{"id":3632,"date":"2019-05-16T14:27:58","date_gmt":"2019-05-16T19:27:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/?p=3632"},"modified":"2025-10-17T15:42:04","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T20:42:04","slug":"top-10-rap-classics-for-memphis-millennials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/play\/music\/top-10-rap-classics-for-memphis-millennials\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Memphis Rap Songs: Top 10 Rap Classics for Memphis Millennials"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

From high school proms to Sunday brunches, here are the top 10 Memphis rap songs that Memphis millennials<\/a> hold near and dear to our hearts.<\/p>\r\n

Let\u2019s keep it real: no one rides down Elvis Presley Blvd. blasting \u201cBlue Suede Shoes.\u201d Maybe on his birth…nevermind. They don\u2019t. It never happens.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

On any given day, however, you will see a Chevy Impala or Chrysler 300 – with subwoofers the size of the Exlines Pizza sign – blasting the hits of any one of Memphis\u2019 rap superstars with the bass on max.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Hip-Hop, trap and gangster rap were birth as an underground music culture in the late 1980s and early 1990s when our parents were \u201cgangster walking\u201d in Club No Name or Crystal Palace. Legends such as DJ Spanish Fly and Kingpin Skinny Pimp laid the foundation for generations of southern rappers in Memphis<\/a> and across the southern region<\/a>, and the genre has since evolved.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

10. E.P. – Paperchase (Doin This), 2009<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Find a high school or college party in Memphis that did not have wall-to-wall youth pumping their arms in bicep curl fashion while hopping back and forth on one leg. At the tender age of 17, Emanuel Patterson (now 27) shook dj\u2019s and local radio stations with an unexpected release of his debut single with a dance to complement. The \u201cpaperchase\u201d is for the aspiring hustler or the teen working at Best Buy after school to have enough money to buy cd\u2019s and Mrs. Winner\u2019s during school. \u201cWatch me do that paperchase\u201d speaks to the adage \u201cWatch me prove you wrong\u201d and I\u2019ll see you in the club with a clean pair of Jordans. Chase on, brother!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

9. Blocboy JB ft. Drake – Look Alive, 2018<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Native Memphian, Blockboy JB, has nationalized the \u201cshoot\u201d dance, kicking one leg out while jumping on the other. After the dance and his namesake debut single went viral, he got a call from Drake who also has Memphis ties (his dad and family live here). Aubrey Graham (or Jimmy from Degrassi) came to Memphis for a few days to parlay on his old stomping grounds with Blockboy JB and another native Memphian, producer Tay Keith, to bring the streets \u201cLook Alive.\u201d A dedication to the grimy and dark corners of the city, \u201cLook Alive\u201d is a call for the hood to stay alert, stay woke and stay Memphis.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

8. Rock Dillion, Da Volunteers ft. MJG – Favorite Color, 2006<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The truth is Orange Mound is a cult. Ok, maybe cult is too harsh, but \u201cFavorite Color\u201d is for Orange Mound and Orange Mound only. Listen, if your pedigree doesn\u2019t begin on the southernmost part of Park Avenue, you should just find a bar and sit down on this one. Historically, Orange Mound is one of the first African American communities in the country founded by African Americans. After a tumultuous era facing the drug and crime epidemic in the 70s and 80s, the community and its leaders remained steadfast in keeping Orange Mound bound by the values of community, closeness and self-preservation. Rap stars 8Ball & MJG, native Moundians, gave a platform to Rock Dillion and Da Volunteers and produced this clarion call for the area. This may be the only time UT gets this amount of love from Memphis. \u201cTwo fingers round, three fingers down\u201d is the official orange mound hand sign (each community has one, ask your nearest local).<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

7. 8Ball & MJG – Pimp Hard, 2000<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Let\u2019s stay in The Mound. \u201cPimp Hard\u201d was released in November 2000 on the group\u2019s \u201cSpace Age 4 Eva\u201d album. One of the few early Memphis groups to gain recognition outside the city, 8Ball & MJG glorified \u201cBaller\u201d culture. A nice car; few romantic options; a pocket full of cash, the definition of \u201cPimp Hard.\u201d You can indeed find love in the Bluff City, or you can…uhhh, keep your options open.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

6. Young Dolph – Get Paid, 2016<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

First and foremost, LeBron James listens to Young Dolph so you should, too. \u00a0Adolph Thornton, Jr\u2019s (34) encourages every young man to secure your financial future. Memphis prides itself on the grit and grind, the hustle and hoops. Young Dolph\u2019s \u201cGet Paid\u201d spread across coasts quickly, motivating folks to increase their profits and their wallets.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

5. Three 6 Mafia – Hard Out Here for a Pimp\/Whoop That Trick, 2005<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

We know. We\u2019re cheating a bit, but you can\u2019t talk about Memphis without addressing two things: Three 6 Mafia and Hustle&Flow<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Hard Out Here for A Pimp, another ode to the hustle culture, should come on your car radio as soon as your bluetooth connects, while Whoop That Trick is for your Saturday morning clean-up. Both featured in the Academy Award nominated Memphis film, Hustle & Flow, a story of hustle, pimping and rap dreams. Some still don\u2019t care for the movie because the accents were all wrong, but we don\u2019t hesitate to bob our heads when we hear either hit.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

4. Gangsta Blac – S.O.U.T.H Parkway, 1999<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Could there possibly be a more Memphis song than Whoop That Trick? Actually yes. There\u2019s nothing more Memphis than representing your neighborhood and native communities. In 1999, Gangsta Blac dropped 74 Minutes of Bump with the hit \u201cS.O.U.T.H Parkway,\u201d paying homage to another historic residential community. It\u2019s common to hear this song and recline your driver\u2019s seat, roll down your windows and drive a few miles above the speed limit down I-240 in a Honda Accord coupe.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

It\u2019s a sacred homage to a community that refuses to cripple to any intimidation of poverty, crime or even gentrification. It\u2019s still thriving and healthy with community efforts led by some of the very residents occupying.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

3. Project Pat ft. Three 6 Mafia and La Chat- Chickenhead, 2001<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Where to start?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

First, you need a best friend who can sing this with you to fully enjoy this song.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Chickenhead may be the greatest Southern rap song of all time. Its melody and production style has been sampled and mimicked between trap artists, East Coast hustlers and West Coast bangers. Chickenhead is dedicated to the person who just wants to be left alone! It was \u201cGold Digger\u201d before Kanye and Jamie Foxx penned a verse. Cardi B sampled it on her song \u201cBickenhead\u201d on her Invasion of Privacy album.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Project Pat\u2019s Mista Don\u2019t Play album deserves a space in the Smithsonian. \u00a0Only a few classics should receive such an honor.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Frank Sinatra\u2019s \u201cFly Me to the Moon\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Whitney Houston\u2019s \u201cI Have Nothing\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Project Pat\u2019s \u201cChickenhead\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

2. Playa Fly – Nobody, 1998<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Did you just break up with your significant other?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

About to quit your job? Got fired?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Are your parents riding you again about your college and career choices?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Have your friends posted pictures of them out drinking but they didn\u2019t call you?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

There has never been a song to move entire crowds to tears than Playa Fly\u2019s \u201cNobody.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

This song is for those who realized they can do bad by themselves and need a safe way to not overreact while shutting yourself out from the community-at-large. Playa Fly still rules radio and Spotify\u2019s with this hit. A former member of Three 6 Mafia, Playa Fly is a native South Memphian. His song came after he ended things with Three 6 and went solo. He needed to get the drama off his chest and \u201cNobody\u201d was born. Fold your arms and bop to this emotional song of self-care and resilience. This was Beyonce\u2019s \u201cMe, Myself and I\u201d before she knew she only needed herself. You don\u2019t need nobody, ok? Godspeed.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

1.Yo Gotti – That\u2019s What\u2019s Up, 2006 <\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

This is a Memphis millennial\u2019s \u201cKumbaya.\u201d This is our \u201cLean On Me.\u201d This is our National Anthem.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Mario \u201cYo Gotti\u201d Mims is indeed one of the Kings of Memphis and \u201cThat\u2019s What\u2019s Up\u201d is the unofficial anthem of the city. From his mixtapes to trapping out of North Memphis, Yo Gotti gives a new meaning to Memphis pride with this one. \u201cThat\u2019s What\u2019s Up\u201d is for the Memphian with a dream and a grind. After the prelude, he quickly goes into shouting-out his family, famous high schools, trap houses, friends, enemies, and eventually the entire city. It\u2019s freedom. Entire stadiums have erupted in unison and in acapella belting this song. It is purely Memphis. It may or may not have reached national acclaim, but it surely has earned its keep in the Mid-South. You Gotti is ours. This song is ours. And now, it\u2019s yours.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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A post shared by We Are Memphis (@wearememphistn)<\/a> on