Your single favourite verses in Hip Hop.

[Fry]

In hip hop are are there any single verses in a song that blow you away everytime, ones which you love so much you can constantly listen to over and over again, either due to their lyrical complexity or just the flow of the delivery?

My first has to be Too Poetic's (Or 'The Grym Reaper' as he calls himself in this) verse from 1-800-Suicide. An amazing song anyway, but his verse (the second verse starting at 1:20) is perfect. Written with skill and wit, and delivered with absolute perfection. I could listen to it over and over again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjKQc-UyL6w

Another is Andre 3000's opening to "Int'l Players Anthem" by UGK, I can't find it on Youtube but you should listen to it on spotify or something. Although, generally, I think Big Boi is the better rapper from the duo, his intro to the song is quality.

[buttgammon]

Busta Rhymes' cameo on 'A Tribe Called Quest' always works for me. Even though he was only a guest on the track (with Leaders of the New School) he effortlessly creates a fantastic hardcore vibe and makes his section his own. I love Phife and Q-Tip but Busta really stole the show on this one, and credit to him for that. In my opinion, it's the pinnacle of everything he's ever done.

[Fry]

Oh yeah, I've never been a big fan of Busta Rhymes, but occasionally he just comes out on top form with his vocals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw2HUWltI3o

I hear something like that and it makes me want to reconsider him, but then I hear one of his albums and am ultimately disappointed.

[The Region Legion]

I hear something like that and it makes me want to reconsider him, but then I hear one of his albums and am ultimately disappointed.

The first two albums are great, the debut much better than the 2nd (which the video you posted is from). The most recent one, "The Big Bang", was a real return to form. A little more thuggy than he was before, but still some wonderful performances (with the exception of the ridiculous "I Love My Bitch")

Here, don't just take my word for it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGSDOMPezWM
Collaboration with Q-Tip from the Big Bang - great old school anthem, two of the pioneers demolishing modern day hip-hop. Particularly love Q-Tip's verse about why he does so many collaborations at the start ("let the money pass me? I doubt that.")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTxwcCt3hNE
Throwing this one in here just because it was left off the album, and is definitely better than at least 4 or 5 tracks that made it. Particularly odd since it was one of the last things ODB did before he died. Just love when that bass line drops, actually gives me goosebumps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7Fdo09SyDI
Ill Vibe from his debut, also featuring Q-Tip, also outstandingly brilliant.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzRz6t3h77U
Still Shining - this one really sums up the mood of the debut. Completely whacked out beats, incredible originality.


He lost his way a touch after the 2nd one, but I'm still a fan.

[The Masked Unit]

 AZ's verse on "Life's a bitch" by Nas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCnqDvvZrcM

Raekwon's verse on "Daytona 500"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPKJZJITZHw

And finally, "Dear sirs" by El-p, which is basically just one verse/rant
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FexodKiuhpY

Dear Sirs
If the pavement comes alive on Flatbush Ave with toothy smiles
Comprised of traffic cones and manholes become eyes
And birds burst into flames while singing Satan's praises
And fold into the sky and rain down ashy danger

If every office empties and all slaves walk in dazes
To a pool of liquid money where they bathe blissfully naked
And drugs no longer taunt me and flooze around my conscience
And every woman beating rapist is securely in their coffins

If every open hydrant in a Brooklyn time summer moment
Is opened up by cops and folds out into an ocean
And rent is paid by bread literally and parking isn't paid for
And food stamps can be planted and childhoods can't be damaged

If fire could power space ships that safely ship the creators
Of dynamite and gun powder to the graves of all who faced it
And the slurping nerf of beauracrat life and bean coutning slave owners
Is twisted in on itself til they shave off their own faces

If all the coke and crack in the nation is collected in a top hat
And force fed to the children of every CIA agent
And dust heads get an angel and an acres worth of rainbow
And the projects turn to clouds and the stupid aren't so proud

And the snivelling grimace mongrels of infected money slobbing pesticrats ignite
into a brilliant beam of light
And mercy is the rule
And the exception's mercy too
And the desert comes in Brooklyn and the President goes to school

Time flows in reverse
Death becomes my birth
Me fighting in your war is still, by a large margin
The least likely thing that will ever fucking happen...ever

[phes]

Jurassic 5 - A day at the races - for flow (1.00-2.00):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1WzNVU-BXM&feature=related

Porn Theatre Ushers - Me and Him (2.20). But really the whole song - Childish, mysoginistic, shitty brilliance. Any verse that starts: "I'm stepping on Leprechauns..."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZerff2zfrw

People under the stairs - Hang Loose -  The first verse, for its absurd rubbish:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlCn70Ks2N4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlCn70Ks2N4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlCn70Ks2N4

[samadriel]

Niggaz ain't feelin the Fame bitch? Stop dreamin' / I'm the shit that felt good comin' out of my pop's semen. -- "Face Off" from M.O.P's Warriorz.  Love that album (not the best track off it tho').

Okay, verse...

Pharcyde, 'Drop' (I think Imani did this verse?):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co3qMdkucM0

On those that pollute, extra dosages is what I gotta give em
Got 'em mad and tremb-l-ing
'Cos I been up in my lab assemb-l-ing
Missiles!  To bomb the enemy!
Because they envy me, and the making of my mad currency
Currently I think we're in a state of an emergency
Cause niggas done sold they souls, and now they souls is hollow
And I think they can't follow
They can't swallow, the truth because it hurts
This is how I put it down, this is my earth, my turf
The worth of my birth is a billion, and you know what time it is, I'm going to make a million

[phes]

Ozomatli - Superbowl Sundae. First verse - this dude's got flow!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prhHI0lJenY

Christ I reckon he could pick up a space-hopper with one of those hands

[Angst in my Pants]

Listen homeboys, don't mean to burst your bubble
But girls of the world ain't nothing but trouble.

[Lookalike Mark Chapman]

Listen homeboys, don't mean to burst your bubble
But girls of the world ain't nothing but trouble.

You heard that and then based your life on it.

[Desi Rascal]

MC Ren Still Aint Free

Who that nigga you can call to spit some shit
And ain't scared of the government, you niggas lovin' it
We spread out, in different positions
Tryin' to break these motherfuckers outta prison
listen, Mayday on the front line
Nigga we G's up in the game, we bust 'till we flatline
Then they want my black ass to Rock The Vote
They want as many niggas they can to fill the boat
But these house niggas, go fight in Iraq
Cryin' to they mamma now they wanna come back
Shouldn't took your black ass in the service
And fuck if I make you nervous
I'ma speak it, Black Revolutionary, that's my title
While these stupid niggas wanna be American Idols
Still ride for the streets, since day one
We rough with ours, homey, straight outta Compton...

[Angst in my Pants]

You heard that and then based your life on it.

Fo' sho', sir.

[The Boston Crab]

"And then you call your friend two weeks later to see how he has been
And he says I understand about the food baby bubbah but we're still friends..."

Just as the melancholic synth bells come in, it brings a lump to my throat.

[Desi Rascal]

From Kool Moe Dee's infamous battle raps with LL Cool J How ya like me now

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRb9PONMeLY

Rap is an art
And I'm a Picasso
But of course
Why else would you try so
Hard to paint a picture, and try to get ya
Self in my shoes,but they won't fit ya
I'm bigger and better,forget about deffer
Every time I rocked the mic,I left a
Stain in your brain that will remain
Stuck in the back of your brain till you see me
Again,respect,I come correct
The rhymes I select are nothing short of perfect
Vernacular's pure and I can insure
Life od death with my breath,my voice is a cure
I heal life from the words I spread
I'll make a sick man rock on his death bed
Sucker MC's , I'll make your girl say "ow"
She's jockin'

How ya like me now

[Peter File]

Eazy E's verse in Straight Outta Compton.

[NoSleep]

In west philadelphia born and raised
On the playground where I spent most of my days
Chilling out, maxing, relaxing all cool
And all shooting some b-ball outside of the school
When a couple of guys said were up in no good
Started making trouble in my neighbourhood
I got in one little fight and my mom got scared
And said "you're moving with your auntie and uncle in bel-air".

[Scrapey Fish]

Puba absolutely slays this track with the final verse:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqkWym3dvDI

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

The bit between 0:23 and 0:36 in Vicious Battle Raps by by DJ Format and Abdominal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbjyG6fvv3c
That's what them youngsters refer to as flow.

[dr beat]

"I expressed with my full capability, and now I live in a correctional facility"

[The Masked Unit]

In west philadelphia born and raised
On the playground where I spent most of my days
Chilling out, maxing, relaxing all cool
And all shooting some b-ball outside of the school
When a couple of guys said were up in no good
Started making trouble in my neighbourhood
I got in one little fight and my mom got scared
And said "you're moving with your auntie and uncle in bel-air".

The only rap verse which all white people know!

[vrailaine]

Obvious ones but the Andre 3000 verse of BOB, Eminem's verse in Renegade, Ice Cube's in Grand Finale and AZ's in Life's a Bitch.

[NoSleep]

The only rap verse which all white people know!

Seeing as Hip Hop is my day job, it's nice to come home to a bit of telly.

[The Masked Unit]

Seeing as Hip Hop is my day job, it's nice to come home to a bit of telly.

I didn't realise you were still focussed on hip hop; do you mind if I ask who you're working with at the moment?

[NoSleep]

Just finished the new Herbaliser album, although that was as far as they could get away from hip hop, being the Herbaliser Band playing live in the studio. I've also been working on some new tracks with veteran UK rapper Bionic which should be seeing the light of day in the near future. Also working on tracks for a dj/producer known as Beattrix who I hope you will hear more of in the future, as I've enjoyed working on his tracks.

[samadriel]

The name's Poochie D
And I rock the telly
I'm half Joe Camel
and a third Fonzarelli
I'm the kung-fu hippie
From gangsta city
I'm a rappin' surfer
You the fool I pity

Catch you on the flipside, dudemeisters... NOT!
Hey kids: always recycle... TO THE EXTREEEEME!  Busted!

[Lord Mandrake]

Method Man - PROJECTS

Sign of the times, conspiracy to overthrow the mind
Behind every fortune there's a crime
This technique is tech-9
Blast at any Close Encounter of the Third Kind
This be the evil that man do, we dismantle, any adversary
Them niggaz all thumbs and can't handle, my flurry
Hear me, you jam all you want to scare me
Don't even kid me, shit in my coke aimin at cha kidney
Pressure, Red Hot like Chili Pepper
Black 'n Decker, hardware avoid the leper
Five o'clock shadowboxer, hold down the sector
Bet ya bottom dollar lecture, be hard to swallow
Double oh-seven mark
The secret agent that Max/well and Get Smart, through entertainment
Welcome to The Killin Fields, with Johnny Dangerous
Headbanger boogie niggaz goin thru changes



Also random Beasties lines like "I'll take you to the fuckin rim like brim!"

[Lord Mandrake]

John Aldridge - the Anfield rap


Alright Aldo
Sound as a pound
I'm cushty la but there's nothing down
The rest of the lads ain't got it sussed
We'll have to learn 'em to talk like us

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Well if we're talking football songs, no one beats John Barnes in World In Motion.

[Artemis]

Eminem's verses in Renegade are indeed amazing.

Obie Trice isn't exactly the world's best rapper, but his flow on 'Cry Now' is pretty special...

"Cry all you wanna, numero uno stunna
Then snuck up on ya, Lord what has become of us
The Boy hold the "D" down, like none other
Up coming since slums, can't knock them mothafuckers
So we, take shots at 'em, try to snuff 'em
Whether see 'em suffer, then become one up on us
Round the globe, promoting us hustlas
The white boy's cool, but refuse they brothers
So we, cock the tools, and shoot our own color
This ain't Detroit Red, you won't (X) me out (Malcolm)
I exit this, whenever be from a violent outcome
I turn Exorcist on niggaz wit extra clips
Exit on my ethics, is no longer present
X-rays show, I was this close to Heaven
So for future reference, I stay this close to a weapon
Who you testing, never said I was the best, never stressing
Don't make me get in my zone, I will own that whole note
Metaphorically, for where I roam on chrome yo
Detroit for niggaz that's slow, it's the O
I was birth wit Jehovah's hand on my soul"


I also love this verse from Big Mike's 'Havin' Thangs'

"Lock another nigga up, throw away the fuckin key
That's the way they punish me, muthafuck society
I could spend a century in the penitentiary
It won't make a difference, gee, cause ain't nobody missin me
Round and round and round we go, a different day, a different face
Damn, I wish I could run away, I hate this muthafuckin place
Too many goddamn rules, that's why I quit school
Givin me a crooked test, I ain't no damn fool
Can't walk out my house because they always in my face
And if I step outta place they wanna give me a case
Ain't no difference between society and the jailhouse
Everybody's locked up and wanna get the hell out
Just cause you ain't locked down you think you got it good
But you better think again
Cause the police are checkin niggas in the neighbourhood
Beatin our ass down
Cause society is just like the pen, so get ready for the lockdown
Clock now while you can, man
Cause it's all about havin things
And I'ma get mine, fool
Time brought change and change came with time"

[Lord Mandrake]

Dr Octagon


crank up lyrical flows spit spats what's that
The pattern records don't touch the DATs yo
Check out the pro skills medic fulfills
Contact react to style I'm back you lack
Channels and handles Automator's on the panels
Turnin knobs you slobs suckers like Baskin Robs
Carvel don't tell your whole crew is ice cream fudge
Rappers that budge makin moves step in grooves
And ride the pace like at thirty-three dark shades
Now you seein me
Rap moves on to the year three thousand

Let me shuffle red red red see the black heart it ain't hard
Pick and choose you lose oops you lost
Check out the boss on Broadway down to walkways
Suckers with mics that end up with tooth decay
I, the Doctor, stop ya, in your world rock ya
Heads bop, forever tunes and they won't stop like hip-hop
keeps growing, sick of sick of showing
Scratches in matress business money reattaches worldwide
deep inside stops the diamond rocks
In a million world, billion world, quitrillion world
Rap moves on to the year three thousand
Three thousand!
Three thousand!
Three thousand!
Three thousand!
As space I've shown participator acts walk up clog up and mess up
water down the sound, that comes from the ghetto
In the middle the core you tour explore experience
what is real you feel, changing ways
Commercial rap's in the grave, stuff on disc that's very wack
that you saved, you think it's good won't go platinum
or even turn wood, sell the cassette
Your homey's tape deck gets wet
You my pet, my poodle chicken noodle's on the rise
Open your eyes and see my life
Rap moves on to the year three thousand!