A Hip-Hop Love Story
Rap music, at its core, has been a 50-year love affair with the English language. The way artists rhyme and flow language inspires us to dance, think, flirt, grieve and laugh. To celebrate hip-hop’s birthday, we asked Mahogany L. Browne, Lincoln Center’s first poet-in-residence and an acclaimed author, to write a love letter to the genre, composed entirely of lyrics both beloved and obscure, with a little remixing.
Tap on a line to learn more about — and listen to — the songs she sampled.
50 Cent, “In da Club” (2003)
Happy birthday, hip-hop!
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DJ Premier, Nas and Q-Tip Lisa Leone
Cardi B Flo Ngala
New York, 2012 Jessica Lehrman
Frank Ocean and Tyler, the Creator Josh Haner/The New York Times
Lil Uzi Vert Jessica Lehrman for The New York Times
Remy Ma Christopher Lee for The New York Times
Ice Spice Landon Nordeman for The New York Times
Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion Flo Ngala
Up in the Club
It was a clear black night, a clear white moon.
Warren G, “Regulate” (1994)
Originally appearing on the soundtrack of the Tupac Shakur film “Above the Rim,” this song is built around a sample of Michael McDonald’s “I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near).”
I’m looking like a star when you see me make a wish.
Lil Wayne, “Money On My Mind” (2005)
This track appeared on the second installment of Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter” album series, which elevated the New Orleans rapper from teenage phenom to full-blown superstar.
Rip me out the plastic, I been actin’ brand new.
Latto, “Put It on da Floor Again” (2023)
The video for this song featured, among others, the L.S.U. star Angel Reese, two months after she led the Tigers to their first ever national basketball championship.
You can find me in the club.
50 Cent, “In da Club” (2003)
“In da Club” was the No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 charts for nine straight weeks and would be named the most popular track of 2003 by the outlet.
I cold rock a party in a b-girl stance. I rock on the floor, make the fellas wanna dance.
MC Lyte, “Cold Rock a Party” (1996)
This single reached a new level of commercial success when it was remixed by Sean “Diddy” Combs and gifted with a guest verse from an up-and-coming Missy Elliott.
We went to the Latin Quarters and we got in free.
Slick Rick, “The Moment I Feared” (1988)
Slick Rick’s debut LP was lauded for its vivid storytelling, evident on this album cut — produced by Public Enemy’s mainstay production group, the Bomb Squad — about an urban adventure gone wrong at the Latin Quarters, a nightclub in Manhattan that became a home for rap music in the mid-1980s.
Music mixed mellow.
Eric B & Rakim, “Follow the Leader” (1988)
The video for this single kicked off the pilot episode of the series “Yo! MTV Raps,” which became an important engine of hip-hop culture in the late ’80s.
Fly girls lookin’ the best.
Biz Markie, “Spring Again” (1989)
This song has the honor of appearing right before “Just a Friend,” the single that launched the Biz to global notoriety, on his 1989 album, “The Biz Never Sleeps.”
I Momma. Miss Ivana. Usually rock the Prada, sometimes Gabbana.
Lil’ Kim, “No Time” ft. Puff Daddy (1996)
After gaining buzz through her association with the group Junior M.A.F.I.A. (and its patron, the Notorious B.I.G.), Lil’ Kim shot to stardom with her debut solo single, “No Time,” which was eventually certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Pour the champagne, let your watch show.
Kanye West, “See Me Now” ft. Beyoncé, Charlie Wilson and Big Sean (2010)
Originally leaked on the internet, “See Me Now” was formally included as a bonus track on West’s album “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” — one of the few new records to be awarded a perfect 10.0 rating by the influential website Pitchfork.
Then leave the party to the after-party y’all.
Benzino, “Rock The Party” ft. Mario Winans (2002)
Might this be the only rap single recorded by a magazine mogul to hit the Billboard charts? The rapper Benzino, real name Raymond Leon Scott, was a co-owner of the iconic hip-hop magazine The Source. (Your turn, Anna Wintour.)
D.J. in the club, spinnin’ records back and forth.
Benzino, “Rock The Party” ft. Mario Winans (2002)
I’m a boss in a skirt, I’m a flirt. All my chains got diamonds in it (Bling). My account got commas in it (Cash). Damn Daddy, you fine as hell.
Cardi B, “She Bad” ft. YG (2018)
After stints on the VH1 show “Love & Hip-Hop: New York” and the release of “Bodak Yellow,” her breakout single, Cardi B was anointed as a member of hip-hop’s ruling class with her debut album, “Invasion of Privacy,” which included this YG collaboration.
Tell me when to go.
E-40, “Tell Me When To Go” (2006)
Throughout the 1990s, E-40 became a local star in his native Bay Area, helping to spearhead a style of rap called “hyphy,” which is characterized by its insistent rhythmic pace and emphasis on bodily joy. But it wasn’t until 2006, when he was nearly 40, that he became a true mainstream star with his best-performing single, “Tell Me When to Go.”
The Notorious B.I.G. Lisa Leone
Queen Latifah Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives, via Getty Images
Welcome to My House Party
I’m type polite but now I’m looking at her skeptically, ’cause baby girl got all the right weaponry. Designer fabric, shoes and accessories.
Mos Def, “Ms. Fat Booty” (1999)
After stoking expectations with his group Black Star, Mos Def — now known as Yasiin Bey — broke through as a solo artist with this lead single from his debut album, “Black on Both Sides,” which sampled Aretha Franklin’s “One Step Ahead.”
I walked in through the back door entrance. When I walked in, I smelled incense, chased by a weed aroma, empty Guinnesses.
Nas, “Undying Love” (1999)
This is the closing track on “I Am ...” by the acclaimed rapper, who grew up in the Queensbridge projects of New York. The project was originally intended to be a double album until a massive MP3 leak forced him to change directions.
I’m tryna live it to the limit and love it a lot.
Jay-Z, “D’Evils” (1996)
For this cut from his debut album, “Reasonable Doubt,” Jay-Z told DJ Premier, the track’s producer, which record scratches to use.
Baby, I wanna do the right things: They feel so much better than the wrong things. I wanna fold clothes for you. I wanna make you feel good.
J. Cole, “Foldin’ Clothes” (2016)
This ode to domesticity was written in tribute to J. Cole’s wife, Melissa Heholt, who was pregnant with their child.
What’s your name, love? Where you came from?
Mos Def, “Ms. Fat Booty” (1999)
Missy Elliott and Lil’ Kim Ernie Paniccioli
Drake Zong Li
Anderson .Paak Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet for The New York Times
Intergalactic
I got my eyes on you. You’re everything that I see.
Drake, “Hold On, We’re Going Home” ft. Majid Jordan (2013)
Majid Jordan is not one person but rather an R&B duo who assisted on this all-singing, no-rapping single from the Canadian rapper Drake. Made with his in-house producer Noah “40” Shebib, “Hold On, We’re Going Home” was intentionally crafted to create the vibe of a great wedding song: “It’s me and 40 just channeling our Quincy Jones/Michael Jackson production duo,” Drake told MTV.
Let’s travel at magnificent speeds around the universe. What could you say as the Earth gets further and further away?
Eric B. & Rakim, “Follow the Leader” (1988)
They told me shootin’ for the stars was the answer. I took a trip to the stars, no rocket fuel. No NASA.
Black Milk, “Black NASA” ft. Sam Austins (2019)
This sound like growing out my clothes. With stars in my pocket, dreaming about making my hood glow. This sound like every place I would go, if I could fly.
Noname, “Diddy Bop” (2016)
It’s against the laws of physics.
The Fugees (Lauryn Hill), “Zealots” (1996)
You live in my dream state. Any time I count sheep, you exist behind my eyelids, my eyelids. Now, I don’t wanna wake.
Tyler, the Creator, “See You Again” ft. Kali Uchis (2017)
Tyler, the Creator said “See You Again” was actually written for the pop star Zayn Malik, formerly of the boy band One Direction — but after he bailed on their recording session, Tyler decided to keep the track for himself.
We be to rap, what key be to lock.
Digable Planets, “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)” (1992)
Jay-Z Sue Kwon
Lauryn Hill Lisa Leone
Mos Def Bob Berg/Getty Images
N.E.R.D. (Shay Haley, Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo) Chester Higgins Jr./The New York Times
Flow Futuristic
I spit game cuz baby I can’t talk it. Warm. Sweating. It’s hot up in this joint.
Nelly, “Hot in Herre” (2002)
“Hot in Herre” not only was Nelly’s first No. 1 single: It also made the St. Louis rapper the inaugural winner of the Grammy for Best Male Rap Solo Performance — a category that existed for exactly two years alongside Best Female Rap Solo Performance, before they were both folded back into the genderless Best Rap Solo Performance.
I don’t budge, don’t want much — just a roof and a porch. And a Porsche and a horse.
Rick Ross, “Sixteen” ft. André 3000 (2012)
This eight-minute centerpiece from Ross’s “God Forgives, I Don’t” album also features a guitar solo from André “3000” Benjamin — just one of his many skills, which also include acting (most recently, “White Noise” and “Showing Up”) and, of course, rapping (he was one-half of the seminal duo OutKast).
I’m talking about someone who opens up things for you, touches your soul.
Mac Miller, “Soulmate” (2016)
This sample of Robin Williams talking about love, taken from the film “Good Will Hunting,” opens the seventh track on the 2016 LP “The Divine Feminine” by Mac Miller, who died in 2018. He wrote the song while he was dating the pop singer Ariana Grande.
I’d like to get to know ya so I could show ya.
Missy Elliott, “Work It” (2002)
With a hypnotic sample of Blondie’s “Heart of Glass,” a tongue-twisting hook and the induction of “badonkadonk” into vocabularies across Middle America, “Work It” was an inescapable radio smash that exemplified Elliott’s futuristic sound and solidified her as a true mainstream star. Earlier this year, she became the first female rapper to be voted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Right now I’m smiling, taking advantage of this moment. ’Cause there might not be another soon. Holding on to memories like roller coaster handle bars.
OutKast, “E.T. (Extraterrestrial)” (1996)
If you ever find yourself struggling to remember which OutKast album this song is from, meditate on the title until you can recall “ATLiens,” the sophomore LP named for the group’s native Atlanta.
Yo, roll the dice. Roll the dice.
Wu-Tang Clan, “Method Man” (1993)
There are nine members in the Wu-Tang Clan and two solo songs on their debut LP, “Enter the 36 Chambers.” Only one is named for a member — the rights to which were rumored to have been won in a studio rap battle.
If you don’t understand me,
Lil Wayne, “Feel Me” (2005)
get off my cloud. You don’t know me and you don’t know my style.
Wu-Tang Clan, “Method Man” (1993)
Snoop Dogg Lisa Leone
Fat Joe Sue Kwon
Kid Freeze and Lucky Strike Jamel Shabazz
Been Around the World
Now, let me make one thing clear: I don’t need to ride yours, I got mine right here.
Lupe Fiasco, “Kick, Push” (2006)
I only roll Lexus, to hug your road. I love your corners. I’m half your soul.
Jay-Z, “Hello Brooklyn 2.0” ft. Lil Wayne (2007)
See, in the perfect world, I would be perfect, world. I don’t trust people enough beyond their surface, world.
Kendrick Lamar, “PRIDE.” (2017)
The singer Neil Tennant coined the term “imperial phase” to describe how his band, Pet Shop Boys, felt at its creative and commercial peak. Perhaps no rapper has enjoyed as prominent of an imperial phase as Kendrick Lamar in the 2010s. After catching fire with the conceptual masterstroke “good kid, m.A.A.d. city” and the socially conscientious “To Pimp a Butterfly,” 2017’s “DAMN.” was the victory lap — a sonically expansive, hard-hitting collection of songs that won the Compton M.C. a Pulitzer Prize for music, making him the first nonjazz or nonclassical artist to claim the honor.
Don’t assume where I’m at. It get heavy so I never lack.
I picked you.
Ice Spice, “Name of Love” (2022)
Few rappers have had as instant a come-up as Ice Spice, whose shock of red hair and Bronx bonafides became ubiquitous over the past year as songs like “Name of Love” and her wide-reaching hit “Munch (Feelin’ U)” grabbed ears with their pop spin on the gritty New York drill sound.
Queen with a crown that be down for whatever. There are few things that’s forever.
Method Man, “All I Need” ft. Street Life (1994)
Kendrick Lamar Scott Garfitt/Associated Press
Biz Markie Jamel Shabazz
New York, 2016 Jessica Lehrman for The New York Times
Love’s Gonna Get You
If I didn’t ride blade on curb, would you still (love me)? If I made up my mind at work, would you still (love me)? Keep it a hundred, I’d rather you trust me than to (love me).
Kendrick Lamar, “LOVE.” (2017)
There are three credited featured musicians on Lamar’s 2017 LP “DAMN.”: Rihanna, U2 and a relatively unknown, 20-something singer named Zacari, whose original track “Lovely” is the root of this song. Lamar kept the sweet-voiced chorus and wrote a new slate of verses about his feelings for his long-time partner and fiancée, Whitney Alford.
I got love for the game, but I’m not in love with all of it. Could do without the fame, and rappers nowadays are comedy. The hootin’ and the hollerin’, back and forth with the arguing.
T.I., “Live Your Life” ft. Rihanna (2006)
If you really want to take a wormhole back in time, consider this song’s opening sample: O-Zone’s “Dragostea Din Tei” — also known as the “Numa Numa” song, if that chain of words sparks memories of very old memes. Rihanna was not yet a full-blown superstar on this 2006 collaboration, but her beguiling vocals showed why she would ascend the following year with the release of her single “Umbrella.”
I can feel it inside; I can’t explain how it feels.
LL Cool J, “I Need Love” (1987)
With his shredded physique, hard-hitting raps and swaggering energy, the Queens-raised LL Cool J was one of hip-hop’s early breakout stars. But he broke new ground with “I Need Love,” a tender ballad about his yearning for romantic connection. It’s not difficult to trace its influences to artists like Fabolous and Drake, who are known to admit to the emotions behind the tough mask.
I’m lookin’ at the front door.
Main Source, “Looking at the Front Door” (1990)
All I know is that I’ll never dish another raw deal.
LL Cool J, “I Need Love” (1987)
I need gratitude. I’m on a different latitude.
Kodak Black, “I Need Love” (2017)
They say the loudest in the room is weak. That’s what they assume, but I disagree.
I say the loudest in the room is prolly the loneliest one in the room. (That’s me.)
Tyler, the Creator, “911 / Mr. Lonely” ft. Steve Lacy (2017)
Biz Markie, LL Cool J, Guru and Big Daddy Kane Ernie Paniccioli
Brooklyn, 1997 Sue Kwon
Method Man and his son Sue Kwon
Head Sprung
I can’t get no sleep at night. I sit and think all night.
DeJ Loaf, “Who Am I” (2016)
The Detroit rapper DeJ Loaf hooked ears in 2014 with “Try Me,” a declaration of violence toward anyone willing to get in her face that also sounded like a nursery rhyme, thanks to its sing-song flow and laconic melody. That balance between aggression and harmony fueled singles such as “Who Am I,” where she admitted self-doubt amid her search for success: “Sometimes I sit and I just wonder will I ever fumble? / Can’t think like that, I got to keep this [expletive] forever going.”
I write what I see, write to make it right.
Lupe Fiasco, “Hip-Hop Saved My Life” (2007)
From the Brooklyn to the Bay,
E-40, “Automatic” ft. Fabolous (2002)
from Japan to Atlanta,
Raekwon, “Guillotine (Swordz)” ft. Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck and GZA (1995)
I learned the game quickly.
Jadakiss, “We Gonna Make It” ft. Styles P (2001)
The Lox did not seem like pop stars: A rap group from Yonkers, their uncompromising street-level rap was an interesting fit for the glitz and glamour of Puff Daddy’s Bad Boy Records label. But the Lox got plenty of attention as a unit, allowing its members to go solo and find mainstream success. The frontrunner was probably the authoritative Jadakiss, who hit the ground running with “We Gonna Make It,” the first single from his debut solo album. Without quoting the lyrics too much, let’s just say his commitment couldn’t be doubted.
The forests are all shrinking. This deepens my thinking.
Digable Planets, “Exclamation of What” (1993)
Love is the hunger, love is the thirst, love is the best, love is the worst, love is perverse, love is to cure.
Talib Kweli, “Lover’s Peak” (2013)
Noname Erik Carter for The New York Times
The Roots Raymond Boyd/Getty Images
I’m Slipping
We get it on where we live. You better have a pass when you cross that bridge.
Lil’ Kim, “Lighters Up” (2005)
Eight million stories out there in the naked city, it’s a pity.
Jay-Z, “Empire State of Mind” ft. Alicia Keys (2009)
There’s no disputing that Jay-Z was already one of the most popular rappers ever before the release of this song: Singles like “Big Pimpin’,” “99 Problems” and Mariah Carey’s “Heartbreaker” (where he contributed a guest verse) were massive crossover hits. But “Empire State of Mind,” a flag-planting ode to New York City, broke through to new heights. It was Jay-Z’s first No. 1 hit as a lead artist and, if you cross Midtown today, you'll probably hear it blasting from a pedicab.
Constructive revolution is confusing, how the world’s burning. Yearning to get my turn in, working to get a word in.
AKIR, “Apocalypse (Remix)” ft. Immortal Technique and Pharoahe Monch (2008)
I’m loving how you look in my eyes.
G-Unit, “Wanna Get to Know You” (2003)
So let me show you a life you’ve never seen before.
P S Quint & Shegzydli, “Cape Town” (2018)
No batteries included. No strings attached.
A Tribe Called Quest, “Scenario” ft. Leaders of the New School (1991)
The posse cut is one of hip-hop’s greatest traditions: a bunch of rappers, feeding off each other’s excitement, passing the baton from verse to verse as their collective energy builds. “Scenario,” from A Tribe Called Quest, is one of the best ever recorded, a communal declaration of purpose. It also helped launch the career of a young Busta Rhymes, who steals the show in the final verse.
Tupac Shakur and Yo-Yo Ernie Paniccioli
New York, 1995 Monica Almeida/The New York Times
Chance the Rapper Whitten Sabbatini for The New York Times
Sunday Candy
I like my love with a budget, I like my hugs with a scent.
You smell like light, gas, water, electricity, rent.
Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment, “Sunday Candy” (2014)
The listening public was so endeared to Chance the Rapper’s blend of emotional sincerity and lyrical virtuosity that it didn’t mind when he folded himself into Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment, a musical collective led by the trumpeter Nico Segal. The group had one mouthful of a name, but its live instrumentation and playground aesthetic caught ears. The dynamic is perhaps best exemplified on “Sunday Candy,” an ode to the rituals of church, grandmothers and young love that would be performed both on “Saturday Night Live” and at the White House.
I made it through the darkest part of the night. Sunrise. Now I feel glorious, glorious.
Macklemore, “Glorious” ft. Skylar Grey (2017)
Macklemore became very famous very fast for a great number of things: the goofy single “Thrift Shop,” the more sincere “Same Love,” his win for Best Rap Album at the 2014 Grammys over the presumed favorite, Kendrick Lamar. All of that launched a thousand think pieces, but Macklemore’s ambitions never seemed as grandiose as the stardom he found in his breakout year. His single “Glorious,” which came out after the lights had dimmed just a bit, expressed a more appreciative perspective on life.
I’m close to my victory, dozed in the fight. When I open my eyes, somehow seeing night.
Kid Cudi, “Save My Soul (The CuDi Confession)” (2008)
Raise every bottle and cup in the sky. Sparks in the air like the Fourth of July.
Nicki Minaj, “Only” ft. Drake, Lil Wayne and Chris Brown (2014)
The devious cackles, the tongue-twisting quips, the Barbie-doll looks and the refusal to be boxed in: From the moment she started stealing the show with her mixtapes and her guest verses on songs like “Monster” and “BedRock,” Nicki Minaj was impossible to ignore. It wasn’t long before she rose to the forefront of a new generation of rap stars that included Drake, who joined her — alongside the veteran Lil Wayne and the singer Chris Brown — for this icy 2014 single.
I’m tired of looking, bae. I’m into you.
2 Chainz, “Dresser (Lil Boy)” ft. Young Thug (2014)
Now that we found love, what are we gonna do with it?
Heavy D & the Boyz, “Now That We Found Love” ft. Aaron Hall (1991)
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