The 25 Best Eight-Bar Verses in Rap History

Doing more with less.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Just like your high school English teacher told you, making your point requires being concise and direct. That’s the function of the eight-bar verse: the MC in question didn’t even need the remaining measures to assassinate you, B, lyrically. Brevity is the soul of wit, and in this Twitter fueled, ADD era we live in, we appreciate the rappers who can say twice as much in half the time. 50 Cent once listed all the rappers he thought could kill someone in eight bars (it went: 50...um Jay-Z and Nas) but we can think of a few more. So many so we can up with The 25 Best Eight-Bar Verses In Rap History. Remember, just because it’s half a verse doesn’t mean there’s any room for half-stepping.

RELATED: The 20 Best Terrible Rap Verses

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25. Rick Ross on "Stay Schemin" (2012)

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"Damn, life's so short/
Fuck, I don't wanna go to court/
Fuck it, got a budget for the lawyer, though/
Fuck it, I’m on the run for the month/
I’m in the bucket, paid 200 for it/
My lil niggas thuggin’, even got me paranoid/
I’m gettin' money, that's in any nigga category/
Double M, I got Gs out in California"


Rick Ross may not have snapped on "Stay Schemin'" like Toronto's very own did, but his blunt rhymes were still a testament to his tenacious spirit. Over anxious drum whops and a pulsating synth, his verse serves as a cautious decree from the streets, though it's clear the MMG head honcho is at the point of no return. Hey, even the untouchable get paranoid at times. —Edwin Ortiz

24. Jay-Z on "Frontin" (2003)

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23. Q-Tip on "Scenario" (1992)

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22. ScHoolboy Q on "Brand New Guy" (2011)

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21. Lil Wayne on "Pop Bottles" (2007)

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"Okay start with straight shots and then pop bottles/
Pour it on the models, shut up bitch, swallow/
If you can't swallow, shut up bitch gargle/
Straight up out that water with my Marc Jacobs goggles/
Fresher than a motherfucker, yep I'm a motherfucker/
No I won't take your girl, but I'll sure take her tongue from her/
Can't you tell I'm in love woman, like no other woman/
Oh, I'm sorry sweetheart, I thought you were my other woman"


In 2007, Lil Wayne could do no wrong. His 25-second contribution to "Pop Bottles" carried the song to No. 1 on the rap charts. "Shut up, bitch, swallow," however vile, is still a line that throngs of people yell out in unison. Marc Jacobs has never gotten a better shout out, either. Compared to what Lil Wayne was producing on projects like Da Drought 3, this verse is not particularly deft from a lyrical standpoint. The final lines rhyme "other woman" with "other woman," but it's awesome, not a slight. This is when Weezy had all of the charm, and an unimpeachable delivery. Anyone who complains about the repetitive subject matter of his contemporary work doesn't realize that Wayne has always rapped about the same limited bevy of topics. He just used to do it with so much style, and this appearance on "Pop Bottles" is a prime example. —Ernest Baker

20. Starang Wondah on "Leflaur Leflah Eshkoshka" (1996)

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"Ay Caramba, Starang, Gunn Clappa Numba/
One on the set man I cut you like lumber/
Still play the back in my thunder gear, down to my underwear/
Make all you motherfuckers wonder where/
I come from, cause motherfuck Dapper Dan/
I'm a Gun Clappa fam plus I run rappers man/
Fab 5 mad live blow up the spot/
Dru Ha gets the paper, Black Moon still gets the props"


The beauty of "Leflaur Leflah Eshkoshka"—aside from a snare and kick that'll bring a tear to the eye of any '90s hip-hop purist—is that Starang Wondah's eight bars of magic were built off of impulse. Let Sean Price tell it, Starang spit the opening bar ("Ay, carumba/Starang, Gun Clappa Numba..") as soon as he heard the beat, inadvertently sparking the creation of an accidental classic.

Starang blacked out here, flipping syllables so easily ("Motherfuck Dapper Dan/I'm a Gun Clappa fam/Plus I run rappers man") that it's clear his verse was one of those one take, lightning-strike moments. These eight bars, which open the song, are the equivalent of an emphatic dunk off the opening tip that leaves the crowd in a silent state of awe. This is a tone-setter, one that will have you running it back the same way you did in '96 when you broke the stop button on your Walkman. —Julian Kimble

19. Black Thought on "Guerilla Monsoon Rap" (2002)

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"Yo, I hit these MCs with the grip of death like I was a Vulcan/
Ain't a lot of "ifs" and "ands", it's just straight talkin'/
It's hard to swallow at times, so take portions/
Bitin' off more than you can chew, create orphans/
MC species endangered like dolphins/
Rappers is spittin' nails into they own coffins/
Hear come the Dundee moves rocket-launchin'/
Black Thought, quit playin him close and back up off him"


In half the standard amount of time, Black Thought was able to make you aware of the contents of his shelf (Grammy: check. Gat: check.), interrogatively suggest that you were more princess than soldier, then proceed to mute any ideas of competition against him ("gotta battle myself."). With an opening line that turned us all synesthetic ("my sound drenches, each of the five senses."), it became clear early on that he only needed to spit a few nails in order to seal the coffins of his rap foes. —Alexander Gleckman

18. Talib Kweli on "Definition" (1998)

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"You think you the shit, somebody in the wings'll force you to quit/
It could be your crew or click, or some random kid you smoked buddha with/
Consider me the entity within the industry without a history/
Of spittin' the epitome, of stupidity, livin' my life/
Expressin' my liberty, it gotta be done properly/
My name is in the middle of e-kweli-ty/
People follow me and other cats they hear him flow/
And assume I'm the real one with lyrics like I'm cyrano"


There's nothing quite like hearing a technically-superior MC berate his inept peers on wax, for essentially no good reason. That was the case on "Definition," where Brooklyn upstart Talib Kweli's lyrical exercise left hot air MCs gasping for breathe. The "alternative" and "conscious" tags may stick today, but Kweli sounded fiery over this BDP sample flipped by Hi-Tek. Peep the vocal tide as he hits each syllable: "Consider me the entity within the industry without a history/Of spitting the epitome of stupidity." This record set a precedent for what their album was going to epitomize, and Kweli's verse here was a compelling illustration. —Edwin Ortiz

17. 2Pac on "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" (1996)

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"Now follow as we ride/
Motherfuck the rest, two of the best from the Westside/
And I can make you famous/
Niggas been dying for years so how could they blame us/
I live in fear of a felony/
I never stop bailin' these motherfuckin' Gs/
If you got it better flaunt it/
Another warrant for two of Amerikaz Most Wanted"


2Pac and Snoop D-O-Double were a deadly combo. Most of 'Pac's songs were supplemented by the Outlawz who just couldn't keep up with a rapper as magnetic as Makaveli. So for one of the few times, 'Pac met his match on wax rhyming alongside The Doggfather. Snoop's laconic drawl contrasted 2Pac's bombast. 2Pac may not have always been the most clever lyricist, but he was blessed with the voice that could be menacing and celebratory all at once. So when he screamed lines like, "Now follow as we riiiiide!" in typical 'Pac fashion it was a rally cry for all the soldiers. Plus, it was comforting to hear it follow-up a top-notch flow from Snoop and not some guy named after a dictator. —Insanul Ahmed

16. Eminem on "Bad Meets Evil" (1999)

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"I don't speak, I float in the air wrapped in a sheet/
I'm not a real person, I'm a ghost trapped in a beat/
I translate when my voice is read through a seismograph/
And a noise is bred, picked up and transmitted through Royce's head/
Trap him in his room, possess him and hoist his bed/
'til the evilness flows through his blood like poisonous lead/
Told him each one of his boys is dead/
I asked him to come to the dark side, he made a choice and said"


It's unfortunate the sequel came 12 years later with Hell: The Sequel. As solid as that project was, it took Royce and Em nine songs to capture the violent glee it took them four minutes to do in "Bad Meets Evil." Eminem's first verse is particularly engrossing, and it isn't anywhere near as outrageous as many throughout the album (see: "As The World Turns").

After repeated listens and realizing how good the following verses are, Eminem's verse is revealed to be more prophetic rather than just a mind game. Em plays "a ghost trapped in a beat," an entity whose main appeal is mystery and unpredictability. We're already aware what Shady is capable of, and here, what's about to happen after the supernatural debauchery is left up to our imaginations for a few seconds. Sometimes that's as scary as any movie. —Brian Josephs

15. Raekwon on "Motherless Child" (1996)

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"Rich man, poor man, read the headlines/
Nigga getting murdered for spot and bigger dimes/
Jobs and drug wars, living by gun law/
Jail cats come home and want to take yours/
As the young one, growing up broke me and my people/
Had to sell coke, huh, I guess we all in the same boat/
Think it, plus drinkin' that 90-proof/
Playin' on the roof sayin' 'We need a next man to shoot'/


Many Wu-Tang tracks felt like cinematic experiences but usually they were based on kung-fu flicks, or in the case of Ghostface's debut, blaxploitation films. However, "Motherless Child" feels more like Wu's take on Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets with Lex Diamonds transforming into Johnny Boy "shooting out the light in the Empire State Building." Rae's vignette had us "all in the same boat" like we were taking the ferry to the rugged lands of Shaolin. In a few bars, Rae paints a grimey portrait of the urban living that breeds the type of knuckleheads Ghost raps about in his verse. —Insanul Ahmed

14. Lloyd Banks on "You Don't Know" (2006)

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"Enough holding back the steam, Em let off a magazine/
Dappa don cappa queen mixed in with Cashis creams/
Started off with half a dream, developed into what you see/
Telling ain't my cup of tea, can't tell I'm a fucking G/
I'm on automatic when I'm at it, start static/
And you splattered, shit shattered, I'm a walking bitch magnet/
Spit it how I live it, live it all the way to the limit/
And I'm always on my pivot for my digits, you dig it?"


Fresh off the release of his sophomore album Rotten Apple, the usually reserved Lloyd Banks was feeling extra insolent on the Shady Records posse cut "You Don't Know." Following Eminem and 50 Cent is always tough, but Banks showed up with lyrical darts and a merciless demeanor to match. He tells Em to let off a magazine, but it's Banks who really fires off rhymes like a rifle. Banks is known for his punchlines, but here he's all attitude with lines like, "Can't tell I'm a fucking G?" which makes us want to yell out, "G-G-GGG-G-UNIT!!!" for old times sake. —Edwin Ortiz

13. Nas on "Mo Money, Mo Murder (Homicide)" (1995)

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"Yo, in a mahogany, black scenery, that was lightning and rain drops/
I'm tied up in the basement cocaine spot like Bangkok/
I'm blindfold, Vietnam type mind control this torture/
His accent sounds like the rarest culture/
Askin' me, my atrophy stabbin' me gradually/
Says his attribute, was satanic, masonic, ironic/
I felt reminded of my fast life ventures/
And winters, blinded 'til the flashlight enters"


Nas has always done great things on his own, but when he rolled with AZ, they brought the best out of each other. Here, Nas paints a vivid portrait of a hustler in deep trouble, “I'm tied up in the basement cocaine spot like Bangkok.” Nas often had harrowing street tales that unfolded through the course of a song, but here he creates scenery, suspense, and characters with distinct attributes (“His accent sound like the rarest culture”) by painting in broad strokes. —Insanul Ahmed

12. Billy Danze on "Ante Up" (2000)

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"Brownsville, home of the brave/
Put in work in the street like a slave/
Keep a rugged dress code, always in this stress mode/
(That shit will send you to your grave) So?/
You think I don't know that?/
Nigga hold that, nigga hold that, nigga hold that/
From the street cousin, you know the drill/
I'm nine hundred and ninety-nine thou short of a mill"


With this ruthless stick-up kid anthem, Lil Fame and Billy Danze unquestionably lived up to their "Mash Out Posse" moniker over a beat that was tailor made to incite malicious activity. The Brownsville duo trade bars like their life is on the line (or at least, your life), and Danze shines through with a verse that warrants an admirable dap from his corner boy brethren, "Brownsville, home of the brave/Put in work in the street like a slave." If you ever meet one of these guys in a dark alley, we're taking your odds of survival off the books. —Edwin Ortiz

11. Lil Wayne on "Shooter" (2005)

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"And to the radio stations, I'm tired of being patient/
Stop being rapper racists, region-haters/
Spectators, dictators, behind door dick-takers/
It's outrageous, you don't know how sick you make us/
I want to throw it up like chips in Vegas/
But this is Southern, face it/
If we too simple, then y'all don't get the basics"


Lil Wayne was on the cusp of commercial greatness during the second installment of his Carter series, but his adoration for FM broadcasting at the time was stymied by what he felt was a lack of Southern tunes. Weezy took them to task for their cold shoulder design on the appropriately-titled "Shooter," weaving expletives and similes on his second verse to justify his frustration. Radio has since softened up to the South, with Wayne being an obvious benefactor. My, how times have changed. —Edwin Ortiz

10. Hittman on "XXplosive" (1999)

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"Xxplosive, West coast shit/
My niggerish ways attract girls that used to turn they back/
Causing me to yank they arm and pose like I would do them harm/
Now I'm saying thank you cause they tell me my shit's the bomb/
Xxplosive/
For my niggas drinking Cognac, smoking weed, always pack/
More than one firearm, chrome rims, riding on/
Chronic in your system, let me know my shit's the bomb"


Though Hittman's voluminous inclusion on 2001 was mainly a hit or miss affair, his opening contribution to the hazy jaunt "Xxplosive" was undoubtedly a brief stroke of success. Feeding off the thick drums and a hypnotizing guitar lick, the West Coast representer followed suit with a spirited verse that detailed his thuggish principles. Brash yet magnetic, Hittman sufficiently set the tone for what transpires on the rest of the record. Had he delivered similar results throughout the album, fans would have been less inclined to second-guess Dr. Dre's guest selection. —Edwin Ortiz

9. Eminem on "Say What You Say" (2002)

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"And it's back and forth all day like Red and Meth/
I joke when I say I'm best/
In the booth, but a lot of truth is said in jest/
And if I ever do live to be a legend/
I'ma die a sudden death/
Five mics in The Source, ain't holdin' my fuckin' breath/
But I'll suffocate for the respect/
'fore I'll breathe to collect a fucking check"

This verse is special because of just one line. It might be the line that best summarizes Em's catalog, "I joke when I say I'm best/In the booth, but a lot of truth is said in jest." By the time Em spit this line, he actually was the Best Rapper Alive and there was no competition. But it's the Chaucer worthy second part that hits so close to 8 Mile Road. Especially early in his career, fans had a hard time navigating between the truth and fiction in Em's lines and wrote off his rhymes at face value even though Eminem revealed so much about himself amidst jokes about rape and murder. Much like Benzino—whom Em takes a light shot at here—we would eventually feel his wrath. —Insanul Ahmed

8. Kanye West on "Runaway" (2010)

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"She find pictures in my e-mail/
I sent this bitch a picture of my dick/
I don't know what it is with females/
But I'm not too good with that shit/
See, I could have me a good girl/
And still be addicted to them hoodrats/
And I just blame everything on you/
At least you know that's what I'm good at"


After being shunned by the media after Swiftgate, Kanye West was in a creative dark space while recording My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. But he put all his feelings on wax, not only taking himself to task but looking at his past relationships. His first verse for "Runaway" perfectly encapsulated that sentiment. From deceit to his internal struggle for control, 'Ye pulled a "man in the mirror" move that asked not forgiveness but understanding. This somber moment of self-realization was one of many scattered throughout his 2010 opus. —Edwin Ortiz

7. Ice Cube on "Burn Hollywood Burn" (1990)

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"Ice Cube is down with the P.E./
Now every single bitch wanna see me/
Big Daddy is smooth word to mother/
Let's check out a flick that exploits the color/
Roaming through Hollywood late at night/
Red and blue lights, what a common sight/
Pulled to the curb, getting played like a sucker/
Don't fight the power...[gunshot]..the motherfucker"


Remember when we said Ice Cube was the best rapper alive in 1990? That's because he murdered everything from his own songs to features to figurative police harassing him. On Public Enemy's "Burn Hollywood Burn," a young Cube snarls about the LAPD's notorious racial profiling, "Roaming through Hollywood late at night/Red and blue lights what a common sight."

He caps the verse off by taking P.E.'s battle cry of "Fight the Power" one step further, violently disposing of his tormentor. Though simple, the verse is layered, aggressive, and blunt—all of which define young Cube's music. He helped burn Hollywood down on this track. Back then, if you'd told us this dude would be making Are We There Yet?... —Julian Kimble

6. Kendrick Lamar on "Backseat Freestyle" (2012)

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"Goddamn I feel amazing, damn I'm in the matrix/
My mind is living on cloud 9 and this nine is never on vacation/
Start up that Maserati and VROOM VROOM I'm racing/
Poppin pills in the lobby and I pray they don't find her naked/
And I pray you niggas is hating, shooters go after Judas/
Jesus Christ if I live life on my knees, ain't no need to do this/
Park it in front of Lueders, next to that Church's Chicken/
All you pussies is losers, all my niggas is winners"


Very few rappers can internalize a conceptual space quite like Kendrick Lamar, and his lyrical offering on “Backseat Freestyle” takes this rationale one step further. Describing it as a cognitive window into the mind of a reckless teen, the Compton MC opens up the record firing on all cylinders without any regard for repercussions (“My mind is living on cloud nine and this nine is never on vacation”). He may gain more praise for his introspective narratives, but an aggressively animated Kendrick sits just fine with us too. —Edwin Ortiz

5. Malice on "Grindin'" (2002)

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"My grind's 'bout family, never been about fame/
From days I wasn't able, there was always 'caine/
Four and a half will get you in the game/
Anything less is just a goddamn shame/
Guess the weight, my watch got blue chips in the face/
Glock with two tips, whoever gets in the way/
Not to mention the hideaway that rests by the lake/
Consider my raw demeanor the icing on the cake"


The rhymes on "Grindin'" were impressive then, and they're impressive still. Not because of how well it aged, but of the endless number of ways Pusha and Malice found for metaphors for cocaine—a word that's never explicitly stated in the song. The closest they come is in Malice's second verse, "From days I wasn't Abel/There was always Cain." As if the line wasn't delicious enough coming from one of the Thornton brothers, it touched on (No) Malice's religious side and hinted at his recent spiritual awakening. —Insanul Ahmed

4. Q-Tip on "Bonita Applebum" (1990)

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"Hey Bonita, glad to meet ya/
For the kind of stunning newness, I must beseech ya/
Hey, being with you is a top priority/
Ain't no need to question the authority/
Chairman of the board, the chief of affections/
You got mine's to swing in your direction/
Hey, you're like a hip-hop song, you know?/
Bonita Applebum, you gotta put me on"


Before VH1 cashed in, love and hip-hop gracefully united on this charming record from A Tribe Called Quest. Centered around a woman with all the right measurements and legs for days, "Bonita" sees Tribe front man Q-Tip poetically pursuing the apple of his eye with smooth rhymes and a libidinous thirst that needs to be quenched. Splitting this record up for one specific highlight is difficult considering the way it all comes together, but Tip's first verse is the prevailing standard for sly-talking a girl's ear off. —Edwin Ortiz

3. Jay-Z on "U Don't Know" (2001)

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"I sell ice in the winter, I sell fire in hell/
I am a hustler baby, I'll sell water to a well/
I was born to get cake, move on and switch states/
Cop the coupe with the roof gone and switch plates/
Was born to dictate, never follow orders/
Dickface, get your shit straight, fucka this is Big Jay/
I.../
Will, not, lose, ever...FUCKA"

Thanks to a knack for flipping weight and words, Jay-Z has become hip-hop's ultimate salesman. No better example of this is displayed on "U Don't Know," as his last verse playfully characterizes how he got to such a lucrative position, "I sell ice in the winter, I sell fire in hell." With a robust melody and heavy-hitting drums reverberating throughout courtesy of Just Blaze, it's a triumphant moment for the Brooklyn-bred MC. —Edwin Ortiz

2. Pimp C on "Big Pimpin'" (2000)

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"Smoking out, pouring up, keeping lean up in my cup/
All my car got leather and wood, in my hood we call it buck/
Everybody wanna ball, holla at broads at the mall/
If he up, watch him fall, nigga I can't fuck with y'all/
If I wasn't rapping baby, I would still be riding Mercedes/
Chroming, shining, sipping daily, no rest until whitey pay me/
Uhhh, now what y'all know 'bout them Texas boys/
Coming down in candied toys, smoking weed and talking noise"


While Jay-Z and Bun B come correct with slick lines outlining their grand lifestyle ("Many chicks wanna put Jigga's fists in cuffs"), it's Pimp C's verse that everyone recites when this bouncy Timbaland-produced anthem comes on. From the appearance of his ride to his syrupy drink of choice, it embodied everything necessary to understand a Southern state of mind, capped off by a gruff delivery. His lyrics here were even used as an ambient backdrop for Kendrick Lamar's laid back cut, "Blow My High." Trill recognize trill. — Edwin Ortiz

1. Big Pun on "Twinz (Deep Cover '98)" (1998)

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"Ready for war, Joe, how you wanna blow they spot/
I know these dirty cops that'll get us in if we murder some wop/
Hop in your Hummer, the Punisher's ready/
Meet me at Vito's with Noodles, we'll do this dude while he's slurping spaghetti/
Everybody kiss the fucking floor/
Joey Crack, buck 'em all if they move, Noodles shoot that fucking whore/
Dead in the middle of Little Italy/
Little did we know that we riddled some middlemen who didn't do diddly"


Big Pun and Fat Joe might have called each other twin because they were BFFs who were both massive Boricuas from the Bronx, but on the mic, they were really nothing alike. Not that Joe—one of the most improved rappers ever—should feel ashamed, but Pun tied multis together the same way he tied together two cereal boxes with duck tape and was really just on another level. 

He laced his verse on "Twinz" with a whirlwind of a rhyme that twisted our temples into pretzels but was more than the typical backpacker "lyrical miracle spiritual." Pun's rhyme actually told a story, "Dead in the middle of Little Italy/Little did we know that we riddled some middleman who didn't do diddily."

Yet to hear Joe tell it, Pun wasn't even being serious when he spit one of his illest lines ever, "The 'Dead in the middle of Little Italy' rhyme wasn't even a rhyme," Joe told Complex. "Pun used to play around and say [that tongue twister], just like he used to walk around going, 'Packin' the Mac in the back of the Ac, packin' the Mac in the back of the Ac.' These were like jokes to him." — Insanul Ahmed

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