My Top Five Rap Catchphrases

I know I’m not saying anything new here, but what is up with the music they play at bars these days? Laser sounds accompanied by a brain dead vocalist who sounds like Robocop on ecstasy. Music used to mean something kids, and it wasn’t that long ago. So I compiled a list of my five favorite rap slogans that changed the game and how I live my life forever. How many laser sounds can do that? None, sucka.

What What – Noreaga When it comes to spitting complete nonsense, Noreaga takes the cake. At times, it may sound like the guy is droppin’ a bit of knowledge, but don’t get it twisted, he’s not. Consider the classic verse from "Superthug," "Aiyyo, we light a candle/ run laps around the English Channel/ Neptunes, I got a cockerspaniel." What the fuck are you talking about, wild man Noreaga? That said, the fatter half of CNN also came up with one of my favorite rap quotes ever, “What What.” So simple, so on point. From the boroughs of New York to the Shanty Towns of Puerto Rico, full fledged sons of bitches to halfway thugs were yelling “what what” when shit was about to get messy.

Yeahck- The Clipse Not sure what this one means, I think it’s a mix between yeah and yuck. Whatever it is they’re talking about, it sure is fun to say. Besides being total ear bonbons, yelling out yeahck has the added bonus of making one sound tough as fuck. That’s because everybody knows that the Clipse are the real deal and anyone spitting a yeahck yeahck here and a yeahck yeahck there, is not to be fucked with. These days, yelling out a yeahck (make sure to have a snarl on your face) is pretty much as street as shooting up a club with Puffy.

G-G-G-G-G-G G-Unit Stop rolling your eyes you little bitch. I’ll agree, these days 50 Cent is about as real as Carleton Banks from Fresh Prince of Belair, but back in 2003 when Get Rich or Die Tryin’ dropped, 50 Cent was as hard as my dick is during an episode of The Hills (very hard). I remember the first time I heard him yell out “g-g-g-g-g-g g-unit!” I couldn’t believe my ears; it was too good to exist. But nah son, that shit is real and catchphrase gold. That little number stayed in my vocab for a solid six months. Although played the fuck out, I still giggle a little when I hear it. Making the g-g-g sound like a record scratch is certified genius. Way to go, Fif.

Bucka Bucka – M.O.P. Although some fancy pants scholars would argue that "bucka bucka" are not in fact real words, I bet those nerds would change their tune if they had gangster extraordinaire Billy Danze yelling his point of view all up in their grill. Growing up white and in Canada, I always thought that inner city violence in the States sounded more like “pow pow” or perhaps “stab stab stab” for those too poor to afford guns. Now I can’t picture a gun saying anything other than "bucka bucka" and I’ve grown to despise Hollywood for their inaccurate sound effects of “bang” and “pitang” in movies. Bucka bucka bla blucka bla blucka bucka BLAOW. Now that’s the sound a fucking gun makes.

Arf Arf – DMX DMX has always scared the shit out of me. Aside from having the darkest skin pigment in the game, he’s also certified crazy, not goofing around crazy like all those other rappers. He’s like that sketchy friend of a friend that you hate hanging out with. One minute you’re all joking around drinking beers and playing X Box, the next you’re getting stabbed in the neck with a screwdriver. To be honest, DMX’s first two albums were too hardcore for me, and the ones after that were too horrible to listen to, but I always liked his "arf, arf." I would bark along and feel like a hood werewolf.