What makes a great rap verse in 2019? As the genre continues to grow and evolve, the set of characteristics we look for is becoming more broad. There’s just as much value in a rebellious SoundCloud loosie from a recently unretired Lil Uzi Vert as there is an intricate, metaphor-stacked verse from a veteran like Black Thought. The diversity of styles in 2019 rap makes ranking and comparing verses increasingly difficult, but it’s midyear list season, so we gave it a shot anyway. These are Complex’s picks for the best rap verses of 2019 (so far).
15. Drake, “Omertà”
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Verse: 1
Best Line: “I’m ’bout to call the bluff of anybody that fold on me/I’m buyin’ the building of every door that closed on me”
I like to think of Aubrey Drake Graham, age 16 or so, watching the retro hour on MuchVibe, at one time Canada’s 24-hour “urban” video channel, in his childhood home. With each song, Drake calculatedly internalizes another flow he’ll deploy years later. Among them is the delivery Smoothe da Hustler and Trigger tha Gambler originated on “Broken Language”—a song they released when Drake was in the neighborhood of 9. Some 23 years after the fact, to mark the Raptors’ first NBA Championship, Drake dropped two tracks, including “Omertà,” which saw him borrow that flow. But while the Brooklyn brothers dedicated just under four minutes to bars like “the Glock cocker, the block locker, the rock chopper,” the Torontonian used his song-length verse to send shots at his enemies (“Last year, n***as got hot ’cause they told on me”); boast about his own wealth (“I’m bankin’ 2 million a show for the residency/Nevada gaming commission in a frenzy) and that of those around him (“Bronny buyin’ up Brentwood like he still in Akron”); and assert that, no, matrimony isn’t for him (“Everyone that’s married is miserable”). It all amounts to another glimpse into the highly curated public persona of Drake—conveyed in a cadence he absorbed somewhere along the way. —Lucas Wisenthal
14. Maxo Kream, “Still”
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Verse: 1
Best Line: “Signed to RCA, 1.5 mil/Still sellin’ dope, label like I need to chill”
From shouting out his 10110 Forum Park origins to bragging about his seven-figure deal with RCA, “Still” is essentially a Maxo Kream survey course for those who have somehow managed to miss the ferocious Houston spitter’s excellent catalog. Maxo navigates CHASETHEMONEY’s rumbling 808s like Marshawn Lynch through a defensive line—never relying on speed or agility, but instead harnessing relentless power. Along the way, he offers impressive internal rhymes (“Still hit a stain, take a chain, ain't no changin' me”) and asserts himself as one of the realest in the game (“Momma told me, ‘chill’ 'cause I'm fightin' all these felonies/Still makin' deals, vacuum seals, what you tellin' me?”) Now that he’s on a major label, Maxo is going to have a bigger platform than ever, and “Still” proves why that opportunity is so long overdue. —Grant Rindner
13. DaBaby, “Goin Baby”
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Verse: 1
Best Line: “Fuck around, think I'm signed to Cash Money/Pull up with a Drake in the sprinter”
DaBaby’s breakout moment arrived with the release of Baby On Baby, an album full of instantly quotable one-liners and wildly entertaining verses. Throughout the 13-song project, he finds a way to make any mundane little story from his life sound like a massive flex, and the best example of that comes on “Goin Baby” when he raps about hearing his daughter laugh on a FaceTime call in a way that has me considering fatherhood for the first time in my life. Elsewhere in the song’s first verse, the Charlotte native pulls off a Drake/draco double entendre, raps about a kite, and politely asks someone else’s boyfriend to do more research. If you’re into over-the-top, cocky verses delivered with a sense of humor, DaBaby is your guy, and the first verse on “Goin Baby” displays everything he does so well. —Eric Skelton
12. André 3000, "Come Home"
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Verse: 3
Best Line: “I don't like my fin bent up, Tilikum, well, that's ill-informed/Sweet stuff, Willa Wonk’, we stuck, Billabong”
Only 3 Stacks could pack references to Willy Wonka, a deceased orca whale, and Australian river terminology into a stirring verse that addresses the way love strains as time passes. André bounces between rich details (“I remember when you start dyeing them silver hairs/And start hiding from your age/I ask, ‘Why? How come?’/Amazin' how time can run away from us”) and sweeping declarations (“I'm no nun, you're no priest, but I promise, hun, you gon’ see/A phenomenon, come with me”), mirroring the massive emotional and rhetorical swings that can happen in a relationship-altering argument. His bag of flows remains deep as ever, as he rhymes in double time, machine-precise staccato, and cascading triplets without ever sounding like he’s trying to show off. —Grant Rindner
11. 2 Chainz, “Statute of Limitations”
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Verse: 1
Best Line: “Any time 50 came to town, I served Buck/Any time the Sixers played the Hawks, I seen Chuck”
“I ain’t made a play since 2011,” the rapper formerly known as Tity Boi says in an ad-lib before the opening verse on “Statute of Limitations.” “Can I talk my shit now?” Indeed he can. The reason this verse sticks out is not because of any great technical rhymes or outrageous punchlines. Rather, it’s the concept. It’s a short portrait not of 2 Chainz, successful rapper; but instead of a guy whose big claim to fame is that he deals drugs to rappers and athletes way more famous than he is. The contrast to 2 Chainz’s usual hyper-braggadocious persona is startlingly effective. And it serves as a reminder that the distance between serving Lil Jon and being Lil Jon is sometimes not very far at all. —Shawn Setaro
10. Tierra Whack, Tim Westwood Freestyle
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Verse: 1
Best Line: “You love drama, I love taking trips to Benihana/Swag on Michelle Obama, book a trip to Ghana”
Tierra Whack’s 2018 visual album, Whack World, proved that she is a first-rate auteur on par with anyone in hip-hop. And in moments like her Tim Westwood TV freestyle, she shows she can easily go bar for bar with the best, too. Atop the bouncy, challenging beat from Timbaland & Magoo’s “Drop,” Whack takes stock of her success with lines that highlight her intelligence and penchant for wordplay, while putting her identity as a proud black woman front and center (“You love drama, I love being black in Benihana/Swag on Michelle Obama, book a trip to Ghana”). Even fairly standard boasts about jewelry sing because of Whack’s springy flow and unique vocabulary (“I know crackheads with three commas/On my way to Ben Baller, ‘bout to freeze my Acqua Panna”). The fact that she spits the entire freestyle while beaming just proves that she’s having as much fun rapping as we are listening. —Grant Rindner
9. J. Cole, “The London”
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Verse: 1
Best Line: “A verse from me is like 11 birds/Just did the math, that's like two thousand dollars every word”
Save your $4 per word debate and outrage. At $2,000 a word (which roughly equates to 11 birds, if that conversion better relates to you) Jermaine Cole is the highest paid freelance writer in New York. (And he still bikes, at that!) As “The London” and pretty much every feature he's done in the last 14 months proves, he's worth every penny. 2019 is Cole’s year, with the self-proclaimed industry middle child setting new goals and imposing challenges on himself to diversify his approach to running a label, playing well with others, and improving upon his own creative process. That means, with regards to the latter, welcoming features, parlaying with other producers, and finding new flows. This verse is positively dripping in Auto-Tune, which is definitely startling on first listen, but the pitch quality on the bars remains the same. —Frazier Tharpe
8. Freddie Gibbs, “Crime Pays”
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Verse: 2
Best Line: “Thought I would front you another one/Niggas like you that just ain't got enough on the books/Talkin' that shit in the booth but when niggas come shoot at you/You couldn't do nothin' but look”
Freddie Gibbs is cold with the raps, and that’s on full display with “Crime Pays,” where he employs a double-time flow over Madlib’s buttery backdrop, which showcases the chemistry these two have been building since 2011’s Thuggin’. The second verse is especially razor-sharp, as Gibbs highlights the realities of the street life, calls out the fakes (“Talkin' that shit in the booth but when niggas come shoot at you/You couldn't do nothin' but look”), and even throws in a dig at former-associate-turned-foe Jeezy. Few acts keep it as raw as Gangsta Gibbs. —Edwin Ortiz
7. Megan Thee Stallion, “Running Up Freestyle”
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Verse: 1
Best Line: “If I'm with your daddy, then you know we at the mall”
Megan first let these bars off across the pond on Charlie Sloth’s Fire In the Booth, and freestyling is what put her on people’s radars in the first place. Megan used to kill other people’s beats on video and post them to Twitter, organically growing a fanbase that waited to see what she could really do with a budget. She hasn’t disappointed, and has been talking that Big Texas playa shit ever since. Her breath control is something we don’t talk about enough. This is all one verse, and she spits it like she means it. Yes, Megan, step on me and ruin my life. I know that’s what every dude thinks when he hears her rap like this. 8Ball should hop on a track with her for the culture. —Angel Diaz
6. Pusha-T, “18 Wheeler”
![Verse: 2
Best Line: “The only drug dealer out at Fashion Week /With an 80/20 split like Master P/Why would I ever 50/50? You ain't half of me”
This is the purest match made in drug dealer heaven (read: Miami) since, well, “Drug Dealers Anonymous.” It's simple genealogy, really: Push started by tapping his generation's godfather Hov for a long overdue meeting of the scales, so it's only right that he then knight the next Mr Sniffles in waiting. That he does, but only after politely bodying the platter that Benny serves up with everything from a Master P flip to a gleefully indisputable Fashion Week brag. Glamorous indeed. [Editor's note: This list was finalized before Pusha-T's verse on Freddie Gibbs and Madlib’s “Palmolive” was released, which would have easily been in contention for one of the best rap verses of the year so far] —Frazier Tharpe](https://img.youtube.com/vi/JdZC8uBwJ4Q/mqdefault.jpg)
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Verse: 2
Best Line: “The only drug dealer out at Fashion Week /With an 80/20 split like Master P/Why would I ever 50/50? You ain't half of me”
This is the purest match made in drug dealer heaven (read: Miami) since, well, “Drug Dealers Anonymous.” It's simple genealogy, really: Push started by tapping his generation's godfather Hov for a long overdue meeting of the scales, so it's only right that he then knight the next Mr Sniffles in waiting. That he does, but only after politely bodying the platter that Benny serves up with everything from a Master P flip to a gleefully indisputable Fashion Week brag. Glamorous indeed. [Editor's note: This list was finalized before Pusha-T's verse on Freddie Gibbs and Madlib’s “Palmolive” was released, which would have easily been in contention for one of the best rap verses of the year so far] —Frazier Tharpe
5. Nipsey Hussle, “Racks in the Middle”
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Verse: 2
Best Line: “If it was me, I would tell you, ‘Nigga, live your life and grow’/I'd tell you, ‘Finish what we started, reach them heights, you know?’”
Dozens upon dozens of Nipsey verses are now impossible to listen to without being immediately depressed all over again that he isn't here anymore. Some are showcases of a remarkable talent gone too soon, but others carry an even heavier weight for being tragic reminders of all the goals he won’t get to realize, eerily foreshadowing the broad strokes of his untimely passing. “Racks in the Middle” is both. Listening to the song when it dropped and now, it was clear Nipsey was about to take all of the momentum he accrued in 2018 and run full-speed ahead this year. His race was cut short, no doubt leaving plenty of peers similarly laid up in their home saunas, rich and ultimately powerless to do anything about it. But The Marathon continues nonetheless. —Frazier Tharpe
4. Black Thought, “Crowns for Kings”
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Verse: 2
Best Line: “I been living proof that the pressure make precious stones/And real Clarence Avants remain lesser known”
Black Thought did it again: He delivered a verse that ended up very high on our best verses of the year list. In 2018, it was the masterstroke that was “Twofifteen.” This year, the entry is Tariq’s verse on Benny the Butcher’s “Crowns for Kings.” It’s a full two minutes that provides a master class in rapping. Thought’s knotty rhymes, impeccable delivery, and one-of-a-kind pronunciations (“a fly vintage” turns into a “vin-tahj”) are placed in service of a verse that is both a look back at hard times growing up in Philly (“Wishing we could get from Snyder Ave. to Melrose/Without the Dapper Dan bodybags and jail clothes”) and a hyperbolic celebration of how far he’s come (“The money generated from me leaving microphones broke/Probably almost on par with all of Escobar's coke”). There’s a sly quote from “Kick in the Door” early on, and it’s not an accident. After a career of classic verses like this one, Black Thought deserves consideration in the same greatest-of-all-time lists that include the guy who was mad at him that one time. —Shawn Setaro
3. Schoolboy Q, “Attention”
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Verse: 1
Best Line: “From Pac, Snoop, Kurupt, Daz, bitch, I'm déjà vu/You see my homie in the hood ’cause I hate y'all too”
If for some reason you had any lingering doubts about Schoolboy Q’s ability to rap his ass off, those should be put to bed with the final verse of his fifth studio album, CrasH Talk. On “Attention,” Q makes the most of an extra long verse to run through several chapters of his own life story, telling tales about the times he’s made his heroes proud before recalling the moments when he “ain't achieve shit” and “quit sports to become a Crip.” Diving into brutal memories from his past, Q provides context that makes it even sweeter to hear about the realities of his present day: front row at the Grammys, getting praises from Jay. This is honest, vivid storytelling at its best. This is one of the best rap verses of the year on one of the best rap albums of the year. —Eric Skelton
2. Benny the Butcher, “5 to 50”
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Verse: 3
Best Line: “And before you niggas ever got some cash/I could put 200 grams on every half”
This was a tough one to pick, because we could’ve chosen multiple Benny the Butcher verses from his The Plugs I Met project. We went with the last verse on “5 to 50” because Benny is playing with his flow a little bit here. Benny, Push, Hov, and Ross really talk this drug talk the best. We need more of these introspective verses from the Butcher. Hopefully he can pay his plug back the half he owes him with some of these rap checks. There’s definitely going to be more where that came from as Benny’s star continues to rise. —Angel Diaz
1. Lil Uzi Vert, “Free Uzi”
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Verse: 2
Best Line: “I'm not tall, but I ball like a athlete/Count my money, yeah, I turn to a mathlete”
Who says Uzi can’t go in? The little walking, talking meme went the fuck in on “Free Uzi” at a time when rumors of retirement and label issues were still flying and we weren’t sure if we’d ever hear him rap again. This was a moment. I wish we could count this entire song as one verse, because there are hella quotables in all three of these, but we’re going to go with the second. First of all, “I was steppin' on the beat, took a nap on it” is a bar, then there’s the Kaepernick line, and finally, lil man compares himself to a mathlete when he counts his bread. Oh, and let us not forget, “Backwood on me, bitch, you stay ’rello,” for all the smokers out there. We needed Eternal Atake yesterday, especially if Uzi has bars like these tucked in the chamber. —Angel Diaz
