Respect The Pen: Hip Hop’s Prolific Writers
Disclaimer: I’m gonna keep it real…this post is nerdy as hell
The use of language has always been interesting to me. Words can be used to communicate, convey emotion, educate and inform — among many other functions. There are countless musical elements of hip hop that I could speak of and how they bring my ears endless enjoyment. That stink face I get from a good beat switch, the magical sound of a DJ scratch, a sample that’s been chopped to soulful perfection.
But personally, my favorite part of hip hop has always and will forever be the words and those who bend them to their will. Hip Hop is a genre that houses a number of prolific writers, wordsmiths and lyricists. All of whom have incredible penmanship and a Godly command of language. Through intricate rhyme schemes and word bending they use language to build, destroy, express, relate, uplift and paint verbal imagery in a way that few on this Earth can.
There are lyricists across all genres of music. Those who can use words and arrange them uniquely to deliver a message or a story with substance. But Hip Hop’s specific delivery of these words for me is what makes it stand out from other genres. Hip Hop in of itself is its own language. Without a proper understanding of Black culture and the overall Black experience you won’t be able to accurately interpret the messaging. But it also pulls from other mediums and sources for its references, subject matter, and narrative parallels.
To be a top lyricists in hip hop is to not only be a master of your language and culture. But it’s to be knowledgeable of the world outside of your own. It takes the ability to pull from any experience, familiar or otherwise and integrate it into your story. From comic book characters to historical and religious figures and even Greek mythology. Hip Hop has no bounds when it comes to its lyrical inspirations. To be able to pull from these many different sources, construct a rhyme pattern, all while still making music that’s aesthetically pleasing to the ear takes a level of skill that should be acknowledged. And some of these writers should be mentioned among the greats of our time, sitting alongside the poets of old that appear in school curriculum.
There’s not a single literary or poetic concept that can’t be studied in the lyrics of hip hop. Alliteration, similes, metaphors, sentence structure, iambic pentameter, imagery, personification, etc. it’s all there in some shape of fashion. Often the intricacies of the written word are less apparent based on their vocal delivery. But when you take time to read what’s being spoken, you’ll begin to recognize the immense talent that the lyricists in hip hop have.
Whether it be because of vivid imagery, story telling, or just a witty punchline there are certain lyrics that have jumped out to me over the years. Here are just a few of my favorite written verses and songs in hip hop.
Blu & Exile — Cold Hearted (Below The Heavens)
Below The Heavens is lauded as an underground classic and personally it’s my all time favorite album. This project hit so many highs — but its apex for me is the track Cold Hearted. Cold Hearted is a one verse song. But my God is that one verse incredible. It uses an amazing display of alliteration and word structure to deliver poignant storytelling where Blu recalls three different crucial moments in his upbringing. Throughout the story you hear these memories labeled as a “wound,” and he uses that word repeatedly as a bridge to connect to the next part of the story.
If you’re not paying attention, you would think Blu is just repeating himself over and over. But the way he plays with the words to reveal each coming part of the story is truly something special. I’ve loved this song since I first heard it. But it wasn’t until I read the lyrics that I fully appreciated how skillful this verse was.
Ka — $ (Honor Killed The Samurai)
When it comes to some of my favorite pens in hip hop, Ka is one of the first artists that comes to mind. His verses are dense, grimly poetic and vivid. Admittedly his monotone delivery may not be for everyone. But his penmanship is exceptional. Throughout the album Honor Killed The Samurai, Ka draws parallels between the code of the Samurai and his life in Brownsville, New York. He often finds himself struggling to remain honorable in a world where ethics are not valued, and devious means are the only way of survival. On the track “$” Ka expresses his desire and need for wealth. Not for material means, but to improve his surroundings. He also uses it to call out the hypocrisy of his peers who have the means to help but choose to do nothing.
I need money, not for trivial material / Just to fix our flaws, the whole cause is ethereal / What you minin’ for? / If unaware share with blind and poor / You tellin’ stories that’s celebratory in times of war / With bars of greed, I plead, how many cars you need? / When fathers bleed to fill ribs of kids that hardly read / Fuck your loot rhymes, and the new finds you purchased / If you ain’t buyin’ no soup for them soup lines and churches / You ain’t never built, your intermission is demolition / Jesus piece and cross you lost, be men of vision
Like much of the album the lyrics of “$” carry a heavy melancholy — but they’re truly sincere. The song is an exceptional showcase of skillful writing, driving home a point and displaying a heartfelt need to be of service to those around him. It’s a sentiment that I’ve heard before, but never worded in a way that hit like this. If I’m being honest Ka could be used for every example in this entire post. He easily has one of the greatest pens in hip hop bar none. This is writing at its finest and he has countless other examples to pull from.
I might have to dedicate an entire piece to him one day. But I’ll save that for another time.
Cunninlynguists Feat. Zumbi Of Zion I — In The City (Strange Journey Volume Three)
Firstly, rest in peace to Zumbi.
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This is a beautiful track with both Zumbi and Deacon The Villain delivering quality verses. But man, the imagery from Zumbi here is something else. In just a few bars Zumbi captures the waning hope and despair of living in the inner city. From the physical look of his surroundings to the emotional state of the people who live there, Zumbi describes it in such a way that you feel like you’re in it. This verse hits me every single time I listen to it — especially the closing lines.
Cannibalistic war play, it’s animalistic where I stay / The devil wan’ play / And, too many contestants / That’s every day / The level gon’ stay where it’s at, stay strapped / It’s the mantra recital, it conquers the Bible / By any means, see survival / When friends turn to rivals it’s liable / For these confrontations to be homicidal / A dog hollers back at the sirens / The pain is so blinding / Forgot we all diamonds
Something about this verse moves me. There are moments when you can tell someone is speaking from a lived experience rather than an outside observation. You can feel how genuine this is just by reading it, yet alone listening to the verse. This is truly masterful writing that showcases an exceptional display of imagery and emotional weight.
Lupe Fiasco — Mural (Tetsuo & Youth)
I mean…I couldn’t mention great writers in Hip Hop and not bring up Lupe’s name at some point. In terms of wordsmiths Lupe is elite among the elite. At first listen, Mural just sounds like a seven minute rambling hodgepodge of loose words. But its words are exactly as the title implies. Now I would be lying through the gap in my front teeth if I said I understood every single bar in this song. But based on the bits and pieces I’ve picked up Mural is crammed with various metaphors, images and descriptions that paint a picture of Lupe’s ideals and influences. It also happens to be one of the meanest lyrical flexes I’ve ever heard.
As I perform a nerd storm, I prefer my pictures in word form / Bury the hatchet like how a bird born / As I paint cold pictures, like Kool-Aid facing condensation / Having conversations with flavorful combinations / Slave to my concentration / So that’s OJ da Juiceman, meets OJ with two hands / And two gloves, that’s too snug, to judge who was, who drew blood
I struggle to even put in words how clever this is. The double entendre of painting cold pictures but also a cold pitcher that you would keep kool aid in. Comparing the different kool aid flavors to his skill and substance as a rapper. Being a slave to his thoughts but making it a double entendre about the concentrate from orange juice. I nearly had permanent stink face after hearing this scheme for the first time. The execution of this is alien like penmanship.
Chocula Counts by the count of five / Refrigerator roof, full of animals and monsters / Incinerator chutes and the manual for Contra / Assorted memories from my childhood / Absorbing energy from the wild woods / Electronic combat Konami sign contract
I mentioned earlier that Hip Hop is unique in the way that it pulls from its references, and this is a prime example. Only in Hip Hop can these kinds of references be consistently pulled off without sounding corny and out of place. As someone who loves cereal (hence my name) I got a kick out of the Count Chocula and top of the refrigerator imagery. This line always brings me flashes of my childhood. Also, as a life long gamer any bar about Contra is going to hit me in my soul. Shout outs to the jungle stage.
Mural is a seven minute masterpiece that has an infinite number of witty and coded lines that you won’t pick up on during your first listen. The amount of skill it takes to write something this dense and complex is otherworldly. This is one of those songs that I highly recommend you read the lyrics to just so you can try and catch all the references and gems that Lupe is dropping.
Hip Hop continues to house some of the sharpest and most talented writers of our time. Through words they innovate, capture the essence of their truths, and become time capsules for certain moments throughout history. Or sometimes, they just simply craft the meanest stink faced punch lines you’ve ever heard. The brilliance that it takes to pull off these literary feats should be acknowledged, lauded, and celebrated like any other poet in history.
