Story Raps
Story Raps seem to be almost a lost art in Hip Hop these days, or the most underrated aspect of it at the very least. Story Raps have always been one of the major factors in my love for Hip Hop and have always been able to draw me into a certain artists song or album. Some of the greatest rappers ever have been some of the greatest story tellers from Tupac to Scarface to Slick Rick and Ice Cube, but so many other artists have put together some of my personal favorite story raps as well. I decided to put together a list of some (emphasis on SOME) of my favorite Story Raps here. Now, these are my PERSONAL Top 10 of my favorite Story Raps so there are sure to be plenty of people who disagree on the ordering or even placement (or non-placement) of some of the songs. I also added a few more of my favorites as bonuses as well.
10. 2Pac feat. Dave Hollister - Brenda's Got A Baby (2Pacalypse Now) [produced by The Underground Railraod]
The song that introduced Tupac Shakur to a generation. "Brenda's Got A Baby" was 2Pac's first solo single and is first hit as well. The very first 2Pac song I (and many others as well) ever heard and it's arguably 2Pac's most touching and popular song as well. The song follows Tupac's narration of a 12-year old girl from a broken home, named Brenda's, teenage pregnation and the struggles she goes through. She eventually has the baby and throws it into a trash can before hearing the babies cries and retrieving it. Brenda eventually runs away from home and then begins selling crack and prostituting herself leading to her being murdered. 2Pac used this song to bring into light the dificulties of teen pregnancy on women as well as to criticize deadbeat fathers, the government, and society in general. To show just how realistic Pac's narration is, he was inspired to do the song after reading a newspaper article about a 12-year old girl who was inmpregnated by her cousin (Brenda's babies father in the story is her cousin) before having the baby and throwing it away in a garbage can. 2Pac's very first single and it's possibly his very best single.
09. DMX – The Damien Trilogy (Damien, Omen (Damien II), Damien III)
Over the course of three songs DMX tells an incredibly eerie tale of a man he meets named Damien that offers him the world and asks him do certain things for him (like murder) before the reveal that it’s actually the devil himself. The song is actually a metaphor for DMX’s career and how he feels trapped at times by his success and fame and a kind of “selling your soul” and his continued battle with the “demons” in his soul. Everything about this trilogy of songs is amazing. The production by Dame Grease (on “Damien”), Swizz Beatz (on “Omen”), and PK (“Damien III”) fits the eerie, dark theme of the story and the fact that DMX progresses the story over the 3 songs so flawlessly is hard to beleive since it’s 3 different songs not just over 3 different albums but almost 4 years between Pt. 1 & Pt. 3. Add to it that DMX distorts his voice whenever “Damien” speaks and Marilyn Manson’s appearance on the chorus for “Omen” just adds to the overall creepiness of the songs.
08. Bun-B of UGK - The Story (Trill) [produced by John Bido & JOE TRAXX]
There isn’t hidden meaning or metaphors here, it’s just the story of UGK told from the mind of ½ of the legendary group. Bun gets personal when talking about Pimp getting locked up and having to put UGK on his back as well as personal stories like Pimp not originally wanting to do “Big Pimpin” and label drama. One of my favorite Bun solo tracks.
07. Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg, Daz, & Nate Dogg - Lil' Ghetto Boy (The Chronic) [produced by Dr. Dre]
One of the things Dr. Dre is not known for his Story Raps (though he does have a few), “Lil’ Ghetto Boy” is most definitley the most touching song on “The Chronic” as Dre, Snoop, and Nate weave a tale of violence and death in the streets and the drug game. Snoop and Dre’s rhymes mixed with the Donny Hathaway sample and Nate Dogg’s vocals combine to make a Story Rap Classic G-Funk style.
06. Mike Shinoda aka Fort Minor - Kenji (Fort Minor: The Rising Tied) [produced by Mike Shinoda]
Mike Shinoda’s Fort Minor project is an amazing record and “Kenji” tells the story of a Japanese-American and his family being tossed into an internment camp during World War II. The song was very personal to Shinoda since his father and his family were locked in an internment camp during the war. Shinoda actually interviewed his father and aunt (excerpts of the interviews can be heard during the song) before doing the song to add to it. His ominous production just fuels this emotion story of war.
05. 50 Cent - A Baltimore Love Thang (The Massacre) [produced by Cue Beats]
No one will ever mistake 50 Cent as being a “deep thinker” or even someone who’s known for story raps, but on “The Massacre” he did just that with an extremely creative and unique song called “A Baltimore Love Thang.” I remember when the song came out and how some people just threw it off as a “love song” or a song for the ladies, but in fact 50 Cent raps from the point of view of Heroin. He’s literally Heroin in the song, sending a love letter to a dope fiend. 50’s extreme visualization and detail on what fiends go through and the control he (heroin) has over the fiend is incredible with lines like "I got you bare footed on glass chasing a dove/that monkey on your back symbolizes my love" and “you broke my heart you dirty bitch, I wont forget what you did/if you give birth, I’ll already be in love wit’ ya kids!”
04. Geto Boys - Minds Playing Tricks On Me (We Can’t Be Stopped) [produced by John Bido]
Considering one of the first “horrorcore” style of rap it’s always one of the best Story Raps you’ll come across from Scarface, Willie D, and Bushwick Bill: The Geto Boys. Each member tells stories of their characters going through paranoia (Scarface), delusion (Willie D), and hallucinations (Bill). Bill’s bizarre verse actually steals the show as he tells a story of running around during Halloween trick or treating (a hilarious sight in the video for the song) when he runs up on a guy “about 7 feet” that is stalking him (and who he says he sees in his dreams) when he and the Geto Boys jump him and him down. Then Bill realizes he’s punching the concrete (noone is there)... and it’s not even Halloween.
03. Eminem feat. Dido - Stan (The Marshall Mathers LP) [produced by The 45 King & Eminem]
Marshall Mathers has always had some bizarre rhymes and a slew of great story raps, but "Stan" definitely takes the cake. Telling the story of an obsessed and deranged Eminem fan named "Stan" who goes from big fan to obsessive, suicidal, and homicidal quickly. Eventually "Stan" snaps and locks his girlfriend (and baby's mother) in the trunk of his car (something Eminem has rapped about more than once) before crashing off a bridge into a river killing them both and their unborn child. The song closes with Eminem writing back to "Stan" before realizing that the story about an unknown person crashing their car off a bridge with his girlfriend in the trunk was actually the person he's writing too. The video only adds to the eery awesomeness of the song and Eminem's unique ability to turn up the tempo at the change of a hat in his songs adds to the deranged feeling the Stan character is supposed to give.
02. Notorious B.I.G. - Suicidal Thoughts (Ready To Die) [produced by Lord Finesse]
One of Biggie’s most underrated talents was his story telling ability and in “Suicidal Thoughts” Biggie pours his heart about all of his transgressions and the way he’s treated women being a primary part of the story, and eerily talks about wanting to just end it before you hear the gun go off at the end of the song. The song was one of Biggie’s more personal songs on his aggressive debut “Ready to Die.”
01. Ice Cube - It Was A Good Day (The Predator) [produced by DJ Pooh]
Ice Cube has become known for his gritty story raps over the years and a large majority of them are very violent and dark, but in 1993 Ice Cube released a song that was the complete opposite. In a time when the majority of West Coast rap was very violent (and the majority of Cube’s music was) he released an incredibly upbeat and uplifting song about just simply having a good day. In the song absolutely everything goes right for Cube from getting a girls number to having a great day on the Basketball court and not getting harassed by the cops. The definition of a laid back story rap, It Was A Good Day, can turn one of my bad days into a good day with just one listen.
BONUS CUTS
- T-Rock - The Heaven Within (Patriot Games)
Easily the least known song on this list is T-Rock’s cut from his 2011 EP “Patriot Games.” On it T-Rock tells the amazing story of two adopted brothers (one of them adopted) who leave two completely opposite lives: one is incredibly talented and goes to college on a football scholarship before getting drafted to the NFL and becoming rich while the other was nothing special and just worked on a train track (where his father worked). The NFL brother is miserable despite all of his riches while the other brother is happy and content. Eventually he suffers a horrific accident at work and loses 3 of his limbs, his NFL brother comes home and sees how happy his brother continues to be despite the loss and eventually tells his brother how much he hates him because of how happy he is and then commits suicide in front of his brother. T-Rock’s ability to paint such a vivid picture in this story makes it one of my favorite T-Rock songs of all time.
- Lil' Wyte - Drop It Off (Doubt Me Now) [produced by DJ Paul & Juicy J]
The hidden gem of Lil’ Wyte’s solo debut in my opinion sees Wyte weave a tale of a robbery scheme over a haunting and driving (and incredible) beat by Paul & Juicy. Wyte spits the song in pretty much 3 acts (Act I: The Plan, Act II: The Robbery, and Act III: The Escape) like a movie with the 3 verses and his flow and energy on the song only adds to the great concept.
- Mr. Sche - 1 Life 2 Live (entire album)
Concept albums are a rarity especially in Hip Hop but that didn't stop Mr. Sche from producing his own concept album in "1 Life 2 Live." The album follows the story of a man who gets released from prison and quickly gets caught up back in the streets. The album follows a movie-like script going from prison to a bank robbery and then a gang war even with a love scene thrown away and eventually the climax of the album's main character in heaven. A truly creative album that really does play out just like a movie. This is easily one of my favorite albums from the Memphis legend.
- Scarface - The Suicide Note (MADE) [produced by N.O. Joe & Mike Dean]
Scarface’s return to the rap game after several years away was capped off with his a “Suicide Note” on his return of album “MADE.” Face weaves an eerie tale about a friend who commits suicide and their relationship over the haunting production from H-Town legends Mike Dean & N.O. Joe.
- Nas - One Love (Illmatic) [produced by Q-Tip]
How can you NOT put a song that actually inspired a scene in a movie not a list of favorite Story Raps? Nas has a slew of great Story Raps but “One Love” is considered one of his greatest as Nas composes each verse as a letter to a locked down friend telling the person stories of things that have happened since he’s been locked up. The scene in “Belly” in which Nas’ character approaches a kid on a park bench outside of the projects is almost word for word from the final verse in “One Love.”
- 8Ball & MJG - Armed Robbery (Comin' Out Hard)
“Armed Robbery” is the very violent story about Ball & G’s laying out of a planned robbery from their debut “Comin Out Hard.” This one is one of the very first Ball & G classics.
- Frayser Boy - Bloody Murder (Gone On That Bay) [produced by DJ Paul & Juicy J]
Much like “Armed Robbery” this one is pretty self explanatory, Frayser spits a murderous tale about a hit going down and the fallout from it. Many bullets are shot in this one.
- G. Mane - Maria (Sex, Drugs, & Money) [produced by MIDIMarc]
This is one is one of my favorite G. Mane records to date, “Maria” (produced by MIDIMarc). On this record G. Mane tells the story of a girl named Maria who gets revenge, gangsta style, on some fools that ripped her off. In the climatic finale to the story G. Mane recites Maria’s revenge:
“I seen ‘em come out, make they way to the exit/
Maria followed close, pulled the thing from her left hip/
I know I had to step out to see these boys get crept on/
1st one dropped from one shot, the other tried to get gone/
thought he got away, he was moving fast/
but you should have seen Maria, she was on his a**/
screamin “f*cking wit’ my money, sumb*tch, I told ya’!”/
hit him in the leg, and the side, and the shoulder/
like Doughboy, she told him “turn your punk a** over then/
smashed out in a blacked out Rover…THE END/” G. Mane goes into such detail in the record its almost as if your watching a gangsta flick on TV, the visualization is incredible.
-Warren G & Nate Dogg – Regulate (Above The Rim Soundtrack) [produced by Warren G]
Probably the smoothest Story Rap you’ll ever have grace your eardrums, Warren & Nate (R.I.P.) takes us on a ride as Warren G gets car jacked and potentially murdered until Nate runs up and saves his boy. The song ends with the two finding a couple of ladies and doing what they did best in the G-Funk era.
