Best Meaningful Rap Songs

I've seen a couple debates on rap songs so I thought this would be fun.

This is for rap songs that have a bit of deeper meaning than the typical ho's, money, drugs. Best songs win!

I'll kick it off with the classic "Get By" by Talib Kweli

heres a snipet of the lyrics:

We sell, crack to our own out the back of our homes
We smell the musk at the dusk in the crack of the dawn
We go through "Episodes II," like "Attack of the Clones"
Work 'til we break our back and you hear the crack of the bone
To get by.. just to get by
Just to get by, just to get by
We commute to computers
Spirits stay mute while your egos spread rumors
We survivalists, turned to consumers
Just to get by.. just to get by
Just to get by, just to get by

Thanks to Lickdafoot for this interesting debate. Here is my rap song. "Gangster's paradise" by Coolio.



Here is a sampling of the lyrics:

We keep spending most our lives
Living in the Gangsta's Paraside
Power and the money, money and the power
Minute after minute, hour after hour
Everybody's runnin, but half of them ain't lookin
It's goin on in the kitchen, but I dont know what's cookin
They say I got ta learn, but nobody's here to teach me
If they cant understand it, how can they reach me?
I guess they cain't -- I guess they won't
I guess they front; that's why I know my life is outta luck, fool

[Chorus]

Tell me why are we -- so blind to see
That the ones we hurt -- are you and me
Tell me why are we -- so blind to see
That the ones we hurt -- are you and me....

Thank you opponent for accepting this debate, a quick reply and a very influential song choice!

Nas- One Mic

Yo, all I need is one mic, one beat, one stage
One n*gga front, my face on the front page
Only if I had one love, one girl and one crib
One God to show me how to do things his son did...

I don't need to post any more of the lyrics for you to feel how powerful this song is- the music speaks for itself!

Thanks to Lickdafoot for posting this awesome song. Here is another awesome one. This one is by the same artist Nas, and it was really controversial but also a work of art. The artist comments about the days of slavery and calls for more tolerance.

Here is a sampling of the lyrics:


I'm a nigger, he's a nigger, she's a nigger, we some niggers
Wouldn't you like to be a nigger, too?
To all my kike niggers, spic niggers, guinea niggers, chink niggers
That's right, y'all my niggaz, too
I'm a nigger, he's a nigger, she's a nigger, we some niggers
Wouldn't you like to be a nigger, too
They like to strangle niggers, blamin niggers, shootin niggers, hangin niggers
Still you wanna be a nigger, too? True..

I commend my opponent for picking a great Nas song!

Now, this next song isn't in the mainstream, so you all might not have heard it.

It's a clever song in that it gives the listener the impression of missing an ex, but we find in the last verse that there is a second meaning. When that verse hits, the impact is felt straight to the heart.

Atmosphere- Yesterday

And when you left, I didn't see it comin'
I guess I slept, it ain't like you was runnin'
You crept out the front door slow
And I was so self-absorbed I didn't even know
And by the time I looked up it was booked up
Put it all behind you, the bad and the good stuff
A whole house full of dreams and steps
I think you'd be impressed with the pieces I kept
You disappeared but the history is still here
It's why I try not to cry over spilt beer
I can't even get mad that you're gone
Leavin' me was probably the best thing you ever taught me
I'm sorry, it's official
I was a fist-full, I didn't keep it simple
Chip on the shoulder, anger in my veins
Had so much hatred, now it brings me shame
Never thought about the world without you
And I promise that I'll never say another bad word about you
I thought I saw you yesterday
But I knew it wasn't you, 'cause you passed away, dad

I thank my opponent for the response. This song called "Beautiful" is by Eminem. He talks about Detroit. It is a wonderful song. Here is a sample of the lyrics:

you'd have to walk a thousand miles

In my shoes, just to see
What it's like, to be me
I'll be you, let's trade shoes
Just to see what it'd be like

To feel your pain, you feel mine
Go inside each others' minds
Just to see what we'd find
Look at sh*t through each others' eyes

Don't let 'em say you ain't beautiful
They can all get f*cked, just stay true to you
So don't let 'em say you ain't beautiful
They can all get f*cked, just stay true to you

F-16_Fighting_falcon, good counter with the Eminem song there. I was thinking about that song , but I have some others that I think can top it.

This is a very chill yet articulate song about the evolution of hip hop music.

Cunnin Linguists ft. Masta Ace - Seasons

As the East vs. West winds blew, causing two
Legends to Fall like maple leaves from escalated beef
Assumed that the worst was over
Til these cats started wearing shiny costumes like the 31st of October
The weather's colder, but the word jacket/jack it
Is what they did to people's styles, not what they covered they backs with
Tactics of the skill impaired
No Limit to what they'll do when the green is scarce
Some be Thanksgiving for who they know, while others get jerked for loot
Cause gettin signed ain't a turkey shoot
No respect for the pilgrims who paved the way so you could rock that
Just pop crap and Plymouth Rock-Rap
Beyond gimmicks and fake plastic tits
Outkast and Raekwon dropped fall classic discs
Born to Roll, so I'm taking you back to school days of autumn
Before the bottom dropped out in 2K

By the dawn of the new millennium we saw bright chains
Winter brought along platinum causing the ice age
No more Gold, no more YO! MTV RAPS
Now we got R&B cats stealing classic rap tracks
In winter it's snowed in like the temperature's below ten
Citizens open up shows for more snowmen
Scrawny boys rock bubblegooses to pose like grown men
And you can catch freezer burn from women when they show skin
Jolly, fat, white men get paid when rap hits the shelves
And artists themselves get treated like Elves
Matter of fact, Santa's gotten so greedy when a rapper sells
You even need clearance to sample Jingle Bells
What the hell! You need cells and 2 ways for chicks to bone ya?
And so much ice on ya body that you can get pneumonia
Even at the beaches of Daytona it's gotten colder
But it's about time for the cycle to start over

Here is a song by the Black Eyed Peas. About half of it consists of rapping while the other half is pop. It is a great fusion of pop + hip hop. The interesting thing here is that the video is just as good as the song combining elements of ancient and futuristic. Here is a sampling of the lyrics:

Meet me halfway, right at the boarderline
That's where i'm gonna wait, for you
I'll be lookin out, night n'day
Took my heart to the limit, and this is where i'll stay
I can't go any further then this
I want you so bad it's my only wish

Girl,i travel round the world and even sail the seven seas
Across the universe I go to other galexies
Just tell me where you want, just tell me where you wanna to meet
I navigate myself myself to take me where you be
Cause girl I want, i, i, I want you right now
I travel uptown (town) I travel downtown
I wanna to have you around (round) like every single day
I love you alway..way


I await Lickdafoot's last song which I hope will also be the best! Mine sure will be. Vote Con.

This last round is a tough one for me. There are so many great ones out there.

I was struggling between Outkast, Eminem, or Biggie for my last song.

I picked this song because it is extremely raw and honest, and talks about one of the deepest issues someone can face- the struggles of self deprecation and suicide. The mix with Bob Marley's singing is extremely chlling.

I urge the voters to vote not on who has most of their favorite artists, but on the quality of each song in the rounds.


Notorious BIG ft. Bob Marley- Hold Ya Head

Woman hold her head and cry
Cause her son had been shot down in the street and died
Woman hold her head and cry
Cause her son had been shot down in the street and died

When I die, f*ck it I wanna go to hell
Cause I'm a piece of sh*t, it ain't hard to f*ckin' tell
It don't make sense, goin' to heaven wit' the goodie-goodies
Dressed in white, I like black Tims and black hoodies
God will probably have me on some real strict sh*t
No sleepin' all day, no gettin my d*ck licked
Hangin' with the goodie-goodies loungin' in paradise
F*ck that sh*t, I wanna tote guns and shoot dice
All my life I been considered as the worst
Lyin' to my mother, even stealin' out her purse
Crime after crime, from drugs to extortion
I know my mother wished she got a f*ckin' abortion

Thanks to Lickdafoot for this awesome debate. This is the most fun I've had in a debate listening to all the songs. This song is called Taint and was done by the Dirty Heads. As you can see, they fuse rap and rock to make an amazing fusion.
They talk about how the music industry and fans are ungrateful to bands like them and how they are different from most bands and they want to make it. I feel it is very inspiring since they talk from their personal experience and you could use that motivation in whatever goal you pursue.

I agree with Lickdafoot:
I urge the voters to vote not on who has most of their favorite artists, but on the quality of each song in the rounds.

Lyrics:
Well it's the two baddest long haired mother fvckers right here
People call us dirt bags and you know that we just don't care
If you relate to this statement let me see your hands
Cause people hate on these things that they don't understand
Supposedly yes we're all created equal
Then why the fvck is there so many angry people like the fans and the industry
They both got their complaints
So now I'm stuck between an a**hole and a d*ck just like a taint

A smile and a screw face a rock and a hard place a dream and reality
Which one would you chase?
So if you're listening the definition of
The Dirty Heads are here it's the beginning of

We are the last sons past generations
Left it to us to resonate
Reggae and hip hop dancehall to punk rock
DH is here to generate
We are the last sons past generations
Left it to us they resonate
If you've been hated felt underrated
This one's for you we dedicate

So cool and deadly, we rock it steady with these soul-moving medleys
So y'all get ready for this next sh*t eclectic calm and collective
We write songs that keep the whole world connected
And if you're ready for these brand new beginnings and
And if you're sick of all the same old sh*tty bands
You need something to brightens up the day-plan
Kids me and you got so much to say man

So much emotion (so much inspiration)
So much devotion (with no hesitation)

So if you're listening, the definition of
The Dirty Heads are here it's the beginning of

We are the last sons past generations
Left it to us to resonate
Reggae and hip hop we let the beat drop
DH is here to generate
We are the last sons past generations
Left it to us they resonate
If you've been hated felt underrated
This one's for you we dedicate
No time in my life for me to hesitate, we write these songs so we can resonate, DH is here to generate, dedicate these songs to all who can relate.

We are the last sons past generations
Left it to us to resonate
Reggae and hip hop dance hall to punk rock
DH is here to generate
We are the last sons past generations
Left it to us they resonate
If you've been hated felt underrated
This one's for you we dedicate