History LyricalDissonance / HipHop

* "Who I Smoke" by Spinabenz, Yungeen Ace, and [=FastMoney=] Goon, a song built around a sample of Music/VanessaCarlton's upbeat, poppy "A Thousand Miles" about what prolific killers the singers are, with a chorus implying they were responsible for a number of open homicide cases involving slain rappers.

* Naughty By Nature's 1991 smash hit "O.P.P." definitely deserves a mention. The song has an uplifting hip hop sound mixed with a sample of Music/TheJacksonFive's "ABC", but with a very catchy beat. However, once you realize what O.P.P. stands for [[note]]'''O'''ther '''P'''eople's '''P''roperty, as in other people's partners[[/note]], you'll be shocked to realize that the whole song is a cheater's anthem.

* Naughty By Nature's 1991 smash hit "O.P.P." definitely deserves a mention. The song has an uplifting hip hop sound mixed with a sample of Music/TheJacksonFive's "ABC", but with a very catchy beat. However, once you realize what O.P.P. stands for [[note]]Other People's Pussy, and for the ladies, Other People's Penis.[[/note]], you'll be shocked to realize that the whole song is a cheater's anthem.

--> "If what they say is that nothing is forever, then what makes love the exception? Why are we so in denial when we know we're not happy here?" [[LampshadeHanging (Y'all don't wanna hear me, you just wanna dance!)]]

** "My Name Is" has an upbeat tune, and Eminem begins it in a friendly, somewhat silly voice... while talking about things like sticking nails through his eyelids, trying acid, smoking crack, assaulting famous women, and killing himself. Not to mention either stapling his teacher's nuts to a sheet of paper, or assaulting said teacher to get a better grade (depends if it's the clean version or the original).

* "Swimming Pools" by Music/KendrickLamar sounds like a typical, early 2010s hip-hop club anthem...until you hear the lyrics and realize that he's contemplating his family's history of alcoholism and his struggles to resist following in their footsteps against peer pressure.
* "What's Up, Fatlip?" by... Fatlip has a happy, positive-sounding beat with laugh tracks in the background. Then you get to the lyrics...

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAV0XrbEwNc This]] song by Cee-Lo Green.

* The controversial "Read A Book" video by D'Mite gained a lot of attention on BET for its cartoony and supposedly racist and stereotypical depiction of black culture, claiming it should be censored for children. Of course, while the beat, rhythm, and style of the song are modeled after dirty south (or crunk) rappers like Lil Jon, the lyrics tell positive messages and promote healthy lifestyle choices as well as a rejection of mainstream hip-hop excess in favor of reading, cleanliness, drinking water, parental responsibility and such.

* Music/OutKast's "Hey Ya!" sounds like a happy, upbeat hip-hop song -- there's a famous [=YouTube=] video of the ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}} characters dancing joyfully to it -- but the lyrics are a moody meditation on whether it's worth staying in a failing relationship:

* Music/OutKast's "Hey Ya!" sounds like a happy, upbeat hip-hop song -- there's a famous [=YouTube=] video of the Peanuts characters dancing joyfully to it -- but the lyrics are a moody meditation on whether it's worth staying in a failing relationship:

* Music/HelloProject shuffle group SALT5 released only one song, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtjTbRTuT9k "GET UP RAPPER"]], which is obviously a rap song. However, the lyrics are about such things as wanting to eat banana chips, wearing beige knickers and how women "blossom beautifully".

* Naughty By Nature's 1991 smash hit "O.P.P." definitely deserves a mention. The song has an uplifting hip hop sound mixed with the classic '70s Jackson 5's "ABC" sample with a very catchy beat. However, once you realize what O.P.P. stands for [[note]]Other People's Pussy, and for the ladies, Other People's Penis.[[/note]], you'll be shocked to realize that the whole song is a cheater's anthem.

%%* "Where Is The Love?" by Black Eyed Peas. But not as much as others.

* Polish song "Gdzie Jest Biały Węgorz?" is one of the most infamous international examples of this trope. The singer complains about his [[DrugsAreBad drug addiction]] and how it gave him depression and destroyed his life... [[SampledUp to the tune of]] "How Long" by Music/LippsInc. Some time later [[MemeticMutation it became associated]] with a dancing 16-bit cow [[BuffySpeak aptly named "Polish Cow"]], making this song [[ValuesDissonance sound somewhat hilarious outside Poland]]. And the dissonance became up to eleven when a ''children's cactus toy'' [[https://youtu.be/isOleW8EEFY dancing to the tune of this song]] started to be sold on [=AliExpress=] in 2021...

* "Who I Smoke" by Spinabenz, Yungeen Ace, and [=FastMoney=] Goon, a song built around a sample of Vanessa Carlton's upbeat, poppy "Thousand Miles" about what prolific killers the singers are, with a chorus implying they were responsible for a number of open homicide cases involving slain rappers.

* Where Is The Love? by Black Eyed Peas. But not as much as others.

* "Song Cry" by Jay-Z has a sad, wistful tone, but the lyrics are those of a delusion cheater who is feeling sorry for himself and partially blaming his partner for leaving him over his transgressions.

* Swimming Pools by Music/KendrickLamar sounds like a typical, early 2010s hip-hop club anthem...until you hear the lyrics and realize that he's contemplating his family's history of alcoholism and his struggles to resist following in their footsteps against peer pressure.

* ''When I Was a Youngster'' by Rizzle Kicks is a happy, upbeat tune all about the author's disappointment at his failure to fulfill any of his childhood dreams due to his sense of ambition being eroded by his drinking.

* Kanye West's "We Don't Care" sports a playful, carefree tune while talking about selling drugs for a living and making fun of people expecting black youth to die early.

* "Up and Away" by Kid Cudi, total stoned apathy never sounded so jangly.

* The song "Bullet", by the Rap Rock group Music/HollywoodUndead, has a very upbeat tune, but the lyrics are about a depressed man attempting suicide:

* Music/PuffDaddy's "I'll Be Missing You" takes a sample of the downbeat [[Music/ThePolice "Every Breath You Take"]] and yet spins everything into a sunny upbeat melody, when it's a GriefSong serving as a tribute to the late Music/TheNotoriousBIG.

* Polish song "Gdzie Jest Biały Węgorz?" is one of the most infamous international examples of this trope. The singer complains about his [[DrugsAreBad drug addiction]] and how it gave him depression and destroyed his life... [[SampledUp to the tune of]] "How Long" by Music/LippsInc. Some time later [[MemeticMutation it became associated]] with a dancing 16-bit cow [[BuffySpeak aptly named "Polish Cow"]], making this song [[ValuesDissonance sound somewhat hilarious outside Poland]]. And the dissonance became UpToEleven when a ''children's cactus toy'' [[https://youtu.be/isOleW8EEFY dancing to the tune of this song]] started to be sold on [=AliExpress=] in 2021...

* Music/PuffDaddy's "I'll Be Missing You" takes a sample of the downbeat [[Music/ThePolice "Every Breath You Take"]] and yet spins everything into a sunny upbeat melody, when it's a GriefSong serving as a tribute to the late Music/NotoriousBIG.

** He also likes to invert this. "Big Weenie" has a scary, pounding goth-rap beat, but is an extremely silly song about him screaming at his hater that "YoureJustJealous" and that they're [[BigStupidDoodooHead "a meanie", before making fun of their teeth]].

** He also likes to invert this. "Big Weenie" has a scary, pounding goth-rap beat, but is an extremely silly song about him [[BigStupidDoodooHead calling his hater "a meanie"]].

* {{Music/Eminem}} has constantly had to answer to opposition who criticize him for his lyrics because many kids listen to him. His comedic voice in some of his earlier raps did not exactly help his case, even though he constantly said that his music WAS NOT for kids (even during the songs).
** As an example, "Superman" has a nice soft beat and sounds like a standard romance ballad and the lyrics lead you to believe that at first.
--> Eminem: I know what you wanna hear...
-->'Cuz I know you want me, baby, I think I want you too...
--> Girl: I think I love you, baby...
--> Eminem: I think I love you too...
-->I'm here to save you, girl
-->Come be in Shady's world
-->I wanna grow together
-->Let's let our love unfurl
-->You know you want me, baby
-->You know I want you too
-->They call me Superman
-->I'm here to rescue you
-->I wanna save you, girl
-->come be in Shady's world...
--> Girl: Oh boy you drive me crazy...
--> Eminem: Bitch, you make me hurl
** Also includes such wonderful lines like
--> Superman ain't savin' shit, girl you can jump on Shady's dick
--> Bitch if you died, wouldn't buy you life
-->But I do know one thing though
-->Bitches they come, they go/Saturday through Sunday Monday/Monday through Sunday yo/Maybe I'll love you one day/Maybe we'll someday grow/Till then just sit your drunk ass on that fuckin runway hoe...
** And let's not forget "My Name Is", also by Eminem. It has an upbeat tune, and Eminem begins it in a friendly, somewhat silly voice...while talking about things like sticking nails through his eyelids and trying acid. Not to mention either stapling his teacher's nuts to a sheet of paper, or assaulting said teacher to get a better grade (depends if it's the clean version or the original).

-->I'll put a bullet in my head and I'm gone, gone, gone.

* Naughty By Nature's 1991 smash hit "O.P.P." definitely deserves a mention. The song has an uplifting hip hop sound mixed with the classic '70s Jackson 5's "ABC" sample with a very catchy beat. However, once you realize what O.P.P. stands for [[note]]Other People's P[another name to call a cat a kitten], and for the ladies, Other People's P[rhymes with cleanest and meanest].[[/note]], you'll be shocked to realize that the whole song is a cheater's anthem.

* "Song Cry" by Jay-Z has a sad, wistful tone, but the lyrics relay a delusional idiot who is feeling sorry for himself about his wife leaving him over his terrible life choices.

Yes, [[SarcasmMode believe it or not]], there are examples of LyricalDissonance that can be found in Hip-Hop. As a matter of fact, it's one of the reasons why so many people can listen to it without even realizing the song is possibly about drugs, sex, violence and other mature themes.

** K'naan was born in Africa. The majority of his songs, combined with his voice, ''sound'' extremely jubilant and bright, but the lyrics themselves are extremely sad at time.

* Naughty By Nature's 1991 smash hit "O.P.P." definitely deserves a mention. The song has an uplifting hip hop sound mixed with the classic 70s Jackson 5's "ABC" sample with a very catchy beat. However, once you realize what O.P.P. stands for [[note]]Other People's P[another name to call a cat a kitten], and for the ladies, Other People's P[rhymes with cleanest and meanest].[[/note]], you'll be shocked to realize that the whole song is a cheater's anthem.

-->'Cuz I know you want me baby I think I want you too...
--> Girl: I think I love you baby...

-->I'm here to save you girl

-->You know you want me baby

-->I wanna save you girl

--> Superman aint savin shit, girl you can jump on Shady's dick

-->Bitches they come, they go/Saturday through sunday monday/Monday through sunday yo/Maybe i'll love you one day/Maybe we'll someday grow/Till then just sit your drunk ass on that fuckin runway hoe...

* The French rap group Sniper has a song called "Nique le système" (Fuck the system) that discusses the CrapsackWorld of the poor neighborhoods and political atmosphere the artists grew up in, but the beat is a rather pretty violin loop and the chorus has a catchy melody that contrasts with the violence of the lyrics. Of course, if you speak French it's rather hard to ignore the title and lines like "he who sows hate will reap fire, because whether you burn them or throwing in the Seine, our young people have rage in their veins."

-->''You know the routine, when you winnin' and grinnin'''

* Music/BoneThugsNHarmony's famous song "1st of tha Month", because of it's chorus and somewhat somber beat, seems as if it's about the sadness of having to be on welfare and rejoicing when you get the check that allows you to survive. The music video seems to reinforce this view. In reality, the song is about how drug dealers make the most money on the first of the month because that's when crack addicts get their welfare checks, and how dealers spend said money on partying and living it up.

* Kanye West's "We Don't Care" sports a playful, carefree tune, while talking about selling drugs for a living and making fun of people expecting black youth to die early.
* Music/OutKast's "Hey Ya!" sounds like a happy, upbeat hip-hop song -- there's a famous [=YouTube=] video of the Peanuts characters dancing joyfully to it -- but the lyrics are a moody meditation on whether it's worth staying in an failing relationship:

* The controversial "Read A Book" video by D'Mite gained a lot of attention on BET for its cartoony and supposedly racist and stereotypical depiction of black culture, claiming it should be censored for children. Of course while the beat, rhythm and style of the song is modeled after dirty south (or crunk) rappers like Lil Jon, the lyrics tell positive messages and promote healthy lifestyle choices as well as a rejection of mainstream hip-hop excess in favor of reading, cleanliness, drinking water, parental responsibility and such.

* "What's Up, Fatlip?" by... [[CaptainObvious Fatlip]] has a happy, positive-sounding beat with laugh tracks in the background. Then you get to the lyrics...

* The song "Bullet", by the Rap Rock group HollywoodUndead, was a very upbeat tune, but the lyrcis is about a depressed man attemping suicide:

* The controversial "Read A Book" video by D'Mite gained a lot of attention on BET for its supposedly racist and stereotypical depiction of black culture, claiming it should be censored for children. Of course while the beat, rhythm and style of the song is modeled after dirty south (or crunk) rappers like Lil Jon, the lyrics tell positive messages and promote healthy lifestyle choices as well as a rejection of mainstream hip-hop excess in favor of reading, cleanliness, drinking water, parental responsibility and such.

* Outkast's "Hey Ya!" sounds like a happy, upbeat hip-hop song -- there's a famous [=YouTube=] video of the Peanuts characters dancing joyfully to it -- but the lyrics are a moody meditation on whether it's worth staying in an failing relationship: