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Today is National Poetry Day and with the birth of hip hop in the last half of the 20th century, you can’t talk about poetry without referring to iconic rap lines.
From metaphors, to similes, to freeform structure, poetry can take many forms. But in most cases, the art form paints a visual picture and tells a story. It’s confessional, but sometimes raw…dark, but sometimes happy.
With that in mind, hit the next pages to peep some poetic lines from the most celebrated rappers of the 90s. Then let us know which iconic lines are missing from the list. We’ve included the Genius.com lyrics link as well, just in case you need more context for the rhymes!
“I woke up early on my born day; I’m 20, it’s a blessin’
The essence of adolescence leaves my body, now I’m fresh and
My physical frame is celebrated ‘cause I made it
One quarter through life, some godly-like thing created.”
– Nas – “Life’s A Bit**”
“I’m the L, won’t you pull it
Straight to the head with the speed of a bullet
Cuttin’ ni**as off at the meeky-freeky gullet
Lyrical sedative, keep ni**as medative
Head rushers I give to creative kids and fiends.”
– Ms. Lauryn Hill – “The Score”
“As I combine all the juice from the mind
Heel up, wheel up, bring it back, come, rewind
Powerful impact (Boom!) from the cannon!
Not bragging, tryna read my mind, just imagine.”
– Busta Rhymes – “Scenario”
“Live from home of the Brave with dirty dollars
And beauty parlors and baby ballers and bowling ball Impalas
And street scholars, majoring in culinary arts
You know, how to work bread, cheese, and dough
From scratch, but see the catch is you can get caught
Know what ya selling, what you bought, so cut that big talk.”
– OutKast (Andre 3000) – “Aquemini”
“Who wanna bet us that we don’t touch lettuce
Stack cheddars forever, live treacherous, all the et ceteras
To the death of us: me and my confidants, we shine
You feel the ambiance, y’all ni**as just rhyme.”
– Jay-Z – “Dead Presidents II”
“Some say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice
I say the darker the flesh, then the deeper the roots
I give a holla to my sisters on welfare
2Pac cares, if don’t nobody else care.”
– 2Pac – “Keep Ya Head Up”
“Black like my baby girl’s stare
Black like the veil that the muslimina wear
Black like the planet that they fear, why they scared?
Black like the slave ship belly that brought us here.”
– Mos Def – “Astronomy (8th Light)”
“It’s deep, I heard the city breathe in its sleep
Of reality I touch, but for me it’s hard to keep
Deep, I heard my man breathe in his sleep
Of reality I touch, but for me it’s hard to keep.”
– Common – “Respiration”