The Best 25 Rap Lines of 2012 (So Far)

We count down the year's hottest bars.

Jun 29, 2012
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Image via Complex Original
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Image via Complex Original

There are some undeniable ones on our list—shout to Drake and Rock Ross. But some sleepers made the cut, too. So while the summer heats up, pop a cold one and check out the coolest bars that 2012 has had to offer (so far).

25. "Cristal go by the cases, wait holdup that was racist/I would prefer the Aces ain't no different when you taste it." - A$AP Rocky

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Song: "Goldie"
Album: LongLiveA$AP
Label: N/A

Cristal never tried to hide the fact that they weren't thrilled by the amount of attention rappers were bringing to their champagne—which was why Jay-Z ushered in the Ace of Spades era. A$AP Rocky not only calls the brand out for having no love for black people, he pops both bottles and does a taste test. In the final analysis Rocky decides he'd rather drink Ace because both taste exactly the same. Zing!

24. "I can eat a pound and shit sixty four quarters/Burn up fire and drown drops of water/Son, I told you I got them beans like Goya/Gone off them pills got me jumping off the sofa." - Danny Brown

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Song: "Grown Up"
Album: N/A
Label: N/A

Now that Danny's all grown up, he's so good at chopping up drugs that even his bowels know what to do with a pound of the stuff. And whatever pills he's taking have him acting like Tom Cruise on Oprah. Now that's a wild boy.

23. "I am Sam, I am known to go ham, the full retard/Playing taps on a keytar, in the Benz or the Beamer." - El-P

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Song: "The Full Retard"
Album: Cancer 4 Cure
Label: Fat Possum Records

El-P gives a Tropic Thunder shout out with the "full retard" line, saying that he wilds all the way out when it's party time. In keeping with the song's theme, his I Am Sam reference is more Sean Penn than Dr. Seuss. But he really shows his age when he starts rapping about a keytar. You crazy for this one El.

22. "Cause when niggas start equipin'/And throw the clip in/Your blood drippin'/And got you slippin'/Under the victim/Don't know what's hit them." - Joey Bada$$

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Song: Joey Bada$$ f/ Capital STEEZ "Survival Tactics"
Album: 1999
Label: N/A

It all starts with this verse. Sure Bada$$ and STEEZ had their punchlines, but what captured attention was how they fluently evoked the style of an era that ended when they were still toddlers. It didn't sound fake at all either. These kids are coming straight from the dungeons. Why do you think they call him "Bada$$"?

21. "Bend it over, Juicy J gone poke it like wet paint/You say no to ratchet pussy, Juicy J can't." - Juicy J

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Song: "Bands A Make Her Dance"
Album: Est In 1989 Pt. 2
Label: N/A

This line builds on Juicy J's classic quotable from "Zip and a Double Cup" about saying no to drugs. Here Juicy J lets us know he doesn't have a type. Crazy? Classy? Super hood? All ladies are welcome. He won't send one home if they're will to take a backshot from a Mafia member. Much respect for rhyming "paint" and "cain't." Only in Memphis.

20. "Me and LeBron got the same whips/Me and Dwyane on the same strip/Me and Wiz burn the same piff/Me and Stalley need the same pick/Me and Meek bone the same chicks/Me and Wale rock the same kicks." - Rick Ross

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Song: Rick Ross Feat. 2 Chainz & Stalley "PARTY HEART"
Album: Rich Forever
Label: Maybach Music Group

This line's dopeness is not about name-dropping as much as it is about the things Ross says without saying them directly. LeBron's a champion, MVP NBA player. You can imagine he's got ill cars in his garage. Ross has that too. Dwyane Wade, LeBron's teammate, plays for Miami. That's Rozay's hometown. Wiz Khalifa is a high-grade weed smoker. Ross smokes the best green. Ross' artist Stalley has a monsterous beard that requires an equally strong pick. Ross is known to sport a mean beard, too. And notice how he bigs up one of MMG's newer recruits by placing him amidst this all-star company. NIcely played.

19. "Say you got that 550, you talkin' bout that Benz nigga/Say I got that 550, I'm talkin' bout them M's, nigga." - Diddy

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Song: Future f/ Ludacris & Diddy "Same Damn Time (Remix)"
Album: Pluto
Label: Epic/A1 Records/Free Bandz Entertainment

"Same Damn Time" was a certified banger on its own, but things got turnt up when Diddy jumped on the track. In one of his hardest verses in recent memory, Mr. Combs reacquainted listeners with what the term "swag" really means. How do you think he remained a force in the rap game for more than 20 years? While you're working your way to the top, he's already been there and back—twice.

18. "Million dollar deals in my e-mail/You mad as hell you ain't CC'd." - Big Sean

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Song: Meek Mill f/ Big Sean "Burn"
Album: Dreamchasers 2
Label: Maybach Music Group

Who wouldn't be mad about missing out on all the money Big Sean is making? No matter how many unread messages you have cluttering up your inbox, nobody minds being looped in on those kind of threads.

17. "I'm the type to say a prayer and then go get what I just prayed for."- Drake

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Song: Meek Mill f/ Drake & Jeremih "Amen"
Album: Dreamchasers 2
Label: Maybach Music Group

There may have been a time when Drake prayed for things that were unobtainable. Now the OVO capo gets whatever he wants. This line is short and sweet, and its absolute undeniability makes it hit even harder.

16. "I'm chain smoking loud like it's a Newport/Dad wasn't around/My father figure was Too Short." - 2 Chainz

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Song: Rick Ross f/ 2 Chainz "Fuck Em"
Album: Rich Forever
Label: Maybach Music Group

It's ill enough for 2 Chainz to say he smokes weed like others hit cigs. But the craziest half of this rap is the part where he says that he took his parental guidance from Oakland spitter Too Short. And we all know how Short Dog likes to treat the ladies.

15. "Pull up in the Phantom/Watch them bitches catch the Holy Ghost." - Meek Mill

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Song: Meek Mill f/ Drake & Jeremih "Amen"
Album: Dreamchasers 2
Label: Maybach Music Group

Meek Mill put out one of the best mixtapes of the year with Dreamchasers 2, a project that was chock-full of hot lines. Meek really came with it on one of the mixtapes stand-out tracks, playing on the name of one of the most expensive cars out there, and snatching your girl in the process.

14. "Horse power, horse power/All this Polo on I got horse power." - 2 Chainz

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Song: Kanye West f/ Big Sean, Pusha T, & 2 Chainz "Mercy"
Album: Cruel Summer
Label: GOOD Music/Def Jam

If there's one thing 2 Chainz is known for besides rapping, it's his love of high-priced clothing and accessories. Whether he's swagging it out in a Louis rag, Gucci shoes or brass knuckles, the Georgia native always keeps it fresh. On G.O.O.D. Music's buzzing single from the upcoming Cruel Summer album, Chainz shows Polo's classic horse logo some love.

13. "They like, 'Heems, you should rap in earnest'/But honestly, I'd rather burn cess and watch Ernest." - Heems

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Song: Heems f/ Lakutis "Swate"
Album: Nehru Jackets
Label: Greedhead

Can't be mad at Heems of Das Racist for saying he's just going to ignore what others have to say and just do him. In his case, that means smoking weed and watching goofy-ass Ernest movies.

12. "That's why I'm backdooring you motherfuckas/All y'all can suck my dick/All them days at the county building/Now I'm 'bout to make my mama rich." - Kendrick Lamar

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Song: Kendrick Lamar f/ Gunplay "Cartoon & Cereal"
Album: N/A
Label: Interscope

With snippets of cartoon shows playing in the background, Kendrick flows a mile a minute before arriving at this line. Then he slows his cadence down and comes to a screeching halt to emphasize the best line of the song, reminiscing about where he came from and celebrating where he is now. As an added bonus, he dropped this banger just as he was gearing up to embark on the Club Paradise Tour with Drake. It's all about timing.

11. "I used to wanna rap like Jay-Z/Now I feel I could run laps around Jay-Z/Nas ain't seen nothing this nasty/B.I.G. and 'Pac got it coming when I pass too/You got the mic/I ain't the one you wanna pass to." - Ab-Soul

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Song: Ab-Soul f/ Kendrick Lamar "Illuminate"
Album: Control System
Label: Top Dawg Entertainment

While some accused Ab-Soul of disrespecting the greats with this line, the Black Hippie MC said that couldn't be further from the truth. All Ab was doing was spitting a hot line to let the legends know he feels he's already on their level, and getting ready to surpass them. Who's to tell him he's wrong?

10. "A box of condoms on her dresser then she Instagrammed it/At this point I realized I ain't the strictest parent." - Nas

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Song: "Daughters"
Album: Life is Good
Label: Def Jam

It doesn't get much realer than this line, which refers to a highly publicized incident where his daughter, Destiny Jones, Instagrammed a picture of a box of condoms. The prophet was left searching for answers. "I would ask her: 'Am I a cool dad?”'or “Am I a good dad? Did I fuck up?," he explained in a recent interview with Complex. "And she would say, 'Nah, you’re good.'"

9. "I hate when stupid bitches ask me questions that rhetorical like 'do you want to have sex?'/Well bitch/It's obvious." - Action Bronson

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Song: "9-24-11"
Album: Blue Chips
Label: Smart Crew

Blue Chips is a great mixtape because of its excellent combination of top-notch production and lyrical spontaniety. It was also an advanced course in shit-talking, and the song "9-24-11" was arguably Action Bronson's best lesson. In this choice cut he's spitting game to chicks from Yugoslavia, eating pussy like pasta, and popping bottles of Moet. This line was arguably the most hilarious in a song that was packed with quotables. Shooting the bull and being real at the same (damn) time is why Action Bronson wins every time.

8. "The square root of a kilo is me, nigga/Do the math, I'm a motherfucking G, nigga." - Rick Ross

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Song: Rick Ross "Power Circle"
Album: Self Made Vol. 2
Label: Maybach Music Group

Rick Ross loves counting his money, but square roots may not be his forte. (Better leave that to Drake with his raps about "the square root of 69 is eight/ate something.") We tried our best to calculate this line—a killo is 1000 grams, so the square root of that would be 31.6227766. Now if he had said the square root of 10 kilos, that would be 100, and we all know rappers like to keep it 100. OK so his math might be off, but Ross says this line with such conviction it's dope regardless.

7. "Don't do no press, but I get the most press, kid/Plus, yo, my bitch make your bitch look like Precious." - Kanye West

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Song: Kanye West f/ Big Sean, Pusha T & 2 Chainz "Mercy"
Album: Cruel Summer
Label: GOOD Music/Def Jam

Kanye is in full stunt mode on Cruel Summer's first single. And while some rappers' bravado might teeter on the brink of fantasy, Ye can back up all his boasts. It seems like the less interviews he does, the more people talk about him. And whatever chick he is with will probably make your chick look incredibly unattractive. Mr. West wins again.

6. "I'm at the round table, where your seat at?/Where your plate, where your lobster, where your sea bass?" - Gunplay

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Song: Rick Ross f/ Gunplay, Kendrick Lamar, Meek Mill, Rick Ross, Stalley & Wale "Power Circle"
Album: Self Made Vol. 2
Label: Maybach Music Group

The biggest breakout star on the new MMG album is Gunplay, who goes in on this all-star posse cut. On this line dude sounds like he's real glad to be seated at the table, enjoying his expensive seafood to the fullest.

5. "Fredo in the cut, that's a scary sight." - Lil Reese

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Song: Chief Keef f/ Lil Reese "I Don't Like"
Album: Back From The Dead
Label: N/A

Sometimes simplicity beats a complex line. Keef's "That's that shit I don't like" was a straightforward idea, but it sure turned a lot of heads. First, it became a street anthem that inspired a popping a G.O.O.D. Music remix. Then it sparked a bidding war to sign the young star, who eventually ended up landing at Interscope. The irony of it all is that Keef's partner Lil Reese used the line best, bigging up his GBE partner Fredo Santana.

4. "You signed to one nigga/That signed to another nigga/That's signed to three niggas/Now that's bad luck." - Pusha T

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Song: Pusha T f/ The Dream "Exodus 23:1"
Album: Cruel Summer
Label: GOOD Music/Def Jam

Pusha T has no love for Young Money, so when he decided to take a shot at Drake he hit him right in the wallet—speaking on Drizzy's "non-traditional" label situation. Although Pusha never mentioned him by name, we all knew who he was gettiing at.

3. "You ain't wet nobody, nigga/You Canada dry." - Common

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Song: "Stay Schemin'" (Remix)
Album: N/A
Label: Warner Bros./Think Common

In the heat of their now-squashed beef, Common got at Drake with this zinger that plays off his Canadian heritage and mild-mannered persona. This might be the funniest line of the year.

2. "And I'll admit, I had fell in love with Kim/Around the same time she had fell in love with him/Well that's cool, baby girl, do ya thang/Lucky I ain't had Jay drop him from the team." - Kanye West

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Song: "Cold"
Album: N/A
Label: Roc-A-Fella/GOOD Music/Def Jam

Apparently Kanye had been crushing on Kim Kardashian for quite some time. So when she decided to marry, albeit briefly, Kris Humphries of the now Brooklyn Nets, 'Ye wasn't too happy. The two are together now, but not before 'Ye told Humphries to be thankful he didn't have part owner and good friend Jay-Z drop him from the Nets. Damn 'Ye. That's cold.

1. "Bitch you wasn't with me shooting in the gym." - Drake

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Song: Rick Ross f/ Drake & French Montana "Stay Scheming"
Album: Rich Forever
Label: Maybach Music Group/Def Jam/Warner Bros.

This is a perfect example of how effective delivery can turn a great line into a full-blown motto. "Kobe 'bout to lose a hundred fifty M’s. Kobe my nigga I hate it had to be him." This line culminated a series of fantastic lines in a typically tight Drake verse (all of which was a shot at Common). Then out of nowhere Rick Ross pops up, recites that line with his signature "UNGH", and just like that we have ourselves a hit. It was the perfect exclamation point to a standout mixtape and launched countless Internet memes. Essentially, the "Fuck Bitches, Get Money" mantra was reborn.

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