''Illmatic'' is pretty much an entire album of some of the [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic greatest hip-hop songs]] ever made, but [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ5lu4ff-D4 "The World Is Yours"]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-_IFAt8ka0 "It Ain't Hard To Tell"]] take it SerialEscalation. It's not just Illmatic that has great songs. "One Mic" and "Ether" in particular are some of his best with "Ether" being extra awesome for being considered one of the greatest diss raps off all time.

%%** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKjj4hk0pV4 Straight Out The Fuckin' Dungeons of Rap...]]

* This page cannot exist without [[Music/GeorgeClinton Funkadelic]]'s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12pywl9zNIE "Maggot Brain"]]. And you can't mention Funkadelic without mentioning Parliament when talking about awesome music. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noqMfTRKNlo "Dr. Funkenstein"]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_QfO7g1YsI "Night of the Thumpasorus Peoples"]] don't even scratch the surface.
* [[Music/TwoLiveCrew Somebody say]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNej0Nonlw0 HEYYYYYYY, WE WANT SOME PUUUUUSSS-SAYYYYY!!!!]] C'mon, you can't deny the 2 Live Crew makes danceable and highly sex-fueled dirty rap, a notable example being the aforementioned "We Want Some Pussy", the kicker of their debut album.
* Not only thanks to its catchy hook, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKDrlVkLrvY "Oh Shit"]] by The Pharcyde is easily one of alternative hip hop's best tunes of all time, also thanks to its [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments unadulteratedly hilarious lyrics]].
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhsTmiK7Q2M "Push It To The Limit"]]. Just listening to it makes you feel unstoppable.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5YJfPBqPNE Fort Minor]] (aka, Mike Shinoda from Music/LinkinPark)

* Internet rapper DZK - known for his sites on YTMND as well as his incredibly vulgar yet witty rap style - gets a CMOA after making [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t24_dB__SIs "VA Tech Aftermath (Still Ballin')"]]. Written in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings, it was a response to Cho Seung Hui's anti-capitalism and anti-wealth manifesto. The response? A whole list of ways he'd spend massive amounts of money to spite Cho's senseless violence.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z77u9uu6Qrs "Fifty In Five"]] by Hilltop Hood is the last fifty years of world history summed up in one five-and-a-half minute track.

%%* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhr5UBZh1rY Ain't nuthin' but a G-thang, BAY-BEE!]]
* Music/WuTangClan's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isumZjs3dKA "Triumph"]]. Title says it all. Also, the opening verse is SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome for Inspectah Deck.
%%** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl6jwab3HWk "The Mystery Of Chessboxin"]]. NO ONE COULD GET ILLA!

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es-B_PCFyDc "Unbelievable"]] is pure lyrical asswhoopin.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUhRKVIjJtw "Mo' Money, Mo' Problems"]] combines brilliant lyrics with some of the best melodies ever heard in rap music.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glEiPXAYE-U "Hypnotize"]], off of "Life After Death", is worth listening to just for the instrumental (sampled from Herb Alpert) and the absolute confidence in Biggie's voice when he spits his rhymes.
%%** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JZom_gVfuw "IT'S ALL GOOD BABY, BA-BAE"]]
%%* [[Music/AesopRock "And I will remember your name and face, on the day you are judged by the funhouse cast]] / [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEBGCOCxLgA And I will rejoice in your fall from grace with a cane to the sky like 'None shall pass.'"]]
%%** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd_W_x3nclY "All I ever wanted was to pick apart the day / And put the pieces back together my way (My way)..."]]
* Flobots - [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lsgbb23z27w "White Flag Warrior"]]. Tears and chills every time, especially for those with family in the military.
* [[Music/TupacShakur 2Pac]] was very reliable for awesome hip-hop music. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbANenk8o1o "Hit 'Em Up"]] is considered by many to be one of the greatest diss tracks in rap history, and marks the climax of tension in the highly heated East Coast-West Coast rivalry of gangsta rap. One can only imagine how [[Music/TheNotoriousBIG Biggie]] must have felt when he heard this song for the first time...
%%** Try [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=An6xqwOUYGU "Trapped"]], the incredibly eerie [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkJA6SYwa94 "Hail Mary"]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWaBPvslYD8 "White Man'z World"]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcfBrZ760EE "My Ambitionz Az A Ridah"]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAMgSUgtAAw "If I Die 2Nite"]], and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfXwmDGJAB8 "Keep Ya Head Up"]], for starters. ''And that's just the tip of the iceberg.''
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwaW4cZNwRk The]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rwpBYQn3S8 Sugarhill]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQObWW06VAM Gang]].
* Music/LupeFiasco in general, but [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl83mI69nX4 "Kick, Push"]] deserves a special mention.
** ''Food and Liquor'' is excellent all around, but [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EI6iZJOntY8 "Hurt Me Soul"]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_Z8luUT_ek "American Terrorist"]] overshadow every other track that's not "Kick, Push".
** The apocalyptic [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF7rBcFolAc Streets On Fire]] from 'The Cool'.
* Redman's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b_zT6mdN3c "Let's Get Dirty (I Can't Get In Da Club)"]] is probably one of the most hardcore party tunes around. Roaring melodies? Check. Redman's signature raging rap? Check. Funky lyrics? Check. This song has everything to put the party people's feet on fire! And the music video (click the link to watch it) pretty much lampshades it.
%%* Talib Kweli's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WEqr1zDq5s "Get By"]].
* Music/{{Coolio}}'s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oU_F0yS-Bo "Gangsta's Paradise"]], based on "Pastime Paradise" from ''Music/SongsInTheKeyOfLife'', a thought provoking piece on the criminal life of many people living in the hood.

* The song "Forever" by Drake, featuring Music/LilWayne, Music/KanyeWest, and the reason the song is on this page, Music/{{Eminem}}. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDuRoPIOBjE There's a reason half the comments say that the song REALLY begins at 4:51.]]
* Diddy-Dirty Money. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-ImCpNqbJw "Coming Home"]].

* Nomak's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8wrjvjBRE4 "Wind Beat"]] is a simply untouchable instrumental.
* What do you get when you take [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlpHBLgE89U an okay 1992 R&B song]] by SWV, and remix it with Music/MichaelJackson's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgmbYALa0no "Human Nature"]] (from ''Music/{{Thriller}}'') as the backing track? [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuPHuMakbA8 One of the finest New Jack Swing songs EVER]], and one of the top selling R&B singles of 1993.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZmPeGtd0uY You are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge.....]] And from there "Music/StraightOuttaCompton" by NWA only gets better, despite its controversial reputation. NWA post-Ice Cube was pretty good too. Check [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdv3HLBNc9Q "100 Miles and Runnin'"]] out for a start.

* What do you get when you mix The X-Ecutioners and Linkin Park? Pure awesomeness. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRAHMaqhnkU It's Going down indeed!]]
* The X-Ecutioners by themselves are [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hnUEJNq55U quite wonderful, too.]]
* Childish Gambino a.k.a Donald Glover, just has songs that'll just get you hyped faster than nobody's business. Top three being [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otPxoVQiIGo "Freaks and Geeks"]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg3jPdSuRIE "Not Going Back"]], and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBq8HFYDLQ8 "Bonfire"]].
* Under-appreciated group The Knux has been churning out kickass track after track but seem to have caught the attention of everyone with their single [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_zflryd-I8 "Run"]] (NSFW for the video). [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnOwjW_JF8Y "Bang! Bang!"]] is a great example of their earlier sound, a rawer hodgepodge that sounds like it could have been done by Outkast.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkzZhYguboc "Fast and Giant Take That"]] by internet speed rapper Mac Lethal.
* Music/TechN9ne has many of these due to his dynamic flows and intelligent and varied rhyme schemes like [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10ZGTNfNP9g "Like I Died"]] and its [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX6G2upoBjQ official remix]] ft. Krizz Kaliko and Mr. Smith.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oS3l2is8aFM "Too Much" (ft. Kutt Kalhoun)]] would also be a great example because of its incredible flow and cinematic production.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38ZwK3WbHYo Welcome To The Midwest ft. Krizz Kaliko]] sampling Dean Martin's 'Sway'.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLM2H8epvcE Stars]]; a wonderful start to Tech's twisted mythical album, ''Welcome to Strangeland''.
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Rqv0inUMNQ Unfair ft.Ces Cru and Krizz Kaliko]] from the same album.
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCz1WaYs0Ho Who Do I Catch]].
*** Negro spiritual-esque [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ys9Baie-aSI Slave ft. Krizz Kaliko & Kutt Kalhoun]].
** Tech's verse on [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEF_hVuD9gw What'chu Tellin' Me]] by Tha Rellez.

*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrIcd1YHBSM Worldwide Choppers ft. Yelawolf, Busta Rhymes, Twista, Ceza, D-Loc, U$0, and Twisted Insane]].
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4v1zuIYNoFw Am I A Psycho ft. Hopsin & B.O.B]] is dark, catchy, and NightmareFuel as all hell.
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GupJwtLRp8Y He's A Mental Giant]].

*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUx0Cgifx-Y Show Me A God]].
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIiwTpb1iaM K.O.D (King Of Darkness)]].
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6A0RICDFge8 Blackened The Sun]] for its over the top 'grimdarkness'.
** The second track from his album, Everready: The Religion ; [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZhddSc0ftU No Can Do ft. Krizz Kaliko]].
*** Tech's verse on [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4lPrk8hjK0 Welcome To My World]] which begins at 2:30.
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AMiiwc6bBA Riotmaker]].
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oRR2mD6BLQ Come Gangsta]] is his response to the many critics at the time who said that he wasn't 'gangsta enough' and was catering to white people.
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qLvI48W1ag This Is Me]].
%%** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sxks3Z6QByc Aw, Yeah!]]
* When Warren G and Nate Dogg are on the same track you can expect a pure rap classic which is what you get with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1plPyJdXKIY "Regulate"]].
* Music/ATribeCalledQuest's "Hot Sex". The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlyAoQXFHYY instrumental alone]] is awesome.
* Mos Def's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5vw4ajnWGA "Mathematics"]] is an awesome six-minute lesson in political economy/state of the nation address, with samples from Music/JamesBrown, Music/ErykahBadu and ''Franchise/{{Ghostbusters}}''.

* Music/PublicEnemy brought us "Bring The Noise" from ''Music/ItTakesANationOfMillionsToHoldUsBack'', a song so awesome they sampled it themselves '''repeatedly''' ''on the same album it first appeared on'' and was also performed by Music/{{Anthrax}} with the original artists! And [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCx5Std7mCo Harder Than You think]] would be PowerMetal if it wasn't rap.
* Two words: Music/DieAntwoord. Every song of theirs is amazing, but [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcXNPI-IPPM Baby's On Fire]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIXUgtNC4Kc Fatty Boom Boom]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Uee_mcxvrw I Fink U Freeky]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cegdR0GiJl4 Enter The Ninja]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbW9JqM7vho Evil Boy]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeyjRxy55wg Wat Kyk Jy]], and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YPCdJbZYXo XPEN$IVE $H1T]] most definitely stand out.
* For Music/{{Hopsin}}, if only one of his songs tends to stand out as truly awesome, it's his [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRVOOwFNp5U Ill Mind of Hopsin 5]], an ''acrimonious'' TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to the whole SexDrugsAndRockAndRoll lifestyle and especially the teenagers who emulate it.
* Almost anything made by K-Rino. He can make [[ConspiracyTheorist conspiracies]] sound cool. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dN2y6crdhxM Just listen to his flow...]]
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eX2SEZoqkMI Journey Thru The Metaphor Labyrinth]]
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORx-N9jQczs The Sorcerer's Den]]
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vjDulxa0Po Doctor Jack]]
* From Kid Creole & the Coconuts, we present to you [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6l3AvFaEg8 "Stool Pigeon".]]
%%* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DO5SeHQa7g "Sing About Me"]] by Music/KendrickLamar.
* Reks' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF7AU12LMB0 "25th Hour"]] is lyrical excellence. Actually, Reks in general is a great rapper.
%%* Craig G's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vQUgwvOyHY "Ready, Set, Begin"]].
* Music/DeLaSoul has some great songs. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1CaN4thI5w "Eye Know"]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3kgjzUsDeg "Me, Myself, and I"]], and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0irL1M15DH8 "The Magic Number"]] from ''Music/ThreeFeetHighAndRising'' are all worth listening to.
* In addition to being catchy, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_QKKkWJjqk "Shadrach"]] by The Music/BeastieBoys is quite funky. Which it should be, being based on a sample of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HIIErMKNnY "Loose Booty"]] by Music/SlyAndTheFamilyStone.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nprhxc2Lxc Oh my God, Becky, look at her butt. It is so big. She looks like one of those rap guys's girlfriends. But, you know, who understands those rap guys? They only talk to her because she looks like a total prostitute, OK? I mean, her butt, it's just so... Big! I can't believe it's so round and so out-there, I mean... Gross! Look! She's just so... BLACK!]] [[Music/SirMixAlot I like big butts and I cannot lie.]]
%%* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QK8mJJJvaes Now tell me you want to go at a thrift shop.]]
* Wiz Khalifa [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKWFvbgkWls rapping over]] [[VideoGame/ChronoTrigger Schala's Theme.]]
* Craig Mack's "Flava in Ya Ear" is a strong track with an awesome beat. But it could be better. How so? Get Music/LLCoolJ, Music/BustaRhymes, and Rampage to bring their "A" Game. Oh, and kick it off with an epic verse by Music/TheNotoriousBIG. That's the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8pG1mG7BeI Flava In Ya Ear Remix]].

* Music/{{Cameo}}'s "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYl6_bNv7as Talkin' Out the Side of Your Neck]]" is an awesome but surprisingly political song from the group that gave us "Candy" and "She's Strange". Then, Texas Southern University's marching band, the "Ocean of Soul", turned it into the theme song of just about every Historically Black College and University Marching Band (and several predominantly black high schools, too!) for about thrity years now.
* With only a tribal beat, a catchy choir that recalls Bastille's hit song "Pompeii", and lyrics about rising from being a weed dealer to someone who wants to inspire the best in people, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bgDXiuwzfs "Mandela"]] by Cyhi The Prynce is an amazing song from start to finish.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj5pSh_uSA8 "Devil May Cry"]] is an emotional roller coaster from an incredibly talented songbird.
** The ''entirety'' of ''Starboy''. From the epic [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34Na4j8AVgA title track]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFLhGq0060w "I Feel It Coming"]] (both collaborations with Music/DaftPunk, no less), to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZjAg6fK-BQ "Reminder"]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diW6jXhLE0E "Party Monster"]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW5oGRx9CLM "False Alarm"]], Abel shows that even after abandoning his cynical, drug-and-sex-fueled persona he can still make astonishing pieces.
%%** His last album, "After Hours", also has its fair share of fantastic songs. Highlights include [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DpH-icPpl0 "Heartless"]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqRZDebPIGs "In Your Eyes"]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXYlFuWEuKI "Save Your Tears"]] (whether the original or the remix with Ariana Grande is the better version is another debate).
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MUGAxpI0Bc Ante Up]] by MOP is a car-shaking song that hooks you in and starts with a blast. It never loses its energy even when the rappers confess they understand how dangerous their crime-ridden lifestyle is.
* If you want to understand the immediate, dangerous, infectious, clever, and catchy appeal of Music/ElP and Killer Mike as Music/RunTheJewels, then [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkGwI7nGehA Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)]]. (Featuring [[Music/RageAgainstTheMachine Zach de la Rocha]], as well!) The fact that this song has been popularized by the ''Black Panther'' trailer is nothing short of well-deserved: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWaljXUiCaE "Legend Has It"]], off of "RTJ3", is another banger of the highest quality, when every instrument (the drums, the horns, the vocal samples) wants to stay into your head.
* Music/KendrickLamar isn't one of the most critically acclaimed rappers of the New Tens for nothing, as evidence by life-affirming anthems such as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JocAXINz-YE Alright]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4RELGc9su8 Humble]], detailed depictions of life in the ghetto like [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuikIJZpt_8 m.A.A.d. city]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dm-foWGDBF0 Duckworth]], and moments of vulnerability found in songs like [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGC4QpDIpJc u]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ9bo5rH5kU Sing About Me, I'm Dying Of Thirst]] can confirm.
* British rappers slowthai and Skepta deliver a pure "fuck you" song with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHTX4i31rBw "Inglorious"]]. It's bold, it's loud, it's in-your-face, it's impossible not to dance.

** "Now [[CallToAction this looks like a job for me, so everybody just follow me,]] [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools 'cause we need a little controversy,]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVkUvmDQ3HY 'cause it feels so EMPTY without me!]]"

** His last album, "After Hours", also has its fair share of fantastic songs. Highlights include [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DpH-icPpl0&list=OLAK5uy_lwaD8UXRautA8W9eWT4zZOvwf5Ktxpax8&index=7 "Heartless"]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqRZDebPIGs&list=OLAK5uy_lwaD8UXRautA8W9eWT4zZOvwf5Ktxpax8&index=10 "In Your Eyes"]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXYlFuWEuKI&list=OLAK5uy_lwaD8UXRautA8W9eWT4zZOvwf5Ktxpax8&index=11 "Save Your Tears"]] (whether the original or the remix with Ariana Grande is the better version is another debate).

* If you want to understand the immediate, dangerous, infectious, clever, and catchy appeal of Music/ElP and Killer Mike as Music/RunTheJewels, then [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkGwI7nGehA Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)]]. (Featuring [[Music/RageAgainstTheMachine Zach de la Rocha]], as well!)
** The fact that this song has been popularized by the "Black Panther" trailer is nothing short of well-deserved: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWaljXUiCaE "Legend Has It"]], off of "RTJ3", is another banger of the highest quality, when every instrument (the drums, the horns, the vocal samples) wants to stay into your head.

* Music/TheNotoriousBIG's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es-B_PCFyDc "Unbelievable"]] is pure lyrical asswhoopin.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glEiPXAYE-U "Hypnotize"]], off of "Life After Death", is worth listening to just for the instrumental (sampled from Herb Alpert) and the absolute confidence in Biggie' voice when he spit his rhymes.

* [[Music/AesopRock "And I will remember your name and face, on the day you are judged by the funhouse cast]] / [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEBGCOCxLgA And I will rejoice in your fall from grace with a cane to the sky like 'None shall pass.'"]]

* British rappers slowthai and Skepta deliver a pure "fuck you" song with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHTX4i31rBw "Inglorious"]]. It's bold, it's loud, it's in-your-face, it's impossible to not dance.

* Music/KendrickLamar isn't one of the most critically acclaimed rappers of the past 10 years for nothing, as evidence by life-affirming anthems such as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JocAXINz-YE Alright]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4RELGc9su8 Humble]], detailed depictions of life in the ghetto like [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuikIJZpt_8 m.A.A.d. city]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dm-foWGDBF0 Duckworth]], and moments of vulnerability found in songs like [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGC4QpDIpJc u]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ9bo5rH5kU Sing About Me, I'm Dying Of Thirst]] can confirm.

* Music/KendrickLamar isn't one of the most critically acclaimed rappers of the past 10 years for nothing, as evidence by life-affirming anthems such as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JocAXINz-YE Alright]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4RELGc9su8 Humble]], detailed depictions of life in the ghetto like [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuikIJZpt_8 m.A.A.d. city]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dm-foWGDBF0 Duckworth]], and moments of vulnerability found in songs like [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGC4QpDIpJc u]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ9bo5rH5kU Sing About Me, I'm Dying Of Thirst]].

* If you want to understand the immediate, dangerous, infectious, clever, and catchy appeal of El-P and Killer Mike as Run the Jewels, then [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkGwI7nGehA Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)]]. (Featuring [[Music/RageAgainstTheMachine Zach de la Rocha]], as well!)

* In addition to being an EarWorm, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_QKKkWJjqk "Shadrach"]] by The Music/BeastieBoys is quite funky. Which it should be, being based on a sample of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HIIErMKNnY "Loose Booty"]] by Music/SlyAndTheFamilyStone.

** Even the divisive ''Encore'' and ''Relapse'' have some gems hidden on them. From the former, you get [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqPHAeqMvI8 Mosh]], a political Anti-Bush anthem that is one of the angriest songs Em has ever recorded, and from the latter, you get [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aC6LXYOdrRo Deja Vu]], featuring one of Music/DrDre's best beats to date. There's more, but those are just a few highlights.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PHOeXIPNZE "Empire. State. Of. Mind."]] BigApplesauce done ''[[TropesAreNotBad oh so right.]]''

** "Now [[CallToAction this looks like a job for me, so everybody just follow me,]] [[TropesAreNotBad 'cause we need a little controversy,]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVkUvmDQ3HY 'cause it feels so EMPTY without me!]]"

* This page cannot exist without Music/{{Funkadelic}}'s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12pywl9zNIE "Maggot Brain"]]. And you can't mention Music/{{Funkadelic}} without mentioning Parliament when talking about awesome music. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noqMfTRKNlo "Dr. Funkenstein"]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_QfO7g1YsI "Night of the Thumpasorus Peoples"]] don't even scratch the surface.

%% ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Do not uncomment them without explaining why they belong on this page. Remember, not everyone who reads this page will recognise a title on its own or a quote from the lyrics; to assume otherwise is FanMyopia. And remember also that WeblinksAreNotExamples - Youtube videos are taken down all the time. If you just provide a video link, who's to say the video will still be there tomorrow?