The 10 Best Bromance Rap Songs

Yes, rappers do more than diss. These male bonding anthems show some serious respect.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Here at Complex we abide by the Bro Code because there’s nothing more respectable than a good old-fashioned bromance. Whether your bro is playing wingman, watching your back in a fight, or helping you move furniture, counting on your homeboy is something all men do. Hip-hop has always been dominated by men so it’s had its fair share of bromances. When it comes to the music, these are the 10 Best Bromance Rap Songs every guy should know.

Written by Insanul Ahmed (@Incilin) & Julian Pereira (@Broadway_Jay).

#10. Lil Wayne f/ Drake & Jadakiss "It's Good" (2011)

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Most Bromantic Line: “Three visits later, I went and did it major/So fuck the judge, and the jury, and the litigator/Watching all these kids who thought they had it figured out/And then November came...they let my nigga out.”

Complex says: As soon as this song dropped, all anyone wanted to discuss was Weezy’s Hova shot which we totally get since hey, beef sells. We were the only ones who noticed that Drake’s verse has an appreciation for Wayne that’s so deep it’s uncomfortable.

We all know about the special bromance between young lion and young angel: From their epic hugs, to their man-dates, to their lyrical shoutouts to one another, but this one is something else. Drizzy dedicates his entire verse to Wayne (a milestone in their bromance!) as he rhymes about life in the rap game during Wayne’s incarceration.

We weren’t surprised by Drizzy because like we said before, we all know how these two are. We were surprised by the number of bad bitches allegedly working at Riker’s Island Correctional Facility.

#9. The Game f/ Busta Rhymes “Doctor’s Advocate” (2006)

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Most Bromantic Line: “I still got the chain that you wore on the cover of The Source/Remember when we got drunk, to do 'Start From Scratch'?/I told you you was like a father to me, I meant that.” (Game)

Complex says: It’s tempting to idealize a bromance the way it’s tempting to idealize a romantic relationship: A 50/50 partnership where both parties have equal footing. But the truth is, it’s never like that: Someone always wears the pants. No rap bromance makes that more obvious than the one between Game and Dr. Dre because it’s been both amicable and strained. One thing has remained consistent: Game’s reverence for the good doc.

It started when Dre signed Game to Aftermath and Game became a superstar a few years later. Their relationship fell apart when Game started beefing with 50 Cent and eventually got booted off Aftermath and sent to Geffen Records. That’s when Game recorded this song (and his sophomore album, named after Dre, The Doctor’s Advocate) where he aired out his feelings about his mentor.

They recently patched things up (Dre narrates Game’s new album) but we’ve always been amused by Game’s pathological need to please Dre, namedrop Dre, then defy Dre, and then namedrop him some more.

#8. AZ f/ Nas "The Essence" (2002)

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Most Bromantic Line: “(My shits is baby blue)/They powder blue/(Yo' shits is hotter)/You hotter with them frames on/(Nigga you James Bond, and you stay low)/ You know my style babe bro.”

Complex says: Anyone who knows hip-hop knows AZ and Nas go back like LeBron’s hairline. Nas reminisces about witnessing his wingman press up on a lady or two and the rappers compare themselves to boxers Marvin Hagler and Tommy Hearns. From their haircuts to their sneakers, there are enough compliments flying back and forth on this one to nauseate a Kardashian.

#7. Masta Ace f/ Biz Markie"Me & The Biz” (1990)

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#6. Bun B "The Story” (2005)

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Most Bromantic Line: “C.L. Butler better known as Chad, or Pimp C/The closest homeboy that I ever had.”

Complex says: Written while Bun's partner was behind bars, this record tells the story of how he and Pimp C came up in the game and how they had to endure hardships to survive in hip-hop. Since Pimp’s death, Bun has kept Pimp C’s name alive and—like a true Trill O.G.—he’s preserved it with honor wherever he’s gone. Quite simply, Bun epitomizes the perfect example of how to hold it down for a friend. R.I.P. Pimp C.

#5. RUN DMC "Jam Master Jay" (1984)

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Most Bromantic Line: “He's Jam Master Jay, the big beat blaster/He gets better cause he knows he has to/In '84 he'll be a little faster/And only practice makes a real Jam Master.”

Complex says: “Jam Master Jay” was one of the first records ever made about a DJ. When hip-hop first began it was all about the DJ, not the rapper. In fact, the whole point of having an emcee was to big up the DJ. Of course, things changed as hip-hop took off and the rapper became the star, but we always pay homage to the greats who paved the way for the rest of us.

On this record, Run and D.M.C. bigged up the third member of their group and boasted proudly about why he was the best DJ in hip-hop. Today we all praise Jason “Jam Master Jay” Mizell for all of his contributions to the genre but in 1984, RUN-D.M.C. was still holding down their boy and making sure everyone knew he had serious skills. R.I.P. JMJ.

#4. Lil Wayne "I Miss My Dawgs" (2004)

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Most Bromantic Line: “History is history/I miss you, and I know you missing me, Juvie.”

Complex says: Lil Wayne’s ode to his old Hot Boyz groupmates—B.G., Juvenile, and Turk—is powerful. It’s easy to get the sense that as the youngest rapper in the group, Wayne was guided and mentored by those guys before personal turmoil and questionable business dealings lead to the temporary downfall of Cash Money.

By 2004, Wayne was gearing up to usher in a new era of Cash Money where he became a superstar but first he had to get closure with his homies. Wayne admitted he missed his homeboys and we do too because we’re pretty sure Juvie, B.G., and Turk would have never let Weezy wear leopard-print women’s pants on national television.

#3. Dr. Dre f/ Eminem & Xzibit "What's The Difference" (1999)

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Most Bromantic Line: “I don’t know if I ever told you this/But, I love you dawg/I got your motherfucking back/Just know this shit.” (Eminem)

Complex says: What is it about Dre that makes rappers fall in love with him? Is it because of his bulging muscles? It is because he’s such a nice guy? Maybe it’s because, for the right price, he can make you rich and famous? Either way, whether it’s Game, Kendrick Lamar, or Eminem, rappers just love praising dude. And for good reason, after all (as Em recently admitted on the bromance anthem “I Need a Doctor”) Dre saved Em’s life and made him a star.

Back in 1999, Em was ready to admit his love for Dre on “What’s the Difference.” As if it wasn’t enough that Em started his verse with ultimate expression of bromance (“I love you dawg”), Eminem raps about killing his girlfriend and Dre offers to help him dump her body in the ocean. And as we all know, accessory to murder is the ultimate gesture of bromance (snitching being the polar opposite) because true friends help friends... get away with murder.

#2. Capone-N-Noreaga "Live On, Live Long" (1997)

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Most Bromantic Line: “What up ‘Pone?/Nigga, I cant zone without you/Think about you/Up at night, put out my hand like/Shine like broad daylight." (Noreaga)

Complex says: Noreaga may have recently disbanded CNN, but it can be argued that when this song was made, Capone and Nore were in the running for hip-hop’s closest duo. Capone went to prison while the group was recording their classic debut, The War Report, so it was only right Nore would fly a kite for his man. However, we must mention that common man law usually prevent a guy from telling another guy he thinks about him at night. That’s just kinda creepy.

#1. Kanye West "Big Brother" (2007)

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Most Bromantic Line: “An idol in my eyes/God of the game/‘Heart Of The City’/Roc-A-Fella chain/Never be the same/Never be another/Number one, Young Hov/Also, my big brother.”

Complex says: “Big Brother” was undoubtedly the most bromantic gesture there ever was in hip-hop. Before they teamed up as the Throne, Jay and Kanye made classics together like “Heart of the City” and “This Can’t Be Life.” Even as ‘Ye blew up as a solo artist, Jay was still the Big Homie. When Yeezy solidified his spot on top of the rap game in 2007 with the release of his classic third album, Graduation, he closed out the record with an ode to Jigga.

Beyond being a great song, Yeezy made a point worth noting because it’s so simple, so poignant, and it captures the true essence of a bromance, “If you admire somebody you should go ahead and tell’em/People never get the flowers while they could smell’em.” Word.

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