Rap Music: When Comedy Meets Poignancy
In fact, I’ve played around with the possibility of writing
and recording some of my own rap music. If I did, you could then call me by my hip
hop name: Skittles. (M&M is already taken…sort of.)
Rap songs have the unique ability to contain boatloads of
information, which, depending on how the format is utilized, can lend itself
well to either serious and weighty meditation or outlandish humor. I love both
uses. As such, I wanted to share some of my
favorite rap songs/videos with you. I don’t necessarily think these are the
cream of the crop from an aesthetic standpoint—only that I myself enjoy them
immensely. I’ve divided my list into two groups: humorous rap songs and serious
rap songs. We’ll start with the humorous ones first.
Top 5 Humorous Rap
Songs
5. “Yo Mama Battle (of Compliments)” (Rhett & Link)
It’s hard to pick a favorite of Rhett and Link’s hip hop
songs, but I like this one because of the twist on a rap battle (i.e.,
compliments instead of insults) and the cleverness of the lyrics. (My wife
likes the “Epic Rap Battle of Manliness” better.)
4. “White and Nerdy” (Weird Al)
Weird Al’s parody skills are exceptional, and this hip hop
song is…well, no exception.
3. “Tears of a Rapper” (Flight of the Conchords)
This song comes from the Fight of the Conchords TV show. The
lyrics this dynamic duo comes up with are often hilarious. (Warning: song contains some language.)
2. “See You on Monday” (Roman
Johnson)
Slathered with delicious lyrics, this song about a man pining
for Chick-fil-A on a Sunday (when the restaurant chain is closed) is a real treat.
1. “Swagger Wagon” (Toyota)
Created by Toyota (yep, the car company), this is a clever
and slick piece of marketing. As a standalone song (and music video), it’s an intense
and entertaining laugh-fest.
Top 5 Serious Rap
Songs
5. “Can I Live?” (Nick Cannon)
This song wears its message on its sleeve, but I still
love it for two reasons: 1) it’s a message I’m passionate about, and 2) the
“twist” ending gives the piece a nice rhetorical boost.
4. “Atonement Q&A” (Shai Linne)
This is a theologian’s dream: a hip hop catechism. Through
a series of questions and answers, Shai Linne explains the nature, extent, and
beauty of Christ’s atonement.
3. “The Interview” (Timothy Brindle)
Although this could technically fit in the humorous
category, it still deals with a serious topic: finding and rooting out the sin
in one’s life. Arranged in the form of an interview, and filled with clever
lyrics/banter, this song expertly sets up the rest of Brindle’s Killing Sin album. (Yes, I know the
album’s artwork leaves much to be desired; just focus on the words of the
song.)
2. “Far Away” (Lecrae)
Written as a source of encouragement to those experiencing
suffering, Lecrae dedicated all royalties to this song toward relief work in
Haiti after a 2010 earthquake killed hundreds of thousands of people.
1. “Tell the World” (Lecrae)
Lecrae is one of my favorite rappers, and it’s hard to pick a top song of his. Here’s just one example.