Our choices this week show an incredible variety of approaches. Â The best lyrical moments of the past seven days show happiness, tragedy, cleverness, and boastfulness in equal measure. Â Below, the lines of the week.
5. Â “Money comes with happiness/If you can’t have integrity and be rich, I’mma take half of it” — Dom Kennedy, ‘Situation’ lyrics
Getting points across without explicitly stating them is one of the greatest tools in a rapper’s handbook. Â Early Jay-Z was the master of sardonic understatement (“Believe you me son, I hate to do it just bad as you hate to see it done”), but Dom gives a great addition to the canon with this ode to stealing his antagonist’s money.
4. Â “My ni**as that ain’t caught up or slain, they defendants/But Gates ain’t leaving the game, believe in it” — Kevin Gates, ‘Hollywood Freestyle’ lyrics
We at RG have much love for Kevin Gates — check out our interview with him to see why. Â This recent freestyle manages to get across a ton of emotion and background in one minute, and these bars are a highlight.<
3.  “And my joints knock harder — the Annies theme/So this is for the fans like antifreeze” — Consequence, ‘Black Skinhead (ConsTV Remix)’ lyrics
Rappers have stayed away from Annie puns since a certain 1998 hit, so it’s good to see Consequence getting back into the game. Â We also are, for some inexplicable reason, very amused by the “fans” pun.
2. Â “Dos cadenas, close to genius/Sold-out arenas, you could s**k my penis” – 2 Chainz, ‘Talk Dirty’ lyrics
Speaking of being amused, we were quite literally LOLing at 2 Chainz giving his moniker en Español on this random cameo verse.  Also, the juvenile “s**k my penis” at the end is somehow charming rather than off-putting.
1. Â “A ni**a’s judge gave a young ni**a ten years/My baby mama cried ten times a hundred tears/A hundred nights in the cell I’ve cried too/My mama died last year, I kinda wish I died too” — Killer Mike, ‘Reign Fall’ lyrics It is rare enough for rappers to admit any chinks in their armor at all, never mind suicidal depression. Â So a big shout-out to Killer Mike for taking his pain and turning it into great art.
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