| 1 | ->''"Yeah, paying the bills with my mad programming skills! Defraggin' my hard drive for thrills!'' |
| 2 | ->''Got me a hundred gigabytes of RAM! I don't feed trolls and I don't read spam.'' |
| 3 | ->''Installed a T1 line in my house! Always at my PC double-clickin' on my mizzouse!'' |
| 4 | ->''Upgrade my system at least twice a day, I'm strictly plug-and-play! I ain't afraid of [[MillenniumBug [=Y2K=]]]!'' |
| 5 | ->''I'm down with Bill Gates, I call him 'money' for short. I phone him up at home and I make him do my tech support! It's all about the Pentiums, what!"'' |
| 6 | -->-- [[Music/RunningWithScissors "It's All About The Pentiums"]], '''Music/WeirdAlYankovic''' |
| 7 | |
| 8 | [[IAmGreatSong Boastful, self-aggrandizing songs]] occur in all genres, but bragging songs in HipHop -- called ''braggadocio'' -- is a cornerstone of the genre, in a tradition stemming back to before UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfHipHop. It's ubiquitous for [[HipHop rappers]] to rap about how they're [[BadassBoast badass]], their [[GlamRap money]], their [[GangstaRap drugs and guns]], who they hang with, [[RagsToRiches how successful they are]], how good-looking they are, and how they're [[ThisIsASong really good at rapping]]. |
| 9 | |
| 10 | The reason this is so important to hip-hop is because of the genre's origins as DJ chatter during live party entertainment -- a DJ would keep party-goers hyped up by reminding them that they're having the best time at the best party with the best DJ, and giving them as much evidence as possible to make them believe it. Hip-hop, particularly BattleRapping, is also a descendent of the traditional African-American [[YouFightLikeACow insult game]] known as "the dozens", in which players might defend themselves from an opponent's attack by boasting about themselves. The last reason for bragging's popularity is as a reaction to the racism and classism that the working class Black Americans who invented hip-hop were subjected to -- bragging is a way of rejecting all the negative stereotypes placed on the rapper, and [[SelfEmpowermentAnthem affirming their power and greatness]]. Because of this, braggadocio by people who don't face negative stereotypes can come off as bullying -- rappers from more privileged backgrounds often avoid brags, [[PissTakeRap play them for laughs]] or use [[VillainProtagonist heel]] personas to avoid [[PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy cultural insensitivity]]. |
| 11 | |
| 12 | Compare BraggingThemeTune and AWildRapperAppears. A lot of songs that may appear to be about other topics are really just braggadocio songs using UnusualDysphemism -- most commonly, [[GangBangers songs about gang violence]] as a metaphor for being the best at rapping. If sung by an antagonistic character, can be considered a {{Villain Song}}. Also compare BattleRapping, where boastful rapping is a component of the SubGenre. |
| 13 | |
| 14 | ---- |
| 15 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 16 | |
| 17 | [[folder:Straight Examples]] |
| 18 | * Elizabeth Eden Harris, better known as Cupcakke, has a lot of song about this. |
| 19 | * Music/RegalPinion's "Clockwork Seraph" is this. As well as "Secret Keys". The song "More Grim Grimoire" can be seen as a [[DeconstructedTrope deconstruction]] since he slowly delves into lamenting that he can't improve since there is no one better than himself. |
| 20 | * Music/{{NWA}}. Sort of. They popularized all this. |
| 21 | * Music/HouseOfPain also likes them. |
| 22 | * Music/KanyeWest and Estelle: "American Boy", in which Kanye brags about his fame and fashion sense, with Estelle complimenting him for good measure. |
| 23 | ** More from Kanye: |
| 24 | --> DON'T LET ME INTO MY ZONE! DON'T LET ME INTO MY ZONE! DON'T LET ME INTO MY ZONE! I'M DEFINITELY IN MY ZONE! |
| 25 | * Music/{{Ludacris}}: "Stand Up", bragging about his various club antics and including the memorable line "Watch out for the medallion, my diamonds are reckless, feels like a midget is hanging from my necklace" |
| 26 | ** Ludacris' ''Rollout'' is someone in amazement of his loot, mixed with telling the media to stop hounding him. |
| 27 | ** In fact, a B-side on his first album is called "Mouthing Off": |
| 28 | -->They call me Seymour Butts, cause I get mo' ass than most |
| 29 | -->They say I'm next and got that butter love, and get too close |
| 30 | -->Follow the leader cause I'm [[Film/TheWaterboy meaner than medulla oblongota]] |
| 31 | -->My [[Music/ATribeCalledQuest Tribe's on more Quests]] than ''Midnight Marauders'' |
| 32 | * Music/{{Rihanna}}, [[Music/RatedRRihannaAlbum "Hard"]] |
| 33 | * The Binary Star song "Honest Expression" is largely a reaction to this trope; an extended tirade about how everybody who makes Boastful Rap songs is a poser who is killing hip-hop. |
| 34 | * Knuckles the Echidna gets into the act in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'', trying to convince us that he didn't chuckle in every single one of his ''[[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sonic 3]]'' appearances, or that he has any form of visible musculature. |
| 35 | * Most of HP Baxxter's song lyrics have something to do with his superiority as a rapper. |
| 36 | ** Scooter do have a lot of haters, especially since they started relying on squeaky voiced choruses all the time. So you'll have an odd situation where in the verses HP is rapping about his brilliance and originality and the chorus is a squeaky voiced rendition of a well known song. Then again, this is quite common in classic hip hop. |
| 37 | * Jimmy's rap from ''{{Theatre/Dreamgirls}}'', which immediately leads to the firing of Jimmy. |
| 38 | * Sushi K's rap in ''Literature/SnowCrash''. Which is [[StylisticSuck frighteningly terrible]] and ironically contrasted with a murder carried out by Raven, described in-book as the baddest-ass motherfucker in the world. |
| 39 | * About half of Jedi Mind Tricks' discography, but "Serenity In Murder" deserves a honorary mention for the line |
| 40 | -->''"Vinnie vicious like a werewolf at night/\ |
| 41 | I could go to the woods and kill a bear with my mic"'' |
| 42 | * A lot of Music/MissyElliott's songs are this trope. |
| 43 | * Timbaland's ''Kill Yourself''. |
| 44 | * Music/{{Prince}}'s "My Name Is Prince." |
| 45 | * Music/TechN9ne has a few, but most notably [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GupJwtLRp8Y He's A Mental Giant]]. |
| 46 | -->Giant robot make you feel very low shank |
| 47 | -->I am so hot, in my skills there be propane |
| 48 | -->Why I'm gon' squash them and kill every poor thing |
| 49 | -->Cause I'm a huge, Pillsbury dough mane |
| 50 | * MIMS' "This Is Why I'm Hot". He's hot 'cause he's fly, and you ain't cause you not. |
| 51 | * Let's be honest here -- hip-hop itself largely consists of this trope, especially in TheEighties and TheNineties. Artists like Rakim, the various members of the Wu-Tang Clan, Big L, and more perfected the Boastful Rap. Doesn't stop a lot of it from being SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic, though. |
| 52 | ** This is true, particularly for Big L. He personified this trope. Just look up the lyrics to any one of his songs. |
| 53 | * ''Look Pimpin'' from ''VideoGame/{{MadWorld}}'', as sung by the final boss, [[spoiler:The Black Baron (stop staring)]]. There's also ''You Don't Know Me'', which was based around the lady bosses (Elise and Rin-Rin). Not based on anyone, but still a boast of power, is ''Ain't That Funny'', the Great Wall Street theme. |
| 54 | ** In ''VideoGame/AnarchyReigns'', Maxmillion has [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqmLcB6OhoU Unlimited Resources]], a song that describes how nothing can stop him and how he'll destroy all in his way. There are also now two song for the ladies, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sK4lCIwG4fA I Know U Want Me]] for Rinrin and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULGewxG8o9g It's All About Me]] for Feirin. |
| 55 | *** Honestly, pretty much 95% of ''Anarchy Reings''' soundtrack consists of rap that proclaims the singer's superiority, usually in battle. Given that they are battle themes, this is not surprising. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4ABXe3jlqQ Jaw]]? [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAGfOSyBrCA Lights Out]]? [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNRxNc2pC5I Play My Ass Off]]? [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dVKMla1LAY Kill Em All]]? Pick pretty much any song in the soundtrack, it's significantly more likely to be a boastful rap than anything else. |
| 56 | * Even the poster boys of {{Wangst}} aren't exempt from this. See Music/LinkinPark's "Step Up" and "High Voltage". The band's rapper continues this trend with Fort Minor's "Remember the Name". |
| 57 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-Xq0dl3bu4 My power towers like the Eiffel/ Believe I got the right pull/ My vision is insightful/ You look you get an eye-full...]] |
| 58 | * Bradley Nowell of Music/{{Sublime}} was fond of these, the most famous probably being from the song "What I Got" 'I can play guitar like a motherfuckin riot.' |
| 59 | * ''LL Cool J'''s battles with ''Kool Moe Dee'' were the stuff of HipHop legend. |
| 60 | * Music/JayZ |
| 61 | * Likewise Music/JayZ's predecessor Big Daddy Kane |
| 62 | * Bender from ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' is fond of these |
| 63 | * Olive from ''Series/ANTFarm'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlYSkmWDopg spits fire on the M-I-C mostly about her genius-like talents ]] |
| 64 | * ''Film/TeenWitch'' has a trio of white boys rap against the titular character's best friend who all of a sudden starts rapping boastfully as a result of her friend's witch powers. |
| 65 | * Dutch rapper Brainpower has "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPE6moHqquo Mijn Manier]]". |
| 66 | ** Translated: |
| 67 | -->I live life, but especially in my own way |
| 68 | -->And do the ground tremble but my way |
| 69 | -->Write my texts but on my way |
| 70 | -->And put me vulnerable, do it my way |
| 71 | * iCarly during the party scenes of ''iParty with Victorious'' is a good example of this trope. However, Sam and Rex are the only characters that don't make Tupac roll over in his grave. |
| 72 | ** Subverted by Robbie who gets knocked unconscious by an angry crowd member before he can make a presumably poor attempt of a Boastful Rap. |
| 73 | * Music/ChrisBrown's "Look at Me Now". |
| 74 | * Music/DJKhaled's ''All I Do Is Win'' might be one of the straightest examples to hit the charts in recent years. Features guest spots from Music/TPain, Ludacris, Music/SnoopDogg, and Music/RickRoss, and every single one of them is attempting to one-up each other. |
| 75 | * Mickey Avalon's ''My Dick'' is all about the comparative size of the artist's genitals. |
| 76 | * Name one {{Music/Pitbull}} song that either doesn't fit this trope to a T or is about [[InDaClub partying in the club]]. |
| 77 | ** "Castle Made of Sand" from Planet Pit does come close to averting this trope -- it does have a few brags but is much more about his past, his mother and how he grew up without a father. |
| 78 | * That said, Music/FloRida isn't much better with this trope. Most of his bigger songs fit it very well, most notably "Club Can't Handle Me" and "Good Feeling". |
| 79 | * [[Music/IggyAzalea I'm so fancy, can't you taste this gold?]] |
| 80 | * "Thrift Shop" by Music/{{Macklemore}} and Ryan Lewis is an amusing example that still plays the trope straight. Most boastful raps focus on how wealthy and stylish the rapper is. This song brags about how great the rapper looks despite having no money and "wearing your granddad's clothes." |
| 81 | * Music/{{LMFAO}}'s "Sexy and I Know It." |
| 82 | * Music/TheBlackEyedPeas do this sometimes, like "Boom Boom Pow" and "Imma Be." Fergie does this too ("Fergalicious," anyone?). |
| 83 | * Don [=McCloskey's=] "Return of the Freak MC" starts off with him mock-complaining about how folk-singers brag about how much money they have, how many banjos they play, before launching into a song about how broke AND awesome he is. |
| 84 | * "Remember the Name" by Music/FortMinor ([[Music/LinkinPark Mike Shinoda]] and Styles of Beyond working together), in which each artist gets two verses. They proceed to describe themselves in a distinctly self-satisfied fashion. |
| 85 | * Music/CherLloyd's "Swagger Jagger". A white British girl rapping about how awesome she is and how everyone's trying to jack her swag, to the tune of "Oh My Darling, Clementine". It's exactly as ridiculous as it sounds. |
| 86 | * While most of Music/BadLipReading's "(Rockin') All Nite Long" is silly like their other works, Wiz Khalifa lays one straight line that stands out. |
| 87 | -->''"'Bout to get raw, bells gotta ring, I'm a alchemist, the beat is my base metal..."'' |
| 88 | * Here is a boastful rap about representing your culture, set to a [[Music/TupacShakur 2pac]] beat. It's called "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-n7aeqMzis Got Rice?]]" by Joey Lo Flow (usually stylized as [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin AZN Pride]]). Also to ponder, the Asian rapper's [[NWordPrivileges gratuitous use of the N-word]]. |
| 89 | -->"Got rice, [[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch bitch]]? Got rice? Got food, got soup, got spice?\ |
| 90 | [[AsianAndNerdy Got brains like us?]] Got skills like us?\ |
| 91 | Fuck no hell you white, you'll never be like us." |
| 92 | * Music/ChildishGambino's "Freaks and Geeks", "Bonfire", "Sunrise", and "Sweatpants". "Worldstar" is set up like one, but is actually about the sadistic aspects of web culture. |
| 93 | * Music/MeghanTrainor has some songs off her second album, ''Thank You'', with elements of these, with her verse in "Watch Me Do" being perhaps the best example, with some singing blended in. |
| 94 | * Music/KenAshcorp does this in "20 Percent Cooler", except with [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Ponies]]. |
| 95 | -->''You can call me the king or the ruler,'' |
| 96 | -->''Felon on Bass, getting hoarse on the mic,'' |
| 97 | -->''We're getting 20 Percent Cooler...'' |
| 98 | * ''All over the place'' in ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}''. George Washington gets one ("Right Hand Man"), John Laurens gets a couple of verses (in "Aaron Burr, Sir" and "My Shot"), Hercules Mulligan and the Marquis du Lafayette get a verse in those two plus a few more (in "Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)" and "Guns and Ships" respectively), and Alexander Hamilton himself gets nearly ''three full songs'' ("My Shot", "Non-Stop", and [[BlasphemousBoast "Hurricane"]]). |
| 99 | * Music/BrunoMars' 2016 return track, by the name of "24K Magic", is a prime example, with lines like "I'm a dangerous man with some money in my pocket" and even a line as abrasive as "Bad bitches and your ugly ass friends". And yet, with his epic swagger and moves, he still has the capability to do it without leaving most fans disgusted. |
| 100 | * {{Deconstructed}} by Music/TheWeeknd's "Starboy." From the beginning, he notes that these types of songs are arrogant and self-worshipping ("I'm tryna put you in the worst mood, ah"). While the song points out luxuries such as his massive salary and fancy cars, Abel also indicates that he feels LonelyAtTheTop and that he has to indulge in luxuries and his trademark drug addiction to distract from that pain. The line "Look what you've done" in the chorus confirms that he's not entirely happy about his newfound fame and he's resentful of the public for making him famous in the first place. The music video supports this, as it involves the ''Starboy'' Abel killing off his previous ''Beauty Behind the Madness'' self, then destroying all the awards and fancy suits that fame brought him. |
| 101 | * Music/MilesDavis' hip hop album ''Music/DooBop'' featured a bit of this, but the trumpeter left the rapping to album producer Easy Mo Bee and his crew, Rappin' Is Fundamental; who kicked boastful raps about Miles' legendary trumpet skills. |
| 102 | * The song "Legend Has It" by rap duo Music/RunTheJewels is entirely made up of these, even cracking a joke about it when the tail end of one of El-P's boasts is abruptly cut off by a bored female voice (actually that of his wife) telling him to quit it. |
| 103 | --> ''I'm fuckin' magic in fact I'm a warlock of talk'' |
| 104 | --> ''I got a unicorn horn for a--'' [[CurseCutShort (stop)]] |
| 105 | * Subverted in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3imnxCmR7bw "Surface pressure"]] from Disney's WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}}. Luisa starts out rapping about how strong and though she is, but quickly reveals that she is breaking down from the pressure of having to fix everything in the village and fear of failing the people who depend on her. |
| 106 | * This is how Music/MCHammer starts "You Can't Touch This". |
| 107 | -->My, my, my, my\ |
| 108 | Music hits me so hard\ |
| 109 | Makes me say "Oh, my Lord\ |
| 110 | Thank you for blessing me\ |
| 111 | With a mind to rhyme and two hyped feet"\ |
| 112 | It feels good when you know you're down\ |
| 113 | A super dope homeboy from the Oaktown\ |
| 114 | And I'm known as such\ |
| 115 | And this is a beat, uh, you can't touch |
| 116 | * In ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'', the song "Nobody Like U" contains one about Robaire's attractiveness. |
| 117 | "Facts Machine" by mat4yo includes the line: "It's a fact the eternal fire in Iraq can't hold a candle to the fire in my raps." |
| 118 | [[/folder]] |
| 119 | |
| 120 | [[folder:Quasi-parodies, ironic boasting, deconstructions, and indeterminable]] |
| 121 | * Toyed with by Music/InsaneClownPosse, who boast about things like sex with obese women and having magic powers in a parody of the boastful rap style. The following quote from "Take Me Away" sums it up: |
| 122 | -->But to anybody here I can promise you this\ |
| 123 | You'll never hear us rap about the typical bullshit\ |
| 124 | Pimpin', all the money they got\ |
| 125 | All the ice they wear and all the people they shot\ |
| 126 | All the chicks they pullin' all the cars they drive\ |
| 127 | Only we'd rap about fucking a beehive![[note]]This is a reference to an actual line from the next track on the album.[[/note]] |
| 128 | * The ICP's fellow Detroit {{Horrorcore}} artist/rival Music/{{Eminem}} borrowed this trick, spending much of his early albums boasting about having multiple sexually transmitted diseases, [[AlcoholInducedStupidity drunk-driving]], being [[UndiscriminatingAddict addicted to every drug in existence]], having a drug-addicted, abusive slut as a mother, being mentally ill, and [[HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood being raped by his school teacher as a child]]. His later albums, after his CreatorRecovery, involve more straightforward boasting, but almost always in a playful tone. Eminem (talking about "Rap God", one of his {{Signature Song}}s) once claimed that whenever he feels he's boasting too much, he always wants to blend it in with SelfDeprecation or SelfParody to better reflect [[HumbleHero his own personality]]. |
| 129 | * The Music/DigitalUnderground song "The Humpty Dance" is a humorous example if not an outright parody. |
| 130 | * A few of Music/BeastieBoys' songs affirm their rapping ability, though it is at times so absurd that it's quite possibly parody ("Got more hits than Sadaharu Oh", from ''Music/PaulsBoutique'', indeed). |
| 131 | ** On that note, Music/RunDMC did this pretty often too, but [[RuleOfCool no one really cares.]] |
| 132 | * ''I'm Cappin'' by Mon$ter and Big Flock |
| 133 | -->I don't do none of that shit, I be rappin'\ |
| 134 | I just be cappin', I just be rappin'\ |
| 135 | I don't want smoke with a motherfucking soul\ |
| 136 | I ain't in the streets, bitch I don't get active\ |
| 137 | Fuck do you mean? I ain't got opps\ |
| 138 | Lil nigga stop, you niggas can have it\ |
| 139 | I ain't no drug lord, never seen a brick or bust open a motherfucking package\ |
| 140 | I don't do no crime, nigga no lie, to be real with you niggas, I'm average\ |
| 141 | Run a small business, I don't sell drugs, to be honest, I'm pretty established |
| 142 | * Music/TinieTempah's "Pass Out" is half straight example, half AffectionateParody. The hook is standard if arguably lame Boastful Rap about partying and drinking and getting all the women, but the verses contain bizarre, uncool boasts like "I got so many clothes I keep them in my aunt's house" and "I'm pissed I never got to fly on a Concorde / I been Southampton but I've never been to Scunthorpe". (Note: for Americans unsure about those English towns, know that they are both desperately uncool.) |
| 143 | * Hot Chip's "The Warning" parodies it with a chorus that'd sound threatening, if only it weren't delivered in a mild-mannered voice more reminiscent of [[ComicStrip/{{Garfield}} John Arbuckle]] than Music/JayZ... |
| 144 | -->Hot Chip will break your legs |
| 145 | -->Snap off your head |
| 146 | -->Hot Chip will put you down |
| 147 | -->Under the ground |
| 148 | * Every Wrestler in [=GLOW=] did this before every match, including the one that would become WWE's Ivory. The parody came from most of the roster being stock ForeignWrestlingHeel. |
| 149 | * Music/LilB has claimed to be God, UsefulNotes/BillClinton, the Devil, Paris Hilton, Hugh Hefner, Music/JustinBieber, Music/MileyCyrus, Creator/MelGibson, and Ellen Degeneres and to look like Jesus, Bill Gates mixed with UsefulNotes/BarackObama, and the pope. He also called himself "[[MemeticMutation The Based God]]," whatever that means. |
| 150 | * Music/LupeFiasco's "Superstar" was a surprising deconstruction of this trope. Though he wasn't parodying those who boast, it was definitely more about the insecurities and loneliness that come from 'gangsta' celebrity rather than the perks, fame, and money. |
| 151 | [[/folder]] |
| 152 | |
| 153 | [[folder:Parodies]] |
| 154 | * From Music/TheLonelyIsland: |
| 155 | ** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7yfISlGLNU I'm On a Boat]]", featuring Music/TPain. |
| 156 | ** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8e6-IeQ0aw Natalie's Rap]]". Creator/NataliePortman is fucking ''scary''. |
| 157 | ** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NisCkxU544c Like a Boss]]", which just turns into something else entirely. It's a parody of, what else, Slim Thug's "Like a Boss". |
| 158 | ** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N24fVEJyQKM&feature=relmfu We're Back!]]", which brags about erectile dysfunction, amongst other things. |
| 159 | ** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI6CfKcMhjY Jack Sparrow]]" starts out as one of these, but is derailed by Music/MichaelBolton, who's been marathoning the ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' movies. The boys attempt to regain control of the song -- and fail. Though getting him to change the subject to ''Film/{{Scarface 1983}}'' makes it mildly more appropriate. |
| 160 | ** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy83AwbAGlo Watch Me Do Me]]", wherein the "I'ma do me" in rap is taken a ''wee'' bit too seriously. |
| 161 | ** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qFrY4VcbMU&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL We'll Kill U]]", in which two incredibly non-threatening white nerds brag about how [[IllKillYou they'll]] [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin kill you]] in a completely deadpan, bored fashion. |
| 162 | ** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIpbYyR0OOI I'm So Humble]]" from ''Film/PopstarNeverStopNeverStopping''. It's about how the singer has everything and is completely amazing, [[HypocriticalHumor and is also totally humble in spite of that.]] |
| 163 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6ai7Rtn-NA "Pixie Rap"]], from ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents''. To make it even funnier, it's performed by [[Music/WuTangClan Method Man]] and Redman, who are well accustomed to doing this with the upmost sincerity. |
| 164 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kwl6ZD3SA2w "I'm a Gangsta"]], which is from a dorky white kid. |
| 165 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPOiqtf2FTE This]] rap video with, out of all people, ''Taylor Swift''. Also featuring T-Pain. |
| 166 | * Music/PDQBach's "Classical Rap," as recorded by Grandmaster Flab and the Hoople Funkharmonic: |
| 167 | --> I'm the apex, I'm the best. I'm considerably better than all the rest. |
| 168 | * "White And Nerdy" by Music/WeirdAlYankovic. |
| 169 | -->There's no killer app I haven't run\ |
| 170 | At Pascal well I'm number 1\ |
| 171 | Do vector calculus just for fun... |
| 172 | ** Weird Al's earlier offering, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpMvS1Q1sos All About the Pentiums]], arguably fits this trope even better. |
| 173 | -->I'm down with Bill Gates, I call him "Money" for short\ |
| 174 | I phone him up at home and I make him do my tech support |
| 175 | * 50 Cent did "Window Shopper" with a video that featured super-imposed pricetags on every piece of product placement. Lily Allen then did [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-If2eG4jrE "Nan You're A Window Shopper"]] which reversed and parodied the original. |
| 176 | * [[OlderThanYouThink In 1984,]] "The Rappin' Duke" was Creator/JohnWayne claiming to be the first rapper. |
| 177 | * "Gangnam Style" by {{Music/PSY}}. The narrator brags about his luxurious life style, while the video reveals the inaccuracies. For example, PSY appears to be lounging on beach, but he's actually on a playground; he brags about his wealth while [[NobodyPoops sitting on]] [[AvertedTrope the toilet]], and so on. |
| 178 | ** Gangnam is a wealthy part of Seoul, South Korea. The main line is "Oppan [Big brother is] Gangnam Style" -- the song is effectively from the viewpoint of a man who thinks he's hot stuff because he lives like someone there, but really doesn't have what it takes. (South Korea has some of the highest credit card debt on the planet; living way beyond your means is a common problem.) |
| 179 | * "The Shadow of Def" by Music/BraveSaintSaturn. |
| 180 | -->Master of beats and the cross-fader,\ |
| 181 | I'll cut off your hand just like Darth Vader.\ |
| 182 | You step to me, you're gonna get dissed, homeboy. |
| 183 | ** For a better Franchise/StarWars reference, try the second [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yH8b5ruc_-E Star Wars Gangsta Rap,]] which is about the Rebels and Empire having a rap battle. '''ROLL UP ON YER PLANET, [++DEATH STAR DRIVE-BY!++]''' |
| 184 | * Music/JonLajoie's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PsnxDQvQpw Everyday Normal Guy]] talks about how normal he is. |
| 185 | --> I'm just a regular everyday normal guy...Nothin' special bout me motherfucker. |
| 186 | -->I'm just a regular everyday normal guy...When I go to the club I wait in line motherfucker. |
| 187 | -->I'm just a regular everyday normal guy...I got $600 in the bank motherfucker |
| 188 | -->I'm just a regular everyday normal guy...And my sexual performances are average. |
| 189 | ** As well as the "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqXi8WmQ_WM MC]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvjDr8KKtsE Vagina]]" [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC03hmS1Brk videos]], which parody boastful rapping through inept lyrics and obvious exaggerations. |
| 190 | -->"I buy a lot of expensive thing because I have a lot of money. You can't afford expensive things because you don't have a lot of money" |
| 191 | -->"When I show women my money they want to have sex with me, and they always have orgasms because my penis is so big, [[BiggerIsBetterInBed 25 inches long]] and [[BlatantLies 12 inches thick]]" |
| 192 | * [[http://www.myspace.com/mcemttherapper "Pace, Precision, Power"]], which is a boastful rap about Pro Evolution Soccer. |
| 193 | * Music/{{Flobots}}' "Handlebars" is a deconstruction of the boastful rap, starting with childlike bragging ("I can ride my bike with no handlebars") and culminating in some pretty scary stuff ("I can end the planet in a holocaust"). |
| 194 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5oEyFa9XQI Jaden's Rap]] from WebVideo/YuGiOhtheAbridgedSeries |
| 195 | * Spose's song, fittingly titled [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYws8biwOYc "I'm Awesome"]], talks about how he still lives in his mom's basement, only made friends online because he's way too shy in real life but talks to himself on his Facebook wall despite that, never works out, is too poor to eat at Subway, his lyrics are ghostwritten -- by his little sister nonetheless, can't roll blunts despite smoking weed all the time, has a dead-end job, is horribly out of fashion, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking drinks light beer.]] |
| 196 | * Ever heard anyone rap about being a freelance Final Cut Pro editor? [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=No18-olLtu4&feature=channel_video_title You have now.]] |
| 197 | * Music/TheVeronicas "Popular". |
| 198 | * WebVideo/TheRapCritic [[DiscussedTrope raps about this]] in his music video "[[http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/teamt/rap-critic/music-video/32367-oh-really Oh, Really?]]": |
| 199 | * There are mock rap battles in ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' ([[JustForFun/TropeOverdosed of course]]), including the lamest [[spoiler:and best]] in the history of [[TimeyWimeyBall Paradox]] Space. |
| 200 | ** At one point, Tavros attempts to troll Dave by performing a Boastful Rap ("'Cause I'm your bully, and you're not in charge"), but unintentionally keeps making it [[MistakenForGay homoerotic]], much to Tavros's chagrin. |
| 201 | * On ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' Wayne Brady and Brad Sherwood once did a rap song about being an astronaut. "We're gonna blast off out of this place / And we're gonna drag your butt to outer space! And if you do not like it I do not care / Because I told you once, I'm breathing BOTTLED AIR!" |
| 202 | * The ''Website/SCPFoundation'' has an [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/follow-the-keter epic rap battle]] between [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-076 SCP-076-2]] and [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-682 SCP-682]]. |
| 203 | ** Then there's [[https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/incident-682-1548 this exchange]] between [[https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-1548 SCP-1548]] and SCP-682. In Morse Code, no less. |
| 204 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': |
| 205 | ** The episode "New Kids on the Blech," where Bart is reading aloud from the song they're to sing (sort-of rap, like the {{Boy Band}}s do): |
| 206 | --->'''Bart''': "Party Posse, we rule the earth, / The greatest band since music's birth?"\ |
| 207 | '''Nelson''': Isn't this song a little boastful?\ |
| 208 | '''Milhouse''': No one told me there was going to be boasting. |
| 209 | ** In "The Itchy and Scratchy and Poochie Show", Poochie's introduction when he first appears on Itchy and Scratchy has one. |
| 210 | ** Referenced when Homer turns paparrazo and tries to provoke champion boxer Drederick Tatum to violence, which actually just takes the following words. |
| 211 | --->'''Tatum:''' Yes, hello, what can I do for you, my handsome friend?\ |
| 212 | '''Homer:''' Your hip-hop album was boastful and unnecessary!\ |
| 213 | ''[Pause]''\ |
| 214 | '''Tatum:''' ''[rolls up sleeves]'' OK, here we go. |
| 215 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ov1DDjHt8c Epic Rap Battle]] by WebVideo/RhettAndLink is pretty much a boasting competition. |
| 216 | * Music/MrBTheGentlemanRhymer's "Straight Out Of Surrey" is a boastful rap about what an awesome UsefulNotes/{{cricket}}er he is. |
| 217 | * Music/TheMidnightBeast's song "Medium Pimpin'" consists entirely of them bragging about how ''average'' they and their possessions are. |
| 218 | ** Their parody of "Tik Tok" counts as this as well, such as Stefan bragging, "I stay up 'till eleven when my curfew is ten". |
| 219 | * The opening of "(My Name Is) Theatre/{{Macbeth}}" by Music/MitchBenn (the ''Too Late To Cancel'' live bonus track version): |
| 220 | -->Grab your seats when I grab my quill, yo, |
| 221 | -->Shut up for [[Creator/WilliamShakespeare the Wordmaster Will]]. |
| 222 | -->Creator/ChristopherMarlowe, you'd better get outta my way, |
| 223 | -->I drop bombs when I write my plays, [[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch bitch]]. |
| 224 | -->Using my skills and my talent with grammar ta, |
| 225 | -->Kick yo' ass in [[LeastRhymableWord iambic pentameter]]. |
| 226 | * Rappin' [[Creator/RodneyDangerfield Rodney]] somehow managed to boast about how little respect he gets. |
| 227 | * Music/ProfessorElemental has "Splendid", where he pleasantly raps about how his life is great and he's "really pleased". "Fighting Trousers", his diss song, is a more aggressive, but still silly, take on this, full of [[TakeThat attacks]] on Music/MrBTheGentlemanRhymer |
| 228 | * The "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFihfYDCByY&feature=relmfu Celtic Boast Battle]]" from ''Series/HorribleHistories''. Charles II's "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2kyNbZc7oc King of Bling]]" rap also has some boastful elements, as Charles brags about his popularity and even [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids lists the names of several women he's slept with]]. Then there's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDIDcaKAZJY Marcus Licinius Crassus]], although if anyone can brag about how rich they are, it's him: |
| 229 | --> ''There's Romans think they're minted, but they ain't rich like me!''\ |
| 230 | ''You can't call yourself loaded till you can buy an army!''\ |
| 231 | ''Ran Rome with Pompey and Caesar, they're more famous than me,''\ |
| 232 | ''But I'm the world's richest geezer, there's no-one richer than me!'' |
| 233 | * Played straight (assuming PoesLaw doesn't apply) in FanFic/DaveStdiderPokemonTraner when Dave [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext needs to open a door that only opens to rappers]]. Then parodied when Karkat tried the same thing. |
| 234 | -->'''Karkat:'''\ |
| 235 | im kitkat and dvea sux\ |
| 236 | and im awesome\ |
| 237 | and i hate dvae becuz he is lame\ |
| 238 | dave is dumb |
| 239 | ** Jack Noir doesn't do much better. |
| 240 | --->'''Jack Noir:'''\ |
| 241 | my name is jack noir\ |
| 242 | and i can rap\ |
| 243 | in a car\ |
| 244 | beneath teh stars\ |
| 245 | in a bar\ |
| 246 | during a war |
| 247 | * WebVideo/{{Dormtainment}} parodies the tendency for rappers to rap about how "hood" they are in their video "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us2C7fChb1c Straight Outta Dunwoody]]"[[note]] Dunwoody is an upper middle class suburb of UsefulNotes/{{Atlanta}}[[/note]]: |
| 248 | -->Straight outta Dunwoody\ |
| 249 | Riding my Suburban in the suburbs\ |
| 250 | And I talk proper\ |
| 251 | Never use curse words. |
| 252 | ** They parody it again in "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IElzeOPcZCA 6 Guys 1 Honda]]" |
| 253 | --->6 deep ridin' with a broken window (it's hot)\ |
| 254 | A broken AC got our foreheads damp\ |
| 255 | And a 5 minute ride equals 5 leg cramps. |
| 256 | * Every episode of ''WebVideo/EpicRapBattlesOfHistory'' involves at least some of this. |
| 257 | * "ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} - A Blurred Lines Parody", done by WebVideo/DPiddy, basically turns that song into one of these, centered on the titular character. |
| 258 | * ''Theatre/PokemonTheMewsical'' has Brock's song, which is a rap about how he's a chick magnet using Pokemon-themed words. It's... not entirely accurate. |
| 259 | * Music/DieAntwoord has "Rich Bitch," which (like most of the group's material) plays as an AffectionateParody of the genre as Yo-Landi Vi$$er boasts about, among other things, eating sandwiches with thickly spread Nutella. |
| 260 | * Remy's "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T1RMuoQnKo Arlington: The Rap]]" is among the better examples of parody raps about the alleged badass-ness of wealthy, largely white suburbs. |
| 261 | * "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Sar5WT76kE NASA Johnson Style]]" is a parody of "Gangnam Style", obviously, but is boasting about NASA's achievements in space exploration and sciences instead. |
| 262 | * "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-Cr0EWwaTk Java Life]]" glorifies the life of a Java programmer. |
| 263 | * Likewise, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5VlCNVafxQ This Is Engineering]]" by Kavi Patel riffs off "Thrift Shop" (see above) and is an only slightly embellished account from the life of STEM specialists. |
| 264 | * "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RihNxr0TH9g Dungeons & Dragons: Rap Edition]]" from Mann Shorts has a DungeonMaster break into a rap song about his dungeon-mastering prowess after getting fed up with his players. |
| 265 | * The lyrics for "Whales" by Hail Mary Mallon just lists off a ton of exorbitant, ridiculous things and repeats "money" over and over to make the band ''sound'' rich. Taken even further by the music video, where the song is performed by a couple of broke randos sitting in an alley. |
| 266 | --> Money on my motherfucking mind |
| 267 | --> Cop five haircuts at the same time |
| 268 | --> White gold pants, Jet Ski made of Yuan |
| 269 | --> Foie gras bust of Albert Einstein |
| 270 | --> Get Money |
| 271 | * Mischa Bachinski's first character song of ''Theatre/RideTheCyclone'', "This Song is Awesome," certainly fits the bill. Living unhappily with his adoptive parents in a podunk mining town in Northern Saskatchewan, Mischa aspired to become a famous, wealthy rapper so as to escape the poverty and [[SmallTownBoredom boredom]] of his life (at least he ''did'', before dying in a roller coaster accident). He even had a youtube page where he published his raps under the name stage name "Bad Egg." His song evokes the style of mid-2000's HipHop, complete with gratuitous AutoTune over Mischa's heavy Ukrainian accent as he describes his imagined riches. |
| 272 | --> Lounging with my homies, Friday night scene\ |
| 273 | [=PlayStation's=] up on my 60-inch screen.\ |
| 274 | [=McNuggets=] in the bag, Cristal's on tap,\ |
| 275 | new toothbrush from Tiffany's still in the bubble wrap.\ |
| 276 | Track lights glowing like nuclear sciences\ |
| 277 | sparkling all over my stainless steel appliances.\ |
| 278 | I'm shinning like Midas, I'm the king of ka-ching,\ |
| 279 | everything I touch goes bling-bling-bling! |
| 280 | * "Amateur Wordsmith" by Music/TheStupendium turns the concept on its head, with Stupes rapping all about how they can't write this kind of rap and that they really only see themselves as an okay rapper (the song having been written when they were still inexperienced). |
| 281 | [[/folder]] |
| 282 |
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