Songs That Make You Feel Like a Badass

It almost feels redundant including Pharaoh Monche's classic in this list—it is the ultimate in pulse-raising, lip-curling magnificence, and if you don't know that you've been under a soundproof rock for the last two decades. "Simon Says" is the song that inspires lists like these, and you know it from the opening notes: massive horns give way to Monche's rallying cry to "get tha fack ahp!"

It's nasty, grimy, unapologetic rap that could raise the dead. If this doesn't put a sneer on your face, seek help.

Upon its release, Kanye West took a special shine to this song, telling MTV: "Even though ’Can’t Tell Me Nothing’ isn’t doing good on radio, I never had a hood anthem before.” He went on, saying, "What [Andre] 3000 told me when he heard 'Can’t Tell Me Nothing,’ he said, 'I believe you.’ A lot of rappers, they say shit they don’t believe themselves. When I’m talking, y’all believe my passion."

True.

No list about badassery would be complete without 2Pac's classic ode to destroying his East Coast rivals. This is one of history's great diss tracks, ranging from the brutally insulting: "First off, fuck your bitch and the clique you claim," and the absolutely degrading: "Biggie, remember when I used to let you sleep on the couch/And beg a bitch to let you sleep in the house?"

In light of the tragic deaths of both Biggie and Pac, "Hit 'Em Up" comes with some baggage, but the visceral nature of Pac at his most charged up is undeniable.

"Killing In The Name Of" was the lead single off Rage Against the Machine's self-titled debut album, and they wasted no time—Zach De La Rocha hisses uncomfortable truths over Tom Morello's growling guitar to great effect, but what RATM does so well on this cut is rile their listeners up to a breaking point.

When that chorus finally comes after a heart-pounding eternity of "Now you do what they told ya," your feet should be off the ground. Special shoutout to Morello's guitar solo at the four-minute mark. Short, sweet, and vicious.

TNGHT, we hardly knew ye. The supergroup composed of Hudson Mohawke and Lunice only had a brief moment in the sun before they went their separate ways, but what a fucking moment. Listening to "Higher Ground" is like watching a rocket take off: billowing clouds of vocal loops pour out from the speakers before the fire starts in the form of those classic, brutal HudMo horns.

This is the ultimate pre-presentation track, sure to convince your inner self that everyone in the room is a bunch of tiny bugs, a flick of the wrist away from being crushed by your awesome might.

"Bring Da Ruckus" is the opening track for Wu-Tang Clan's debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). It sets the tone for one of hip-hop's seminal albums, unleashing a barrage of gritty rhymes with little more than finger snaps and sparse kung-fu samples backing the squad.

With lines like "I blow spots like Waco Texas" (Ghostface), "Stabbing up the pad with the vocab, crab" (Inspectah Deck), and "more rugged than slaveman boots" (GZA), "Bring Da Ruckus" will have you stomping out any and everything in your way.

Mobb Deep mastered the dark, grimy, no-nonsense kind of badass. If you ever need a soundtrack to walking through a dark NYC alley and feeling ready for whatever, this is the kind of shit you want in your headphones.

Kurt Cobain didn't often discuss lyrics, but he was open about "Scentless Apprentice." The song was inspired by the book Perfume—a story involving the human senses and murder—and it's one of the most effectively unrefined pieces of music ever put together by Nirvana.

The beat sounds playful, but "Blood In Blood Out" is Vinnie Paz at his most savage. From blasphemous boasts to morbid metaphors, it's an adrenaline-inducing attack on anyone who wants it. Some might find it offensive, but when Paz says, "If you listening to me you couldn't lose in a fight," it's impossible not to feel like you can't be fucked with.

It's no accident that Wu-Tang Clan is the only artist on here with more than one song. For a not-so-brief period in the mid-'90s, the Wu was Shaolin shadowboxing everyone in sight. This was partly thanks to their sheer numbers, an advantage on full display on "Protect Ya Neck." Just when you're trying to process Raekwon's verse, Method Man dives in headfirst. Fuck hooks, fuck beat breaks, fuck anything less than going straight for ya neck.

Fuckin' posers.

This is the only Goblin beat not produced by Tyler, and Left Brain makes the most of the opportunity. Big, fuzzy bass opens the floodgates for some of Tyler's most evil lines, delivered in his pitched-down devil voice—he's making suits out of women, taking them into his dungeon, and sucking blood like Dracula. The vampire identification is a common theme in Tyler's Goblin era, and it makes for some of his most intense, chaotic and hype music.

When Frank Black and Kim Deal were good, they were so, so good. "I Bleed" offers a glimpse into The Pixies' greatness: Black's lackadaisical, nihilistic delivery is the perfect complement to Kim's sing-song upper register, and when you throw that punky, no-frills guitar and bass in there, it's a recipe for surefire confidence. I imagine the band chain-smoking throughout the entire song, or playing it as their slowly walking away from an exploding car.

Waka Flocka Flame elbowed his way into the music scene with "Hard In Da Paint" back in 2010, and there's a solid contingent of music fans who say he still hasn't topped it. Five years later, it still bangs, and still makes you want to start punching things whenever it comes on.

Only Danny Brown could namedrop every tragic celebrity death in recent memory and make it sound tough. From Hendrix to Heath Ledger, Danny pays his respects over a gnarly Skywlkr beat that seems to warp and twist like the rapper's vision in the early morning hours. It's sick in its own way, but with lines like, "I got that Kurt Cobain type of mind-frame/Feeling like Keith Moon shrooms in my dressing room," it's hard not to walk with a strut in your step when "Die Like A Rockstar" kicks on.

Here's another entry that grabs you by the throat from the outset: A$AP Rocky takes no prisoners, gunning down his detractors with impeccable confidence. The only problem is how soon it ends—"LPFJ2" dips out shortly after the two-minute mark, giving way to an intro for the equally vicious "M$." On an album that showcased his newfound versatility, "LPFJ2" knocks like a blend between street anthem and horror movie soundtrack.

And for your listening convenience, here's a Spotify playlist.