20 Memorable Fictional Characters From Rap Songs

Remembering the great characters we met in rap songs.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Rappers may sound like they're obsessed with the idea of "keeping it real"—and, believe us, most of them are—but the truth is that very few of them actually do it when they step inside the studio. They embellish their bank account balances, exaggerate how many kilos of coke they pushed prior to picking up a mic, and create fictional characters. Lots and lots of fictional characters. Everyone from Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G. to Ghostface Killah and Devin The Dude has done it. It's a trend that we don't see coming to an end anytime soon.

Not that we necessarily want it to. While we could do without some of the other fabrications that rappers work into their rhymes, the truth is that we love many of the fictional characters that rappers have created over the years. They've helped tell stories. They've resulted in funny skits. And in a lot of ways, they've earned places in hip-hop history—even though they're not, you know, real. So to show them their proper respect, we came up with a list of 20 Memorable Fictional Characters From Rap Songs and pondered what they might be up to these days, now that their short-lived rap careers are over.

Written by Chris Yuscavage (@ChrisYuscavage) 

RELATED: The 50 Best Storytelling Rap Songs
RELATED: 10 Bizarre Storytelling Rap Songs

RELATED: The Best Rapper Alive, Every Year Since 1979 

Brenda

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From: Tupac "Brenda's Got a Baby" (1991)

Who they were: In 1991, 'Pac reportedly read a news story about a 12-year-old girl who had gotten pregnant by her cousin. The girl killed her own baby shortly after she had it by throwing it into an incinerator. So he created Brenda to represent that girl and all of the other young girls out there like her. But he also took Brenda's story a step further by showcasing how things like teen pregnancy, drugs, broken families, and poverty were affecting certain pockets of America. It certainly wasn't pretty—sadly, the song ended with Brenda getting killed while working as a prostitute—but it was a very real look at a bunch of problems that were and, frankly, still are affecting this country.

Where are they now? Brenda is long gone. But rappers like Game, Kendrick Lamar, and Papoose have kept her memory alive by referencing her in songs.

Keisha

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From: Kendrick Lamar "Keisha's Song" (2011)

Who they were: "Keisha's Song" definitely wasn't recorded for the Disney-Channel tweens set. It told the tale of Keisha, a 17-year-old prostitute who got killed by a man after being raped. But at the end of the song, Kendrick revealed that he let his 11-year-old sister listen to it shortly after he recorded it to show her the dangers of prostitution and to try to steer her clear of becoming the next Keisha. Powerful stuff.

Where are they now? Dead. We hope Kendrick's little sister was paying attention.

Arizona Ron

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From: The Notorious B.I.G. "Niggas Bleed" (1997)

Who they were: When Biggie decided to rap about a shady drug deal gone bad back in 1997, he created Arizona Ron as his accomplice. And it's not hard to see why. As "Niggas Bleed" explains, Ron once killed his baby mother's brother. He was also featured on America's Most Wanted. And towards the end of Biggie's tale, he laughed when a woman got shot in the head. Bottom line, Ron was a bad, bad dude. And he made Biggie's excellent story that much better.

Where Are They Now? Somewhere in Arizona. What's he gonna move? To where, North Dakota? New Mexico? "New Mexico Ron?" Nah. Just doesn't have the same ring to it.

Maxine

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From: Ghostface Killah "Maxine" (2001)

Who They Were: A few months ago, we referred to "Maxine" as Ghostface's funniest story ever. And we're going to stick to that assessment thanks to Maxine, one of the drug fiends in the song who helps kill her supplier, Mooney. She does have some help—specifically from her kids who help throw Mooney out a window—but Maxine started the beatdown off by pouring a pot of hot grits on him. Trust us, it's funnier than it sounds.

Where Are They Now? At the end of "Maxine," Ghost mentioned that the cops never showed up when Mooney got thrown out of the window. So Maxine probably didn't get hauled off to jail for killing him. We're guessing she works for the DMV.

Blowjob Betty

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From: Too $hort "Blowjob Betty" (1993)

Who they were: Blowjob Betty earned her name by, well, giving blowjobs. As Too $hort explained in great (great, great, great, great, great) detail, she enjoyed giving them, although she never really made any money off it. That seemed to disappoint Too $hort greatly.

Where are they now? Dead. If you remember, she died at the end of "Blowjob Betty" after choking on sperm in her windpipe. Not sure that's actually possible.

Suzy Screw & Sasha Thumper

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From: Outkast "Da Art of Storytellin Part 1" (1998)

Who they were: Big Boi and Andre 3000 did a lot of storytelling on their third album, Aquemini. But their best story involved a couple of friends named Suzy Screw and Sasha Thumper. Suzy was a girl who "fucked the Goodie and the Dungeon crew" and very well may have been a prostitute. She hung around with Big Boi until he felt guilty about stepping out on his baby mother. And Sasha—who was good friends with Andre when they were both kids—ended up dying after getting strung out on heroin. So both ladies clearly had issues, which made their tales that much more poignant.

Where are they now? After seeing what happened to her friend, we pray that Suzy decided to get her life together.

Dave the Dope Fiend

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From: Slick Rick "Children's Story (1988)

Who they were: "Children's Story" is the best storytelling rap song of all time. But if you remember, Slick Rick told the majority of that story without actually revealing the names of any characters. The only one who did make the cut was Dave the Dope Fiend, who helped one of the kids in the story obtain a gun when he was running away from the cops. Leave it to the dope fiend to come through in the clutch.

Where are they now? We're thinking Dave is a dentist.

Damien

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From: DMX "Damien" (1998), DMX "The Omen" (1999), DMX "Damien III" (2001)

Who they were: On DMX's debut, he introduced the world to Damien, a shady character who helped X get rich but then expected him to kill one of his own friends as repayment later. The same scenario played out on X's second album when Damien appeared on "The Omen" and then again on X's fourth album when Damien appeared on "Damien III." X seemed to use the character to define his constant struggle to restrain his own baser instincts.

Where Are They Now?: Even though X claimed he was going to pray to help get rid of Damien once and for all on "Damien III," his recent actions lead us to believe that he hasn't slayed Damien just yet. So we definitely wouldn't be surprised to see him pop up on his next album, assuming there is one.

Tony

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From: Meek Mill "Tony Story" (2011)

Who they were: Tony was a crazy dude. He killed his own friend Ty for a brick of cocaine and proceeded to turn that brick into a small drug empire. But by the end of the song, Ty's cousin Pauly was looking for revenge against Tony for killing his cousin. So he used one of Tony's girls to obtain his address and, a few weeks later, killed him outside of his house.

Where are they now? Tony died. And in a sequel to "Tony Story" called "Tony Story Pt. 2," Pauly killed Tony's brother as well. If Tony's got another relatives out there, they probably should watch out.

Georgy

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From: Devin The Dude "Georgy" (1998)

Who they were: Georgy liked females, and the females liked him. On "Georgy," Devin The Dude described the title character as a "two timin' cheat" who was "quick to make up a lie." But eventually, all of his lies caught up to him when one of his many girls (he wasn't sure which one) showed up at his house when he was with another woman and shot him dead.

Where are they now? Like so many of the characters on this list, Georgy is gone. But that doesn't mean that he is forgotten.

Millie

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Renee

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From: Lost Boyz "Renee" (1996)

Who they were: Tapping a girl on the shoulder as she's walking to the train and asking her for her name almost never works. But back in 1996, it was successful for Mr. Cheeks who met his dream girl one day while she was walking to the subway. It resulted in a whirlwind romance that, unfortunately, ended a short time later when Renee was tragically gunned down.

Where are they now? Sadly, Renee didn't survive the shooting that took place during "Renee." Mr. Cheeks continues to "pour beer out for my shorty who ain't here."

Woodrow the Base Head

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From: Ghostface Killah "Woodrow the Base Head" (2000)

Who they were: When we first heard Woodrow's skit on Supreme Clientele, we didn't know whether to laugh or cry. At the beginning of it, Woodrow sounds so crazy that it seems like the skit was recorded to create some comic relief. But by the end, GFK has clearly had enough of dude and is ready to knock Woodrow out, especially after he threatens to pull a pistol on Ghost. At that point, we knew this skit was no laughing matter.

Where are they now? There are quite a few fictional rap characters that we know for a fact are dead. We don't know this for certain, but we would think Woodrow probably belongs on that list, too. Between his drug problem and his slick mouth, it's hard to imagine he's still walking around the Stapleton section of Staten Island.

Tariq

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From: Prince Paul's A Prince Among Thieves album

Who they were: Tariq is different from every other fictional character on this list. Because while most of the other characters here were featured in a single song or skit, Tariq's story was spread out over Prince Paul's entire second album, A Prince Among Thieves. The concept album featured the fictional aspiring rapper—played by Juggaknots rapper Breeze Brewin—trying to save up money to record a demo tape by selling drugs. And as you would probably expect, it didn't go quite as planned.

Where are they now? We hate to ruin the surprise if you've never listened to A Prince Among Thieves, but, Tariq is dead. That said, if you haven't ever heard it, it's still worth a listen.

Mona Lisa

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From: Slick Rick "Mona Lisa" (1988)

Who they were: You probably wouldn't expect Slick Rick to holler at a girl in a pizza parlor. But that's exactly what he did on "Mona Lisa" when he bought a young lady a slice and then proceeded to mock her for trying to tell him that she was a virgin. By the end of the song, Rick's friend pulled him away from the young lady, who was clearly not the type of chick he should have been messing with in the first place.

Where are they now? We're not sure. But if you happen to be sitting in a pizza parlor in Lower Manhattan and she asks you to buy her a slice, save your money.

Mahogany

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From: Eric B. & Rakim "Mahogany" (1990)

Who they were: If you had to describe the perfect girl, what would she look like? What would she act like? What would she talk like? Rakim answered all of those questions-and a whole lot more-by creating Mahogany, a European girl who "almost looked Korean" and who made it hard for him to MC one night at the Paladium. She was a bad chick, for sure.

Where are they now? Even though she had a great time with Rakim, he's been married to a woman who doesn't look anything like the girl described in the song for more than two decades now. So we're guessing her relationship with Rakim didn't work out. We're sure she didn't have any trouble finding another suitable suitor, though.

Mad Rapper

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From: The Notorious B.I.G "Kick In The Door" (1997), Ma$e "Madd Rapper Skit" (1997), Puff Daddy "Madd Rapper Interlude" (1999), 50 Cent "How To Rob" (1999)

Who they were: After making his debut on a skit on Biggie's album, the Mad Rapper—who was voiced by Hitmen producer Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie—also appeared on skits for Black Rob, Mase, The LOX, and 50 Cent. And the Mad Rapper eventually got so popular that he released his own album in 2000 called Tell 'Em Why U Madd that featured him rapping alongside Raekwon, Busta Rhymes, and Eminem. Looking back at it now, it was quite the come—up for a fictional character.

Where are they now? After undergoing more than a decade of therapy, the Mad Rapper has finally learned how to control his anger and is no longer mad... Sike! He's actually still mad as hell and is reportedly putting together a new album called, what else? Still Mad.

Jane

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From: EPMD "Jane" (1988), EPMD "Jane II" (1989), EPMD "Jane 3" (1990), EPMD "Who Killed Jane?" (1992), EPMD "Jane 5" (1997), EPMD "Jane 6" (1999), EPMD "Jane" (2008)

Who they were: Jane is probably the longest-running fictional rap character in hip-hop history. Although she made her debut back in 1988 on the original "Jane," EPMD has now recorded a song about Jane on every single album that they've ever put out. She's taken a variety of different forms over the years—"Jane 3," wherein Jane turns out to be a guy named Mike, was easily the weirdest of the bunch—but she just won't go away. So if EPMD ever gets around to recording another album, we can pretty much guarantee you that Jane will make her return.

Where are they now? Sitting in a club somewhere wondering when Erick Sermon and PMD are going to show up. Anytime now, guys...

Bonita Applebum

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From: A Tribe Called Quest "Bonita Applebum" (1990)

Who they were: On the second song from ATCQ's debut, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, Q-Tip was smitten with Bonita. And could you blame him? Her measurements were 38-24-37 (niiiiiiice!), she had "elaborate eyes," and, yo, her last name was APPLEBUM. She sounded like the perfect girl.

Where are they now? Waiting for the producers of VH1's Love & Hip-Hop to call her.

Stan

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From: Eminem "Stan" (2000)

Who they were: At the beginning of "Stan," Eminem's self—proclaimed "biggest fan" was just that-a fan. He had written a letter to Em to tell him just how much he appreciated his music and asked him to write a letter back. But during the verses that followed, Stan got increasingly upset about the lack of a response from Em and, eventually, killed himself and his pregnant girlfriend by driving his car off of a bridge.

Where are they now? Stan died. But, thanks to the internet, the term "Stan" continues to live on—describing anyone who takes their fandom a little too seriously.

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