Rap Genius: The top 5 rap lyrics of the week — Weezy puns on a White Stripe
RAP GENIUS - This past week was notable, first and foremost, for tragedy. The horrible crime of eleven years ago cast a pall over those effected that not even the dopest punchlines could begin to lift...
This past week was notable, first and foremost, for tragedy. Â The horrible crime of eleven years ago cast a pall over those effected that not even the dopest punchlines could begin to lift. Â But that doesn’t mean nobody tried. Rah Digga gives a shout-out to Joan Jett, Weezy puns on a White Stripe, Mistah F.A.B. breaks down the Middle East, and Hov mentions some real-life gangsters while Raekwon name-drops an Internet one. Â Below, the lines of the week:
5.  “Love us or not, the Mark Zuckerbergs of the block/Hug your knot, staying rich, we was built for the guap” — Raekwon, ‘The Morning’ lyrics
Rae here sets up the Facebook founder as a rich boss, thus making the few remaining FB shareholders happy and justifying Zuckerberg’s entire life.
4.  “It’s the Dream Team meets the Supreme Team/And all our eyes green” — Jay-Z, ‘Clique’ lyrics
Hov, as ever, operates on a level few mortals can reach. Â While this line may appear simple, there’s a lot going on. Â The Dream Team, of course, is the ’92 U.S. Olympic basketball team. Â The Supreme Team was the notorious Queens-based drug gang of the 1980’s and 90’s. Â But the green eyes here mean something more than jealousy, and more than having eyes the color of money. The Supreme Team’s leader, Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff, famously had green eyes, a fact which is certainly not lost on Jay, who likely remembers the group’s heyday.
3. Â “I ain’t your ordinary — I’m that ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb/Hate femcees, could give a f**k if we get along” — Rah Digga, ‘Janis Joplin’ lyrics
While we at RG hate the term “femcee” — “emcee”, after all, is gender-neutral — we do love The Runaways’ 1976 hit “Cherry Bomb”, whose chorus stutter is emulated here by Digga.
2.  “So while you balling at the Plaza/Kids two and three die every day out in Gaza/Civil wars in Cairo, and the buildings burn like pyro/In Jerusalem, the Mus-a-lims are fighting for survival” — Mistah F.A.B., ‘What’s Swear 2 God To An Atheist’ lyrics
F.A.B. here takes high-living rappers to task for ignoring social realities — the still-contentious situation in post-revolutionary Egypt, the occupation of Gaza, and the recent spate of attacks against Palestinians in Jerusalem. Â Would that more rappers addressed world affairs instead of how much their hotel suite cost.
1. Â “It’s Young Money, we out here, we turnt up ’bout that life/My pockets fat like Jack Black; if I go broke, I’mma jack whites” — Lil Wayne, ‘Magic’ lyrics
Lil Wayne, who had a bit of a creative rough patch after his jail term ended, returns to his old form with his new mixtape Dedication 4. Â The collection shows him as free-spirited and inventive as his now-legendary 2005-8 period. Â This line uses colorful (literally!) wordplay to pun on the name of former White Stripes guitarist and singer Jack White.
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