25 Rap Songs That Make Us Want To Punch Someone In the Face

Knuck if you buck.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Music should make you feel, react. Music can help you cope with your feelings after a bad break up; it can also assist you in wallowing in self-pity after a bad break up. Music has always been, and will always be a means of escapism. Music can transport us to another mind state.

Rap flourishes because of escapism. We want to be somewhere else: waking up in a new Bugatti (instead of on a used futon), listening to Boo & Gotti because you set your alarm ringer to "Fiesta (Remix)," popping bottles instead of not-yet-ready whiteheads, hanging out with beautiful models instead of masturbating at 3 am to some girl you kind-of-know's public Facebook photos. (TMI? Hey rap's got that, too.) Real life is often tragic and sad, but rap can teleport you elsewhere for 16 bars.

Had a rough day and need to blow off steam? Then toss on a song with violent overtones and pretend to be a gangbanger. Don't worry, nobody will notice that that made up gang sign you're throwing during a Waka Flocka song is actually just the shocker. After all, you're all alone in your apartment. Trying to get psyched for a work out or a job interview? Get those endorphins pumping with something "turnt up" as the youths say.

Complex would like to stress that we do not want you to actually go out and punch someone in the face after listening to these songs. But if you do, at least Vine it or something. No reason to let free Klout points go to waste.

Here are 25 Rap Songs That Make You Want to Punch Someone In The Face.

Listen to Complex's Songs That Make You Want to Punch Someone playlists here: YouTube/Spotify/Rdio

Written by Bauce Sauce (@BauceSauce)

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25. Eminem f/ Nate Dogg "'Till I Collapse" (2002)

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Album: The Eminem Show
Label: Shady, Aftermath, Interscope
Producer: Eminem

If you listen to "'Till I Collapse" while at the gym, you will break every one of your personal records by 200 percent. The combination of the surging instrumental, Eminem's dazzling multi-syllabic rhyme schemes and Nate Dogg's baritone chorus unleash a rush of endorphins that makes a runner's high seem like a speed walker's buzz. Who needs a strict regiment of bull shark testosterone injections when you have this song?

This Song Also Makes Us Want To: Falcon Punch the Dude Who Wears Jean Shorts to the Gym Every Week

24. The Notorious B.I.G. f/ Eminem "Dead Wrong" (2000)

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Album: Born Again
Label: Bad Boy Records
Producer: Chucky Thompson, Mario Winans, Sean Combs

"Dead Wrong" is tough. It's also unsettling thanks to a few questionable lyrics by Biggie, but that just adds to the overall intimidating, ominous mood. Eminem executes some verbal wizardry and drops one of the most technically proficient rap verses in the history of rap verses. Stabbings, animal sacrifices, pedophilia, rape, "Dead Wrong" has everything you could hope for in a violent rap song. Tipper Gore would be so proud.

P.S. Everyone found this song when they were searching Kazaa for Eminem songs, right?

This Song Also Makes Us Want To: Perform an Animal Sacrifice in the Hope That the Hip Hop Gods Will Trade Snoop Lion for Biggie

23. T.I. "U Don't Know Me" (2005)

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Album: Urban Legend
Label: Grand Hustle, Atlantic
Producer: DJ Toomp

T.I. shines when he's at his most confrontational, an attitude he displays proudly throughout Urban Legend on tracks like "U Don't Know Me," "Stand Up," "ASAP," and more. Where as the other aforementioned tracks make you want to actually murder someone, "U Don't Know Me" is a bit more "playful," if you can call it that. And we can because we're writing this. People make judgments about us all the time. Most of the time those are wrong because they actually don't know us. It's fantastic when you can make a foe look a fool when they don't think you will slap the uvula out their mouth and then you do.

This Song Also Makes Us Want To: Devote Our Life to Becoming a Seven-Time Felon

22. Pharoahe Monch "Simon Says" (1999)

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21. C-Murder f/ Snoop Dogg and Magic "Down 4 My N's" (2000)

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Album: Trapped in Crime
Label: No Limit, TRU Records, Priority
Producer: KLC

"Down For My N's" is 2000 A.D.'s version of "No New Friends." Friends are cool, and being down for them is even cooler. Knowing there are individuals that would ride and die for you might be the best feeling in life after witnessing the birth of your child and riding on a tank. What better way to celebrate the platonic love you have for your friends than mobbing through the city and beating up other opposing groups of friends? We certainly can't think of one.

This Song Also Makes Us Want To: Donate Bone Marrow and Blood in Case One of Our Homies Needs It Down the Road... Also, Punch Someone Repeatedly

20. Public Enemy "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" (1988)

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19. The Diplomats "Crunk Muzik" (2004)

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Album: Diplomatic Immunity 2
Label: Diplomat, Koch
Producer: Amadeus

Dipset truly is forever. Not only does Dipset make the best overall music around, but their verses are educational, as well. For instance, Jim Jones teaches children all the Spanish they really need to know: te matan, muchacho, tato. "We in the mood to fight." What a coinky-dink, so are we. Who is the best fighter in Dipset? Our money is on Hell Rell, but never forget that Cam'ron got shot then drove himself to the ER. Cam'ron task force assemble. Protect Cam'ron at all costs.

This Song Also Makes Us Want To: Sky Dive and During the Landing Come Through With a Wind- and Parachute-Aided Liu Kang Bicycle Kick to Our Arch-nemesis

18. Ludacris f/ Mystikal & I-20 "Move B***h" (2002)

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Album: Word of Mouf
Label: Disturbing tha Peace, Def Jam
Producer: KLC

Ludacris' appeal relies heavily on his delivery, which is inimitable and almost cartoon-ish in its trumped up boom. You react to it, and usually the reaction is to throw undiscerning elbows hither and thither. "Move Bitch" is a prime example. Mystikal's off-kilter existence, a rare appearance by I-20 (who sounds chopped and screwed but isn't) and the faint whistles on the outro made "Move Bitch" an anthem for road ragers everywhere. To this day, our initial reaction to unaware drivers is to yell "Move, bitch! Get out the way!" If you play this in your car, you'll be so amped that you may disregard all types of traffic laws just to get into a wreck on purpose to fight someone.

This Song Also Makes Us Want To: Dress up Like a Woman a la Juwanna Mann, Join a Roller Derby League, Throw Devastating Elbows With No Repercussions

17. 8Ball & MJG f/ P. Diddy "You Don't Want Drama" (2004)

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Album: Living Legends
Label: Bad Boy South
Producer: Bangladesh

8Ball & MJG's grittiness meshes well with the driving, fuzzy synths of Bangladesh's instrumental. The laidback Southern pimps come to life to reinforce the fact that drama is something of which we want no part. As aggressive and misogynistic as the chorus is, screaming "Smack a ho, shoot the club" at the top of your lungs as you drive with the windows down is some of the most fun you can have. Our only complaint is that there isn't more Diddy. Make sure to check out the Chopped and Screwed Version of "You Don't Want Drama" if you want to feel like punching someone in the face, but in slow motion.

This Song Also Makes Us Want To: Whittle Our Own Wood Grain Steering Wheel Out of a 300-Year-Old Tree Using Nothing But a Plastic Spork, Then Proceed to Stunt on All the Haters

16. 2Pac "Hit 'Em Up" (1996)

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Album: All Eyez on Me
Label: Death Row, Interscope
Producer: Johnny "J"

There was a point in rap where people actually mentioned their opposition's names in the songs, an era before "Is Pusha T Dissing Lil Wayne?" and "Common Throws Possible Shots at Drake Maybe" blog headlines. "Hit 'Em Up" represents the quintessential diss song. 2Pac is ruthless: bragging about fucking Faith, calling out any person associated with Bad Boys by name with specific threats of violence and even making fun of Prodigy's sickle cell anemia. A mild-mannered accountant turns into a gangbanger as soon as 2Pac says "First off: fuck your bitch and the clique you claim."

This Song Also Makes Us Want To: Hit a Police Officer With a Steel Chair

15. DJ Kay Slay f/ Three 6 Mafia, Lil' Wyte & Frayser Boy "Who Gives a F**k Where You From" (2004)

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Album: The Streetsweeper, Vol. 2
Label: Columbia
Producer: Three 6 Mafia

DJ Paul says "Three 6 Mafia for 12 years we've been getting it crunk." He's not lying. As pioneers of the both the term and the genre, Three 6 has been tearing clubs up for decades (Tear Da Club Up Thugs was even a moniker they used during one iteration of the group). Rap has always been about representing where you come from, and having an almost foolish pride about being born or living in a certain place.

People act like because they come from a certain place that gives them a pass to act a certain way or get away with certain things. That's true to an extent, but Three 6 Mafia could care less about that. Of all their songs, "Who Gives a Fuck Where You From" stands out due to the rejection of this motif, a mind-hypnotizing beat and a flawless Crunchy Black verse. Shouts to Juicy J mentioning lean. Please never change, Juicy J...please...never change.

This Song Also Makes Us Want To: Act in Such a Manner That the Club Owner Is Scared for His Safety and Calls the Police to Stop Us Via Riot Squad

14. Onyx "Slam" (1993)

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Album: Bacdafucup
Label: Def Jam
Producer: Chyskillz, Jam-Master Jay

No, "Slam" is not a demo for Shaquille O'Neal. As soon as it starts playing, we begin to feel a little rambunctious. Lighthearted mischief abounds. Maybe a couple pranks? Maybe we dump some freezing water on our friend while they shower? Maybe we switch the filling in the Oreos with toothpaste? Maybe we put our boss's cell phone number on Craigslist advertising "Power Bottom Services?" Who knows! The night is young and, we're channeling the spirit of Loki.

This Song Also Makes Us Want To: Dudley Death Drop Flo Rida Through a Flaming Table

13. Chief Keef f/ Soulja Boy "3Hunna (Remix)" (2012)

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12. Prodigy "Keep it Thoro" (2000)

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

As perfect as "I break bread, ribs, hundred dollar bills" is, nothing tops "I throw a TV at you crazy." Nothing. No wonder the bitches call Prodigy crazy because only a crazy person would throw a TV at someone. Plus in 2000, Prodigy would have been tossing CRT televisions, which are much heavier and more awkward to grip and heave. We admire his insanity, brute strength, and creativity. Alchemist provides one of his most classic beats, allowing Prodigy to really focus on touting his TV-throwing skills. Remember, when throwing TVs, lift with your knees, not your back.

This Song Also Makes Us Want To: Invade Best Buy and Throw All Types of TVs All Types of Crazy

11. Young Buck f/ Ludacris & T.I. "Stomp" (2004)

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Album: Straight Outta Cashville
Label: G-Unit, Interscope
Producer: DJ Paul, Juicy J

We love beef. We love subliminal disses. The only problem with beefs, and diss songs specifically, is the waiting game. One artist releases a song, then a few days or weeks later we get a response from the other one. How inefficient. Young Buck inadvertently fixed all that with "Stomp" by getting two rappers who were beefing with each other on the same song. Progress! T.I. happened to include a not-so-subtle homophone rhyme diss using Ludacris' name in his verse.

Young Buck subsequently let Ludacris hear the verse to which Ludacris recorded his own not-so-subtle homophone rhyme diss using T.I.'s name. Two rappers, two disses, one song. Historic! The Game would later replace T.I. at the request of the label for the album version, but the earlier version will forever be immortalized and remembered.

This Song Also Makes Us Want To: Stomp Out All the Haters in Our General Vicinity

10. The LOX "Wild Out" (2000)

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Album: We Are the Streets
Label: Ruff Ryders, Interscope
Producer: Swizz Beatz

Impossible to have a Swizz Beatz song that doesn't make us either want to "wild out" or self-inflict damage to our ear drum to make the audio assault stop. "Wild Out" is obviously the former. Sheek Louch comes through and cements his position as the best LOX member with a verse that talks about Looney Tunes characters for eight bars. He mentions the oft-forgotten Henery Hawk. What more proof is needed? Sheek Louch for president.

Swizz Beatz' usually annoying voice actually complements Styles P and Jadakiss' monotone delivery. And, in a rare moment of genius, Swizz' ad libs find the perfect balance between superfluous and "That'll do, Swizz. Seriously, that's enough. Please step away from the microphone." "Wild Out" is one of those rare tracks that makes you wish you were in jail, just so you could start a riot and break out in dramatic fashion.

This Song Also Makes Us Want To: Fashion a Shiv From a Bar of Soap and Shank Our Landlord When He Asks Why Our Rent Payment is Late

9. Wu-Tang Clan "Bring Da Ruckus" (1993)

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Album: Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
Label: Loud
Producer: RZA

If there is one thing that Wu-Tang will bring, it's ruckus. Do not ask them to bring an entree to a potluck dinner party. Instead of a scrumptious baked macaroni and cheese side dish, it will be a scrumptious side dish of ruckus. If Wu-Tang attends a white elephant gift exchange, they will not bring a humorous trinket from the Shaolin Temple.

What they will bring is ruckus, and unless you want that (and who wouldn't?) don't pick their gift. When listening to Wu-Tang, we can't be held responsible for our actions. Their signature dusty drums and prominent bass tap into that primeval part of our brains, and we just want to get buck wild and fuck shit up. "Bring Da Ruckus" is no exception.

This Song Also Makes Us Want To: Hulk Smash the Ground So Hard That the Earth and, by Extension, Time Stops. We Then Travel Near and Far Putting Every Person Who Owns a Pair of Banana Republic Chinos Onto a Boat. We Send That Boat to Antarctica, and Sink It Halfway There

8. 50 Cent f/ M.O.P. & Young Buck "I'll Whip Ya Head Boy (Remix)" (2006)

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Album: N/A 
Label: G-Unit, Interscope
Producer: Ron Browz

The best thing to do when you have a rugged New York rap song is to recruit M.O.P. for the remix. 50 Cent wisely did just that. Lil Fame's opening line of "Look; the first nigga that scream G-Unot to me, I'm a stomp yo ass out with the Gore-Tex beef and broccoli's" pretty much put The Game in his place. From there it gets more and more violent, which is just what you want in a song about pistol-whipping someone's head to the white meat. The Second Ammendment gives us the right to pistol whip people if they are being a fuckboy. It is not illegal. You can thank our forefathers for having that foresight.

This Song Also Makes Us Want To: Pistol Whip a Black Bear to the White Meat

7. Crime Mob "Knuck If You Buck" (2004)

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Album: Crime Mob
Label: Crunk Incorporated
Producer: Lil' Jay

Crime Mob's pugnacious single owned the summer of 2004. At the height of crunk music's reign, Crime Mob released the right song at the right time. "Knuck If You Buck" transformed clubs and frat parties all over the nation into a Chuck Palahniuk book with its mob-chanted chorus and subwoofer-torturing bass.

The argument that Diamond is actually the prototypical Waka Flocka can also be made when she comes in shouting "I come in the club shakin my dreads/Throwin these bows and bustin these heads." Please be wary of your rotator cuff, though. By the end of the song you'll have swung over 1,000 bows. Don't be part of the 76 percent of Americans who forget to stretch before doing any physical activity. Be careful.

This Song Also Makes Us Want To: Stomp a Gaggle of Haters to Death in Front of Their Parents

6. Lil Jon & The Eastside Boyz f/ Mystikal & Krayzie Bone "I Don't Give A F**k" (2002)

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Album: Kings of Crunk
Label: TVT
Producer: Lil Jon

Crunk was visceral, designed to turn you up before you knew that you wanted to be turned up. Difficult to listen to an early '00's Lil Jon song and not start bouncing around recklessly. "I Don't Give a Fuck" is certainly a sentiment we can all rally around from time to time. The mark of a great song is how easily a listener can relate to it, and "I Don't Give A Fuck" has it. You can yell whatever mundane thing is bothering you during the chorus. Not only does it make sense, it will make you feel better, too. Try it. Here are some examples to help you along:

"Co-worker's kid won a soccer game?... I DON'T GIVE A FUCK."

"Five forwarded chain e-mails from my mom?... I DON'T GIVE A FUCK."

"I might have been adopted... I DON'T GIVE A FUCK."

"My whole life may be a lie... I DON'T GIVE A FUCK."

Lil Jon enlists Mystikal and Krayzie Bone, two of the crazier spitters in rap's history, to add an even more crunk layer of crunk. Lil Jon opens up a proverbial can of CRUNK! Energy Drink with this one. Fun Fact: CRUNK! Energy Drink actually includes an ingredient known as skullcap. Also, one of our friend's mom's asked him "Does crunk mean getting drunk on crack?" once. Doesn't really have anything to do with this particular song, but we think it's worth sharing.

This Song Also Makes Us Want To: Find Our High School Principal's Toyota Camry and Beat it Up Like a Street Fighter Bonus Stage

5. DMX "What's My Name?" (1999)

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Album: ...And Then There Was X
Label: Ruff Ryders, Def Jam
Producer: Self Service, Irv Gotti

Those spooky piano notes really set the mood for the song (and also still haunt our psyche when we are investigating a strange sound in the kitchen late at night). DMX's delivery has always been bar-none; one syllable contains the sulfur of a Thomas Vincent sermon.

However, there is something particularly powerful about the dual vocal tracked, three-syllable style that starts each couplet. It's truly frightening...and invigorating. DMX was able to take almost every phrase ever uttered by an angry drunk man outside of a bar about to fight and fit them into one song:


  • You think it's a game? You think it's a FUCKING GAME?

  • STOP TALKING SHIT

  • YOU STILL PLAYING GAMES

  • THAT'S THAT BULLSHIT

  • I'M NOT A NICE PERSON

  • SUCK MY DICK

  • I'VE LOST MY MIND

We've all yelled one of these things in earnest at some point in our life, usually right before a police officer forcibly restrains us.

This Song Also Makes Us Want To: Plan an Underground Dog Fight Event, Lock the Doors From the Outside, Let All the Dogs Loose and Battle Royale to the Death

4. Waka Flocka Flame "Hard in da Paint" (2010)

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Album: Flockaveli
Label: 1017 Brick Squad, Warner Bros., Asylum
Producer: Lex Luger

In 2010, "Hard in Da Paint" was everywhere—clubs, bars, karaoke, Walgreen's. It simply could not be escaped. We swear we even heard the MIDI version of "Hard in Da Paint" in a downtown office high-rise. This song made Waka Flocka and Lex Luger household names. The beat starts off menacing, building to an apex before dropping out to allow Waka to let us know how he goes in the paint.

Spoiler: Waka is a diamond on the Mohs Scale when it comes to hardness. In that seven seconds of a cappella, Waka is able to get off an astonishing 12 ad libs. By the end, we are unwittingly shaking our heads and feeling invincible, a staple of Mr. Flames' music. Unfortunately, no rappers made a "I go hard in the paint like Kurt Rambis" punchline. If they had, we would put this higher on the list. Don't blame us. Blame lazy rappers.

This Song Also Makes Us Want To: Grow Out Our Dreads and Shake Them Until We Pass Out From Dizziness

3. Gunplay "Jump Out" (2012)

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2. Pastor Troy "Murder Man" (2005)

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Album: Face Off, Part II
Label: Money & Power Records
Producer: N/A

Peril pervades "Murder Man." This track is what you listen to in the car after your boy calls you from the bar saying there's some dudes who want to fight him. "Murder Man" is what Roman soldiers listened to before battle. In case it wasn't painfully obvious, do not fuck with the murder man.

This Song Also Makes Us Want To: Stare at the Avatar of the Dude Who Has Been in Our Girl's Mentions on Twitter All Week as we Fashion a Weapon Out of a Wooden Baseball Bat, Crushed Glass, Razor Wire, and Framing Nails.

1. M.O.P. "Ante Up" (2000)

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Album: Warriorz
Label: Loud, Relativity Records
Producer: DR Period

Here's how to tell if you will like a person you just met. Play the opening riff and if they say "Oh cool. I love John Cena, too," then choke them to death before they have a chance to procreate. "Ante Up" has been known to raise the dead back to life, but what would you expect from a group named Mash Out Posse?

Billy Danze and Lil' Fame's aggressive charisma seeps into your limbic system and shocks your amygdalas until you black out and wake up three days later with no memory of why you are in a cornfield. Use caution.

This Song Also Makes Us Want To: Steal All of Your Weird Aunt's Costume Jewelry and Crush the Glass Into Diamonds With Our Bare Hands, Design a Ring and Then Propose to Kate Upton With it

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