I can’t relate to livin’ less than great.
RapQuote.com
Daily rap quotes about life, love and wisdom.
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Large Professor, “Stress (Extra P Remix),” from Organized Konfusion’s Stress 12", 1994
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My motto is: the bigger they are, the more politics involved,
And I revolve at a rate to make your occipital skull plate dissolve.
Techniques delve deep, soooo…don’t sleep, ock, I rock phonics
That got you holdin my dick like your name was Lorena Bobbit.Ras Kass, “Remain Anonymous,” 12", 1994. More Ras Kass quotes. -
Funny how things change when you got a liquor in ya:
You’re quicker with the tongue, givin’ me rhythm now.
Block the music and the people out to admire the love,
The nerve of us…impervious to the entire club.
And like marijuana shotguns, let’s blow this joint,
It’s pointless to stay here, so let me anoint.Pharoahe Monch, “The Light,” Internal Affairs, 1999. More Pharoahe Monch quotes. -
Crazy frustration, about my lovin situation;
When patience was a virtue…but I wasn’t used to waitin.Black Thought, “Silent Treatment,” from The Roots’ Do You Want More?!!!??!, 1995. More Black Thought quotes. -
Take a sip from the cup of death…
And when you’re shaking my right hand, I’ll stab you with the left.Ol’ Dirty Bastard, “Cuttin’ Headz,” Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version, 1995. More Wu-Tang Clan quotes. -
If you don’t got endz, you won’t be gettin’ no skinz,
And if you don’t got money, you won’t scoop a honey.
If you don’t got cash, you won’t be gettin’ no ass,
And if you don’t got loot, you won’t be knockin’ no boots.Big L, “No Endz, No Skinz,” Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous, 1995. More Big L quotes. -
Niggas out here buyin’ hoes bags n’ shoes,
But couldn’t buy their kid a new coat for school?
Damn.Troy Ave, “My Grind,” New York City: The Album, 2013 -
I got a head full of headaches, a heart that’s full of woes.
I’m constantly singin’ them down home blues, and not many people knows
That leaves me with a twisted view of the whole wide world as I know it…
And I guess I got no choice but to be a poet.Aceyalone, “Headaches & Woes,” All Balls Don’t Bounce, 1995 -
You’re living up in Heaven, but I know you’re mad as Hell.
MF Grimm, “Do It For the Kids,” 12”, 1998. More from MF Grimm. -
All I need is one life, one try, one breath, I’m one man.
What I stand for speaks for itself…they don’t understand.Nas, “One Mic,” Stillmatic, 2001. More from Nas. -
Alright I might…
Have had a little glare when I stared at ya ho.
But I didn’t know she was like that,
She stared right back!Casual, “I Didn’t Mean To,” Fear Itself, 1994 -
I’ve been to college, but to be truthfully frank:
Weed is knowledge, cause it makes me think.Keith Murray, “Get Lifted,” The Most Beautifullest Thing In This World, 1994. More from Keith Murray. -
Lyrical lecture, word architecture,
Rap director, the best in my sector.
Microphone cool chief, releasin the smooth speech…
I get nasty with a pen and some loose leaf.Lord Finesse, “Baby, You Nasty,” from Lord Finesse and DJ Mike Smooth’s Funky Technician, 1990 -
I call my brother ‘Sun’ cause he shine like one.
Method Man, “Wu-Gambinos,” from Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…, 1995 -
I got beef with commercial-ass niggas with gold teeth
Lampin’ in a Lexus eatin’ beef.Raekwon the Chef, “Da Mystery of Chessboxin’,” from Wu-Tang Clan’s Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), 1993 -
A born terror, a rebel without a pause…
Ain’t never had a good Christmas, so who is Santa Claus?Shyheim, “On and On,” Shyheim a.k.a. The Rugged Child, 1994 -
Americanomics works, and I won’t argue that is true.
But if the economy is getting better, getting better for who?
Well, if you ask me, I’m doing much worse than before,
With the welfare cuts, I don’t eat no more.
So if I did wanna go out, I couldn’t go nowhere,
Cause I ate every last one of them reindeer.
Rudolph first, I went down the list,
I got so hungry, I just couldn’t resist.
I ate Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Dixon,
Fried them up and then started to mix them.
And before you knew it, they were all gone,
I wonder what y’all gonna do about my reindeer song!Kool Moe Dee, “Santa’s Rap,” from Beat Street, 1984 -
The place I’m from, Santa don’t leave gifts.
In my house, Santa only shoplifts.
Holidays in the hood ain’t no motherfuckin joke,
When people all around you is starving and broke.
Cause if you black and poor, it’s hell;
You only hear gunshots, you never hear bells.
So if you got a way out, then go
Cause it ain’t no fun with Christmas in the ghetto.TRU, “Christmas In Da Ghetto,” West Coast Bad Boyz: High of Xmas, 1992 -
Now on the first day of Christmas, my homeboy gave to me
A sack of the krazy glue and told me to smoke it up slowly.
Now on the second day of Christmas, my homeboy gave to me
A fifth of Hendog and told me to take my mind off that weed.
Now by the third day of Christmas, my big homeboy gave to me
A whole lot of everything, and it wasn’t nuthin’ but game to me.Snoop Dogg, “Santa Claus Goes Straight to the Ghetto,” from Christmas on Death Row, 1996 -
It was December 24th on Hollis Ave. in the dark,
When I see a man chilling with his dog in the park.
I approached very slowly with my heart full of fear,
Looked at his dog, oh my God, an ill reindeer!
But then I was illin’ because the man had a beard,
And a bag full of goodies, 12 o’clock had neared.
So I turned my head a second and the man had gone,
But he left his driver’s wallet smack dead on the lawn.
I picked the wallet up, then I took a pause…
Took out the license and it cold said ‘Santa Claus!’Run, “Christmas in Hollis,” from A Very Special Christmas, 1987 -
I said ‘Whoa, little hottie,
I’m not DeLorean, Gambino or Gotti.
I don’t deal coke,
And furthermore you’re making me broke.
I’ll put you in a rehab and I won’t tell your folks.’
And what do you know,
In 18 months she came home,
And I let her back in…
And now she’s sniffing again.Smooth B., “Sometimes I Rhyme Slow,” from Nice & Smooth’s Ain’t A Damn Thing Changed, 1991. -
White Jesus in my crock pot,
I mix the shit with some soda.
Now Black Jesus turn water to wine,
…And all I had to do was turn the stove up.Jay-Z, “The Devil is a Lie,” from Rick Ross’ Mastermind, 2014. More Jay-Z quotes -
I know you don’t wanna hear my opinion,
There come many paths and you must choose one.
And if you don’t change then the rain soon come.
See, you might win some, but you just lost one.Lauryn Hill, “Lost Ones,” The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, 1998. More Lauryn Hill quotes -
Fuck a moment of silence…I need a moment of violence.
Immortal Technique, “Toast to the Dead,” The Martyr, 2011. More Immortal Technique quotes -
God gave us music, so we play with our words.
Talib Kweli, “Manifesto,” from Lyricist Lounge, Volume 1, 1998. More Talib Kweli quotes -
Complainin’ to my lawyer how this rookie tried to frisk me…
Jealous of my jeep, I gave his badge to the chief,
And got his ass directin’ traffic in the heat for a week.RZA, “Wherever I Go,” Birth of a Prince, 2003. More Wu-Tang Clan quotes -
I get a craving like I fiend for nicotine.
But I don’t need a cigarette, know what I mean?Rakim, “Microphone Fiend,” from Eric B. and Rakim’s Follow the Leader, 1988. More Rakim quotes -
Elvis was a hero to most,
But he never meant shit to me, you see.
Straight up racist that sucker was,
Simple and plain…
Motherfuck him AND John Wayne.Chuck D., “Fight the Power,” from Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet, 1990. More Public Enemy quotes -
Do the math: You never settle for less than the whole if you knew the half.
Talib Kweli, “Violations,” Gravitas, 2013. More Talib Kweli quotes -
From open mics to solutions, I got a collage of answers,
And a 10-point program, just like the Black Panthers:1: First, respect yourself as an artist
If you don’t respect yourself, then your rhymes is garbage.2: Make sure your crew is as tight as you
Cause when them niggaz fallin off, they gonna bring you down too.3: Understand the meaning of MC
The power to Move the Crowd like Moses split the seas.4: Know your shit and don’t ever be blunted
If you don’t know what your words mean, then your rhymes mean nothin.5: Kick facts in the raps, and curse with clarity
What’s a curse when language is immersed in vulgarity?6: We gonna fix industrial poli-tricks
Shit, they made an art form out of ridin dicks.7: We soldiers for God needin new recruits
So if you rhymin for the loot, then you’s a prostitute.8: Acknowledge that you need food on your plate
In order to say your grace, make sure your business is straight.9: We buildin black minds with intelligence
And when you freestyle, keep the subject matter relevant.10: Every MC grab a pen
And write some conscious lyrics to tell the children.Talib Kweli, “Manifesto,” from Lyricist Lounge, Volume 1, 1998. More Talib Kweli quotes -
I’m real good at troubleshooting;
When there’s trouble…I start shooting.Necro, “Pain,” from Necro & Kool G. Rap’s The Godfathers Once Upon a Crime, 2013 -
Up against Goliath, to bring butter home.
I’m David on pavement, sling another stone.Ka, “Up Against Goliath,” Grief Pedigree, 2012 -
I only drink Cristal, or Imperial Moet,
No more weak ass Rose, that’s why the game too sweet.
We don’t wear tight ass clothes, we don’t do down South beats,
That ain’t New York–I restore our identification,
‘Cause dick-riding never been a form of transportation.Troy Ave, “Cigar Smoke,” New York City, 2013 -
I’m hooked on gin and tonics like your mama’s Hooked on Phonics.
Tash, “Make Room,” from Tha Alkaholiks’ 21 & Over, 1993 -
A wise man sees failure as progress.
A fool divorces his knowledge and misses the logic,
And loses his soul in the process.Canibus, “Poet Laureate II,” Rip the Jacker, 2003 -
Shawn Carter was born December 4th,
Weighing in at 10 pounds, 8 ounces.
He was the last of my 4 children,
The only one who didn’t give me any pain when I gave birth to him.
…And that’s how I knew that he was a special child.Jay-Z’s mom, Gloria Carter, “December 4th,” The Black Album, 2003. Happy Bornday, Shawn Carter, born December 4, 1969. -
Never we sleep, a thug doesn’t rest,
Cause a wise man said: it was a cousin of death.Big Pun, “Who Is a Thug,” from Whiteboys soundtrack, 1999 -
Death is the cousin of sleep,
Just close your eyes, count sheep and breathe deep.
Think about the sound of relief that surrounds you,
You were already gone before I found you.Slug, “Bleed Slow,” from Atmosphere’s Godlovesugly, 2002 -
They say sleep is the cousin of death, guess we related…
Cause I’m the most slept on, and the most hated.The Game, “Sleep When I’m Gone,” from DJ Khaled’s We the Best Forever, 2011 -
If sleep is the cousin of death, then death is the cousin of sadness;
Murder’s the cousin of madness, love is the cousin of that bitch.Ill Bill, “Secrets Worth Dying For,” from DJ Muggs & Ill Bill’s Kill Devil Hills, 2010 -
I never sleep, ‘cause sleep is the cousin of death.
Nas, “N.Y. State of Mind,” Illmatic, 1994 -
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 -
Brain cells are lit, ideas start to hit,
Next the formation of words that fit.
At the table I sit, making it legit,
And when my pen hits the paper…ahhhh shit!Big Daddy Kane, “Ain’t No Half Steppin’,” Long Live The Kane, 1988 -
Let’s pretend we’re both guns, and make this shit erratic:
I’ll be the revolver, you can play the automatic.
Automatic flip scripts, revolver show loyalty.
Each gun is die-able, but only one’s reliable.
You shoot fast, but in the end you jam,
Then I click back, and turn your brains into spam.MF Grimm, “Crumb Snatchers,” Scars & Memories, 2005 -
You gotta understand: I’m a man with needs that needs fulfilling.
And if you ain’t with it, somebody else is willing.Lord Jamar, “Love Me or Leave Me Alone,” from Brand Nubian’s In God We Trust, 1993 -
I got the gangsta in me, plus I’m not friendly
To a bitch-ass whose mouth runs more laps than the Indy.Redman, “Nuthin’ But the Gangsta,” from MC Eiht’s We Come Strapped, 1994 -
You download it for free, we get charged back for it.
I know you’re saying, “They won’t know, they won’t miss it,
Besides, I ain’t a thief, they won’t pay me a visit.”
So, if I come to your job, take your corn on the cob,
And take a couple kernels off it, that would be alright with you?Andre 3000, “What a Job,” from Devin the Dude’s Waitin to Inhale, 2007 -
Cats be talkin’, “Bobby I ain’t feelin’ ya.”
But I bet if I was peelin’ your cap back with a two-shot Dillinger
Hot lead released from my cylinder,
You’d be talkin’ ‘bout, “Bobby I’m feelin’ ya!”RZA, “W.W.T. (Worldwide Thugs),” 2001 -
The world is kinda cold and the rhythm is my blanket.
Q-Tip, “Verses from the Abstract,” from A Tribe Called Quest’s The Low End Theory, 1991 -
Crews talk shit, but in my face they kiss my ass.
A-Plus, “93 Til Infinity,” from Souls of Mischief’s 93 Til Infinity, 1993 -
Flip the flyer attire females desire,
Baby you can step to this if you admire
The extraordinary dapper rapper…
Keep tabs on your main squeeze before I tap her.Opio, “93 Til Infinity,” from Souls of Mischief’s 93 Til Infinity, 1993 -
Life’s not a bitch, life is a beautiful woman…
You only call her a bitch because she won’t let you get that pussy.
Maybe she didn’t feel y’all shared any similar interests,
Or maybe you’re just an asshole who couldn’t sweet talk the princess.Aesop Rock, “Daylight,” Daylight EP, 2002 -
I been drunk most my life, don’t ask me why.
Through ninth grade, I ain’t go to high school,
…I went to school high.Styles P, “Recognize,” from The LOX We Are The Streets, 2000 -
I hate The Police so much I’d probably assassinate Sting,
My System of a Down Rages Against the Machine.
Tie you up in a Slipknot and hold Alice In Chains inside her dreams.Chino XL, “90 Bars of Intervention,” RICANStruction, 2012 -
You used to be fly, but you crashed your plane.
One Be Lo, “Used 2 Be Fly,” S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M., 2005 -
You thought your shit was fly, but the flight was delayed.
J-Live, “Braggin’ Writes,” The Best Part, 2001 -
Life is like a box of chocolates, you fill your body with toxins,
And amoxicillin and penicillin to cure your illness.
But in realness? These medical companies will get you monthly
Prescribing me pills that make me ill, just to comfort me.Termanology, “100 More Jewelz,” G.O.Y.A. (Gunz Or Yay Available), 2013 -
I’d count my blessings, but I suck at math.
Eminem, “So Far…,” The Marshall Mathers LP 2, 2013 -
I show more blind rage than Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles wrestling in a steel cage.
Chino XL, “Freestyle Rhymes,” Here to Save You All, 1996 (via rapquote) -
Maybe I need somebody that could save me
From the parts of myself that keep making me crazy.Slug, “If I Was Santa Claus,” Lucy Ford: The Atmopshere EPs, 2001 -
This year Halloween fell on a weekend
Me and Geto Boys are trick-or-treatin’
Robbin’ little kids for bags…Bushwick Bill, “Mind Playing Tricks On Me”, from Geto Boys’ We Can’t Be Stopped, 1991 -
Dutch in my ear, Olde E in my palm,
I Freddy Krueger your face, Michael Myers your moms.
You botherin mine? That’s when I’m sparkin the nine.Sean Price, “King Kong,” Jesus Price Superstar, 2007 -
Believers of Jesus be denouncing Satan on every level,
But every Halloween they’re dressin’ like devils.KRS-One, “Higher Level,” Return of the Boom Bap, 1993 -
I’m so Rakim and Eric. B, bitches check out my melody.
I might Slick Rick on a fella…catch me a felony.
I might Shyne Po a ho…POW! Catch me a case.
Producto must have rolled the L because this blunt feels laced.Killer Mike, “Twin Hype Back,” Run the Jewels, 2013 -
Feeling mad hostile, wearing Aéropostale,
Flowing like Christ when I speaks the gospel.RZA, “Protect Ya Neck,” Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers, 1993 -
Time flies, dreams die, people lose faith,
Tryna hide behind a lie with a straight face.Xzibit, “Legends Never Die,” from Serial Killers Vol 1., 2013 -
If we gotta dumb down our style and ABC it, then so be it,
Cause nowadays these kids just don’t give a shit ‘bout lyrics.
All they wanna hear is a beat and that’s it,
Long as they can go to the club and get blitzed,
Pick up some chicks and get some digits.
And the DJs playing them hits, “Oh, this my jam, this my shit!”
We don’t know a word to a verse, all we know is the chorus,
Cause the chorus repeats the same four words for us.Eminem, “Syllables," 2010 -
What’s better than tripping is falling in love.
What’s better than Letterman, Leno, Fallon, and all the above?
What’s better than popping bottles trying to ball in the club?
Is the first caveman pops with his son, ball and a club.
What’s better than paper is balling it up.
What’s better than followers is actually falling in love.
What’s better than frolicking, follies, fallin in mud?
Rolling in green pastures, wandering, following love.
What’s better than eating is feeding your fam.
What’s better than meetings is missing meetings to meet with your fam.
What’s better than leaning and needing your Xan?
Is hitting your zan dreaming a dream could mean leaving the land.
What’s better than yelling is hollering love.
What’s better than rhymes, nickles, dimes, dollars, and dubs?
Is dialing up your darling just for calling her up.
There ain’t nothing better than falling in love.Chance the Rapper, “Interlude (That’s Love),” Acid Rap, 2013 -
War’s extremely serious and it saddens me.
Masta Killa, “Assassination Day,” from Ghostface Killah’s Ironman, 1995 -
It’s all love, but love’s got a thin line
And Pun’s got a big nine,
Respect crime…but not when it reflect mine.Big Pun, “Off the Books,” from The Beatnuts’ Stone Crazy, 1997 -
People who go out and try to be a rebel at night,
Try to make up for the fact that they settled in life.Immortal Technique, “Crimes of the Heart”, The 3rd World, 2008 -
Commentating, illustrating, description-giving
Adjective expert. Analyzing, surmising,
Musical, myth-seeking people of the universe…
This is yours!T La Rock & Jazzy Jay, “It’s Yours,” 1987 -
We ain’t speak, clicking heat is our Morse code.
Ka, “Jungle,” Night’s Gambit, 2013 -
I make niggas eat dirt and fart dust,
Then give you a $80 gift certificate to Pussies “Я” Us.Ludacris, “Mouthing Off,” Back for the First Time, 2000 -
I never fronted, you can get it if you want it…
Won’t say I’m the best, but I’m not that far from it.Lord Finesse, “Gameplan,” The Awakening, 1996 -
Listenin to nothin, takin no suggestions,
All destructive criticisms that can’t improve on perfection.MF Doom is Viktor Vaughn, “The Drop,” Vaudeville Villain, 2003 -
A letter to you suckers,
Each and every one of you duck muthafuckas…
Your girl puckers her lips, so I stuck her.Kool G. Rap, “Jive Talk,” from Kool G. Rap and DJ Polo’s Wanted: Dead or Alive, 1990 -
You lose money chasing women;
Never lose women chasing money.Nas, “Ghetto Rich (Remix),” Rich Boy’s self-titled album, 2007 -
Bitch is in the back looking righteous
In a tight dress…I think I might just
Hit her with a little Biggie 101:
How to tote a gun,
And have fun with Jamaican rum.The Notorious B.I.G., “Party and Bullshit,” from Who’s The Man? soundtrack, 1993 -
Be a king? Think not.
Why be a king when you can be a God?Eminem, “Rap God,” The Marshall Mathers LP 2, 2013 -
This game is lame, the music comes second
So you can save that stupidness for all them artists you checkin.
Popularity don’t last long, I’m in it for classics,
Cause the other side of the biz is fake and it’s plastic.Craig G., “Classic Personified,” Ramblings of an Angry Old Man, 2012 -
When you feeding on hate, you empty, my nigga. It shows.
Rick Ross, “Hold On,” from Pusha T’s My Name is My Name, 2013 -
Make a radio hit: heads criticize it.
Underground classic? Nobody buys it.
So, rap is fucked…
And everything blowing up sounds redundant,
But money talks and bullshit does 9 flat in the 100.Ras Kass, “Reelishymn,” Soul On Ice, 1996 -
Pain is joy when it cries, it’s my smile in disguise.
Pusha T, “Pain,” My Name is My Name, 2013 -
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 -
We missed a lot of church, so the music is our confessional.
Big Boi, “Aquemini,” from Outkast’s Aquemini, 1998 -
I’ve been layin’, waiting for your next mistake,
I put in work, and watch my status escalate.Guru, “Work,” from Gang Starr’s Moment of Truth, 1998 -
How you know where I’m at when you haven’t been where I’ve been?
Understand where I’m coming from?B-Real, “How I Could Just Kill A Man,” from Cypress Hill’s Cypress Hill, 1991 -
Nothing’s been the same since they dropped ‘Control’
And tucked a sensitive rapper back in his pajama clothes.
Ha-ha! Joke’s on you, high-five, I’m bulletproof,
Your shit’ll never penetrate.
Pin the tail on the donkey, boy you been a fake.Kendrick Lamar, BET Cypher, 2013. -
A lot of rappers be like one time wonders,
Couldn’t say a fly rhyme if there was one right under their noses…
I hate those motherfuckin posers.Guru, “Mass Appeal,” from Gang Starr’s Hard to Earn, 1994 (via ninetynow) -
MCs get a little bit of love and think they hot,
Talkin bout how much money they got…all y’all records sound the same.
I’m sick of that fake thug, R&B-rap scenario, all day on the radio,
Same scenes in the video, monotonous material.
…Y’all don’t hear me though:
These record labels slang our tapes like dope.
You can be next in line and signed, and still be writing rhymes and broke.stic.man, “Hip-Hop,” from Dead Prez’s Let’s Get Free, 2000 -
Some rappers stink, like Engelbert Humperdinck,
Better yet Dick Cavett, I got a bad habit
Similar to the girl on She’s Gotta Have It.Grand Puba, “All For One,” from Brand Nubian’s One For All, 1990 -
I know the feelin, when you feelin like a villain,
You be havin good thoughts but the evils be revealin’.
And the stresses of life can take you off the right path,
Jealousy and envy tends to infiltrate your staff…
We gotta hold it down so we can move on past
All adversities, so we can get through fast.Q-Tip, “Stressed Out,” from A Tribe Called Quest’s Beats, Rhymes & Life, 1996 -
This is my time, this is my hour,
This is my pain, this is my name, this is my power.
If it’s my reign, then it’s my shower,
This pole position…I made a lane ‘cause they blocked ours.Pusha T, “King Push,” My Name Is My Name, 2013 -
Why do I need ID to get ID?
If I had ID, I wouldn’t need ID.Mos Def, “The Questions,” from Common’s Like Water for Chocolate, 2000 -
Girls stick like Crazy Glue, they think they’re gettin’ dough;
But I treat hoes like drugs: I just say ‘No.’Showbiz, “Diggin’ In The Crates,” from Showbiz & A.G.’s Soul Clap EP, 1991 -
Every time I write these words they become a taboo,
Making sure my punctuation curve, every letter here’s true,
Living my life in the margin, and that metaphor was proof.Kendrick Lamar, “Poetic Justice,” good kid, m.A.A.d city, 2012