What are some incredible self-love hip-hop anthems?

September 7, 2012 11:36 AM

I want to collect hip-hop tracks where the message is "This MC is an incredible person and you should listen to what they're saying, doofus." I want the high-energy high-ego stuff.

Some people hate the braggadocio of hip-hop. I love it. When I listen to Kanye West's "Glory", I feel glorious. When I listen to Jay-Z's "Public Service Announcement," I feel like I have a life worthy of public record. When I hear Azaelia Banks' "Fuck Up The Fun" (which if you haven't had the pleasure of hearing please get on that right now), I feel totally ready to arrest the forces of evil.

So what are some other amazing hip-hop tracks where the point is basically "I'm awesome?" Narrative style doesn't matter -- it could be as nonsensical as MF Doom or as cinematic as Biggie. What matters is ego.

posted by insteadofapricots to media & arts (21 answers total)

Basically, every song on Son Doobie's Funk Superhero album fits the bill.
posted by asnider at 12:01 PM on September 7, 2012 [3 favorites]

Oh man, I have a whole playlist of these.

Well, Biggie's "one more chance" clearly fits the bill, although it's a little more "my penis is huge" than "I'm awesome." GZA's "Liquid Swords" is a great one, as is Ghostface's "Celebrate."

But my favorite of these kinds of tracks is "Still Dope" on MF DOOM's "Born Like This." Empress Starhh is the actual MC on the track, so I'm not sure if it was written by her or DOOM, but it's great.
posted by Ragged Richard at 12:03 PM on September 7, 2012

Maybe not quite a great match but: Show Business by A Tribe Called Quest. especially phife dawg's lines.
posted by Golden Eternity at 12:12 PM on September 7, 2012

I'm tempted to answer "most rap." But especially the Wu.

Raekwon (ft. half the Wu) - Guillotine (Lyrics)

Wu-Tang Clan - Triumph

"I bomb atomically/Socrates' philosophies and hypotheses/Can't define how I be droppin' these mockeries/Lyrically perform armed robbery..."

Inspectah Deck's opening verse builds hype upon hype. May be one of these greatest single verses of all time, really.

Wu-Tang - Clan Ain't Nuthin' Ta Wit' "I be tossin', enforcin', my style is awesome/I'm causin more Family Feud's than Richard Dawson"

Maybe 80% of 36 Chambers fits your bill.
posted by ignignokt at 12:14 PM on September 7, 2012

DJ Format - Vicious Battle Raps
posted by EndsOfInvention at 12:17 PM on September 7, 2012 [2 favorites]

A recent favorite: Killer Mike - Southern Fried

(My boyfriend refers to the "here I am, and I'm great" song as the "Beowulf track." I find them fun/empowering, too.)
posted by in a dark glassly at 12:18 PM on September 7, 2012 [4 favorites]

Like A Throttle. featuring "I'm fresher than your grandmother's fried chicken recipe, don't test me!" and "These hyper (or type of) lyrical styles cannot be said slovely...I rip it up constantly". I mean it's just chock full of ego and great lines.

KRS is kind of the embodiment of this request, probably more than anybody I can think of in rap history.

Since you referenced banks, I'm hoping you've been rocking aquababe from her latest mixtape. Shit is like a road grader coming through the speakers.
posted by cashman at 12:24 PM on September 7, 2012

How Cool Can One Black Man Be?
posted by 4ster at 12:39 PM on September 7, 2012

My apologies. The vocal track is missing from that link.
posted by 4ster at 12:40 PM on September 7, 2012

The Humpty Dance is totally ridiculous and pretty awesome in that way.
posted by crabintheocean at 1:25 PM on September 7, 2012

Skillz is all about this style.
posted by gnutron at 1:28 PM on September 7, 2012

I love this stuff too. Definitely agree with Southern Fried.
How about some Clipse - Ultimate Flow or Kinda Like a Big Deal?
posted by thirdletter at 1:48 PM on September 7, 2012

But my favorite of these kinds of tracks is "Still Dope" on MF DOOM's "Born Like This." Empress Starhh is the actual MC on the track, so I'm not sure if it was written by her or DOOM, but it's great.

Starhh wrote it I believe. She has a pretty terrific album on Bandcamp called Almost Neva Was (which is from around the same time and includes Still Dope), and most of the lyrics have a similar voice.

Speaking of DOOM, "The Fine Print", which he did as King Gheedorah is a wonderfully enormous brag track.
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 1:53 PM on September 7, 2012

Special Ed -I got it made
posted by runincircles at 2:24 PM on September 7, 2012 [3 favorites]

Royce 5'9 - I'm On My Own Planet
Casey Veggies - Go Crazy
Boog Brown - UPS (Dunc of DTMD remix)
Jean Grae - Mean
Redman ft. Method Man - Let's Do It
Royce 5'9 - Flow Boy
Rah Digga ft Sonja Blade & Eve - Do the Ladies Run This?
Gangstarr - Check the Technique
Rakim - The 18th Letter
Crayz Walz ft Apani B - The Specialist
Royce 5'9 - It's the new
Inspectah Deck - Get Right
RA the Rugged Man - Super
L.E.G.A.C.Y. - I'm a Star
Nas - Nas is Like
Ludacris - Number One Spot
Ludacris - He Man
Quake ft. Royce 5'9 - I Stand Alone
The Roots - 75 bars black's reconstruction
LL Cool J - I'm Bad
LL Cool J - Momma Said Knock You Out
Geto Boys - Damn it Feels Good to be a Gangsta
posted by cashman at 2:24 PM on September 7, 2012 [3 favorites]

Rhyme Asylum - Poison Penmanship fits and contains some of my favorite wordplay ever.
posted by ReadEvalPost at 2:34 PM on September 7, 2012

OK, I'm re-listening to Funk Superhero right now and there are at least a few tracks on here that aren't straight-up braggadocio tracks, but Son's ego oozes out of every single song, regardless of what he's rapping about.
posted by asnider at 2:53 PM on September 7, 2012

DJ Shadow - Walkie Talkie
posted by guybrush_threepwood at 5:22 PM on September 7, 2012

Nas - Hero
Nas - Nasty
Brother Ali - Bad Mufucker
Canibus - Let's Ride
Big L - Put it On
Curren$y - Example
AZ - The Format
Guru - Power, Money, Influence
posted by lunchbox at 9:34 PM on September 7, 2012

DJ format ft Abdominal - I'm Good
posted by Wrinkled Stumpskin at 10:30 PM on September 7, 2012

Y'all crazy for this one. Thanks everybody. Special points go to cashman for sheer quantity of totally accurate suggestions, and in a dark glassly for "Beowulf track"--be not ashamed of thyselves, my fellow hip-hop-loving Lit nerds.
posted by insteadofapricots at 1:36 PM on September 10, 2012