Cleverest turn of phrase in rap/hip hop?

[tr0psn4j]

@Cluricaun

Remembered another one from the track If you Mustby Del tha Funkee Homosapien

Nigga check yourself, respect yourself
And wash your motherfuckin’ body ‘fore your sweatshirt melt

Why not a little bit from Deltron 3030. The song is called Virus.

You see late in the evening
Fucked up on my computer and my mind starts roaming
I create like a heathen
The first cycles of this virus I can send through a modem
Infiltration hits your station
No microsoft or enhanced dos will impede
Society thinks thier safe when
Bingo! harddrive crashes from the rendering
Alot of hackers tryed virus’s before
Vaporize your text like so much white out
I want it where a file replication is a chore
Lights out shut down the entire whitehouse
I dont want just a bug that could be corrected
Im erecting immaculate design
Break the nation down section by section
Even to the greatest minds its impossible to find

[Vox_Imperatoris]

If French semi-rap counts, I like Je Veux te Voir by Yelle (that video is not her, but has lyrics):

Tu rêves d’un Hummer fluo
Dessiné par Akroe
Mais tu n’as pas le permis
Tu prends toujours metro

Which means, “You dream of a flourescent Hummer designed by Akroe, but you don’t have a license; you always take the metro.”

Valete,
Vox Imperatoris

[DWMarch]

@Cisco

I got a Faygo in the fridge but it tastes ill,
'cause it’s flatter than a bitch on a big wheel

I never thought I’d meet someone who likes both ICP and Lil Wayne.

If they’re somehow mutually exclusive no one bothered telling me. FWIW there’s a lot of stuff in both their catalogs that I don’t like but I think what they have in common is the ability to produce hilarious turns of phrase beyond the typical “niggas/bitches/bling” that modern hip hop seems filled with.

From the ICP’s cautionary tale of venereal disease, “Bugs on my Nuts”:
Can’t keep my muthafuckin’ hands out my drawers
“Stick a roach motel up under your balls!”
Nah, I’d rather stick em in a deep fryer
And sizzle those muthafuckas off my wang!

From Violent J’s hilarious “Wizard of the Hood”, a parody of Wizard of Oz:
We don’t know who you are and we don’t really care
But your carnival clown ass is welcome here
Because you and that damn near abandoned house
Landed right on top of the wicked witch of the South

And we hated that wicked bitch so much
Said we hated that slutty whore
But you crushed and killed that wicked bitch
We’ll be grateful forevermore

So my house landed right upon some neighborhood trick?
Huh, that’s the shit
Huh, look there go her feet, sick!
Hah, dumb bitch!

I started playing it off
I seen her in the window
So I was running around moving shit
And aiming it so

[shefDave]

“They was told not to ride in Patty’s Hearse
and stay out of Charles’ Manson
Took Abraham’s Lincoln through the Todd Bridges expansion
Willis Reids a map that marks the spot showin’
On his left George Burns a blunt William’s holdin’
Tyra Banked the money that Chaka Khaned him for
Alicia Keyed his car for givin Melba Moore
For the Redd Foxx who bought off the block, but though twice
As Debora Cox the gun 'cause she beat Kelly’s Price
When Rosa Parked the truck on the farm that Kim Fields
Linda Tripped for tryna to walk in Lauryn’s Hills
Water dripped outta Farrah’s Fawcett in the glass
She was “Superfly”, Curtis Mayfield her ass
Chris Tucker to a show, Ted Turner to a hoe
Robert Diggs the beat, but ain’t feelin the flow
But he signed it fast, for half of Johnny’s Cash
Nia Longed for the album to drop, cameras flashed
Tom Sawyer at the Lucielle Ball up at the foyer
He confronted Richard Pryor to hiring his lawyer
Suge’s Knight removed the rook off the board
Don King was checked and Al Sharpton the sword”

Gza - Fame

[Joey_Tightlips]

All that champgne I drank just to piss out,
I mean, I like the taste but coulda saved myself 6 hours.
– JayZ

I’m livin tall y’all, and just like Humpty Dumpty,
you’re gonna fall when the stereos pump me.
I like to rhyme, I like my beats Funky
I’m spunky, I like my oatmeal lumpy.
. . .
Sometimes I get ridiculous.
I’ll even buy you crackers and you licorice.
Hey Yo fat girl! Come here are you ticklish?
– Digital Underground, Humpty Dance

And my all time favorite line:

We got a doctorate in cold-rockin it. – The Roots, Dynamite

[Dorjan]

A favorite of mine:

“I’m 68 inches above sea level,
93 million miles above these devils”

• Butterfly Mecca, 9th Wonder (Blackitolism)

[Dorjan]

Some more favorites…

“we cultivated the lost art of study and i brought a buddy
automator harder slayer fascinating combinations
cyber warlords are activating abominations
arm a nation with hatred we ain’t with that
we high-tech archeologists searching for nicknacks
composing musical stimpacks the song
crack the motor what you think you rappin for?
I used to be a mech soldier but I didn’t respect orders
I had to step forward, tell them this ain’t for us
living in a post-apocalyptic world morbid and horrid
the secrets of the past they horded
now we just boarded on a futuristic spacecraft
no mistakes black its our music we must take back”

• Deltron 3030, Deltron 3030

“From open mics to solutions, I got a collage of answers
And a ten point program just like the Black Panthers
One: First respect yourself as an artist
If you don’t respect yourself then your rhymes is garbage
Two: Make sure your crew is as tight as you
‘Cause when them niggas fallin’ off, they gonna bring you down too
Three: Understand the meaning of MC
The power to move the crowd like Moses split the seas
Four: Know your shit and don’t ever be blunted
If you don’t know what the words mean then your rhymes mean nothin’
Five: Kick facts in the raps, and curse with clarity
What’s a curse when language is immersed in vulgarity?
Six: We gonna fix industrial poli-tricks
Shit, they made an art form out of ridin’ dicks
Seven: We soldiers for God needin’ new recruits
So if you rhymin’ for the loot, then you’s a prostitute
But Eight: Acknowledge that you need food on your plate
In order to say your grace, make sure your business is straight
Nine: We buildin’ black minds with intelligence
And when you freestyle, keep the subject matter relevant
Ten: Every MC grab a pen
And write some conscious lyrics to tell the children
I’ll say it again, every MC find you a pen
And drop some conscious shit for our children”

• Talib Kweli, The Manifesto

[WordMan]

Good stuff listed so far - surprised I don’t see anything from Eminem and Run-DMC, but most especially from Public Enemy.

Em’s internal rhyme scheme on this is great - famous and easy to cite, but he has done better…

Yo, his palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy
There is vomit on his sweater already
Moms forgettin’ he’s nervous
But on the surface he looks calm and ready
To drops bombs, but he keeps on forgetting
What he wrote down, the whole crowd goes so loud
He opens his mouth but the words won’t come out
He’s choking, how? Everybody’s jokin’ now
The clock’s run out, time’s up, over BLOW!
Snap back to reality, oh there goes gravity
Oh, there goes Rabbit, he choked, he’s so mad
But he won’t give up that easy, no he won’t have it
He knows his whole back’s to these ropes
It don’t matter, he’s dope, he knows that
But he’s broke, he’s so sad that he knows
When he goes back to this mobile home
That’s when it’s back to the lab again, yo
This whole rhapsody, better go capture this moment
And hope it don’t collapse on him

You better lose yourself in the music
The moment you own it you better never let it go, oh
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
Cuz opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yo
You better lose yourself in the music
The moment you own it you better never let it go, oh
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
Cuz opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yo
You better

As for PE - I will go with Don’t Believe the Hype - solid, simple lyrics and rhyme, but with Chuck D’s voice and flow…

Back
Caught you lookin’ for the same thing
It’s a new thing - check out this I bring
Uh Oh the roll below the level
‘Cause I’m livin’ low next to the bass, C’mon
Turn up the radio
They claim that I’m a criminal
By now I wonder how
Some people never know
The enemy could be their friend, guardian
I’m not a hooligan
I rock the party and
Clear all the madness, I’m not a racist
Preach to teach to all
'Cause some they never had this
Number one, not born to run
About the gun…
I wasn’t licensed to have one
The minute they see me, fear me
I’m the epitome - a public enemy
Used, abused without clues
I refused to blow a fuse
They even had it on the news
Don’t believe the hype…

[jali]

My favorite short line is from Biggie:

“I’m not only a client, I’m the Player President.”

The “Hairclub For Men” commercial seemed to be on late night TV in NYC a-l-l the time, and I suppose without seeing the commercial it’s not that funny. The voiceover in the commercial ends with “I’m not only a client, I’m the Hairclub President.”

[tds1273]

Damn this thread is tougher for me than some GD ones. Here are a few one liners I’ve pull from the top of my head or by hitting random on winamp. I’m definitely coming back to this thread though…

Aesop Rock: “Now I’m thinking who am I? Jabberwocky Superfly” Save Yourself; "Just because I don’t want to war with you, doesn’t mean go light up the bar-b-que"Coffee
**
Atmosphere**: “Keep my chips stacked up like a high rise. Drinking water cause I gotta keep my mind dry…Full house when I pull out my 9’s. Turn a high rise into a sky line” What They Sitting For?

Blue Scholars: “You say there’s no time to study? People look- you got time to take a shit, you got time to read a book”, “I heard a few heads say that hiphop is dead, no it’s not, it’s just malnourished and under fed” Southside Revival
**
Busdriver**: “Kids, if you really want to piss off your parents, show an interest in the arts. Kids, if you really want to piss off your parents, buy real estate in an imaginary place.” Imaginary Places

Danny!: “Ain’t nothing worse than looking up at a dead eyed crowd, and if I force it on 'em I could make a Jedi proud.”, “Y’all haters popping up like late fees lately.” No Guarantees

Dose-One: “I can’t get lost; I don’t know where I am” The Birdcatcher’s Return

Eyedea: “I’ve kicked it with kids that would’ve but couldn’t, kids that could’ve but wouldn’t. Some took it, misunderstood it, stood under it, and over looked it.” Savior

Sage Francis- “I’m leaving nay-sayers stumped like rain forests” Escape Artist

Talib Kweli: “Living to get high? You ain’t flyer than gravity” RE: Definition

3oh!3: "Tell your boyfriend, if he says he’s got beef, that I’m a vegetarian and I ain’t fckin’ scared of him" Don’t Trust Me*

[Mannish]

Jay-Z

“I’m bravin’ temperatures below zero, no hero
No father figure, you gotta pardon a nigga
But I’m starvin’ my niggas, and the weight loss in my figures
Startin’ to darken my heart, bout to get to my liver
Watch it my niggas, I’m trying to stay strong, but I’m gon’ get richer
Through any means, with that thing that Malcolm palmed in the picture
Never read the Qu’ran, or Islamic scriptures
Only Psalms that I read were on the arms of my niggas…”

:eek:

[tds1273]

@Aesiron

Ma, Ma–look what i did, Ma. Look what i did to my hands, I broke 'em.
You gave me the stone, gave me the chisel, didn’t say how to hold 'em.
Didn’t say to give away every piece of the puzzle ‘til i was left with nothin’.
But i took it upon myself to crush it up and distribute the dust.

– Sage Francis, Sea Lion.

One of my favorite rappers.

+1
Sage is probably my favorite lyricists ever (Saul Williams in a close second and Illogic rounds out the top three). Pretty much any line, off of any song, would fit here. There are so many layers to peel away, no matter how much you listen you can always catch something new.

[tds1273]

I tried to run with a theme and pull out some of the better animal songs(ones that kept the theme up through the whole song);and if any one has more please let me know. The first two I couldn’t find any lyrics online so I only gave the first bits a go; couldn’t quite pick up enough of the rest of the song to write them down. Give them a listen though and you can pick them up well enough. I also tried to link to the best place to hear the songs(lyrics and beats), though being at work, that ended up just being their amazon samples.

Qwel - Fable Salt

No problem said the Salmon, lets swim up this mountain
Cause my school mates are all fish and in no danger of drowning
But fuck that Mountain Goat though that chose his own route
The Mountain Goat sang I don’t swim well
Well, my road is the ground
See that sounds just like a challenge, a race! Sang out the Sparrow
I’m game guys, but I call the grey skies my short and narrow
You hear those storms approaching quick as the warm water ripples(?)
Little Billy Goat on your mark
Start!
The Billy Goat broke
The Fish split
The Sparrow barreled.
A semi-close start…

Note: The Amazon sample follows immediately from where I left off. The whole song stays with the narration through to the end of the race; it’s a fun one.
Haiku D’Etat - Kats

Top cat, rockin’ the top hat;
Like Felix with a bag of tricks we got that
How ya’ feel Garfield?
Chasin’ the kitty, so pretty
Young feline, she gotta be mine
I’m like Kathmandu, She’s like Kat man don’t
You like Pepe Le Pew; you wanna hit it but she won’t
She like my eye of the Tiger claw that hugs and squeeze her
But can’t stand my CAT scan eyes that sees her

Note: Again the sample immediately follows the quoted lyrics. The song keeps the ‘cat’ theme all the way through, with all different types of jazzy delivery. They also do another one on the albums for Dogs; just as creative lyrically, though not as interesting musically. A great album all around, be sure to check out their Outrocomposed almost entirely of haiku poems…

Did the Ostrich
know its feathers would be used
to write haiku poems?

**cLOUDDEAD **- Rifle Eyes

a murder of mosquitoes, and moths, and gnats
ravage the florescent flickering ribs of a motel lot flood light.
their frantic trajectories perfectly sketching insane in it’s halogen corona.
no collision… no drinking of bulbs at long last…
just a panicked moon drove dance they bang their insect eyes and mind at in the dark.
…
nightcrawlers all dried up on the summer sun sidewalk.
an ant with a little bit of leaf looks like an ant with an african mask.
the red raw salmon steak in the gas station urinal.
a full feathered dead pigeon with its entire skull exposed.
a single long stemmed rose resting between two mounted antlers.
a spider spitting web on a styrofoam snowman’s head…

Note: Weird enough? Okay this one is more singing than rhyming. I had a youtube link, but the best I can tell right now(through yahoo cache) it is no longer available. Shame, because the singing delivery really adds to the very vivid images the lyrics invoke.Hereare the rest of the lyrics.

Digital Underground - Underwater Rimes

Now last night, underwater, I saw a French mermaid,
Treated her to caviar and wine over shrimp brain,
In the raw, on the ocean floor, need I say more?
You never heard nobody kick it like this before,
Pink champagne, octopus brains,
Saw your DJ underwater through the window pane.
That sucker tried to hit a mix, but the mix didn’t happen,
Records kept floatin’ all the fish kept laughin’
A blowfish blew my mind and started to rhyme,
As the octopus cut nine records at a time.
Your boy said, “Show me how to keep my records down,”
But the shark ate his amp, your boy got clowned.

Note: Because you can just never have enough Digital Underground.

[tds1273]

Damn! I knew I’d forget something…

Dr. Octagon(Kool Keith)- Halfsharkalligatorhalfman

My vomit fluctuates, covers your skull like protoplasm
Lightning bugs turn pink, on my tongue catches spasms
Green elephants, I battle streets with a zebra
My mechanism is more than dionne’s psychic voodoo
African beads, snakeskins, cold script through you my medical passes
You can’t see, with greedy glasses
Carbon dioxide, pour right through em with gases
My description dinosaur
I was made half-shark-half-man, my skin is like razor blades
Seven-oh-seven, mr. gerbik
Verbally no one change my thoughts, animals fly from philly
My appetites more big it’s time for wildabeasts
Adjust my skulls, seven eyes switch hydraulic scribbles
And shrimps, mack gorillas like a pimp
Half-shark-alligator-man

Note: Fun song, but don’t ask me to make sense of those lyrics. This one has a youtube link, but I can’t be certain it works.

[gigi]

@mswas

What’s interesting is how it tries to redact the World Trade Center from culture. Far more disrespectful than BIG’s line, as it denies that it existed and had a history and was a part of the culture.

They don’t play Darlington County on the radio much, but I wonder about the harmless lines

Girl, you’re looking at two big spenders
Why, the world don’t know what me and Wayne might do
Our Pas each own one of the World Trade Centers
For a kiss and a smile I’ll give mine all to you.
Back to the thread…my favorite is a phrase from the Juice soundtrack:

She’s addicted/to what my dick did

[yellowval]

I’ve always been fond of this one from Wyclef Jean in the Fugees’ “Zealots.”

I haunt MCs like Mephistopheles
Bringin’ swords and Damacles
Secret service keep a close watch as if my name was Kennedy
Abstract raps simple with a street format
Gaze into the sky and measure planets by parallax.
Check out the retrograde motion, kill the notion
Of biting and recycling and calling it your own creation.
I Feel like Rockwell, “Somebody’s watching me”
I got no privacy whether on land or at sea.
And for you biting zealots, your raps are cacophonic
Hypocrite, critic, but deep inside you wish you had the pop hit.
It hurts don’t it, the refugees come to your turf and take over
the earth.

And from the same song:
The magazine says the girl should have gone solo,
The guys should stop rapping, vanish like Menudo.