The Corniest Rap Songs (That We Secretly Love)

It's OK to like some corny rap songs. Everyone has their favorites, and these are ours, from Skee-Lo to the Ying Yang Twins.

Before we started this post, we tried to define what makes a rap song corny, but we couldn't do it. There are too many factors. Sometimes it's an awkwardly ambitious chorus, sometimes it's a beat that aged terribly over the years, and sometimes it's dated slang and goofy deliveries. When you hear a corny song, you just know it.

But being corny isn't always a deal-breaker. Many corny rap songs stay in heavy rotation, and whether you're singing along at a party or ashamedly listening alone in your apartment, these songs can bring plenty of joy into your life. For today's feature, we swallow our pride and fess up to some of our favorite corny rap songs of all time.

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2. Skee-Lo - "I Wish"

This is right up there with the Fresh Prince theme song in terms of raps that at least one girl at every sorority party knows all the words too. Here's the main thing, though: Skee-Lo's "I Wish" is depressing. Like, read the lyrics. Dude is a mess, and he's totally unhappy with his life. So why does this song sound so fucking happy? This is like sitcom rap, tackling major issues in an easy, digestible way. But you know what? Sometimes we need sitcoms, and maybe we need more sitcom rap, because "I Wish" still hits us on some relatable, every day life struggles kind of shit, without being too heavy.

P.S. Where is Skee-Lo?

3. MIMS - "This Is Why I'm Hot"

MIMS covered a lot of ground in his 2007 hit: he shouts out every region of American rap, details his marketing strategy, and explains what happens when people get jealous (they "rearrange they face"). In the end, it all boils down to one major point: MIMS is fly, you are not. That is why he's hot.

Reading levels aside, MIMS struck gold on "This is Why I'm Hot." It has one of the easiest choruses to remember in the history of music, and has a beat you recognize from the second it comes on. It also boasts an epic Jamaican dancehall remix.


5. Ying Yang Twins - "Whisper Song"

"Wait'll you see my dick" is just one of the many absurdly lines in the "Whisper Song." Whoever dares to question the Ying Yang Twins' skills should take another look at the lyrics. The fact that they got this into the mainstream is either a fluke or a mark of some hidden genius.

Either way, it's hard to understand what's going to happen once they whip it out. Because they're whispering. That, perhaps, is where the genius of the Ying Yang Twins emerges: they might be speaking in half-sentences and non-sequiturs, but the raw sexual energy comes through in the whispers. And some orgasm noises. And that'll do.

6. Plies - "Becky"

The use of white girl names to describe shit reached and all-time low with "Becky." I don't even get it, to be honest. Like, what is the logic behind Plies' thinking? Becky = head? Why? How does that... And he wants to marry Becky? How do you marry a blowjo... Ugh, there is nothing in the world worse than trying to logically dissect a Plies song. Plies can do whatever he wants. And no matter what is hot in the rest of the country, Plies will still be getting regular radio play in Florida.

Related: The Best (and Most Ridiculous) Plies Instagram Videos

7. Fun Lovin' Criminals - "Scooby Snacks"

When your name is Fun Lovin' Criminals, of course you are going to be corny. But when the title of the song is "Scooby Snacks," there's no hope. A song about drugs and robbing banks has never been cornier. Also never been more awesome. This was '95, when there was still hope for rap-rock, and FLC was kind of on to something.

8. Chamillionaire ft. Krayzie Bone - "Ridin'"

"Ridin'" was downloaded 3.2 million times in 2006... as a ringtone. That's enough to cement its legacy in all things corny, but the song is super catchy regardless, even achieving the Medal of Honor in corniness when Weird Al Yankovic recorded his parody version, "White & Nerdy."

Cornballing aside, Chamillionaire was speaking on some pretty heavy topics in his first chart-topping hit: police brutality and racial stereotyping are on the docket through both his verses. Dark subject matter to tackle when the guest verse is by a guy named Krayzie Bone.


10. Baby Boy Da Prince - "This Is The Way I Live"

What does it mean to be corny? Is it a flush of embarrassment when you realize your excitement? A cackling shake of the head when you listen to what the rapper's actually saying? Whatever the case may be, Baby Boy Da Prince fulfilled all of the above with "This Is The Way I Live."

Since its release in 2007, this song has soundtracked too many drunken barroom makeouts to count, and it still goes today. Whether he's comparing himself to Mount St. Helen or Hurricane Katrina, Baby Boy Da Prince makes sure to let you know he's living far better than you.

11. Soulja Boy - "Crank That"

Soulja Boy came and performed at my college in 2007, right around the peak of his "Crank That" powers. The crowd was supermanning hoes with reckless abandon, and all was right in the world.

Looking back, it's not exactly our finest moment as a listening public, but shit, he had whole routine and we lapped it up. And as it was easier to do Soulja's weird hop-step than actually dance, he immediately became a hero to white boys everywhere. For that: we salute you, Soulja Boy.

12. Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz - "Get Low"

Love him or hate him, Lil Jon was on everybody's radio back in 2002. "Get Low" was playing in bars, at barbecues, and on radios, and the Atlanta hype man's signature "YEAH!" became the punchline for any and every joke.

Thirteen years later, it's a fool's errand to pretend like you don't get crunk when "Get Low" makes an appearance in your night. Also, it's still amazing in hindsight that this song got as big as it did when the chorus goes into detail about sweat dripping down balls. TO THE WINDOOOOOOOOOOOWS.

13. J-Kwon - "Tipsy"

I have an unabashed love for "Tipsy." The production is just crazy—that big "We Will Rock You" percussion, the whispered chorus, and of course, "urrbody." They're all pieces of the puzzle that is J-Kwon, but the Missouri rapper disappeared after the initial swell of popularity that surrounded "Tipsy."

No, literally, he went missing for a month. Apparently J-Kwon needed some alone time, which I get, but he ended up getting plenty of it after "Tipsy" fell out of the charts.

The last we heard from J-Kwon he was making diss tracks directed at Pusha T and Odd Future.

14. Public Enemy - "He Got Game"

When it comes to samples in rap, there is such a thing as too obvious. You can't just go sampling the most recognizable parts of one of the most recognizable songs of a generation. And if you do, it definitely can't be the theme song to a movie about basketball. Or... can it?

15. Bubba Sparxxx ft. Ying Yang Twins & Mr. ColliPark - "Ms. New Booty"

"Ms. New Booty" is one of those songs that, all these years down the line, is good for a couple "oh God, no" groans. But not because of the music; the beat is fire, and Bubba Sparxxx is peaking before our ears.

No, the groans come from the memories that the song provokes. This was—and is, in the rare event a DJ dares cue it up—the fastest way to booty-drops and bad decisions. Booty, booty, booty, booty... rocking everywhere.

16. Jibbs - "Chain Hang Low"

"Chain Hang Low" was Jibbs' debut single. The future must have looked bright back in 2006, with years and years of low-hanging chains ahead.

The ride was a wild one—Jibbs' song cracked Billboard's Top 10, was downloaded as a ringtone more than 20,000 times in two weeks, and was featured in cinematic classics like Drillbit Taylor and Norbit.

Fame began to wobble to and 'fro, unfortunately, and Jibbs ended up as one of history's one-hit wonders. The legend of "Chain Hang Low" has endured, however, thanks to ice cream men and Vine celebrities everywhere.


18. Sean Paul - "Temperature"

Oh, Sean Paul. So many of his songs sound so similar—and yet none of them can touch the eternal greatness of that "Temperature" hook.

Sean Paul could do one thing: light up a dancefloor. "Temperature" is his greatest achievement on that count. You might have no idea what's saying on the verse (for example: "time fi a make baby now so stop gwaan like you a act shady yo"), but when that chorus comes...

19. Will Smith - "Gettin' Jiggy With It"

"Gettin' Jiggy With It" is the ultimate Will Smith song—squeaky clean and relentlessly enthusiastic. Even though the Philly actor/rapper was never the most groundbreaking rapper (except when he was, you know, pioneering modern hip-hop), his songs stuck around. So even though you might roll your eyes at that "woo! ha-Haaaaa," don't pretend you can resist gettin' jiggy with it.

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