Hip-hop is poetry.

Yes, this is a lifestyle/fitness blog, but we have no rules. We respond to our environments and get in moods. As such, I’m sitting in a Phoenix coffee shop, working, writing and reflecting. The speakers are pumping mid 1990’s hip-hop, the greatest era ever for the genre, hands down. I deem it apropos to illuminate some of the best lyrics/verses ever laid down, regardless of year. As always, add to the list in the comments section below.

Strong mind,

Kap

6) “Politics as Usual”- Jay-Z

Politics as us-ual… I took my

Frito to Tito in the district, blessed me with some

VS somethins I can live with, stop frontin

And for the dough I raise, gotta get shit appraised

No disrespect to you, make sure you word is true

I’m takin wages down in Vegas just in case Tyson

have a major night off, that’s clean money, the tax write-off

You ain’t seen money in your life, when it

comes to this cheese y’all like Three Blind Mice

A smokin bro, who pump Willie Ike spokes

The furthest you Chiles been is the Pocanos

5) “Renegade”- Eminem

Since I’m in a position to talk to these kids and they listen

I ain’t no politician but I’ll kick it with’em a minute

Cause see, they call me a menace and if the shoe fits I’ll wear it

But if it don’t, then ya’ll swallow the truth grin and bear it

Now who’s the king of these rude ludicrous lucrative lyrics?

Who could inherit the title, put the youth in hysterics?

Using his music to steer it sharing his views and his merits

But there’s a huge interference, they’re saying, “You shouldn’t hear it.”

4) “Notorious Thugs”- Notorious BIG

Armed and dangerous

ain’t too many can bang with us

straight up weed no angel dust, label us notorious.

3) “New York State of Mind”- Nas

Rappers I monkey flip em with the funky rhythm I be kickin

Musician, inflictin composition

of pain I’m like Scarface sniffin cocaine

Holdin a M-16, see with the pen I’m extreme, now

Bulletholes left in my peepholes

I’m suited up in street clothes

Hand me a nine and I’ll defeat foes

Y’all know my steelo with or without the airplay

I keep some E&J, sittin bent up in the stairway

Or either on the corner bettin Grants with the celo champs

Laughin at baseheads, tryin to sell some broken amps

2) “Me Against the world”- Tupac

Can you picture my prophecy?

Stress in the city, the cops is hot for me

The projects is full of bullets, the bodies is droppin

There ain’t no stoppin me

Constantly movin while makin millions

Witnessin killings, leavin dead bodies in abandoned buildings

Can’t raise the children cause they’re illin

Addicted to killin and the appeal from the cap peelin

Without feelin, but will they last or be blasted?

Hard headed bastard

Maybe he’ll listen in his casket - the aftermath

More bodies being buried - I’m losing my homies in a hurry

They’re relocating to the cemetary

Got me worried, stressin, my vision’s blurried

The question is will I live? No one in the world loves me

I’m headed for danger, don’t trust strangers

Put one in the chamber whenever I’m feelin this anger

Don’t wanna make excuses, cause this is how it is

What’s the use unless we’re shootin no one notices the youth

It’s just me against the world baby

1) “Love Me”- Eminem

There’s a certain mystique when I speak,

that you notice that it’s sorta unique,

cause you know it’s me, my poetry’s deep,

and I’m still matic the way I flow to this beat,

you can’t sit still, it’s like tryin to smoke crack

and go to sleep, I’m strapped,

just knowing any minute I could snap,

I’m the equivalent of what would happen if Bush rapped,

I bully these rappers so bad lyrically,

it ain’t even funny, I ain’t even hungry,

it ain’t even money, you can’t pay me enough

for you to play me, it’s cockamamie,

you just ain’t zany enough to rock with Shady,

my noodle is cockadoodle, my clocks cuckoo,

I got screws loose, yeahhh, the whole kitten-kaboodle,

I’m just brutal. It’s no rumor, I’m numero uno, assume it,

there’s no humor in it no more, you know