The 25 Best Rants in Rap History

The greatest examples of rappers talking that talk.

It's not enough to simply rap well. We also expect rappers to come with overbearing personalities, and there's no better place to showcase those than during an unhinged ad-lib at the beginning or end of a song. These rants are where the real ether is served on battle records and often how MCs confirm that they are, in fact, the wittiest individuals breathing.

In an attempt to bring some order to this much appreciated but little discussed segment of hip-hop culture, we've compiled a list of the 25 Best Rants in Rap History. From Eminem destroying Benzino on "Nail in the Coffin" to Jay-Z embarrassing struggle ballers on "Imaginary Player," read on for a look at shit talking at its finest.

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25. Gucci Mane on "Pillz"

Year: 2006
Best Line: "But, matter of fact, while you over here is you a waitress or something? 'Cause the shit you got on make you look like a waitress."
Album: Hard to Kill

Obviously, Gucci Mane was popping Molly and sweating way before Trinidad James made it all trendy. Here, La Flare sets the bar for how to speak to restaurant and nightclub staff in hilarious fashion.

 

24. Mannie Fresh on Young Jeezy's "And Then What"

Year: 2005
Best Line: "Niggas, bitches, bitch ass niggas. Dyke ass hoes, black ass, bright ass hoes. Fag hags and scalawags."
Album: Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101

When it comes to the dance floor, Mannie Fresh is an equal oppurtunity promoter. He invites everyone to cheer the arrival of Young Jeezy.


23. 50 Cent on "I Run New York"

Year: 2005
Best Line: "Tell that nigga Puffy I said get out the mirror for a second, let me talk to him. Puffy own the nigga motherfuckin' publishing."
Album: G-Unit vs. D-Block Vol. 2: Battle for the Crown

50 has an extensive history of beefing but the best part of his diss songs aren't always the rapping, sometimes it's just the rants. Case in point: On his verse from "I Run New York" he barely disses Jada, and instead airs out Jada's dirty laundry and says he doesn't own his publishing during an end-of-song tirade. This rant actually lead to an even better one: After being exposed, Jada and Styles took their case to Hot 97 to get the public to rally around them and get Diddy to give up their publishing which lead to an unforgettable shouting match live on the air.


22. Nicki Minaj on "Itty Bitty Piggy"

Year: 2009
Best Line: "It's like I just singlehandedly annihiliated, you know, every rap bitch in the building."
Album: Beam Me Up Scotty

If Nicki dropped this song today, we'd all assume it was a Mariah Carey diss. But trust, Nicki been dissing nameless females since way before it was good for American Idol's ratings.


21. Too Short on Notorious B.I.G.'s "The World Is Filled"

Year: 1997
Best Line: "Bitch only fuck with you 'cause you had a good ass job, nigga. Nerd."
Album: Life After Death

Damn, Short Dawg. Why you gotta make it hard for us 9-to-5 players?


20. RZA on "Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta Fuck Wit"

Year: 1993
Best Line: "Peace to all the gods and the Earths. Word is bond. Wu-Tang slang. Choppin' heads. It ain't safe no more."
Album: Enter The Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers

The most hype song on 36 Chambers ends with RZA shouting out neighborhoods all over the nation in glorious fashion. This is when the rap world realized just how deep rooted the clan's influence was, and they've been relevant ever since.

 

19. Snoop Dogg on 2Pac's "All About You"

Year: 1996
Best Line: "What make that even more fucked up, I'm watching the Million Man March and I see the same bitch on the Million Man March that was in the homeboy Warren G video."
Album: All Eyez on Me

Snoop didn't contribute a verse to this record, but still popped up for a memorable rant about this one girl who keeps showing up in videos. We'd love to feel Snoop's pain, but obviously seeing the same hoe everywhere you go is a #SnoopDoggProblem.


18. 50 Cent on "Order of Protection"

Year: 2003
Best Line: "You fat cupcake eating motherfucker."
Album: The Future Is Now

The most entertaining part about this rant is 50's exuberance at the mere idea that he'd be even remotely be scared of Ja Rule, Murder, Inc, or their fake ass order of protection. 50 didn't release mixtapes titled No Mercy, No Fear for no reason.

 

17. Lil Wayne on "DontGetIt"

Year: 2008
Best Line: "Mr. Al Sharpton, here's why I don't respect you, and nobody like you. See, you're the type that gets off on getting on other people. That's not good. No homo."
Album: Tha Carter III

After a series of delays (and leaks), Tha Carter III catapulted Lil Wayne from young gun to superstar. He closed the album by tackling a handful of serious subjects, which caught many by surprise. Weezy highlighted the flaws within our legal system as well as the negative effects of gentrification over a wailing Nina Simone sample. Then took Al Sharpton to task. It's arguably Lil Wayne's most candid moment on wax.


16. Mos Def on "Fear Not of Man"

Year: 1999
Best Line: "People talk about hip-hop like it's some giant living in the hillside, coming down to visit the townspeople."
Album: Black on Both Sides

Very few rappers can channel the intellectual spirit that Mos Def (excuse us, Yasiin Bey) possesses on the mic, and his debut solo album Black on Both Sides provided a rich source of insight that people equate him with to this day. On the album-opening "Fear Not of Man," Mos is in pursuit for social truth, and it's a monologue that is as powerful as it is entertaining.


15. Puff Daddy on Nas' "Hate Me Now"

Year: 1999
Best Line: "You never seen a nigga like me, ever in your life, and that's what you can't understand."
Album: I Am...

When discussing "Hate Me Now" with Rolling Stone in 2007, Nas explained, "I just wanted [Puff] to talk some of his shit on there." And talk shit he did, with words of vengeance and spite from the Bad Boy mogul creating a hostile environment that still feels palpable to this day. As opposed to his usual lengthy monologues, Puff Daddy instead took sporadic shots throughout the record.


14. Jim Jones on Cam'ron's "I Really Mean It"

Year: 2003
Best Line: "As for that lame, man. Nasir—I ain't even gonna say your last name 'cause that's mine—I catch you, you know what it is."
Album: Diplomatic Immunity

Jim Jones isn't necessarily known for his lyrical prowess, but charisma? That's a different story. Creating a career off a single record and phrase, the Capo of Dipset knows what to say and when to say it. In that regard, his improvised inclusion on Cam'ron's celebrated Diplomatic Immunity cut was paramount, as he accentuated his Harlem persona while also sending shots at Nas.

 

13. DMX on "What's My Name?"

Year: 1999
Best Line: Half-rapping ass motherfuckers. You think it's a game? You think it's a fucking game?!?!?!"
Album: ...And Then There Was X

Nothing gets you more pumped up (and a little terrified) than some motivational speaking from Earl Simmons. On this street classic, DMX was out for blood, and his aggressive opening was a perfect lead-in for the ferocious lyricism that came afterward. The rant may clock in as one of the shortest on the list, but DMX didn't need much time to get his point across.

Listen To The Full Rant Below:



12. Kanye West on "Last Call"

Year: 2004
Best Line: "They still weren't looking at me like a rapper. And I'm sure Dame figured like, 'Man, if he do a whole album, if his raps is wack at least we can throw Cam on every song and save the album.'"
Album: The College Dropout

"Last Call" is a perfect example of the candid yet cerebral individual that we've come to know and love. The heart of this track is a nine-minute monologue of shout outs and stories, and it's amazing to hear the Chicago rapper put his career on full display without a filter. Like Dame says, "Oh shit! It's not even wack!"

 

11. Puff Daddy on Notorious B.I.G.'s "My Downfall"

Year: 1997
Best Line: "We gon' keep doing our motherfuckin' thing from now 'til the year 3000, bitches. You can't breathe, you can't sleep, you can't eat without thinking about us."
Album: Life After Death

Biggie does some of his best rapping ever on this track, and even then, Puffy still shines. This is a prime example of why he's the king of talking shit.

10. Birdman on "#1 Stunna"

Year: 2000
Best Line: "We all drive Bentleys on dubs. I'm trying to put platinum eyebrows on these hoes. I just bought me a platinum football field, nigga."
Album: I Got That Work

You can't call yourself the "#1 Stunna" unless your stunt game is on stupid. And a good portion of what Birdman says on here is pretty stupid. Why the fuck would you buy a platinum football field? WORST INVESTMENT EVER.


9. Eminem on "Nail in the Coffin"

Year: 2002
Best Line: "Fuck your little magazine, too. I don't need your little fuckin' magazine. I got XXL's number anyway, and y'all can't stand 'cause they getting bigger than y'all."
Album: N/A

Despite being a rapper and being worth millions of dollars, Eminem rarely brags about his wealth. So to hear him rag on Benzino for being broke was beyond hilarious. Despite once being regarded as the premier hip-hop publication, this rant sealed The Source's fate.

8. Bun B and DJ Paul on "Sippin' On Syrup"

Year: 2000
Best Line: "Y'all non-snorters, non-smokers, non-sippers, get the fuck up out of here, bitch."
Album: When the Smoke Clears: Sixty 6, Sixty 1

These guys are pioneers of hard drug use in hip-hop, so it's only fitting that they open the record that popularized promethazine codeine with some truly epic ranting.

7. 50 Cent on "Southside"

Year: 2007
Best Line: "Niggas think Jimmy Iovine's my boss. Nigga, fuck Jimmy Iovine, nigga. I'm from 134th Street, nigga. I ain't got no motherfucking boss."
Album: N/A

During his 2007 campaign to promote his third studio album Curtis, 50 Cent didn't sound as comfortable going in as he did with his first two releases. Maybe it's because he was in a sales race with Kanye West, and pressure to outperform the Chicago MC took a toll on him. Or maybe he was upset with his label's direction on the new project. Whatever the case, 50 voiced his displeasure with Interscope on the G-Unit street cut "Southside." Yapping over a slick Ski Beatz backdrop originally done for Pacewon, Ferrari F50 was sounding extra disrespectful as he berated Jimmy Iovine like he was an intern. As appealing as "Southside" was, we strongly urge other Interscope signees to refrain from similar activity.

6. Cam'ron on "You Gotta Love It"

Year: 2006
Best Line: "You talking 'bout you a 80's baby. You 37 years old, you was born in 1968. And I open the Daily News, how's the King of New York rocking sandals with jeans? Open toe sandals with chancletas with jeans on. How's the King of New York rocking sandals with jeans and he 42 years old."
Album: Killa Season

Cam'ron was none too pleased when Jay-Z and Dame Dash parted ways and broke up the Roc-A-Fella dynasty, nor the fact that just a few years earlier Hov blocked him from securing a deal as Vice President of the label. A culmination of this and other personal issues between the two camps became the genesis of the infamous diss record "You Gotta Love It." From beginning to end, the eight-minute track is brimming full of Killa Cam quotables, with references to Fraggle Rock and Ma$e turning this into an open mic at Caroline's.

 

5. Nas on "Destroy & Rebuild"

Year: 2001
Best Line: "Niggas been hating me since I been 9, shining with suede motherfuckin' Ballys on and silks. I'ma always be this young don. Don't be like the niggas on the other side, hating me 'cause I'm beautiful."
Album: Stillmatic

Nas battling Jay-Z was one thing, but he really gave it to Prodigy, Nature, and Cormega the worst because he literally sonned the shit out them. By the end of this rant, the bridge was definitely over.


4. Jay-Z on "Imaginary Player"

Year: 1997
Best Line: "You probably hop on my dick right there, right in front of ya bitch. Ask me some stupid shit like, 'Yo, yo dog. What's the difference between a 4.0 and a 4.6?' Like 30 to 40 grand cocksucker, beat it."
Album: In My Lifetime, Vol. 1

Jay-Z is a lot of things, but he isn't always all that funny. But hearing him clown a nameless imaginary player at the end of this record is Hov at his comedic finest. Do them shits even got leathers?

Listen To The Full Rant Below (3:24):


 

3. Puff Daddy on Notorious B.I.G.'s "Long Kiss Goodnight"

Year: 1997
Best Line: "Now, we don't give a fuck. We just absolutely don't give a fuck because there ain't no motherfuckin' love here. There ain't no love here. You know, we just gon' keep doing what we do. We gon' keep fucking you up. And I'ma keep stompin' your motherfuckin' head in you fucking bitch."
Album: Life After Death

Biggie never namedrops you know who on Life After Death, but a good portion of the album is clearly about his beef with Death Row. Although many felt this record was about Pac, and some lyrics can definitely be taken that way, Puff's line, "We're not talking about no other rappers, we're talking about you motherfucker," is almost certainly about Suge Knight.

Listen To The Full Rant Below (2:00):



2. Snoop Dogg on Dr. Dre's "Fuck Wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')"

Year: 1992
Best Line: "All the sucka ass niggas can eat a fat dick. Eazy-E, Eazy-E, Eazy-E can eat a big fat dick. Tim Dog can eat a big fat dick. Luke can eat a fat dick."
Album: The Chronic

When rappers were entangled in beef back in the '90s, they were also more inclined to identify their target without nibbling around the subject with veiled shots (cc: Drake, Pusha T). Snoop Dogg held nothing back on "Fuck Wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')" as he name-checked Eazy-E, Tim Dog and Luke without breaking a sweat.

Listen To The Full Rant Below (3:45):


 

1. 2Pac on "Hit 'Em Up"

Year: 1996
Best Line: "Fuck Bad Boy as a staff, record label, and as a motherfuckin' crew."
Album: N/A

This entire rant is the definition of vitriol, and in some ways, even better than the actual rapping on the song. Pac talks himself into a rage and fires off at every enemy rapper. The rant totally put Prodigy's personal health in the streets and officially switched the focus of the beef from Biggie to Bad Boy and the East Coast as a whole.


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