I Say Beef Is Dead Meat Who the Playa President
Girls, cars and jewelry are well-documented tropes of hip-hop, merely anyone who listens to enough rap knows that eating is ane of the genre's nigh pervasive obsessions. From the Sugarhill Gang to Drake, MCs accept demonstrated a constant urge to document what'due south on their plate. Sometimes, food is used as a cultural signifier to describe the rags-to-riches journeying, which might start with Hamburger Helper but end with filet mignon. At other times it plays into metaphors of consumption, with artists such as Lil Wayne (who calls himself "the rapper eater") describing the ravenous manner in which they gobble up the contest. And that's not to mention all of the food-related slang in rap: cheese for money, beef for grudges and so on.
To survey the full breadth of culinary references in hip-hop, we've rounded up 50 of the lines that never fail to hitting us in the gut. Did we miss whatever of your favorites? Leave a annotate hither, or holler at us on Twitter (@thefeednyc) using the hashtag #foodrap.
50. Ghostface Killah, "Apollo Kids" (Supreme Clientele, 2000)
The lyric: "Ayo, this rap is similar ziti, facin' me real Goggle box / Crash at high speeds, strawberry kiwi."
Ghost explained this enigmatic couplet in an interview with Entertainment Weekly: "The rap's good considering it'due south like ziti, which was my best food back then. I threw 'strawberry kiwi' on because I'm into experimenting. I was thinking of a style to write without nobody knowing what I was saying except for me."
49. Big Daddy Kane, "Platinum Plus" (Big L's The Big Movie, 2000)
The lyric: "Come in the hood flippin' the chicken-and-broccoli Timbs."
Those would exist brown-and-dark-green Timberland boots, a must-accept fashion accessory on the streets of belatedly-'90s New York.
48. fifty Cent, "21 Questions" (Become Rich or Die Tryin', 2003)
The lyric: "I honey you like a fat kid honey cake."
Though purists balked at this corny line, Fiddyâ€"ever the shrewd marketerâ€"knew exactly what he was doing: turning a nation of teen girls into gangster-rap fans. It's safe to say that the line dominated the demographic's AIM away letters for much of 2003.
47. Kanye West, "Niggas in Paris" (Watch the Throne, 2011)
The lyric: "That shit cray, own't it Jay? / What she lodge? Fish filet?"
We're non sure if this insta-meme boosted McDonald'southward Filet-O-Fish sales or sent them into a slump. Fertile basis for an infographic, information technology would seem.
46. Young Jeezy, "Put On" (The Recession, 2008)
The lyric: "Big wheels, big straps, you lot know I like it supersized / Passenger's a redbone, her weave look like some curly fries / Inside fish sticks, outside tartar sauce / Pocket full of celery, imagine what she telling me / Blowing on asparagus, the realest shit I always smoked."
...and so on and and then along. Jeezy is a food-rap legendâ€"this snippet is simply a taster.
45. Due east-40, "Gouda" (My Ghetto Report Card, 2006)
The lyric: "Aye, I buy the weed homo / Hella turkey numberless just to put my weed in / Oh, we gettin' chalupa / Wrapped cheese in a rubber band and telephone call it gouda."
It'south rubber to say that no rapper in history has known the proper noun of more cheeses than E-xl. If only he worked at Murray'due south.
44. The Notorious B.I.M., "Hypnotize" (Life After Expiry, 1997)
The lyric: "I can fill y'all with real millionaire shit: escargot."
If Biggie had written this song today, he might have replaced escargot with "omakase dinners at Masa."
43. LL Absurd J, "Milky Cereal" (Mama Said Knock You lot Out, 1990)
The lyric: "Then in that location was Pebbles, times was rough / She was turning Trix, to get a Cocoa Puff."
LL sort of betrays the limits of his lyrical agility on this conceptual track, which is full of clunky puns on name-make cereals. But there are a few pick lines, and nosotros love the bizarre way in which he says "Cocoa Puff."
42. Childish Gambino, "That Power" (Camp, 2011)
The lyric: "MM..Food? like Rapp Snitch Knishes / Cuz information technology'south Oreos, Twinkies, coconuts, delicious."
Here's some meta food rap for you: Gambino (also known as comedian Donald Glover) references the MF Doom album MM..Food? and its track "Rapp Snitch Knishes," and then meditates on biracial identity via some gastronomic allusions of his own (Oreo, Twinkie and coconut are slurs for people who are said to be "white" inside despite the colour of their skin).
41. Ludacris, "Southern Hospitality" (Back for the Showtime Time, 2000)
The lyric: "Muddy Due south mind-blowing Muddied South bread / Catfish fried up, Dirty South fed."
Luda would afterward release an album called Chicken-n-Beer, merely it was here that he established his love for Southern-fried delicacies.
40. Edan, "Beautiful Nutrient" (Sprain Your Tapedeck, 2001)
The lyric: "I'thousand talking about Chicken la King / Mango and garbanzo / Tabouli / Grilled potatoes and vegetables / With roasted garlic and basil / Zucchini ziti / Granola fruit bar..."
This grocery-listing--style joint from the Boston-based emcee is comprised solely of the names of different foods. To our knowledge, information technology is also the merely rap song to e'er feature a shout-out to tabouli.
39. Das Racist, "Rainbow in the Dark" (Shut Up, Dude; 2010)
The lyric: "I'm at White Castle, tiny-ass hamburgers, tiny-ass cheeseburgers, tiny-donkey craven sandwichesâ€"it's outlandish child."
The duo behind the oddball hit "Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bong" celebrate their fast-food fetish once again on this rails. But don't pigeonhole them as lowbrow eatersâ€"later in the vocal, they hint at their refined tastes with the line, "Nosotros could swallow the flyest cave-anile cheese for sheez, ma."
38. Rick Ross, "I Dear My Bitches" (God Forgives, I Don't; 2012)
The lyric: "Am I actually just a narcissist / 'Cause I wake up to a bowl of lobster bisque?"
Narcissist? Maybe. Fatso? Most definitely.
37. Cee Lo Light-green, "Soul Food" (Goodie Mob'southward Soul Food, 1995)
The lyric: "A heapin' helpin' of fried chicken, macaroni and cheese and collard greens / Besides big for my jeans."
Before he became a global megastar with hits similar "Crazy" and "Fuck You," Cee Lo rapped most getting fat on delicious food in Atlanta.
36. Kelis, "Milkshake" (Tasty, 2003)
The lyric: "My milkshake brings all the boys to the k / And they're like, 'It's amend than yours.'"
Beloved it or hate it, Kelis's euphemistic chorus has successfully cemented its spot in the popular dictionary.
35. Young Dro, "G Hustle Mafia" (M Hustle Presents: In da Streetz Volume 4; 2006)
The lyric: "What you know 'bout shark meat, perch and tilapia?"
That sounds like some big-boss pescatarian eatin' correct there, Dro. But we're concerned about the rest of your nutrition: "Alligator, domestic dog meat, caviarâ€"we mafia."
34. Lil' Bow Wow, "Accept Ya Home" (Doggy Bag, 2001)
The lyric: "I got 'em scattered, covered, smothered like hash browns / See I'k the best just enquire around."
Back when Bow Wow was however li'50, he paid homage to the famous hash browns at Waffle House, which you can become "scattered" (spread on the grill), "smothered" (with onions) and "covered" (with cheese).
33. The Streets, "Don't Mug Yourself" (Original Pirate Material, 2002)
The lyric: "Chatting shit, sitting at the wall tabular array, telling jokes, playing with the salt, lookin' out the window / Daughter brings two plates of total English over, with enough of scrambled eggs and plenty of fried tomato."
Mike Skinner, the original don of geezer rap, refers here to a full English breakfast, which traditionally includes some combination of eggs, love apple, toast, sausage, mushrooms, bacon and baked beans.
32. Action Bronson, "Tapas" (Peter Rosenberg's What's Poppin Volume 1 Mixtape, 2011)
The lyric: "I'm on the art and the food scene / Fuck rap, laying back eatin' poutine."
Later on giving up cooking for music, Queens rapper Activity Bronson has quickly become 1 of the most fecund practitioners of food rap, lacing songs like "Brunch" and "Jerk Chicken" with culinary references. He fifty-fifty dropped a mixtape called Bon Appetit...Bitch!!!!!
31. Fat Boys, "All You lot Can Eat" (Krush Groove Original Soundtrack, 1985)
The lyric: "$3.99 for all you can swallow / Well, I'm a stuff my face to a funky beat."
If this video is any indication, Sbarro used to be the greatest eatery in New York.
30. Fabolous, "You Ain't Got Nothin' " (Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III, 2008)
The lyric: "My lil' man is on ya, Marlon and Shawn ya / Lay the beef on his noodle / Make some luger lasagna / 40-cal fettuccine, trey-pound pasta / You attain for this medallion, you must like Italian."
Guns made out of pasta sound like a gangster Giuseppe Arcimboldo painting. Side note: On the aforementioned track, Juelz Santana reminds us to never invite him to a cocktail party with the line, "Haven't yous all heard? / Yous all herbs (yeah) / I stick toothpicks (where?) / In yous hors d'oeuvres." Cheeky bastard!
29. MF Doom, "Beef Rapp" (Mm.. Food, 2004)
The lyric: "Beef rap could atomic number 82 to getting teeth capped / Or even a wreath for ma dukes on some grief crap / I suggest you modify your diet / It tin pb to high blood pressure if you fry it."
The masked indie rapper crafted this unabridged indie albumâ€"an anagram of the name MF Doomâ€"effectually nutrient-inspired samples (including "Would You Like a Snack?" past Frank Zappa) and lyrical references. Other tracks include "Hoe Cakes," "Fillet-O-Rapper" and "Kon Queso."
28. Puff Daddy, "It's All About the Benjamins" (No Way Out, 1997)
The lyric: "Yep, living the raw bargain, three-grade repast / Spaghetti, fettuccini and veal."
Six years later, Diddy would put all that carbo-loading to good use by running the New York City Marathon.
27. Jay-Z, "Go Crazy" (Immature Jeezy's Let's Go It: Thug Motivation 101, 2005)
The lyric: "More than a hustler, I'g the definition of it / Principal chef, lord of the kitchen closet."
Sure, Jigga's talking well-nigh cooking crack, not duck confit. Nevertheless, nosotros capeesh his Gordon Ramsay-like vigor behind the burner. If only he would lay down a poesy over some "buttery biscuit base of operations."
26. Method Man, "Ice Cream" (Raekwon'due south Only Built four Cuban Linx, 1995)
The lyric: "Watch these rap niggas go all up in your guts / French vanilla, butter-pecan, chocolate palatial / Even caramel sundaes is getting touched / And scooped in my water ice cream truckâ€"Wu tears it upwards."
Fun fact: That guy in the background yelling, "The water ice cream man is coming!" is Eddie Murphy.
25. Talib Kweli, "Back Up Offa Me" (The Beautiful Struggle, 2004)
The lyric: "Tried to tell you not to fuck with these debutantes / That's more Kobe beef than Japanese restaurants."
In the wake of Kobe Bryant's 2003 sexual assail instance, Talib reiterates some oldie-but-goodie advice.
24. Ice Cube, "It Was a Bye" (The Predator, 1992)
The lyric: "No barkin' from the dog, no smogâ€"and momma cooked upwards breakfast with no hog / I got my grub on merely didn't pig out, finally got a phone call from this daughter I want to dig out."
Best. Day. Ever.
23. Lil Wayne, "6 Foot 7 Pes" (Tha Carter Iv, 2011)
The lyric: "Paper chasin', tell that newspaper, 'Await I'm right behind ya' / Bitch, real Gs move in silence like lasagna."
Is Lil Wayne employing metonymy here, using lasagnaâ€"a dish associated with Italian gangstersâ€"to represent the mob as a whole? Or does he just not realize that the g in lasagna isn't actually silent? (Or perchance it is silent?) These are the questions that keep u.s. awake at night.
22. Big Pun, "Banned from TV" (Endangered Species, 2001)
The lyric: "Champagne on the rocks, rockin' a Fort Knox Lazarus / Shark salad with carrots, pork chops and applesauce."
Further evidence that Big Pun would swallow absolutely annihilation.
21. Roots Manuva, "Witness (1 Hope)" (Run Come Salvage Me, 2011)
The lyric: "Right now, I see clearer than most / I sit down here contented with this cheese on toast."
Other rappers obsess over caviar dreams and how many bottles of Ciroc are at the table. But Roots Manuva is happy with the simplest of English comfort foods: some melted cheddar, a piece of toast and a splash of Worcestershire sauce. Lovey jubbly.
20. Snoop Dogg, "Nuthin' only a 'Grand' Thang" (Dr. Dre'southward The Chronic, 1992)
The lyric: "Falling back on that donkey, with a hellafied gangsta lean / Getting funky on the mike, similar a quondam batch of collard greens."
File next to kombucha, Dr. Dre beats and fermented pork sausage at Zabb Elee on the list of stuff that's funky.
19. Guerilla Black, "Compton" (Guerilla City, 2004)
The lyric: "Keep my enemies on IV, once I toast them / Just like my bagels / Accept 'em like Christians over they head, smoking halo."
We could never effigy out if this was some sort of subversive commentary on Jewish-Christian relations. Unfortunately, Guerilla Black'due south flash-in-the-pan career didn't provide further opportunity to dig into his religious views.
18. Necro, "Food for Thought" (The Pre-Set up for Death, 2004)
The lyric: "Yous're lost in the sauce as it clogs your vessels / I'll undo the blouse of your spouse and give her my house special / My raps are hot and sour, they choke y'all / Yous make no moves like a vegetable, yous're simulated similar tofu."
Horrorcore legend Necro reimagines the local Chinese joint as a hellish torture sleeping accommodation, where fortune cookies read: "Very soon in the future yous'll vomit green."
17. Jay-Z, "Maybach Music 2 (Lost Poetry)"
The lyric: "Six-deuce every time, I never had the Heinz / Fifty-seven can't ketchup [grab up] to mines."
This clever double entendre requires some unpacking: The Maybach 57 and 62 are models of Mercedes-Benz'due south most luxurious line of cars. Jay-Z calls the 57 "the Heinz," referring to the Heinz 57 slogan constitute on ketchup bottles. The 62, which he prefers, is referred to here as the "six-deuce."
xvi. Dead Prez, "Exist Healthy" (Let's Get Free, 2000)
The lyric: "I'm from the old schoolhouse, my household scent like soul food, bruh / Curried falafel, barbecued tofu."
Ignore the part about smoking ganja, and this ode to healthy eating provides a cracking rebuttal to critics who say rap music is a bad influence.
15. The Sugarhill Gang, "Rappers Delight" (Sugarhill Gang, 1980)
The lyric: "Have you e'er went over a friend'southward firm to consume and the food just ain't no good? / I mean the macaroni's soggy, the peas are mushed, and the chicken tastes like wood."
In his verse from hip-hop'southward foundational posse cut, Wonder Mike describes that awkward feel of going to someone'south house and trying to weasel out of eating a crappy meal.
14. Drake, "The Ride" (Take Intendance, 2011)
The lyric: "And you practice dinners at French Laundry in Napa Valley / Scallops and spectacles of Dolce, that shit's right upward your alley."
While most new-coin rappers are still talking virtually surf and turf and canteen service, Drizzy separates himself from the pack with this knowing nod to Thomas Keller's haute-cuisine temple. We'd love to know if the French Laundry sommelier really recommended that Dolce for the scallops.
thirteen. Fat Tony, "U Ain't Fat" (RABDARGAB, 2010)
The lyric: "I was once a chubby brat / Chillin' with my mom, ownership jeans off the husky rack / Skipping collard greens and beans for a Kit Kat."
If you've got nutrient issues, here'southward your theme song. Houston-based rapper Fat Tony raps frankly about his body-image struggles, and in the video finds himself hallucinating about a waiter with a confront made of pizza and a store clerk with Kit Kats for hands.
12. Kanye West, "Last Call" (The College Dropout, 2004)
The lyric: "Mayonnaise-colored Benz, I push Miracle Whips."
While plenty of hip-hop heads have questioned Kanye'south lyrical dexterity, this witty scrap of wordplay had everyone pressing rewind on his debut album. Whips refers to cars, while miracle may be a reference to the near-fatal crash that 'Ye survived in 2002.
11. Inspectah Deck, "House of Flying Daggers" (Raekwon'due south But Built 4 Cuban Linx... Function II, 2009)
The lyric: "I pop off similar a mobster dominate / Angel pilus with the lobster sauce."
Nosotros might go with linguine when enjoying a squeamish lobster sauce, but nosotros know better than to mess with the Wu-Tang Clan.
10. Run-D.Thousand.C., "Christmas in Hollis" (A Very Special Christmas, 1987)
The lyric: "It's Christmas time in Hollis, Queens / Mom's cooking chicken and collard greens."
Hip-hop's finest contribution to the Christmas vocal catechism includes a rundown of Run-D.M.C.'s preferred holiday spread.
9. De La Soul, "Bitties in the BK Lounge" (De La Soul Is Dead, 1991)
The lyric: "Well, it was a Wednesday, me and Boss Hog was kinda hungry / Like two eggs, and a slop beef piece of lettuce / And a glass of milk and some cookies."
This fine example of storytelling rap recounts the perils of hollering at women in a Burger King.
8. Jay-Z, "Success" (American Gangster, 2007)
The lyric: "How many times can I get to Mr. Grub's, Tao's, Nobu? / Hold up, allow me movement my bowels."
In chronicling the nihilism of fame and wealth, Mr. Carter wonders how much fine dining ane human tin tum. #rapperproblems
7. Cam'ron, "Moisture Wipes" (Killa Season, 2006)
The lyric: "Had a drunken heed, club wobbled out / Next stop: Start trouble within the Waffle Business firm."
Information technology's tough to cull but 1 foodie reference from the homo who once referred to himself as "the sushi king," but this example remains an all-time favorite. Taken in the context of "Killa Cam," on which he calls himself "the hooligan at Houlihan'south," information technology's articulate that Cam'ron is a restaurant manager's worst nightmare.
6. Juelz Santana, "Southward.AN.T.A.Northward.A" (The Diplomats's Diplomatic Immunity two, 2004)
The lyric: "I own't here to wine ya / I ain't here to dine ya / I came here to popular ya / And I came hither for lobster / The whole damn shebang, and they ain't bring the pasta."
This video always makes us feel a little pitiful for Juelz: Even in the trattoria of his wildest dreams, he can't get expert service. Go this guy to a Danny Meyer restaurant, stat.
5. Nas, "Fried Chicken" (Untitled, 2008)
The lyric: "Mmm, fried chicken, fly vixen / Give me center disease but need you in my kitchen."
This beloved letter of the alphabet to deep-fried fowl is perchance the best high-concept food rap of all fourth dimension. Nas and Busta Rhymes both deliver well-crafted verses virtually how the food they dear the most is killing them.
4. Slick Rick, "Mona Lisa" (The Groovy Adventures of Slick Rick, 1988)
The lyric: "I went into a store, to purchase a slice of pizza / And bumped into a girl, her proper name was Mona (what?) Mona Lisa."
Eminem gives Slick Rick's old-fashioned courtship a more than sinister spin on "As the World Turns," when he raps, "I met a slut and said, 'What up, it'due south nice to encounter ya / I'd like to treat ya to a Faygo and a piece of pizza.'"
three. Beastie Boys, "3 the Hard Way" (To the five Boroughs, 2004)
The lyric: "Oops, gotcha, clutch like Piazza / Sneak betwixt the sheets so hibernate the matzo / Holler back challah bread...side by side."
Thanks to the Beastie Boys, Jewish foodstuffs like matzo and challah plant their manner into the rap vocabulary.
2. A Tribe Chosen Quest, "Ham 'N' Eggs" (People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, 1990)
The lyric: "I don't eat no ham and eggs, 'crusade they're high in cholesterol / Ayo, Phife exercise you lot consume 'em? No, Tip practice yous eat 'em? / Uh-uh, non at all."
If you yearn for the days when a rapper could say, "asparagus tips look yummy, yummy, yummy" and all the same sound dope, this is the rails for you.
1. Rakim, "Eric B. Is President" (Eric B. and Rakim's Paid in Full, 1987)
The lyric: "You scream I'g lazy, y'all must be crazy / Thought I was a donut, yous tried to coat me."
Rakim is likely the nearly oft-quoted MC in hip-hop history, and this line ranks among his most memorable.
Run across more than in Food & Drink
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Source: https://www.timeout.com/music/the-50-top-rap-lyrics-about-food-hip-hop
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