Pour Out Some Liquor: Hip-Hop's 25 Greatest Memorial Songs

Gone but not forgotten.

Not Available Lead
Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

Not Available Lead

Rappers have never been shy about comparing the streets they come from to war zones. And just as our brave soldiers in conflicts overseas suffer casualties, the streets have claimed plenty of lives. So today as Americans across the nation celebrate and mourn the lives of all our soldiers who died serving in the Armed Forces (Complex would also like to shout out all our soldiers still serving all around the world), we thought we'd count down our favorite hip-hop dedication songs to keep alive the memories of any soldiers losing their lives in any war goin' on outside. Here's our list of Hip-Hop's 25 Greatest Memorial Songs. R.I.P. to those who aren't with us. This one's for you.

Written by Insanul Ahmed (@Incilin)

25. Killer Mike f/ Fass Black "Dragon" (2003)

Not Available Interstitial

Album: Monster
Produer: Mister C-Lo, Nikkii "Blue Eyes" Schroeder*
Label: Columbia

The story behind this track is as interesting as the song itself. Fass Black and Killer Mike were supposed to team up to make a song about a mutual friend who had passed. Fass laid a verse down, but before they could even finish the song, Fass himself was gunned down. Killer Mike then reworked the song, used Fass' pre-recorded verse as an intro, and spit an explosive verse in his memory.

24. Jim Jones f/ Rowana "My My My" (2009)

Not Available Interstitial

Album: Pray IV Reign
Produer: Chris Styles, Cylla
Label: E1/Columbia/Sony
After Jim Jones' friend Stack Bundles was shot to death while entering his apartment building in 2007, Jones was in a depressed mood. At one point Jones was quoted as saying, "I didn't want to do music after Stack Bundles was killed." However, he eventually pulled it together, dedicating this track to Bundles and wishing, "there's a Harlem in heaven."

23. Common "Reminding Me (Of 'Sef)" (1997)

Not Available Interstitial

Album: One Day It'll All Make Sense
Produer: Ynot
Label: Relativity
Taking a much more upbeat tone, Common celebrates the carefree times of his upbringing through the first verses of this track, but pays homage to his childhood friend 'Sef, a former gang member who was shot and killed just as he was turning his life around, in the final verse.

22. D12 "Good Die Young" (2004)

Not Available Interstitial

Album: D12 World
Produer: Mr. Porter
Label: Shady, Interscope
Before Eminem became the most famous rapper in the world, D12 was a six-man group from Detroit that didn't feature the likes of Slim Shady. Instead, the group's sixth man was a rapper named Bugz. Unfortunately, Bugz was tragically shot in 1999 just as Eminem started making hits. Once Em's career took off, he came back to get his friends join D12. On their second album, D12 recorded "Good Die Young" as a tribute to Bugz. Sadly enough, tragedy struck once again when D12's Proof was fatally shot in 2006.

21. Naughty by Nature "Mourn You Till I Join You" (1996)

Not Available Interstitial

Album: Ride Soundtrack
Produer: Naughty by Nature
Label: Tommy Boy

When people think of songs dedicated to 2Pac, they're usually just thinking of songs by 'Pac where he foreshadows his own death. However, since Treach of Naughty by Nature was close with the legendary West Coast MC (they acted in Juice together), a tribute from the East-reppin' Naughty made sense.

20. The Roots "Can't Stop This" (2006)

Not Available Interstitial

Album: Game Theory
Produer: J Dilla, The Roots, The Randy Watson Experience
Label: Def Jam
After his death in 2006, doing a J Dilla tribute became the trendy thing to do for the backpacker crowd. Rappers, DJs, and producers were all lining up to do some kind of song about the Detroit producer, or have him posthumously executive produce their album. But unlike Charles Hamilton, the Roots actually knew J. Dilla. That's why this sprawling 8-minute cut that features Black Thought rapping, people talking about Dilla, and extended instrumentation, is our favorite Dilla dedication.

19. Gang Starr "In Memory Of..." (1998)

Not Available Interstitial

Album: Moment of Truth
Produer: DJ Premier, Guru
Label: Noo Trybe/Virgin/EMI Records
Throughout the track Preemo sends R.I.P shout-outs to friends, family, and the fallen soldiers within the hip-hop community as Guru tells the story of his gunned-down partner G.O.V. and deceased ladies' man Brian B. The third verse is a nice change of pace and is dedicated to the living who are making a change through loving one another. Sadly, Guru's untimely passing has made this track's sentiment all too current.

18. Cuban Link "Flowers For The Dead" (2000)

Not Available Interstitial

Album: N/A
Produer: Chi
Label: Atlantic

After Big Pun died in 2000 from a heart attack, Cuban Link flipped the Young & The Restless theme and made the best song of his career in memory of his childhood friend. Occasionally, tragedy brings out the best in an artist.

17. Mr. Cheeks f/ Stephen Marley "Till We Meet Again" (2001)

Not Available Interstitial

Album: John P. Kelly
Produer: Stephen Marley
Label: Universal Records

The Lost Boyz were never the same after hypeman/rapper, Freaky Tah, was murdered outside a party in 1999. Without his raucous ad-libs and fun-loving persona, the group quickly fizzled out. Accordingly, Mr. Cheeks took time out on his solo debut, John P. Kelly to pay homage to his good friend.

16. Ice Cube "Dead Homiez" (1990)

Not Available Interstitial

Album: Kill At Will
Produer: Sir Jinx
Label: Priority
This track remains a West Coast classic as Cube pours out a little liquor for all his homies that didn't make it. Beyond just paying homage to those that passed, this track somberly explored the culture of death and destruction plaguing South Central, a concept which was one of Cube's main themes on AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted.

15. Jadakiss "Letter To B.I.G." (2009)

Not Available Interstitial

Album: The Last Kiss
Produer: Needlz
Label: D-Block, Ruff Ryders, Roc-A-Fella, Def Jam
Everyone remembers Puff's "I'll Be Missing You," but they often forget its dope B-side, The LOX's "We'll Always Love Big Poppa." Back in '97, Puff's massive hit was so big it totally outshined The LOX's similarly themed song. So in 2009, when Jadakiss got his chance to show love to Big again on the soundtrack to Notorious, he finally got his due props. Jada's letter helped him score a Coogi deal and had rappers everywhere writing letters to other deceased rappers, for better or worse.

14. D.I.T.C. "Tribute" (2000)

Not Available Interstitial

Album: Worldwide
Produer: Ahmed
Label: Tommy Boy Music

Although the D.I.T.C. crew has always been wary of tribute tracks (citing that they're often just cheap ways to get attention) they had to do a proper send-off to group member Big L, who was tragically shot on his block in 1999 right when it seemed he was destined for rap stardom. All the verses are dope but Lord Finesse stole the show with a line that grows truer by the day, "We stack notes, played around, cracked jokes/Now you a living legend of rap quotes."

13. The Notorious B.I.G. f/ 112 "Miss U" (1997)

Not Available Interstitial

Album: Life After Death
Produer: Kay Gee
Label: Bad Boy
On the intro to this track, Big tells the story of how his friend "O" got killed right before he blew up. Of course, right before Life After Death was released, Biggie himself was killed, giving a spooky irony to his own memorial cut.

12. Nas f/ Quan "Just A Moment" (2005)

Not Available Interstitial

Album: Street's Disciple
Produer: L.E.S.
Label: Ill Will, Columbia
While America was in the midst of fighting two wars overseas with no end in sight, Nas and his protege, Quan, took a moment of silence to remember all the rappers that passed as well as some of the members from their respective families. Nas rapped about his mother who had died from cancer a few years prior while Quan promised his sister who was in Iraq he would take care of her child. With a song this dope our only question is, whatever happened to Quan?

11. Dr. Dre f/ Mary J. Blige & Rell "The Message" (1999)

Not Available Interstitial

Album: 2001
Produer: Lord Finesse
Label: Aftermath, Interscope
Although Dre is best known for making club bangers and weed-smoking anthems, in 1999 he had to slow things down with this track where he reflected on the death of his brother who was killed when Dre was still on tour with N.W.A. It seems Dre had a hard time putting his thoughts together though, since Royce Da 5'9 has claimed to have written this song.

10. Smif-N-Wessun "P.N.C." (1995)

Not Available Interstitial

Album: Dah Shinin'
Produer: DJ Evil Dee
Label: Wreck Records
This track was dedicated to the memory of Tek and Steele's boy Sean Grady, and the Brooklyn-based duo talked extensively about all those who fell victim to the streets. Bucktown's overrun with strollers and fancy ice cream shops now, but it's still claiming its share of victims.

9. Prodigy "Veteran's Memorial" (2000)

Not Available Interstitial

Album: H.N.I.C.
Produer: The Alchemist
Label: Relativity Records

Most of the tracks on Prodigy's H.N.I.C. were loaded with braggadocio and tough talk, but on this cut he softens his stance to remember those that passed. "Going soft" for P is a relative term though: His memories are filled with tales of sharing guns and "sitting in the staircase with Bacardi."

8. Aaliyah f/ Jay-Z "Miss You (Remix)" (2002)

Not Available Interstitial

Album: I Care 4 U
Produer: Teddy Bishop
Label: Blackground/Universal

In 2001, The Princess of R&B, Aaliyah, was taken before her time when she and eight others died in a plane crash in the Bahamas. In 2002, when her compilation album, I Care 4 U, dropped, the previously unreleased track, "Miss You," was released as a single and pretty much summed up how we were all feeling about her at the time. It was only right that her friend, Hov, came through and spit a verse on the remix.

7. Raekwon "Ason Jones" (2009)

Not Available Interstitial

Album: Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II
Produer: J Dilla
Label: Ice H2O/EMI Records
When Ol' Dirty Bastard, one of the founding members of the Wu-Tang Clan, died in 2004, we were all waiting for the Wu to give him a proper tribute. Although GZA's "All In Together Now" and Wu's "Life Changes" were both dope dedications to one of hip-hop's most idiosyncratic figures, they just couldn't compare to Rae's heartfelt sendoff to his fallen comrade. The fact that the track was posthumously produced by J Dilla made it all the more fitting.

6. Master P f/ Pimp C, Silkk The Shocker, Sons of Funk, Mo B. Dick & O'Dell "I Miss My Homies" (1997)

Not Available Interstitial

Album: Ghetto D
Produer: Beats By The Pound
Label: No Limit
The No Limit commander-in-chief recruits his younger brother, Silkk, and the late and great Pimp C to pay tribute to loved ones lost in this classic memorial cut. Ironically, the standout verse is contributed by the one who's no longer with us. R.I.P. Sweet Jones.

5. T.I. f/ Justin Timberlake "Dead And Gone" (2008)

Not Available Interstitial

Album: Paper Trail
Produer: Justin Timberlake, Rob Knox
Label: Grand Hustle, Atlantic
T.I. had a lot on his mind in 2008. Besides his impending jail sentence, he was still recovering from the death of his friend, Philant Johnson, who was shot in 2006 after a concert in Cincinnati. On the track, Tip recollected the petty bullshit that ended up getting his friend killed, vowed that "the old me is dead and gone," and that he would never let something like that happen again.

4. Thug Life f/ Nate Dogg "How Long Will They Mourn Me?" (1994)

Not Available Interstitial

Album: Thug Life: Volume 1
Produer: Nate Dogg, Warren G
Label: Out Da Gutta/Interscope/Amaru
In '94 2Pac hooked up his homies, the Outlawz, to release Thug Life Vol. 1. Around the same time 'Pac lost his friend Kato, and although this cut wasn't a big deal when it was released, it was featured on 2Pac's 1998 posthumous compilation album, Greatest Hits. And like all of 2Pac's music, it became that much more haunting after his death.

3. Puff Daddy f/ Faith Evans & 112 "I'll Be Missing You" (1997)

Not Available Interstitial

Album: No Way Out
Produer: Sean "Puffy" Combs & Steven "Stevie J" Jordan for The Hitmen
Label: Bad Boy
As played out as it became and as tacky as it might have been in retrospect, this was a big record. After The Notorious B.I.G. was killed in 1997, Puffy's Bad Boy empire had lost its greatest asset. But Puff, who always said "We won't stop," lived up to his mantra and started banging out hits himself.

Although Puff didn't really do the heavy lifting (Sauce Money wrote the rap verses, most of the song is sung by Faith Evans and 112, and the beat borrows heavily from The Police's "I'll Be Watching You"), this song helped Puff go from executive to full-blown star. The song went on to win a Grammy, and it's still the quintessential hip hop memorial song.

2. Pete Rock & CL Smooth "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" (1992)

Not Available Interstitial

Album: Mecca and The Soul Brother
Produer: Pete Rock
Label: Elektra
When their good friend Trouble T-Roy, a dancer for Heavy D and the Boyz, died after accidentally falling off a balcony, Pete Rock dealt with his pain by chopping up one of the greatest samples in the history of hip-hop. CL Smooth laced the track, and although he spent most of it reminiscing about his family, they sent it out to the memory of T-Roy, hence the song title's acronym. Pete Rock recalled a few years ago, "When I mixed the song down, I had Charlie Brown from Leaders of the New School in the session with me, and we all just started crying."

1. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony "Tha Crossroads" (1995)

Not Available Interstitial

Album: E. 1999 Eternal
Produer: DJ U-Neek
Label: Ruthless
No, we're not talking about track eight aka "Crossroads" on E. 1999 Eternal. Although that song was about all the friends they had lost over the years, after the album had already been released, the group and producer DJ U-Neek decided to remix the song and dedicate it to the memory of the group's mentor Eazy-E. "Tha Crossroads" went on to become a Grammy-award winning smash hit, Bone's signature song, and the greatest hip-hop memorial song of all time.

Latest in Music