You ask me, “Did I like Arsenio?”
About as much as the Bicentennial.
Ice Cube, “The Nigga You Love To Hate,” from AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted, 1990
RapQuote.com
Daily rap quotes about life, love and wisdom.
-
-
Mindless violence, well let me try to paint it.
Here’s the 5 steps in hopes to explain it:1, It’s me and my Nation against the World
2, Then me and my Clan against the Nation
3, Then me and my Fam against the Clan
4, Then me and my Brother, we no hesitation
Go against the Fam until they cave in
5, Now who’s left in this deadly equation?That’s right, it’s me against my Brother
Then we point a Kalashnikov
And kill one another.K’naan, “Tribal Wars,” from Nas and Damian Marley’s Distant Relatives, 2010 -
I’d rather be broke and have a whole lot of respect.
It’s the principle of it.O.C., “Time’s Up,” Word…Life, 1994 -
Some is sniffin’, and some is buffin’.
Some is riffin’, some ain’t sayin nothin’,
But my pockets I am stuffin’.
Huffin’ puffin’, blow the house down,
Nice and Smooth is in your town…Greg Nice, “No Delayin’”, from Nice & Smooth’s Nice and Smooth, 1989 -
Squeeze the juice out,
Of all the suckers with power.
And pour some back out,
So as to water the flowers.
This world is ours.Guru, “Robbin Hood Theory,” from Gang Starr’s Moment of Truth, 1998 -
Tell the truth:
James Brown was old,
Til Eric B. and Rakim came out with ‘I Got Soul.’Daddy-O, “Talkin’ All That Jazz,” from Stetsasonic’s In Full Gear, 1988 -
Be grateful for blessings,
Don’t ever change, keep your essence.
The power is in the people and politics we address.2Pac, “Me Against the World,” Me Against the World, 1995 -
My rhymes make niggas rebuild like water damage…
Meyhem Lauren, “Typhoon Rap,” Self-Induced Illness, 2011 -
My music, you either fight, fuck, or dream to it…
Common, “The 6th Sense,” Like Water for Chocolate, 2000 -
Where I come from, young ones pump chumps for lump sums,
Bustin guns, trust none, become son.
Truth spells broke loose shells that propel,
Where I’m dwellin, niggas bail…tellin what you sellin.”Inspectah Deck, “Elevation,” Uncontrolled Substance, 1999
-
La-Di-Da-Di, we likes to party
We don’t cause trouble, we don’t bother nobody.
We’re just some men that’s on the mic,
And when we rock up on the mic
We rock the mic, right!MC Ricky D. a.k.a. Slick Rick, “La Di Da Di,” from The Show 12", 1985 -
Move over just a bit to the right of me,
For I cannot see
Where the booty is.Dres, “Fanatic of the B Word,” from De La Soul Is Dead, 1991 -
Satisfaction, I have the right tactics…
And if you need em I got crazy prophylactics.Q-Tip, “Bonita Applebum,” from A Tribe Called Quest’s People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, 1990 -
You can hear the seven sins
Blowin’ through the ghetto wind…Rakim, “In the Ghetto (Wake Up!)” from J. Period’s Wake Up Radio, 2011 -
I get physical, mystical, very artistical…
Giving party people something funky to listen to.Big Daddy Kane, “Just Rhymin’ with Biz,” Long Live The Kane, 1988 -
They tell me ‘find God’ like I don’t know where He at.
And if He lost, then why we followin’ Him?
Just acknowledge the fact that a Father exists,
And a Devil’s alive…I’m just caught in the mix.Fashawn, “Nothin’ for the Radio,” from Higher Learning Vol. 2, 2011 -
Said she loved my necklace, started relaxin’.
Now that’s what the fuck I call a chain reaction!Jay-Z, “Money Ain’t a Thang,” from Jermaine Dupri’s Life in 1472, 1998 -
I would trade my existence to give you breath,
Guess the only guarantees in this life is death.
As I look around seein’ I’m the last one left,
And the things I can’t change I just gotta accept.Tragedy, “Permanently Scarred,” Against All Odds, 1997 -
Dial the seven digits, call up Bridgette,
Her man’s a midget.
Plus she got friends, yo, I can dig it.Opio, “‘93 Til Infinity,” from Souls of Mischief’s ’93 Til Infinity, 1993 -
Gun pop off like the mouth of Ann Coulter…
Crooked I, “Lick Shots”, from Immortal Technique and DJ Green Lantern’s The 3rd World, 2008 -
I got you open like supermarkets!
Busta Rhymes, “Everything Remains Raw,” The Coming, 1996 -
One step at a time, a man walked on the moon.
One record got played, Kool Herc said, ‘Boom!’Q-Tip, “Life is Better,” The Renaissance, 2008. Thoughts and prayers are with DJ Kool Herc, the Father of Hip-Hop battling a heart condition in the hospital right now. More info > -
We in the 25th hour,
It’s now or never.
We gotta get it ‘fore it’s gone forever.
In the end, time waits for no man…
What’s your plan?REKS, “25th Hour,” Rhythmatic Eternal King Supreme, 2011 -
I never let the worst things in life get the best of me.
So take these testes and, ummm…open sesame.King Sun, “Humm Deez Nuts,” Strictly Ghetto EP, 1994 -
Street’s disciple, my raps are trifle.
I shoot slugs from my brain just like a rifle.Nas, “Live at the Barbeque,” from Main Source’s Breaking Atoms, 1991 -
Now if I worry too much about all my have nots,
I might not recognize just what I’ve got…Mike G., “Jungle Brother,” from Jungle Brothers’ Raw Deluxe, 1997 -
See, my Mom chose dope, my Pop chose the pipe.
So I rhyme like a triple beam balance in life.Tragedy Khadafi a.k.a. The Intelligent Hoodlum, “Permanently Scarred,” Against All Odds, 1997 -
Now my helmet’s on, you can’t tell me I’m not in space.
Dr. Octagon, “Earth People,” Dr. Octagonecologyst, 1997 -
I believe in heaven more than hell, lessons more than jail.
In the ghetto, let love prevail with a story to tell.
My eyes see the glory, and well,
The world waiting for me to yell, “I Have A Dream!”Common, “A Dream,” from Freedom Writers Soundtrack, 2007 -
Every day is like a blank canvas,
Carving my initials in the planet like I brand it.
Hand-picked to live this life we take for granted,
Like a child with an upright bass, we can’t stand it.Blu, “The Day,” from The Roots’ How I Got Over, 2010 -
I didn’t get turned on, I just got turned.
I wasn’t as aroused as I was concerned.Slug, “The Woman with the Tattooed Hands,” from Atmosphere’s Lucy Ford, 2002 -
You’re out of luck like two dogs stuck.
Ghostface Killah, “4th Chamber,” from GZA’s Liquid Swords, 1995 -
I’m on some satanic shit, strictly.
Little kids be wakin up cryin, yellin,
‘Mommy, Big L is comin to get me!’Big L, “Danger Zone,” Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous, 1995 -
Raw I’mma give it to ya, with no trivia.
Raw like cocaine straight from Bolivia.U-God, “Da Mystery of Chessboxin,” from Wu-Tang Clan’s Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), 1993 -
The truth is easier when you leavin’ it out.
Like when you “5 minutes away” but you’re just leavin your house?Wordsworth, “Liar, Liar,” from The Juggaknots’ Use Your Confusion, 2006 -
I never live alone,
I never walk alone.
My posse’s always ready
And they’re waitin’ in my zone.Chuck D., “Louder Than a Bomb,” from Public Enemy’s It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, 1988 -
Let’s travel at magnificent speeds around the universe
What could you say as the Earth gets further and further away
Planets are small as balls of clay
Astray into the Milky Way, world’s outasight
Far as the eye can see, not even a satellite
Now stop and turn around and look
As you stare in the darkness, your knowledge is took!
So keep starin’ soon you suddenly see a star
You better follow it, cause it’s the R.Rakim, “Follow the Leader,” from Eric B. and Rakim’s Follow the Leader, 1988 -
It’s a new year, new year, new money, money!
Rick Ross, “Speedin’ (Remix),” 2008 -
Funny how the love be fake…but I ain’t stressin’.
Thankful for the love that’s genuine…appreciate the blessin’.Busta Rhymes, “Superstar,” from Ghostface Killah’s Apollo Kids, 2010 -
If you got time to give, I got time to think…
See, it could all change in one eye blink.De La Soul, “Trouble in the Water,” from DJ Honda’s HII, 1998 -
Stop tryin to be loud as me, cause you can’t do that,
Think about it…playing Russian roulette with an automatic!Fredro Starr, “Slam,” from Onyx’s Bacdafucup, 1993 -
I’m the epitome of catchin’ wreck, catch you when you cash your check
Smash you when you pass, then jack you for your fuckin’ LexBig Pun, “Beware,” Capital Punishment, 1998 -
I never boned a honey that I didn’t like
I never saw a mile that I couldn’t hike
I never had a spliff to make me choke
I never had a pocket that was brokeDres, “Flavor of the Month,” from Black Sheep’s A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing, 1991 -
It’s Christmas time and my rhyme’s steady bumpin.
Everybody happy, hair still nappy,
Gonna steal a gift for my old grandpappy…Snoop Dogg, “Santa Claus Goes Straight to the Ghetto”, Christmas on Death Row, 1996 -
Whether two birds of a feather fly or fall, it’ll be together.
Slim Kid Tre, “Otha Fish,” from The Pharcyde’s Bizarre Ryde II the Pharcyde, 1992 -
I’m from back then, bro, when the phrase was “fresh.”
…When Michael Jackson’s nose looked like KRS.Breeze Brewin, “30 Something,” from The Juggaknots’ Use Your Confusion, 2006 -
I’m hooked on gin and tonics like your mama’s Hooked on Phonics
Tash, “Make Room,” from Tha Alkaholiks’ 21 & Over, 1993 -
You ain’t a gangsta, you a bitch with a beat.
Rhymefest, “More,” Blue Collar, 2006 -
Flows that go against the grain with a story so compellin’
I should mind The People’s Court, snatch the mic from Doug LlewellynTash, “All the Way Live,” from Tha Alkaholiks’ Coast II Coast, 1995 -
Nigga this is personal, you can’t get no whiff of this
I rolled this shit myself and Imma smoke it til the end of itCurren$y, “Daze of Thunder”, from the upcoming Return to the Winners Circle mixtape, Video, 2010 -
Some people learn from mistakes and don’t repeat them,
Others try to block the memories and just delete them.
But I keep ‘em as a reminder they’re not killing me,
And I thank God for teaching me humility.
Son, remember when you fight to be free
To see things how they are and not how you like em to be.
Cause even when the world is falling on top of me,
Pessimism is an emotion, not a philosophy.
Knowing what’s wrong doesn’t imply that you right,
And it’s another when you suffer to apply it in life.
But I’m no rookie…
And I’m never gonna make the same mistake twice, pussy.Immortal Technique, “Mistakes,” The 3rd World, 2009 -
When I die, bury me butt naked and face down in the grass
So I can fuck the world while y’all kiss my assRas Kass, “Bentleys & Bitches,” from Beatminerz Brace 4 Impak, 2001 -
Dyin’ ain’t the shit, but it’s pleasant.
Notorious B.I.G., “My Downfall,” Life After Death, 1997 -
There are few things that’s forever, my lady.
We can make war or make babies.Method Man, “All I Need,” Tical, 1994 -
We got hookers with heaters that’ll stray pop and put more shells in your top than Adidas.
Kool G. Rap, “Fast Life,” 4,5,6, 1995 -
I had to travel light speed to dodge that black cloud
Rainin’ on my parade.
Sun shinin’ but there ain’t enough shade.Blu, “Seasons,” Video, 2010 -
It’s not about a salary, it’s all about reality.
KRS-One, “My Philosophy,” from Boogie Down Productions’ By All Means Necessary, 1988 -
Damn it feels good to see people up on it.
Biz Markie, “The Vapors,” Goin’ Off, 1988 -
(Peace!) Piece of what?
You can’t mean P-E-A-C-E
Cause I’ve seen people on the streets
Shoot the next man and turn around and say ‘peace.’
But that’s leaving people in pieces
It’s not what the meaning of peace is.Large Professor, “Peace Is Not the Word to Play,” Main Source’s Breaking Atoms, 1994 -
You can’t take the heat, get ya ass out the kitchen
Matter fact, take ya ass back in there and wash the dishesRoyce Da 5’9", “Deadly Melody,” from Black Milk’s Album of the Year, 2010 -
I have a strong point of view on the way things run:
Just shut up, and listen, and learn, my son.Erick Sermon, “You’re a Customer,” from EPMD’s Strictly Business, 1988
-
I rolls two spliffs, so now I guess I’m double jointed
Das EFX, “Undaground Rappa,” Straight Up Sewaside, 1993 -
I smoke the holy herb, get high as hell and meditate.
Swear to God, shit’s so good…fat boy’ll levitate.
God’s gift to man, how the fuck they try to legislate?
Mom’s, she recovering, tell me I overmedicate.
I tell her, “Holy fuck, Jesus Christ, give me a fucking break!”
She said, “Don’t curse your mama, goddammit,” and threw a dinner plate.Killer Mike, “Oh Mama,” from Run the Jewel’s RTJ3, 2016
-
Too much weak talk, and not enough real hip-hop.
Guru, “Watch What You Say,” Jazzmatazz Volume 2: The New Reality, 1995
-
Allah Be a Born, Cee Divine, Equality,
Father, then after that, there’s the G-O-D.
He or Her, I Islam, then Justice,
King of Kingdom, Love, Hell or Right, we still exist.
Master, Now in Cypher, Power’s the Queen,
Rule of Rulers, Self of Save, the Truth of the square, the same.
Universe, Victory, Wisdom, Unknown,
Why, Zig Zag Zig…and now we’re back home.GZA, “Alphabets,” Pro Tools, 2008
-
Back in ’86, Rakim hit “The Melody.”
Ever since then, shit jumped off steadily.Prime Minister Pete Nice, “The Rhapsody,” from Prime Minister Pete Nice & Daddy Rich’s Dust to Dust, 1993
-
Some type of grief you must experience
In order to appreciate happiness.
‘Cause if you are always satisfied,
Life will just pass by; you would’ve never tried.MC Lyte, “Search 4 The Lyte,” Act Like You Know, 1991
-
Now, harmony is a total love of things
For those who are inclined or better yet like to sing.
But piece of mind it is my right for the spark will ignite
Till I can catch a cab at the town at midnight,
Till I can be myself and not be thought as worse,
Till I can buy a slice from Howard Beach to the ‘Hurst.
Till I can get the pill without fear of eject,
And occupations which I seek I can have if I select.
Now, if I so select and reach out to make touch
How can you say that I ask for too much?Dres, “Black with N.V.,” from Black Sheep’s A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, 1991
-
It’s time to invent the future, cause there ain’t nobody else
Who can make it happen right, so make it happen for yourself.Mr. Man, “Gravity,” from Da Bush Babees’ Gravity, 1996
-
When I look at a human, you can say I’m color blind,
Cause I see them with my eyes but I judge them with my mind.Tony D, “Stop Racism,” Droppin’ Funky Verses, 1991
-
People round town talkin’ this and that,
Of how we sound like The R, and our music was wack.
Dropped the album Strictly Business, and you thought we was bold.
Thirty days later…the LP went gold.
So what you sayin?Parrish Smith aka PMD, “So Wat Cha Sayin?,” from EPMD’s Unfinished Business, 1989
-
As the jewels jingle from the hot young and single little stunt,
A forty and a blunt…that’s all she really wants.
But she’ll spend your papes, and she’ll use up all your plastic.
And if you swing an ep, you’d better wear a prophylactic
Cause things are getting drastic…
Slide up in the wrong one, you’ll end up in a casket.Grand Puba, “Slow Down,” from Brand Nubian’s One For All, 1990
1990, aids, Brand Nubian, east coast, girls, grand puba, jewelry, money, new york, one for all, safe sex, sex -
There’s divinity within because we come from the divine,
A force that’s not seen, but you feel it every time:
When the wind blows, and the world turns,
And the rain drops, and the baby cries,
And the bird flies, and the ground quake,
And the stars gleam.Q-Tip, “The Remedy,” from Get on the Bus Soundtrack, 1996
-
How you gonna win when you ain’t right within?
Lauryn Hill, “Doo Wop (That Thing),” The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, 1998
-
Now he from the BX, but he really soft,
And he from BK, but his guns don’t go off.
He from cop-killer Queens, but he still getting robbed,
And he from money-makin, but he ain’t on his job.
Now he from LA, but he’s scared to bang,
And he from Texas, but he will do the damn thing.
He’d stay in VA, but he is scared of the streets,
And he’s from Chi, but he’s sweet as a peach.Keith Murray, “They Tell Me,” from EPMD’s We Mean Business, 2008
-
-
Was crazy poor, now I’m tryna get mad rich;
With a good girl…you couldn’t tell, cause she’s a bad bitch.Ka, “Chamber,” Grief Pedigree, 2012
-
Thanks to Reaganomics, prisons turned to profits,
Cause free labor is the cornerstone of US economics.
Slavery was abolished, unless you are in prison,
You think I am bullshitting? Then read the 13th Amendment.
Involuntary servitude and slavery it prohibits,
That’s why they giving drug offenders time in double digits.Killer Mike, “Reagan,” R.A.P. Music, 2012
13th amendment, 2012, ATL, atlanta, drugs, el-p, killer mike, prison, R.A.P. Music, ronald reagan, slavery, South, truth, usa -
Reality’s really the individual’s mentality;
Some seek eternal life, while others seek fatality.Juju, “Peace Akki,” from Al’ Tariq’s God Connections, 1996
-
To increase your life line, strengthen your heart.
Eat fish…that brain food will get you smart.
Yoga…deep meditational tactics,
You no good? Then just practice, cause practice makes perfect.
Stop burying your lies, and bring the truth to the surface.Ghostface Killah, “Food,” from BADBADNOTGOOD & Ghostface Killah’s Sour Soul, 2015
-
Christmas is over and this is my resolution:
To stop the confusion.
Let the fresh get fresh, and the stale get staler
And throw em in a pail of
Trash…with the other trash, and smash down the lid,
For all the weak shit they did.Special Ed, “Ready 2 Attack,” Legal, 1990
-
Well I’m a sire, I set the microphone on fire,
Rap styles vary…and carry like Mariah.Inspectah Deck, “Da Mystery of Chessboxin’,” from Wu-Tang Clan’s Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), 1993
-
You say I’m rehabilitated but I still can’t vote
You say I paid my debt but I still can’t vote
Gotta pay taxes but I still can’t vote
Come on dawg, y’all stay trying to keep a nigga broke.DMX, “Innocent Man,” from Mark Morrison’s Innocent Man, 2006
-
It was the night before New Year’s
And all through the fuckin’ projects
Not a handgun was silent, not even a Tec.GZA, “Cold World,” Liquid Swords, 1995
-
My nationality’s reality.
And, yo: a prejudiced man is of a devil mentality.Kool G. Rap, “Erase Racism,” from Kool G. Rap & DJ Polo’s Wanted: Dead Or Alive, 1990
-
Now what’s the problem?
You ain’t nothin’ like you said on your album.
I thought you was wildin’,
Bustin’ your guns and runnin’ the Island.
You wasn’t violent, you was silent tryin’ to get college credits.
How pathetic…did it to get out of calisthenics.Big Pun, “Drop It Heavy,” from Show & A.G.’s Full Scale EP, 1998
-
It’s deep-rooted, the music of being young and dumb,
It’s never muted, in fact, it’s much louder where I’m from.Kendrick Lamar, “Sherane a.k.a. Master Splinter’s Daughter,” good kid, m.A.A.d city, 2012
-
…That’s when you start to stare at who’s in the mirror,
And see yourself as a kid again, and you get embarrassed.
And I got nothin’ to do but make you look stupid as parents,
You fuckin’ do-gooders; too bad you couldn’t do good at marriage!Eminem, “Renegade,” from Jay-Z’s The Blueprint, 2001
-
Rhymes are dynamic, voice is titanic,
Gigantic…suckers get frantic, and then panic.
A smooth talker, ‘cause I’m a Queens New Yorker,
My rhymes bring more Good Times than Jimmie Walker.Kool G. Rap, “Bad to the Bone,” from Kool G. Rap & DJ Polo’s Wanted: Dead or Alive, 1990
-
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
Your whole alphabet in four seconds.
Now rewind it, play it again, and check it:
It’s correct. Well, what do you expect?
My mental capabilities are too high-tech!King Sun, “It’s a Heat Up,” XL, 1989
-
It’s only human to express the way you really feel,
But that same humanity is my Achilles’ heel.
A leopard can’t change his spots and never will;
So I’m forever ill…now I can never chill.– Black Thought, “I Remember,” from The Roots’ undun, 2011
-
I start to think, and then I sink
Into the paper…like I was ink.
When I’m writing I’m trapped in between the lines,
I escape when I finish the rhyme…
I got soul.Rakim, “I Know I Got Soul”, Paid in Full, 1987
-
He’s fallin’ apart, but we deny it,
Justifying that half-ass shit he dropped, we always buy it.
When he tell us he a genius, but it’s clearer lately
It’s been hard for him to look into the mirror lately.
There was a time when this nigga was my hero, maybe,
That’s the reason why his fall from grace is hard to take.
‘Cause I believed him when he said his shit was purer and he
The type of nigga swear he real, but all around him’s fake:
The women, the dickriders, you know, the yes men,
Nobody with the balls to say somethin’ to contest him.
So he grows out of control,
Into the person that he truly was all along, it’s startin’ to show.
Damn, wonder what happened?
Maybe it’s my fault for idolizing niggas
Based off the words they be rappin’.J. Cole, “False Prophets,” Dreamville, 2016
-
I’m expressin’ with my full capabilities,
And now I’m livin in correctional facilities.
Cause some don’t agree with how I do this,
I get straight and meditate like a Buddhist.Dr. Dre, “Express Yourself,” from N.W.A.’s Straight Outta Compton, 1988
-
We love it where we from, but we kick it where we at.
Ladybug Mecca, “It’s Good to Be Here,” from Digable Planets’ Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space), 1993
-
Flawless victory, you niggas can’t do shit to me:
Physically, lyrically, hypothetically, realistically.– Big Pun, “Beware,” Capital Punishment, 1998
-
Save the temptation, money, keep the limos;
Cause that’s not hip-hop, that’s a fashion show.– PMD, “Shadē Business,” Shadē Business, 1994
-
Got a freaky, freaky, freaky-freaky flow,
Control the mic like Fidel Castro.– Jeru Tha Damaja, “Come Clean,” The Sun Rises in the East, 1994