But You Don't Hear Me Though: 13 Commonly Misheard Rap Lyrics

"Excuse me while I kiss this guy": Rap Edition.

Not Available Lead
Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

Not Available Lead

Everyone's a hip-hop authority these days, especially since it's really easy to Google the lyrics and land on OHHLA—er, RapGenius—to confirm the lyrics you think you're hearing.

But there was a time, pre-Internet, when one had to rely solely on their own two ears. If you were, say, outside hip-hop's cultural milieu—or perhaps you were a Loc from Los Angeles but had no idea what the hell a "dun" was—rap's lyrical references could easily fly over your head. From caucasian confusion to regional misunderstanding, hip-hop is a minefield of potential misinterpretation.

There are, no doubt, hundreds of examples. We put together a few of the most notable. Here are some of the most Commonly Misheard Rap Lyrics.

RELATED: 40 Rap Lyrics That Make No Sense
RELATED: The 20 Best Terrible Rap Verses
RELATED: 120 Worst Rapper Names

RELATED: Pigeons & Planes - Rap Lyrics That Make Good Pick Up Lines

"Spanish girls love me like I'm on Twitter."

Not Available Interstitial

Song: Drake "The Motto"
Actual Lyric: "Spanish girls love me like Aventura."

Sometimes, when your job involves heavy use of social media, you hear "twitter" even when the word isn't being spoken. It's sort of like how your phone might vibrate in your pocket—except your phone isn't even in your pocket. A ghost-ring, transposed to rap lyrics. Anyway, if you're unfamiliar, Aventura is a bachata group who have performed at Madison Square Garden for thousands of screaming fans, much like Drake.

"Don't smoke buddha/Can't stand sex."

Not Available Interstitial

Song: Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock "It Takes Two"
Actual Lyric: "Don't smoke buddha/Can't stand cess, yes."

Rap slang changes just fast enough so that for some folks, its a game of perpetual decoding. There have been so many words for marijuana over the years, and in its era, "It Takes Two" was a massive crossover smash that appealed to caucasians and people of color in equal measure. Which also meant there were your usual cultural misunderstandings. Particularly around the meaning of "cess," which sounds enough like "sex" that for awhile, Becky and Ned thought that Harlemites like Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock weren't really into fucking. This was probably not true. No telling what they thought "smok[ing] buddha" was really about, though.

"Remember: I got teeth like a baby seal."

Not Available Interstitial

Song: Raekwon, "Shame on a N***a" (1993)
Actual Lyric: "Remember: I go deep like a navy seal."

It's doubtful anyone really thought this, but it's funny to imagine Raekwon with seal teeth anyway.

"I'm at your face like man-cum."

Not Available Interstitial

Song: Lil Wayne "We Be Steady Mobbin'" (2009)
Actual Lyric: "I'm at your face like Lancôme."

Lancôme is more clever, but it says a lot about Wayne's command of ejaculatory references that "man-cum" could just as easily be the song's true lyric and no one would think twice.

"A fart, nigga, that's that shit I don't like."

Not Available Interstitial

Song: Chief Keef "I Don't Like" (2012)
Actual Lyric: "A fuck nigga that's that shit I don't like."

As you may recall from the most awkward interview of all time, some folks were unfamiliar with the fairly common piece of slang that we'll call "fuck boy." A "Fart boy" is, no doubt, a square within the rectangle that is "fuck boys."

"It's not your lifestyle, I'm just being frank with you."

Not Available Interstitial

"Ayo champagne wishes and dirty white bitches."

Not Available Interstitial

Song: RZA "So Appalled" (2010)
Actual Lyric: "Ayo champagne wishes and thirty white bitches."

This is easily the most fair misunderstanding on the list. If you asked RZA which one he was saying, he probably wouldn't even remember.

"I just produce, create, innovate on a higher level/I'll be back, but for now just sample!"

Not Available Interstitial

Song: Boogie Down Productions "My Philosophy" (1988)
Actual Lyric: "I just produce, create, innovate on a higher level/I'll be back, but for now just seckle!"

As one of the foremost innovators of the fake patois, KRS-One was known to slip in and out of Jamaican idioms throughout many of his songs. And of course, most of mainstream America has no real awareness of Jamaican patois unless it's accompanied by an unforgettable Sean Paul melody. So many people thought that KRS was telling them to sample his voice in his absence, rather than the idiomatic version of saying "settle" down.

"Relax yourself girl, peace out Premier."

Not Available Interstitial

Song: A Tribe Called Quest "Electric Relaxation" (1993)
Actual Lyric: "Relax yourself girl, please settle down"

This highly controversial hook has been misheard as about 100 different things throughout the ages. In addition to "Peace out Premier," listeners have suggested "Preset plan," and, probably, "Versace Versace Versace Versace." You can even google around and find archives of people debating this particular lyric back in 1994, just a year after the song was released.

"Fanute the coup to that Ghost, dawg."

Not Available Interstitial

Song: French Montana on "Stay Schemin'" (2012)

Actual Lyric: "From the hoopty coupe to that Ghost, dawg."


This created a mild media storm when journalist Joe Coscerelli realized that people had been googling "What does fanute mean." This led to pieces in the New York Times Magazine and eventually, a response from the artist himself. 

"So come give me a hug if you're into getting drugged."

Not Available Interstitial

Song: 50 Cent "In Da Club" (2003)
Actual Lyric: "So come give me a hug if you're into getting rubbed."

Rick Ross remix.

"If Jesus paying Lebron, I'm paying Dwyane Wade."

Not Available Interstitial

Song: Jay Z "Empire State of Mind" (2009)
Actual Lyric: "If Jeezy paying Lebron, I'm paying Dwyane Wade."

Praise Jeezy. Jay's lyrics reference Young Jeezy's song "23 24," which gave an insight into the drug-business practice of using sports stars' jersey numbers as code when discussing prices. (Because, you know.) Lebron wears number 23 for the Miami Heat, Kobe wears number 24 for the Lakers. Jeezy is saying that he's switched from paying $24,000 for a kilo to $23,000. A great deal on coke, no doubt. Jay Z implied he was only paying Dwayne Wade rates ($3,000), because he's at the top of the pyramid, or perhaps because he's a Colombian coco leaf farmer. Hard to say. Either way, the important thing here is that many people have miseard "Jeezy" as "Jesus." Jesus being a drug dealer is sacrilegious, but would explain a lot.

"The mind is weary floatin' like a dove/Sweatin' a thing like if Jews was makin' love."

Not Available Interstitial

Song: EPMD "It's My Thing" (1988)
Actual Lyric: "The mind is weary floatin' like a dove/Sweatin' a thing like if you was makin' love."

Considering hip-hop's odd history with Judaism, and the fact that the word "Jew" rhymes with all types of other words, a few misunderstandings are bound to surface. This kind of thing happens all the time. [ed. note: Because Jews are by nature paranoid. Trust us, we're Jewish.] But to Erick Sermon's credit, he didn't actually say anything of the kind. (That said...he did say "get bread like I'm Jewish" on "Set It Off.")

Latest in Music