The 50 Best Video Game References In Hip-Hop

From Punch-Out punchlines to MegaMan metaphors, we're counting down rappers' best use of gaming culture.

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Complex Original

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Quick, name two staples of life that previous generations simply would not have been able to imagine existing. And no, "Internet porn" is not one of them. The actual answers are: video games and hip-hop. Both blew minds when they first emerged in the ’70s, and both have grown into the mainest of the mainstream, generating untold milllions of dollars and changing the landscape of popular culture as we know it.

The thing is, much like two people who grew up together, they've long relied on each other for support. Without hip-hop (specifically, gangster rap), we wouldn't have had Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. And without video games, rappers wouldn't have had larger-than-life personalities (and insanely exaggerated weaponry) to associate themselves with in their lyrics. Video game movie soundtracks have songs inspired by games, and compilations like Game Over pair rappers with games...to varied results. But those are concentrated efforts, novelty acts; there's nothing we love so much as hearing a rapper name-checking a video game or character organically and unbidden. So without further ado—on 4/20, the perfect holiday to enjoy both music and video games at a, ahem, heightened level—we present the 50 best video game references in hip-hop. All killer, no filler.

50. Rick Ross f/Styles P, "B.M.F." (2010)

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Lyric: "And did I mention guns from Red Dead Redemption / 9 mils, 50-clip extensions" (Styles P)

And did we mention guns from Red Dead Redemption were prone to jamming and still possibly overpowered thanks to Eagle Eye? And were generally just revolvers and rifles, with no 9-millies to be found anywhere? That's cool, SP, we still love a good anachronism.

49. Wyclef Jean, "Guantanamera" (1997)

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Lyric: "Pac-Woman, better yet Space Invader / if your name was Chun-Li, we'd be playing Street Fighter"

Does it make sense? Not really. That's what makes Wyclef more of a "rap stylist" than an actual dope rapper. We guess this counts as a hot line for him, but we're just throwing it in here because we appreciate anything that mentions Chun-Li.

48. Eminem, "Despicable (Freestyle)" (2010)

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Lyric: "Jackass, eat a donkey dick / the game I just about conquered it / like Donkey Kong, I'm bonkers, bitch / I'm the king of this honky shit"

Sure, the classic title fits perfectly in the flow and cadence here, but don't think it's just a reference. Em told us himself in his 2009 cover story to check the high score on the DK cabinet that he owns, saying, "I'm pretty nasty at Donkey Kong, B." At the time, his high schore was 229K, but he's upgraded that pretty significantly since then. Beating his own score less than two months before this freestyle drops? Sounds like art imitating life to us.

47. Waka Flocka, "Karma" (2010)

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Lyric: "Shout out to that Fort n***a tried to rob me at the Walmart / Ran up on his car, had him eating shells like Mario Go-Kart"

You thought it was just Mario Kart, didn't you? No, sorry, you're sadly mistaken. Thank you, Waka Flocka, for breaking Shigeru Miyamoto's vault of silence and finally letting us know the truth about the venerated franchise. But for the love of God, stop patronizing Walmart. Don't you know what they do to mom-and-pop businesses?

46. Chamillionaire, "The Game Gonna Cost A Fee" (2007)

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Lyric: "All got expensive cars, won't allow a jacker to see me / I ride with bananas and shells like Mario and Luigi"

See, Waka? This is how you do the whole shells-as-part-of-the-Mario-universe thing. Also, not fucking up the title. Also, Chamillionaire's other nickname is King Koopa! IMPLICIT NINTENDO CLUSTERBOMB.

45. Kanye West, "Looking For Trouble" (2010)

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Lyric: "So I'm running through them circles / boy, I'm looking like Knuckles" (CyHi the Prince)

The best half-line ever that involves a tryhard secondary character from a beloved but tarnished franchise? We think so! Though the Andy Milonakis line "I'm pink, bloated, and burpy / boy, I'm lookin' like Kirby" is a close second. Even though that line doesn't exist. But it should!

44. Ugly Duckling, "Elevator Music" (2003)

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Lyric: "I put the key in the ignition and enter the pole position / To outrun the competition on this expedition / To the crystal castle, I can't stay put / A millipede wants to feed on the back of my foot.... So I slide a token down the slot and press Player 1 / to be the slayer in the dragon's lair, tappin' my thumbs / Against the buttons, joystick in hand to command the missiles / Top score once more I enter my initials / Eyein' a lion without becoming his lunch / Isn't easy in a pitfall on a jungle hunt / I set out to get out but cement shoes lack traction / So this time I'll climb with some elevator action" (Dizzy Dustin)

So maybe Ugly Duckling is kinda joke-rap (though their debut Fresh Mode EP was kinda...fresh), but this verse is a paean to retro gaming and must be respected as such. Eight games in one verse? At that point, it could be Al Roker rapping and we'd have to prop it. Which reminds us: Al Roker should totally rap.

43. Redman, "Let's Get Dirty" (2001)

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Lyric: "My dress code is all black when I'm makin' the moves / Similar to the new PlayStation 2"

Before Jay-Z went all black everything, Reggie Noble modeled his wardrobe on the best-selling home console ever. Hopefully when he goes on vacation his dress code is more Nintendo Wii, otherwise he may overheat. And then he'd REALLY be Redman. Zing!

42. Aesop Rock, "Babies With Guns" (2004)

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Lyric: "Bazooka Tooth, zoo-keep the paper route with janky funds and favors / Cradled by twelve empty Zelda heart containers"

Your favorite white high-school girl who likes dudes with beards' favorite rapper somehow manages to make one of the most light-hearted franchises in gaming sound despairing. We see what you did there, Aes!

41. Mos Def, "Mathematics" (1999)

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Lyric: "Crack mothers, crack babies, and AIDS patients / Youngbloods can't spell but they could rock you in PlayStation"

It's the mighty Mos Def (style fresh like baby breath), distilling urban blight and the failed education system into one concise and shocking rhyme. The larger song does it as well, but there's something about this line that always kinda made the hair on our arms stand up.

40. Asher Roth, "Lark On My Go-Kart" (2009)

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Lyric: "Yeah, get your Wii Fit to practice your freeze with / Need a few weeks before you can compete with / Razor Ramon flow, oh so sharp / You can take Kapowski, I'ma take Lark on my go-kart / Mario Kart skills are outrageous / Play me any day and I'll be the best racist / Wait, no, erase it, meant to say racer / Traded in my cell phone for a new pager"

Professional wrestler name-drop? Check. Saved By The Bell reference? Uh, of course. Possibly unintentional awareness of the furor surrounding his faux-racist-but-actually-kinda-racist tweet? Yup. Plus two different video game references? That's one hell of an eight bars. In that whimisical, not-exactly-rapping-one's-ass-off-but-still-sounding-kinda-good way.

39. Joe Budden, "6 Minutes Of Death" (2006)

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Lyric: "Check the time, it's around an hour / Little n***as they ain't 'round that powder / They ain't super or Luigi or Mario, ain't found that power / plus they couldn't spit fire if they found that flower"

Not sure if you've figured it out yet, but people like talking about Super Mario Bros.. The characters, the power-ups, everything. Though we've never heard a Waluigi reference. Please, though, prove us wrong.

38. Big Sean, "Supa Dupa" (2010)

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Lyric: "So I'm on the grind, skateboard or scooter / 'til i am the king of my castle--Koopa."

Call it hashtag rap, "fake Drake," or whatever you want, but Big Sean was arguably the progenitor of the simile-less punchline trend. And this nifty little couplet marries that very twist with an extra skating double-entendre. Nicely done, Sean. *golf clap* *also golf wang*

37. Das Racist, "Rainbow In The Dark" (2010)

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Lyric: "Like Don King playing Donkey Kong Country at his cousin's house / You don't even know what it's about" (Victor Vasquez)

We have to admit that we don't know what it's about either. But we fux with DR and we definitely fux with Donkey Kong Country, so this one is in there like swimwear. Or games by Rare. Which Donkey Kong Country is.

36. Dice Raw, "If You Want It" (2000)

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Lyric: "This ain't Metal Gear Solid, you can't pause my killin' / I'm bustin', lick off them head for the shillin'"

Did anyone listen to Roots associate Dice Raw's solo album? Okay, maybe not. But MGS references are few and far between, by which we mean "this is seriously the only one we could think of." Writing lyrics like a BOSS. A Big Boss, that is. Awwwwww, KOJIMA SNAP.

35. Lupe Fiasco, "Yoga Flame" (2009)

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Lyric: "Meditate, on the floor, fold ya legs, resonate / Breathing speed, regulate / Clear my mind to levitate / Dhalsim, I beat the game / level 8, hella good / never great 'cause God is great / so ain't no GOATs, ain't no Gates"

Flipping Lil Wayne's "Fireman" into a thoroughly memorable freestyle on his Enemy of the State mixtape, Lupe not only added a Dhalsim sample that lent the re-lick its title but worked the Street Fighter master into the verse itself. Kick, push indeed.

34. Young Money, "Streets Is Watching" (2009)

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Lyric: "Switch my name, now I'm celebratin' Hanukkah / Lewinski, b***hes, Young Money Monica / I been hot since Hedgehog, Sonic the / so could you please pass the keys to the Ton-a-ka?" (Nicki Minaj)

Judaism! Presidential mistresses! SEGA games! Mispronounced toys! Is there anything Nicki Minaj can't do?

33. Royce da 5'9, "Airplanes Freestyle" (2010)

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Lyric: "My new b***h, call her my PS3 / You? Your b***h's p***y, call it my Xbox"

Ex-box! That's prime Borscht Belt material right there. And people say Royce has no sense of humor. Of course he does—it's what makes the rampant misogyny go down so easy.

32. Pharaoahe Monch, "Simon Says" (1999)

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Lyric: "I'm soon to motivate a room, control the game like Tomb Raider / Rock, clock dollars, flip tips like a waiter / block shots, style's greater, let my lyrics anoint / if you holdin' up the wall, then you missin' the point"

As far as we can remember, the Tomb Raider games don't give you a greater degree of control over the proceedings than any other action-platformer game, but we appreciate the mention regardless. In related news, we find it odd that no one's ever mentioned Lara Croft's tittays in a rap lyric. Is that crass? Because it's true.

31. Mac Miller, "Ride Around" (2010)

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Lyric: "New York, Atlanta too / Flyer than Santa's shoes / She bring her camera through / I'm playin' Crash Bandicoot"

Possibly one of the best euphemisms for sex we've ever heard, compliments of Pittsburgh's young(er) gun. You know how they say that if you get stage fright you should imagine the audience in their underwear? Well, if you ever have performance anxiety, you should imagine that the vagina is a wise-cracking Australian bandicoot. Actually, don't do that. Seriously. Bad idea.

30. Rick Ross f/Gucci Mane, "MC Hammer" (2010)

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Lyric: "Black Batmobile, it's only new Ferrari / It's called a Scaglietti, one button like an Atari" (Rick Ross)

Mangled Italian pronunication aside, we can't be mad at Rawse's retro love, especially since it makes it sound like driving a Ferrari is like playing Enduro. Yeah, we said Enduro. That game was the move.

29. Boot Camp Clik, "BK All Day" (2007)

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Lyric: "F**k yo' gun talk, play No Doubt, you Gwen--don't speak / You ain't shootin' nothin' but air, you Nintendo Wii" (Rock)

Rockness Monstah don't need no major-label deal to turn in three-part metaphors or peripheral punchlines! We like to think he was holding the Wii Zapper when he came up with this one.

28. Joe Budden f/Slaughterhouse, "Slaughterhouse" (2008)

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Lyric: "I'm PS4 in HD and the screen is plasma / You're Atari 2600 with a weak adapter" (Joell Ortiz)

Remember when people used to say "on some ol' next shit"? Well, this is Mr. YAOWA articulating how exactly he's on some ol' next shit. Man, we need to start saying that again. Who's with us? *crickets* Fine, more ol' next shit for us!

27. Lupe Fiasco, "Gold Watch" (2007)

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Lyric: "I love Street Fighter II, I just really hate Zangief / Only Ken and Ryu, I find it hard to beat Blanka"

Found crossed out in the margins of Lupe's rhyme book: "I love destroying old cars in the middle of a scrapyard / I love Chun-Li's thighs but hate Guile's stupid flattop / I can't figure out Balrog, but he looks like Mike Tyson / And I wish I knew what 'M' stood for in M. Bison."

26. Curren$y, "The Hangover" (2010)

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Lyric: "The game in my pocket like a Nintendo DS / I left my last one on the jet..."

We're still a little surprised no one used this concept before. So simple, yet so dope. JETS, fool!

25. OutKast f/Slim Cutta Calhoun, "High Schoolin'" (1999)

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Lyric: "If you think about it in earth terms / thank God we on the TV but we bent like earthworms / Stay underground like Cheers or Dig Dug / Only come above to shake hands and give hugs" (Andre 3000)

Fun fact: Dig Dug is actually the dude's name in Dig Dug. We always figured it was Percy J. Shovelwilder or something. *phone rings* Hello? Oh, hey, Wikipedia. What's that? Even though his name is Dig Dug, in other games he's known as Taizo Hori, and is actually the father of Susumu Hori, the hero of Mr. Driller? Wow, thanks for the update!

24. Joe Budden, "Family Reunion" (2007)

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Lyric: "Major paper, cake by the layer / If these dudes is live, then I'm the Create-A-Player"

Not so amazing as far as "if you're X, then I'm Y" one-upmanship goes, but we love the double-entrendre flip of the "live." Sidebar: is there anyone in the game who raps about sports more than Budden? And don't say Wale.

23. Noreaga, "Thugs R Us" (1998)

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Lyric: "Yo, the door locked--four knocks and one symbol / I'm like '98 Live, you like Double Dribble"

"I'm next-gen and you're not. You suck. No, seriously, your graphics are relatively primitive compared to my revolutionary 32-bit processing. Also, I have Tim Hardaway on my cover from well before he played himself with that weird homophobic tirade about John Amaechi, and you have some stupid illustration of a Larry Bird lookalike trying to dunk. In fact, I'm so superior to you in every way that I refuse to refer to myself properly, as NBA Live 98. I'm too next-gen for that shit. SON."

22. Pill f/Rick Ross, "Pac Man" (2011)

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Lyric: "It's that Namco yay / Pac-Man, what we sellin' / Got these Js chasin' rocks like they chasin' power pellets / Met this lady named Acela said she eh-eh 'bout some cherries / but she hungry for that yayo, "extra gram" is what she yellin'" (Pill)

The whole power-pellets/crack thing has been done before, but Mr. Pink City one-ups the Pac-man motif by repping Namco, the game's Japanese developer. Add in some fruit power-ups and we're sold. The arcade's goin' ham!

21. Joe Budden f/Slaughterhouse, "Slaughterhouse" (2008)

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Lyric: "So end this or see me manana / or see the speed of a llama, underground prima donna / that ain't hard to find, poppin' E in a Honda / with hands like E. Honda, he a monster!" (Joe Budden)

When we hear this line we can't help but think of an obese Joe Budden with a ponytail and a loincloth, going straight sumo for the Rising Sun.

20. Lil B, "Exhibit Based" (2010)

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Lyric: "I'm thinking hitmen are out, n*gga, waitin' in the trees / if he's relevant, I'ma make him Oddjob / I got the Goldeneye, I got the golden gun / I'm on the jet-skis, no I'm not James Bond"

Doing surprising justice to Jay Electronica's "Exhibit C," the Based God throws a nice little GoldenEye 007 in there, even recognizing Oddjob's supreme status in the multiplayer as well as the beloved golden gun. Though we're still surprised he didn't drop a "bitches on my dick 'cause I look like George Lazenby."

19. Apathy, "Rare Species Freestyle" (2003)

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Lyric: "I'll spit a rap to knock mics out like Little Mac / And fit a little metal cap right inside your fitted cap"

What's the only thing that's better than a pun? A pun about Punch-Out. And what's better than that? When it's rapped! What's even better than THAT? When it's one of the alumni of our White Rapper Encyclopedia doing the Punch-Out-pun-rapping! That's the holy trifecta that we just came up with.

18. Heltah Skeltah, "D.I.R.T." (2008)

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Lyric: "Got n***as at the dinner table with bibs / Playing with your kids and they'll straight San Andreas your crib" (Rock)

Once again making a case for Heltah Skeltah (Sean Price [ne Ruck] and Rock) being one of the greatest rap duos of all time. If the mental image alone doesn't do it for you, dude's gravelly baritone should finish the job. He's the CJ of rap! Well, no, that's Young Maylay, but you get the idea.

17. Lil Wayne f/Juelz Santana, "Black Republicans" (2007)

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Lyric: "I protect my land like a farmer / pockets stay chubby like Toccara / Or should I say fat like The Parkers / Tote big guns like I'm still playing Contra" (Juelz Santana)

A great Juelz verse all around, but especially memorable for his shout out to the super-arsenal sidescroller. We're still mad he didn't drop the Konami Code that let you start the game with 30 lives (about the only way you could make any real progress if you were playing co-op), but at least someone on this list did! Full disclosure: That last sentence was to get you to keep reading.

16. Lloyd Banks, "A Pimpin' Affair" (2007)

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Lyric: "Yo shit ain't never gonna pop like ten gold chains / That's why ya b***h blowin' on me like Nintendo games"

See, back in the '80s, games came on these plastic cartridges that had one open end where the cartridge would dock in the console. And that open end would often attract dust, which led to faulty connections and could interfere with enjoying said game. Mindful of that hazard, people would often blow on the end to clear out any offending dust particulates before inserting the game cartridge. Now, what Lloyd Banks did here to to pair that concept of literal blowing, or creating a forceful and directed current of air, with the figurative usage of "blowing," which is shorthand for "performing the act of fellatio," or "manipulating a penis with one's mouth to produce pleasurable sensations." So by conflating the literal and figurative usages of the term, he was able to create a humorous effect that is commonly called "wordplay," and thus a "memorable punchline."

15. Saigon, "Get Busy" (2010)

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Lyric: "Attention all haters, get off your boy's dick / Tell your b***h to come here, she can play with my joystick / Up up down down left right left right B, A, B, A, Start / now tear it apart"

KONAMI CODE ALERT! The entire song might be suffused with video game love, from the Super Mario Bros. beat flip to the lyrical themes, but it's not until the third verse that gaming nirvana is truly achieved. Though, real talk, insinuating that you need a cheat code to have sex is kind of a fail.

14. De La Soul f/Common, "The Bizness" (1996)

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Lyric: "In fact I get more hoes then Tessa / peep game like a refe- / ree, in sole control of my desti- / ny, In the best of three outta five / whip ANYBODY ass at NBA Live" (Common)

1995 Common >>>>>> Every other Common. Maybe if EA was still making basketball games, he wouldn't have had to make Just Wright.

13. Onyx f/Big Pun & Nore, "Shut Em Down (Remix)" (1998)

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Lyric: "My squad is supernatural, don't make me blast you with a Ruger capsule / My crew will catch you and trap you inside of Koopa's Castle" (Big Pun)

The late Pun devotes his polysyllabic havoc to the chief villain of the Mario Bros. universe. Though we're not sure we remember Koopa packing a Ruger.

12. Lupe Fiasco, "Go Go Gadget Flow" (2007)

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Lyric: "All me, no ghost, no 16 bit like Sega Genesis!"

Double-time flows tend to rush punchlines past the ears like a speeding train, but we need to press pause to appreciate this one. Would hardcore gamers know that rap verses are referred to as sixteens (as in 16 bars long)? Would non-gaming rap fans know that the Sega Genesis was from the generation of consoles that used 16-bit graphics? Would anyone take this much time to explain that? Probably not.

11. Jay-Z, "People Talkin'" (2001)

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Lyric: "Pull hammers from my waist / We can clap at this amateur pace / If that's what's crackin' / Or we can play this on All-Madden"

The video game version of Hov's "you little fuck, I got money stacks bigger than you" line. Nothing ethers someone like implying that their best shot is barely out of tutorial mode.

10. Beanie Sigel, "Mac Man" (2000)

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Lyric: Ayo, I cop power pellets (and y'all call 'em bricks) / I make little dots (and y'all chop rocks to flip) / Before Junior, they had me out on a chase / Running from these ghost monsters y'all calling the jakes / All I do is stack loot, run around and eat fruit / And harass these lady cops named Pinky and Sue / My whole life been a maze in a chase / Can't keep still without these monsters on my back invadin' my space / I got two hitmen that'll bury you brothers / They rule the underworld, you know 'em as the Mario brothers / Straight cannons, and won't hesitate to shoot ya / And they stay goin' to war with that Latin King Koopa / I got a worker named Frogger, when I say jump he leap / A highway boy who be runnin' the streets / With that package, dodgin' through traffic that's narrow / And my n***a Donkey Kong bringin' weed in by the barrels"

Attention, every rapper who's ever thought about filling a whole verse with old-school gaming references or comparing the drug game to the arcade game: Beans did that, so hopefully you won't have to go through that. Extra points for name-checking two of the Pac-Man ghosts, and a 1-UP for insinuating that Bowser is a Latin King.

9. Del f/Khaos Unique, "Proto Culture" (2000)

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Lyric: "Rival Schools, Batsu, purchase you ought to / It came with one free CD, it's like I bought two / I hope they make part two for Dreamcast / 'cause games I seen in mags, you won't believe they have.... / Yeah, I'll admit that PlayStation improved / Come visit feudal Japan with me and Tenchu / Bushido Blade II with swordplay so accurate / MegaMan Legends, but I had to buy a map for it" (Del)

So many crazy titles crammed into one song that we had to edit together two different verses just to get all our favorites in there. What other rapper is gonna name check Rival Schools: United By Fate, a fighting game about high-school students? And its main character? It's official: lifetime nerd-cred pass for Del.

8. DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, "Human Video Game" (1988)

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Lyric: Ready Rock C's Donkey Kong beatbox routine

Dead. Just...dead. Take that, Rahzel!

7. OutKast f/Raekwon, "Skew It On The Bar-B" (1998)

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Lyric: "I'm sorry like Atari who's the cousin to Coleco / Vision, caught a RICO, back on the streets like Chico" (Andre 3000)

Three Stacks takes it back to the oldest of the old school, digging the Colecovision out of storage. We used to kick it at our man Choo-Youn's house and play Burger Time on that thing. Like, stupid amounts of Burger Time. You can't see us with the mustard and pickles!

6. Lady of Rage, "Afro Puffs" (1994)

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Lyric: "Now I'm hittin' MCs like HAAAAADOUKEN! / Ain't no doubt about it, I'm the undisputed"

Easily in the top 5 "most quoted lines by a female rapper" of all time. OF ALL TIIIIIIME! Thank you, Above the Rim, for bringing us this classic Death Row anthem. We even love the way she kinda pronounces Ryu's signature move HAAAAARYOOKIT. Sounds like a Pokemon character. That has afro puffs.

5. Wu-Tang Clan, "Triumph" (1997)

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Lyric: "Behold the bold soldier, control the globe slowly / Proceeds to blow, swingin' swords like Shinobi" (Inspectah Deck)

The Rebel INS took the swordplay out of Shaolin and headed to Japan for a name-drop of the old-school aracade hit and SEGA franchise. Unfortunately, he missed on the bonus points for more accurately saying "swingin' swords like Joe Musashi," but we understand the whole poetic-license thing. Besides, what're you gonna rhyme with "Musashi"?

4. Redman, "Rockafella" (1994)

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Lyric: "Are there any more imitators in the house? There are though / Bust like NBA Jams and you can have Chicago", "'The new stuff / Creamin' brothas like Breyer's / 'He's heating up!'--nah, brotha, I'm ON FIRE!"

Two separate but equally valid NBA Jam references in a single song? Redman, you so crazy! No seriously, you're crazy. Imagine if a dude these days said they were "creamin' brothas like Breyer's." Other than Lil B, we mean. Regardless, we don't know which line we like more: the I'm-so-bad-you-can-play-the-Bulls-and-I'll-still-beat-you or the announcer catchphrase callout. Since it wasn't a "BOOMSHAKALAKA!" we're gonna go with the first one.

3. Lil Wayne, "Dough Is What I Got" (2007)

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Lyric: "Gotta talk about the flow 'cause you is concerned / Only down-south rapper could've been in The Firm / Or the Commission or Wu-Tang, n***a / Tryna tell you I can kick it like Liu Kang, n***a / Got that Sub-Zero flow, how you owe me, ma? / Make her get over here like Scorpion"

Three Mortal Kombat players, with three character-specific abilities, in three bars! Not bad, Weezy—and far more timeless than that "I hit n***as in the head like Vonage" line later in the song, which had a shelf life of like a week.

2. Juice Crew, "The Symphony" (1988)

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Lyric: "Battlin' me is hazardous to health / So put a quarter in ya ass 'cause you played yourself" (Big Daddy Kane)

1988: not only is it senior year at Garvey High, but it's the year Kane dropped one of the best gaming punchlines ever. And in a classic posse cut like "The Symphony," that's saying something. Interesting point: it wasn't really until the late '80s that video games started creeping into hip-hop, not least because it's when the children of the first arcade explosion started picking up mics. What, The Treacherous Three was gonna rap about Pong?

1. Notorious B.I.G., "Juicy" (1994)

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Lyric: "Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis / When I was dead broke, man, I couldn't picture this."

Not the most technical line ever, but a perfect example of Biggie's gift: using snippets of imagery rather than complete sentences to create the perfect image. And as many gamers can confirm, having two consoles = luxury. Also, is this the most-rapped (by other people) verse in the history of hip-hop? Possibly, and that alone makes this the unanimous pick for top spot. Now press START to read this whole list again!

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