Some people say hip-hop glorifies violence. We think they don't know what violence is...yet.
Violent hip-hop generally falls into three distinct categories: gun clapping, physical beating, or slasher flick-style horrorcore songs. M.O.P., Grand Daddy I.U. and Big L prefer to reign down hot lead on all "foes and enemies," while Kool G Rap and The Convicts subscribe to the belief that a punch in the face can solve all of the world's problems. Meanwhile, serial killers and cannibals are the violent protagonists of choice for Esham, Gangsta N.I.P. and the Gravediggaz. We'll explore these all in depth herein.
Ranging from the hilariously ridiculous to the eerily realistic, here are the 25 most violent rap songs of all time, complete with the most potent threats—and body counts. Cue the outrage...
Written by Robbie Ettelson (@unkut)
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25. Organized Konfusion "Stray Bullet" (1994)
Body count: 4
Best threat: "Now it's a flood of blood in circumference to her face/And an abundance of brains all over the street/Shame how we had to meet"
Album: Stress: The Extinction Agenda
Producer: Organized Konfusion
Label: Hollywood BASIC, Elektra
With a reputation for carving out their own path rather than following trends, Organized Konfusion flipped the proverbial script on the standard "cautionary tale" blueprint with this innovative description of the secret life of stray bullets. Over a backdrop of "Wind Parade" and "Nautilus" samples, Pharoahe Monch and Prince Poetry detail how each projectile claims its innocent victims in graphic detail at the playground and the club. Nas later adapted the concept for "I Gave You Power," instead taking the perspective of the gun itself, but it wasn't quite able to match the vividness of O.K.'s advanced wordplay or innovative cadences. This is a perfect example of a vivid song not needing a video to be effective—in fact, it's better for not having one at all.
24. Cage "The Soundtrack" (2002)
Body count: 1
Best threat: "Tell him to bite the curb then kick till it's heard/Read the papers nerd, stepfather massacred"
Album: Movies For the Blind
Producer: DJ Mighty Mi
Label: Eastern Conference
Another day, another crazy white boy rapper dude. If you've ever wondered why there has been such a long history of white-on-white crime in the rap community, it's simply because they're all claiming to be the first one to adopt the "insane in the brain" MC style. This "revenge fantasy" focuses on ways to kill an unwanted stepfather: "Three in the chest, I saw him drop/the only time that I ever called him pop/two in his back while he's dead on the ground/one more in the head because he made a little sound." DJ Mighty Mi's demented backing track conjures visions of a demented fairground theme with better drums, setting the stage for Cage to voice his murderous intentions for his mother's new husband. Still no sign of the biopic starring his pal Shia LaBeouf, though.
23. Mobb Deep "Shook Ones, Pt. II" (1995)
Body count: 6
Best threat: "For all of those, who wanna profile and pose/Rock you in your face, stab your brain with your nose bone"
Album: The Infamous
Producer: Havoc
Label: Loud, RCA, BMG
Marking their graduation from roughneck teenage rappers into a powerhouse New York hip-hop duo, the remix of "Shook Ones" showcased Havoc and Prodigy as accomplished masters of their field. Bringing raw aggression and an air of menace to proceedings through the impact of the production and the vocal performances, this song has the power to make even the meekest of cowards to puff out their chest and walk with a diddy bop. It's no surprise that many lines have since been mined for hooks with timeless bars like, "When the slugs penetrate you feel a burning sensation/Getting closer to God in a tight situation." Do you feel all alone in these streets yet, cousin?
22. Gravediggaz "1-800-Suicide" (1995)
Body count: 12
Best threat: "Be like Richard Pryor set your balls on fire/Better yet go hang yourself with a barbed wire"
Album: 6 Feet Deep
Producer: Prince Paul
Label: Gee Street
It's tempting to describe the Gravediggaz as a "horrorcore supergroup," but let's not for the sake of good taste. The combination of ex-Stetsasonic members Prince Paul and Frukwan, '80s MC Too Poetic and The RZA from Wu-Tang (who all happened to be former Tommy Boy Records artists) proved that rapping about demons and graveyards could actually work without sounding like a corny gimmick, unlike some of their competitors. Their debut had to be retitled for the U.S. market (Niggamortis was a little too confrontational, apparently). It provided the cartoonish violence of "1-800-Suicide," a bucket list of unpleasant ways to end your miserable existence. Some notable examples include feeding yourself to a crocodile, driving while under the influence of LSD, or sticking a firehose in your mouth until your dome pops from the water pressure.
21. Eminem "Kim" (2000)
20. DMX "Bring Ya Whole Crew" (1998)
Body count: 4
Best threat: "I got blood on my hands and there's no remorse/And got blood on my dick cause I fucked a corpse"
Album: Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood
Producer: P. Killer Trackz
Label: Ruff Ryders, Def Jam
There’s no such thing as a DMX song that isn’t violent in some way, but this particular effort stands out in particular with a reference to necrophilia in the second line, before moving onto splitting wig pieces with machetes and tearing open rib cages. Am I the only one who finds X referring to a whole crew as, “being a bigger piece of cake to chew a hole through” as being bizarre, even by Dark Man X standards? Nevertheless, his willingless to single-handedly take on as many goons as you can throw at him is impressive, as are threats to "paint the walls with his blood/another dick in the mud" if anyone dares step to him. Not to mention that the line, "figured you could blow me?" is ripe for misinterpretation in amongst the constant bloodshed.
19. Big L "All Black" (1995)
18. The Terrorists f/ Point Blank "Dead Bodies" (1991)
17. Geto Boys "Chuckie" (1991)
Body count: 621
Best threat: "A short nigga, always pumpin' some lead/Haven't figured out a way to get my fist out your forehead"
Album: We Can't Be Stopped
Producer: n/a
Label: Rap-a-Lot
Once Freddy Kruegar had become played-out like Kwame and those effin' polka dots, cheesy horror fans needed a new hero. Enter Child's Play, the gruesome tale of a doll named Chucky who is possessed by the spirit of serial killer Charles Lee Ray. Who better for rap's greatest one-eyed midget to channel on this hilarious track from We Can't Be Stopped? Boasting an arsenal of weapons that includes a carjack, 100 missiles, and 10,000 pencils (destined for your chest), this pint-sized assassin also takes a little time out to snack on a bag of barbecued broken legs while he racks up an impressive body count of 621 victims. Staying true to the time-honored tradition of horror movie sequels, Bushwick recorded an inferior follow-up titled "Chuckwick" for his debut solo LP, Little Big Man, which saw him extend the menu to "french-fried knees" to compliment his breakfast of "bacon and legs." Pass the ketchup.
16. OG Style "10 B 3" (1991)
15. N.W.A. "One Less Bitch" (1991)
Body count: 5
Best threat: "I tied her to the bed, I was thinking the worst/But yo, I had to let my niggas fuck her first/Yeah, loaded up the 44 yo/Then I straight smoked the hoe"
Album: Niggaz4Life
Producer: Dr. Dre
Label: Ruthless, Priority
When N.W.A. lost Ice Cube they lost their most important asset—a sharp sense of humor. Without O'Shea's wit, songs that previously toed the line between funny and offensive became cruel. Instead of the provocative "A Bitch Iz a Bitch," Dr. Dre and MC Ren give us a mean-spirited tale of randomly executing hoo-ers, all delivered without a hint of irony. After a hoe tries to "gank" him, Dre ties her to a bed, let's his homies have some and puts a .44 shell in her melon, before moving on to extorting a girl he was banging and having her "put to sleep" before her husband caught them, while Ren rubs out another "skanless bitch" and her dude for shits 'n giggles. Eazy-E finishes up proceedings with a typical "trust no bitch" rant, making for one of the most tasteless and disrespectful tracks ever dealing with the fairer sex. While we're all for quality Ignorant Rap, songs like this make it seem like Dre's mom must have locked him in the basement as a child and cut off the heads of all his G.I. Joe action figures.
14. Kool G Rap "Executioner Style" (1995)
Body count: 17
Best threat: "What I carry's much bigger than Dirty Harry's/Do a Hail Mary, I make Bloody Mary's out of your capillaries"
Album: 4,5,6
Producer: Dr. Butcher
Label: Cold Chillin', Epic Street, SME
Having perfected the art of brag rap, street narratives, and fictional cinematics over the course of his first three albums, the Kool Genius of Rap turned his attention to elevating the art of Gun Talk to previously unseen heights. Never before has murderous gunplay been described with such poetic grace, as KGR goes on a killing spree "until the morgue got bodies stacked up to the fuckin' ceiling." Whether he's threatening to leave you "played out of pocket with a rocket in your eye socket" or about to put "one inside the wifey and the baby carriage," G Rap lets no moment of this sinister Dr. Butcher beat go to waste. Send in the meatwagon.
13. O.C. "Story" (1994)
Body count: 4
Best threat: "Doin the daughter far worse, I tell/Pullin her skin back slow, peels off her toenails/Raw skin exposed plus Gus that wasn't all/They drenched her feet with a whole lot of alcohol"
Album: Word...Life
Producer: DJ Ogee
Label: Wild Pitch
While it's unclear as to the motivation behind the usually cerebral O.C. deciding to slip this gratuitous tale of drug lord torture sessions onto Word...Life, there's no doubt that it would now appeal to the legions of Game Of Thrones fans with its graphic descriptions of barbaric scenes straight out of the dungeon of Casterly Rock. Broomstick violations, peeling skin and oven-baked babies seem to be the order of the day for this story of a drug dealer who is foolish enough to rip off his suppliers and leave his family to pay the "iron" price. Just in case any listeners are too disturbed by the events of the song, a disembodied voice repeatedly whispers a reminder that "it's a story," so you can relax and stop dialing 911.
12. Natas "Torture" (1995)
11. The Convicts f/ Choice "Whoop Her Ass" (1991)
10. Immortal Technique "Dance with the Devil" (2001)
Body count: 2
Best threat: "The shirt covered her face, but she screamed and clawed/So Billy stomped on the bitch, until he broke her jaw/The dirty bastards knew exactly what they were doing/They kicked her until they cracked her ribs and she stopped moving"
Album: Revolutionary, Vol. 1
Producer: 44 Caliber
Label: Viper
Never one to mince his words, this brutal morality tale from Immortal Technique describes a character named Billy Jacobs going to any length to move up the ranks in the drug game. Challenged to prove himself once and for all, he offers to rape an innocent woman to demonstrate his heartlessness, and is later driven to suicide after the identity of his victim is revealed. In the final verse, Tech places himself into the narrative to blur the line between fact and fiction. He explains that the song is, "Really about how we are killing ourselves and destroying the most valuable resource that the Latino/Black community has, our women." The central scene itself is also intensely violent, hence its inclusion here, as the details of the abduction and the attack are delivered with a vivid clarity.
9. Grand Daddy I.U. "We Got Da Gats" (1994)
8. Apache "A Fight" (1992)
7. M.O.P. f/ Kool G Rap "Stick to Ya Gunz" (1996)
6. Live Squad "Murderahh" (1992)
5. Brotha Lynch Hung "Meat Cleaver" (2013)
Body count: 5
Best threat: "Cut niggas up, sector by sector/Next to her dead, first cousin and nephew/Next to her head, bloody intestines/Next to her bed, other intestines"
Album: Mannibalector
Producer: Seven
Label: Strange Music
Brotha Lynch Hung's Mannibalector album is the greatest thing to happen to the Cannibal Rap genre since Gangsta N.I.P. first hit the scene. No surprise that "Meat Cleaver" details cutting up potential meals, cooking body parts in Crisco, eating brains, and "sticking dick in a corpse." Unlike the majority of this list, this song was released this year, indicating that horrorcore rap will never die as long as there are warm bodies to dismember.
4. Necro "Dead Body Disposal" (2001)
Body count: 3
Best threat: "For dismemberment gentlemen I recommend/Heavy-duty bone saws that cut through gentle limbs like pendulums"
Album: Gory Days
Producer: Necro
Label: Psycho+Logical
Get your Walter White on with this step-by-step guide to getting rid of corpses from the hardest working man in Death Rap himself. Ever wanted to hear Necro singing about cadavers to the tune of Salt 'N Pepa's "Let's Talk About Sex"? We got you. What the track lacks in variety it makes up for in grisly detail, including how to best drain the blood from a dead body and discourage local wildlife from making a meal out of the remains (pro tip: use pepper spray). Admittedly, you can get most of this information from watching The Sopranos or Goodfellas, but any hip-hop track that teaches you useful life skills is always worth a spin.
3. Ganksta N-I-P "Psycho" (1992)
2. Geto Boys "Mind of a Lunatic" (1989)
Body count: 3
Best threat: "She begged me not to kill her, I gave her a rose/Then slit her throat, and watched her shake till her eyes closed" - Bushwick Bill
Album: Grip It! On That Other Level
Producer: Doug King
Label: Rap-A-Lot
While New York was busy exploring its "conscious" phase in 1989, Houston's Geto Boys offered a welcome alternative to the sudden flood of "edutainment" with the ultra-violence of the Grip It! On That Other Level album. This precursor to their classic "My Mind's Playing Tricks On Me" and a follow-up of sorts to "Assassins," "Mind of a Lunatic" details the disturbed psychological conditions of the trio's characters. Bushwick plays a murderous rapist who enjoys a side order of necrophilia; Scarface smokes so much embalming fluid that he flips out and slits the throat of his cokehead girlfriend's grandma and winds up in an asylum; and Willie D is a ruthless killer willing to catch the body of anyone aged "nine to 99" once he has a bellyful of E&J, including cripples and the blind, or just blow up your entire family if you really piss him off. The stage was now set for endless variations of "horrorcore" rap in the years that followed, but few did it as well as the G.B's.
1. Kool G Rap "Hey Mister Mister" (1995)
Body count: 0
Best threat: "Bitch why you lyin', bitch you've been cheatin'/Now I gotsta to give your motherfuckin' ass a beatin/I punched her in the ribcage and kicked her in the stomach/Take off all my motherfuckin' jewellery, bitch run it/I stomped her and I kicked her and I punched her in the face"
Album: N/A
Producer: T-Ray
Label: N/A
This song is so offensive that no record label on the planet would even dream of releasing it, but thanks to the magic of white-label bootlegging, this timeless piece of ignorance eventually saw the light of day. Drawing on his experiences as a teenage pimp, Kool G Rap details several graphic beatings that he dishes out to his unfortunate victims. Starting with a dame he suspects of being unfaithful, he pistol-whips her unconscious in the street while threatening onlookers to mind their business before tracking down a hooker who's stashing cash and punishing her with a beating and a mouthful of trouser snake. Nothing short of brutal.