I Got a Heart but Girls Only Want the Art of Choke Gambino

Girls, cars and jewelry are well-documented tropes of hip-hop, but anyone who listens to enough rap knows that eating is one of the genre's near pervasive obsessions. From the Sugarhill Gang to Drake, MCs have demonstrated a constant urge to document what's on their plate. Sometimes, food is used every bit a cultural signifier to describe the rags-to-riches journey, which might starting time with Hamburger Helper just cease with filet mignon. At other times it plays into metaphors of consumption, with artists such as Lil Wayne (who calls himself "the rapper eater") describing the ravenous manner in which they gobble up the contest. And that's not to mention all of the food-related slang in rap: cheese for money, beef for grudges then on.

To survey the full breadth of culinary references in hip-hop, we've rounded up 50 of the lines that never neglect to hit u.s. in the gut. Did we miss whatever of your favorites? Leave a comment hither, or holler at us on Twitter (@thefeednyc) using the hashtag #foodrap.

fifty. Ghostface Killah, "Apollo Kids" (Supreme Clientele, 2000)

The lyric: "Ayo, this rap is like ziti, facin' me real Boob tube / Crash at high speeds, strawberry kiwi."

Ghost explained this enigmatic couplet in an interview with Entertainment Weekly: "The rap's skilful because it's similar ziti, which was my best food back so. I threw 'strawberry kiwi' on considering I'm into experimenting. I was thinking of a style to write without nobody knowing what I was proverb except for me."

49. Large Daddy Kane, "Platinum Plus" (Big L'southward The Big Picture, 2000)

The lyric: "Come in the hood flippin' the chicken-and-broccoli Timbs."

Those would be dark-brown-and-green Timberland boots, a must-have fashion accompaniment on the streets of late-'90s New York.

48. 50 Cent, "21 Questions" (Get Rich or Die Tryin', 2003)

The lyric: "I beloved yous like a fatty child dear cake."

Though purists balked at this corny line, Fiddyâ€"ever the shrewd marketerâ€"knew exactly what he was doing: turning a nation of teen girls into gangster-rap fans. It's safe to say that the line dominated the demographic'south AIM away letters for much of 2003.

47. Kanye W, "Niggas in Paris" (Watch the Throne, 2011)

The lyric: "That shit cray, ain't information technology Jay? / What she guild? Fish filet?"

We're not sure if this insta-meme additional McDonald'due south Filet-O-Fish sales or sent them into a slump. Fertile basis for an infographic, it would seem.

46. Young Jeezy, "Put On" (The Recession, 2008)

The lyric: "Large wheels, large straps, yous know I like it supersized / Passenger's a redbone, her weave look like some curly fries / Inside fish sticks, exterior tartar sauce / Pocket full of celery, imagine what she telling me / Blowing on asparagus, the realest shit I always smoked."

...and and then on and and so forth. Jeezy is a food-rap legendâ€"this snippet is but a taster.

45. E-forty, "Gouda" (My Ghetto Written report Card, 2006)

The lyric: "Aye, I buy the weed man / Hella turkey numberless just to put my weed in / Oh, we gettin' chalupa / Wrapped cheese in a rubber band and call it gouda."

It'southward rubber to say that no rapper in history has known the name of more cheeses than E-40. If only he worked at Murray'southward.

44. The Notorious B.I.G., "Hypnotize" (Life Later Death, 1997)

The lyric: "I tin can fill you with real millionaire shit: escargot."

If Biggie had written this vocal today, he might have replaced escargot with "omakase dinners at Masa."

43. LL Absurd J, "Milky Cereal" (Mama Said Knock You Out, 1990)

The lyric: "Then there was Pebbles, times was rough / She was turning Trix, to become a Cocoa Puff."

LL sort of betrays the limits of his lyrical agility on this conceptual rail, which is full of clunky puns on name-brand cereals. But at that place are a few selection lines, and we love the bizarre style in which he says "Cocoa Puff."

42. Childish Gambino, "That Power" (Camp, 2011)

The lyric: "MM..Food? like Rapp Snitch Knishes / Cuz it's Oreos, Twinkies, coconuts, delicious."

Hither'southward some meta food rap for you: Gambino (also known equally comedian Donald Glover) references the MF Doom anthology MM..Food? and its runway "Rapp Snitch Knishes," then meditates on biracial identity via some gastronomic allusions of his own (Oreo, Twinkie and coconut are slurs for people who are said to be "white" inside despite the color of their skin).

41. Ludacris, "Southern Hospitality" (Dorsum for the Get-go Time, 2000)

The lyric: "Dirty Due south heed-blowing Dirty Southward bread / Catfish fried upwards, Dirty South fed."

Luda would later release an anthology called Craven-n-Beer, simply it was here that he established his honey for Southern-fried delicacies.

40. Edan, "Beautiful Food" (Sprain Your Tapedeck, 2001)

The lyric: "I'm talking about Chicken la King / Mango and garbanzo / Tabouli / Grilled potatoes and vegetables / With roasted garlic and basil / Zucchini ziti / Granola fruit bar..."

This grocery-listing--mode joint from the Boston-based emcee is comprised solely of the names of different foods. To our noesis, it is also the only rap vocal to e'er feature a shout-out to tabouli.

39. Das Racist, "Rainbow in the Dark" (Shut Upwardly, Dude; 2010)

The lyric: "I'yard at White Castle, tiny-donkey hamburgers, tiny-ass cheeseburgers, tiny-ass craven sandwichesâ€"it'south outlandish kid."

The duo behind the oddball hitting "Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell" celebrate their fast-nutrient fetish again on this rail. Simply don't pigeonhole them equally lowbrow eatersâ€"afterward in the song, they hint at their refined tastes with the line, "Nosotros could eat the flyest cave-aged cheese for sheez, ma."

38. Rick Ross, "I Love My Bitches" (God Forgives, I Don't; 2012)

The lyric: "Am I really merely a narcissist / 'Cause I wake upwardly to a bowl of lobster bisque?"

Narcissist? Mayhap. Fatso? About definitely.

37. Cee Lo Green, "Soul Food" (Goodie Mob's Soul Nutrient, 1995)

The lyric: "A heapin' helpin' of fried chicken, macaroni and cheese and collard greens / Likewise big for my jeans."

Earlier he became a global megastar with hits like "Crazy" and "Fuck You," Cee Lo rapped virtually getting fat on delicious food in Atlanta.

36. Kelis, "Milkshake" (Tasty, 2003)

The lyric: "My milk shake brings all the boys to the chiliad / And they're like, 'It'southward amend than yours.'"

Honey it or hate information technology, Kelis'due south euphemistic chorus has successfully cemented its spot in the pop dictionary.

35. Young Dro, "Grand Hustle Mafia" (Yard Hustle Presents: In da Streetz Volume iv; 2006)

The lyric: "What you know 'tour shark meat, perch and tilapia?"

That sounds like some big-dominate pescatarian eatin' right there, Dro. Merely nosotros're concerned virtually the rest of your diet: "Alligator, dog meat, caviarâ€"nosotros mafia."

34. Lil' Bow Wow, "Accept Ya Home" (Doggy Pocketbook, 2001)

The lyric: "I got 'em scattered, covered, smothered like hash browns / See I'm the best just inquire around."

Back when Bow Wow was all the same li'fifty, he paid homage to the famous hash browns at Waffle House, which you tin can become "scattered" (spread on the grill), "smothered" (with onions) and "covered" (with cheese).

33. The Streets, "Don't Mug Yourself" (Original Pirate Material, 2002)

The lyric: "Chatting shit, sitting at the wall table, telling jokes, playing with the salt, lookin' out the window / Daughter brings two plates of total English over, with plenty of scrambled eggs and plenty of fried love apple."

Mike Skinner, the original don of geezer rap, refers hither to a full English breakfast, which traditionally includes some combination of eggs, love apple, toast, sausage, mushrooms, salary and baked beans.

32. Action Bronson, "Tapas" (Peter Rosenberg's What'south Poppin Volume 1 Mixtape, 2011)

The lyric: "I'grand on the fine art and the food scene / Fuck rap, laying back eatin' poutine."

After giving upward cooking for music, Queens rapper Activeness Bronson has speedily become i of the nigh fecund practitioners of nutrient rap, lacing songs like "Brunch" and "Wiggle Chicken" with culinary references. He fifty-fifty dropped a mixtape called Bon Appetit...Bitch!!!!!

31. Fatty Boys, "All You Can Eat" (Krush Groove Original Soundtrack, 1985)

The lyric: "$3.99 for all you lot can eat / Well, I'm a stuff my face up to a funky beat."

If this video is any indication, Sbarro used to be the greatest eating house in New York.

thirty. Fabolous, "You Ain't Got Nothin' " (Lil Wayne's Tha Carter Three, 2008)

The lyric: "My lil' man is on ya, Marlon and Shawn ya / Lay the beefiness on his noodle / Make some luger lasagna / xl-cal fettuccine, trey-pound pasta / You reach for this medallion, you must like Italian."

Guns made out of pasta sound similar a gangster Giuseppe Arcimboldo painting. Side note: On the same track, Juelz Santana reminds us to never invite him to a cocktail political party with the line, "Haven't you all heard? / Y'all all herbs (yep) / I stick toothpicks (where?) / In y'all hors d'oeuvres." Cheeky bounder!

29. MF Doom, "Beef Rapp" (Mm.. Food, 2004)

The lyric: "Beef rap could atomic number 82 to getting teeth capped / Or even a wreath for ma dukes on some grief crap / I suggest you change your nutrition / It can atomic number 82 to high blood pressure if yous fry information technology."

The masked indie rapper crafted this unabridged indie albumâ€"an anagram of the proper name MF Doomâ€"effectually food-inspired samples (including "Would You Like a Snack?" by Frank Zappa) and lyrical references. Other tracks include "Hoe Cakes," "Fillet-O-Rapper" and "Kon Queso."

28. Puff Daddy, "Information technology's All Almost the Benjamins" (No Way Out, 1997)

The lyric: "Yeah, living the raw deal, three-course meal / Spaghetti, fettuccini and veal."

Six years subsequently, Diddy would put all that carbo-loading to practiced apply past running the New York City Marathon.

27. Jay-Z, "Go Crazy" (Young Jeezy's Permit'due south Become It: Thug Motivation 101, 2005)

The lyric: "More than than a hustler, I'g the definition of it / Primary chef, lord of the kitchen cupboard."

Sure, Jigga's talking near cooking crevice, not duck confit. All the same, we appreciate his Gordon Ramsay-like vigor behind the burner. If only he would lay downwardly a verse over some "buttery beige base of operations."

26. Method Man, "Ice Cream" (Raekwon's Only Congenital 4 Cuban Linx, 1995)

The lyric: "Lookout these rap niggas get all up in your guts / French vanilla, butter-pecan, chocolate deluxe / Even caramel sundaes is getting touched / And scooped in my ice cream truckâ€"Wu tears information technology upward."

Fun fact: That guy in the groundwork yelling, "The ice cream man is coming!" is Eddie Murphy.

25. Talib Kweli, "Support Offa Me" (The Cute Struggle, 2004)

The lyric: "Tried to tell y'all not to fuck with these debutantes / That's more than Kobe beef than Japanese restaurants."

In the wake of Kobe Bryant's 2003 sexual set on case, Talib reiterates some oldie-but-goodie advice.

24. Ice Cube, "It Was a Adieu" (The Predator, 1992)

The lyric: "No barkin' from the dog, no smogâ€"and momma cooked upwards breakfast with no sus scrofa / I got my grub on but didn't pig out, finally got a call from this daughter I want to dig out."

All-time. Day. Ever.

23. Lil Wayne, "half dozen Foot vii Pes" (Tha Carter IV, 2011)

The lyric: "Paper chasin', tell that paper, 'Look I'm right behind ya' / Bitch, real Gs move in silence like lasagna."

Is Lil Wayne employing metonymy hither, using lasagnaâ€"a dish associated with Italian gangstersâ€"to represent the mob every bit a whole? Or does he only not realize that the g in lasagna isn't actually silent? (Or maybe it is silent?) These are the questions that keep us awake at night.

22. Big Pun, "Banned from Television set" (Endangered Species, 2001)

The lyric: "Champagne on the rocks, rockin' a Fort Knox Lazarus / Shark salad with carrots, pork chops and applesauce."

Further show that Big Pun would eat absolutely annihilation.

21. Roots Manuva, "Witness (i Hope)" (Run Come Relieve Me, 2011)

The lyric: "Right at present, I see clearer than most / I sit here contented with this cheese on toast."

Other rappers obsess over caviar dreams and how many bottles of Ciroc are at the table. Just Roots Manuva is happy with the simplest of English comfort foods: some melted cheddar, a piece of toast and a splash of Worcestershire sauce. Lovey jubbly.

20. Snoop Dogg, "Nuthin' only a 'One thousand' Thang" (Dr. Dre'south The Chronic, 1992)

The lyric: "Falling back on that ass, with a hellafied gangsta lean / Getting funky on the mike, like a sometime batch of collard greens."

File next to kombucha, Dr. Dre beats and fermented pork sausage at Zabb Elee on the listing of stuff that's funky.

19. Guerilla Black, "Compton" (Guerilla City, 2004)

The lyric: "Keep my enemies on IV, once I toast them / Only similar my bagels / Take 'em like Christians over they head, smoking halo."

We could never effigy out if this was some sort of subversive commentary on Jewish-Christian relations. Unfortunately, Guerilla Black's flash-in-the-pan career didn't provide further opportunity to dig into his religious views.

18. Necro, "Food for Thought" (The Pre-Fix for Decease, 2004)

The lyric: "You're lost in the sauce equally it clogs your vessels / I'll undo the blouse of your spouse and give her my firm special / My raps are hot and sour, they choke yous / You brand no moves like a vegetable, you're fake like tofu."

Horrorcore legend Necro reimagines the local Chinese joint as a hellish torture bedroom, where fortune cookies read: "Very soon in the future you lot'll vomit green."

17. Jay-Z, "Maybach Music two (Lost Verse)"

The lyric: "6-deuce every time, I never had the Heinz / Fifty-seven can't ketchup [catch up] to mines."

This clever double entendre requires some unpacking: The Maybach 57 and 62 are models of Mercedes-Benz's most luxurious line of cars. Jay-Z calls the 57 "the Heinz," referring to the Heinz 57 slogan found on ketchup bottles. The 62, which he prefers, is referred to here as the "6-deuce."

sixteen. Dead Prez, "Be Healthy" (Let'southward Get Free, 2000)

The lyric: "I'm from the old schoolhouse, my household smell like soul food, bruh / Curried falafel, barbecued tofu."

Ignore the function about smoking ganja, and this ode to good for you eating provides a great rebuttal to critics who say rap music is a bad influence.

xv. The Sugarhill Gang, "Rappers Delight" (Sugarhill Gang, 1980)

The lyric: "Take you e'er went over a friend'due south house to eat and the food simply own't no proficient? / I hateful the macaroni's soggy, the peas are mushed, and the chicken tastes like woods."

In his poesy from hip-hop's foundational posse cut, Wonder Mike describes that bad-mannered experience of going to someone's house and trying to weasel out of eating a crappy repast.

xiv. Drake, "The Ride" (Take Care, 2011)

The lyric: "And you lot do dinners at French Laundry in Napa Valley / Scallops and glasses of Dolce, that shit's right up your alley."

While most new-money rappers are withal talking about surf and turf and bottle service, Drizzy separates himself from the pack with this knowing nod to Thomas Keller's haute-cuisine temple. We'd love to know if the French Laundry sommelier really recommended that Dolce for the scallops.

13. Fat Tony, "U Ain't Fat" (RABDARGAB, 2010)

The lyric: "I was one time a chubby brat / Chillin' with my mom, buying jeans off the husky rack / Skipping collard greens and beans for a Kit Kat."

If you've got nutrient bug, here'south your theme song. Houston-based rapper Fat Tony raps frankly near his body-paradigm struggles, and in the video finds himself hallucinating about a waiter with a confront made of pizza and a store clerk with Kit Kats for hands.

12. Kanye Due west, "Last Call" (The College Dropout, 2004)

The lyric: "Mayonnaise-colored Benz, I button Miracle Whips."

While plenty of hip-hop heads have questioned Kanye's lyrical dexterity, this witty bit of wordplay had everyone pressing rewind on his debut album. Whips refers to cars, while miracle may exist a reference to the near-fatal crash that 'Ye survived in 2002.

eleven. Inspectah Deck, "Business firm of Flying Daggers" (Raekwon's Only Congenital 4 Cuban Linx... Part II, 2009)

The lyric: "I pop off like a mobster boss / Angel pilus with the lobster sauce."

We might get with linguine when enjoying a nice lobster sauce, just we know amend than to mess with the Wu-Tang Association.

10. Run-D.M.C., "Christmas in Hollis" (A Very Special Christmas, 1987)

The lyric: "It's Christmas time in Hollis, Queens / Mom's cooking craven and collard greens."

Hip-hop's finest contribution to the Christmas song canon includes a rundown of Run-D.M.C.'s preferred vacation spread.

9. De La Soul, "Bitties in the BK Lounge" (De La Soul Is Dead, 1991)

The lyric: "Well, it was a Wednesday, me and Boss Hog was kinda hungry / Like 2 eggs, and a slop beef slice of lettuce / And a glass of milk and some cookies."

This fine example of storytelling rap recounts the perils of hollering at women in a Burger Rex.

viii. Jay-Z, "Success" (American Gangster, 2007)

The lyric: "How many times can I get to Mr. Chow's, Tao'southward, Nobu? / Hold up, let me move my bowels."

In chronicling the nihilism of fame and wealth, Mr. Carter wonders how much fine dining one man tin stomach. #rapperproblems

7. Cam'ron, "Wet Wipes" (Killa Season, 2006)

The lyric: "Had a drunken mind, society wobbled out / Next stop: Start trouble within the Waffle Business firm."

It's tough to choose just i foodie reference from the human being who once referred to himself as "the sushi king," but this example remains an all-time favorite. Taken in the context of "Killa Cam," on which he calls himself "the hooligan at Houlihan's," it's articulate that Cam'ron is a restaurant managing director'southward worst nightmare.

6. Juelz Santana, "Due south.AN.T.A.Northward.A" (The Diplomats'due south Diplomatic Amnesty 2, 2004)

The lyric: "I own't here to wine ya / I ain't here to dine ya / I came here to popular ya / And I came here for lobster / The whole damn shebang, and they ain't bring the pasta."

This video always makes the states feel a little sorry for Juelz: Fifty-fifty in the trattoria of his wildest dreams, he can't become practiced service. Get this guy to a Danny Meyer eatery, stat.

5. Nas, "Fried Chicken" (Untitled, 2008)

The lyric: "Mmm, fried chicken, fly vixen / Give me center disease but need you in my kitchen."

This love letter of the alphabet to deep-fried fowl is perhaps the best high-concept food rap of all time. Nas and Busta Rhymes both deliver well-crafted verses well-nigh how the food they love the most is killing them.

four. Slick Rick, "Mona Lisa" (The Neat Adventures of Slick Rick, 1988)

The lyric: "I went into a store, to buy a piece of pizza / And bumped into a girl, her proper name was Mona (what?) Mona Lisa."

Eminem gives Slick Rick's old-fashioned courting a more sinister spin on "As the World Turns," when he raps, "I met a slut and said, 'What up, information technology's dainty to meet ya / I'd similar to treat ya to a Faygo and a slice of pizza.'"

3. Beastie Boys, "3 the Hard Style" (To the v Boroughs, 2004)

The lyric: "Oops, gotcha, clutch like Piazza / Sneak between the sheets and then hide the matzo / Holler dorsum challah bread...next."

Thanks to the Beastie Boys, Jewish foodstuffs similar matzo and challah plant their mode into the rap vocabulary.

2. A Tribe Chosen Quest, "Ham 'N' Eggs" (People'due south Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, 1990)

The lyric: "I don't eat no ham and eggs, 'cause they're high in cholesterol / Ayo, Phife exercise you lot eat 'em? No, Tip practice you eat 'em? / Uh-uh, not at all."

If y'all yearn for the days when a rapper could say, "asparagus tips wait yummy, yummy, yummy" and notwithstanding sound dope, this is the track for you.

1. Rakim, "Eric B. Is President" (Eric B. and Rakim's Paid in Total, 1987)

The lyric: "Yous scream I'k lazy, y'all must be crazy / Idea I was a donut, you tried to glaze me."

Rakim is likely the most oftentimes-quoted MC in hip-hop history, and this line ranks amidst his most memorable.

Encounter more in Nutrient & Beverage

wilsonworning.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.timeout.com/music/the-50-top-rap-lyrics-about-food-hip-hop