the illest open line in a rap?

[2guard]

so i was having a discussion with the wife about rap (which she is not really a fan of)

and her question was OK, "so whats your favorite opening or first line/bar/verse whatever?
dont think about it..whats the first line that comes to your head? but it has to be the first line in the song.

I came up with a few:

a got a letter from the goverment the other day, i opened and read it, it said they were suckas..they wanted
me for their army or whatever,picture me given a damn i said never..
Public Enemy "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos"

As the wind sets the mood its time to let off, a sucka try to play me.... the E i'm not soft
EPMD "it wasnt me, it was the fame"


I aint a killa but dont push me, revenge is like the sweets joy next to gettin P
Pac "Hail Mary"

I break bread, ribs, hundred dollar bills, peel on Ducati and other four wheels
Prodigy "Keep it Thoro"

The whole city is mine, prettiest Don, I dont like the way P Diddy did Shyne, with different lawyers
Nas "Purple"

Thinkin of a master plan, cause aint nothin but sweat inside my hand, so i dig deep in my pocket all my money is spent, i dig deeper but still comin
up with lint
Rakim "Paid in Full"

 

[eddiebauer757]

Next to paid in full



.......why its mentioned in my rhymes ______it! Its just an intro....hate it or love it, like it bump it or thump it, _____it .......across my stomach saysGod's Son

 

[eyes of hazel]

Man, I got so many...

My Top 5...

---

- Big Daddy Kane, "RAW"-- I grew a hi-top fade with lines on the side and went downtown tobuy a "gold" rope immediately after hearing this...
"Here I am . . . R-A-W
terrorist, here to bring trouble to
phoney emcees, I move on and sieze;
I just conquer, and stomp another rapper with ease
Cause I'm at my apex, and others are be-low
nothing but a milliliter, I'm a kilo;
Second to none, making emcees run
And don't try to step to me, cause I ain't the one!!!"

- Public Enemy, "Welcome to the Terrordome"... The MLK, Jr. mixed with Malcolm of hip-hopjo. IMPACT of his words and delivery...

"I got so much trouble on my mind
REFUSE TO LOSE!
Here's your ticket,
Hear the drummer get wicked...
HUH!"

- Jay-Z, "Can I Live" pre-speech "hustler's code" before the rhyme begins... Touches back in the days inUptown/Petworth...
"We invite you to somethin epic y'all know?
Well we hustle out of a sense of hopelessness
Sort of a desperation
Through that desperation we 'come addicted
Sorta like the fiends we accustomed to servin
But we feel we have nothin to lose
So we offer you, well, we offer our lives (right)
What do you bring to the table?"

- Sugar Hill Gang, "Rapper's Delight"... Universal party-starting line
"I said a hip hop the hippie the hippie,
to the hip hip hop, a you dont stop,
the rock it to the bang bang boogie say up jumped the boogie
to the rhythm of the boogie, the beat!"

- Wu Tang, "Triumph"... When I first heard the first 16 bars of the opening, I memorized it immediately... This waspre-internet "google" searching too, straight on repeat until I got it...
"I bomb atomically, Socrates' philosophies
and hypothesis can't define how I be droppin these
mockeries, lyrically perform armed robbery
Flee with the lottery, possibly they spotted me
Battle-scarred shogun, explosion when my pen hits
tremendous, ultra-violet shine blind forensics..."

 

[2guard]

Originally Posted by eyes of hazel



- Wu Tang, "Triumph"... When I first heard the first 16 bars of the opening, I memorized it immediately... This was pre-internet "google" searching too, straight on repeat until I got it...
"I bomb atomically, Socrates' philosophies
and hypothesis can't define how I be droppin these
mockeries, lyrically perform armed robbery
Flee with the lottery, possibly they spotted me
Battle-scarred shogun, explosion when my pen hits
tremendous, ultra-violet shine blind forensics..."

yea..the line is just not fair to other rappers...
Wu Tang Forver

 

[realstar1]

#1 AZ, on Nas' "Life's A Bit&h"- AZ dropped alot of hot verses, but NEVER matched this effort again.

Visualizin the realism of life and actuality
@++# who's the baddest a person's status depends on salary
And my mentality is, money orientated
I'm destined to live the dream for all my peeps who never made it
cause yeah, we were beginners in the hood as five percenters
But somethin must of got in us cause all of us turned to sinners
Now some, restin in peace and some are sittin in San Quentin


#2 Notorious B.I.G, "Warning" - This ain't a rap song.....this is cinema. Vivid as it gets. Micheal Mann could'nt have painted a betterpicture

Who the @++# is this? Pagin me at 5:46
in the mornin, crack of dawn an'
now I'm yawnin - wipe the coals out my eye
See who's this pagin me - and why
It's my ninja Pop from the barbershop
Told me he was in the gamblin spot, and heard the intricate plot............

#3 Andre 3000, on UGK's "Internationl Players Anthem" - So many metaphors in such a little amount of time. And most people didn't evennotice that he channeled his partner-in-rhyme (Big Boi) when he said "
"Too soon! Dont do it! Reconsider! Read some litera - ture on the subject..." and "You know we got your back like chiroprac - tic. If thatb**** do you dirty we'll wipe her a** out and send detergent
Now hurry hurry,". Anyone that knows Big Boi's style knows that would be the type of verse that he would drop, with that exact delivery.

So, I typed a text to a girl I used to see
Sayin that I chose this cutie pie with whom I wanna be
And I apologize if this message gets you down
Then I CC'd every girl that I'd see see round town and
I hate to see y'all frown but I'd rather see her smiling
Wetness all around me, true, but I'm no island
Peninsula maybe, makes no sense I know, crazy
Give up all this %!@#@ cat thats in my lap no lookin back
Spaceships dont come equipped with rearview mirrors
They dip as quick as they can
The atmosphere is now ripped
Im so like a Pip, Im glad its night
So the light from the sun would not burn me on my bum
When I shoot the moon high, jump the broom
Like a premie out the womb
My partner yellin "Too soon! Dont do it! Reconsider!
Read some litera - ture on the subject

 

[eyes of hazel]

^
3k is a genius.

While people took awhile to appreciate how he really killed that joint, he made sure the delivery was on point in the meantime (it just sounded good flowingwithout the beat, even if it was just jibberish, which it was NOT).

Difference between him and "mixtape" Wayne. Actual substance with the "thatsounded hot" delivery and "punchlines".

*Kisses fingertips*

 

[j paycheck]

Yeah I got so many too (for days) but like following OP rules, not thinking about it and first line... Don't know but what immediatly came to mind was...



"When I die &&@! it I want to go to hell/'Cuz I'm a piece of !#@! it ain't hard to $&@!ing tell/It don't make sense going toheaven with the goodie goodies/Dressed in white, I like black timbs and black hoodies

 

[2guard]

we could quote every opening line from 3000....but

Scientific, my hand kissed it
Robotic let's think optimistic
You probably missed it, watch me dolly d@#k it
Scotty watty cop it to me, big microphone hippie
Hit Poughkepsie crispy chicken verbs throw up a stone richie
Chop the O, sprinkle a lil' snow inside a Optimo
Swing the John McEnroe, rap rock'n'roll
Tidy Bowl, gung-ho pro, Starsky with the gumsole
Hit the rump slow, parole kids, live Rapunzel
but Ton' stizzy really high, the vivid laser eye guide
Jump in the Harley ride, Clarks I freak a lemon pie
I'm bout it, bout it - Lord forgive me, Ms. Sally shouted
Tracey got shot in the face, my house was overcrowded

Ghostface Killah
"Nutmeg"

 

[eyes of hazel]

Man, every opening from that album is A+!

"Yo, we in the fields with heat,
You fake n' eat kid meals to meat,
We street referees..
We rock,
Jean jackets, thick shirts over turtlenecks
Certified doctors in hoods'll steal all your techs!
But wait, roll cameras, babyface money blowin like beach nut
Call off the mutts, it's me again
Ghost, your host this evening...."

 

[shabooyah1124]

Redefinition was the first song that came to mind.

"1 2 3, Mos Def and Talib Kweli, We came to rock it on to the tip top, Best alliance in Hip-Hop Why-O!"

And everyone should know the first words to this track. . .

"To all the killas and the hundred dollar billas. . ."

 

[jahsondc]

Gang Starr - All for tha Cash

"All fo da cash man,
@#$$%@# be ready to blast man,
Mad H@#s 'LL be quick to give up the *** man,
Traders...
they 'LL be robbin yo stash man....
Don't wanna end up like the last man...

 

[jahsondc]

so many come to mind....

Repiration Black Star...ft common

The new moon rode high in the crown of the metropolis
Shinin, like who on top of this?
People was tusslin, arguin and bustlin
Gangstaz of Gotham hardcore hustlin
I'm wrestlin with words and ideas
My ears is picky, seekin what will transmit
the scribes can apply to transcript, yo
This ain't no time where the usual is suitable
Tonight alive, let's describe the inscrutable
The indisputable, we New York the narcotic
Strength in metal and fiber optics

 

[Methodical Management]

Great topic! First in my mind is, of course, Paid In Full... who doesn't know that whole song by heart? (Well, aside from 85% of NT.)

You guys listed some great ones, you guys took a lot of the ones I immediately thought of. So many to choose from.... here's a few that stand out in mymind, now that we've moved on from "opening line" to damn near "opening verse":


Guru on Robin Hood Theory:

I seek sun, deceive none for each one must teach one
At least one must flow and teach the structure of freedom
It's me, dunn, 'cause petty things, we' don't need 'em
Let's focus to create something great for all that sees them
The innocent: they know not what they face
While politicians save face, genius minds lay to waste
If I wasn't kicking rhymes I'd be kicking down doors
Creating social change and defending the poor


Posdnous on The Brakes

There's a lot of people out there who just don't know
What plays a factor in movin' heads and toes
It be them hits bangin' out of them stereo kits
Whether cas-sette, radio, or CD bits
Mix tapes from the best goin' on and on
Throughout the city grounds to suburban lawns


INS on Guillotine [Swordz]

Poisonous paragraphs smash ya' phonograph in half
It be the Inspectah Deck on the war path
First class, leaving mics with a cast
Causing ruckus like the aftermath when guns blast
Run fast, here comes the verbal assaulter
Rhymes runnin' wild like a child in a walker
I scored from the inner slums abroad
And my thoughts are razor sharp I sliced the mic from the cord
First they criticize, but now they have become mentally paralyzed with hits that I devise
Now I testify, the rest is I, Rebel INS Ya highness, blessed to electrify
with voltage of an eel, truth that I reveal'll crush the amateurs who screamed to keep it real
Caesar black down hoodied up in fatigues
Part time minor leagues receive third degrees
Attack like a wolf pack, once I pull back
the God-U, and bust through like a fullback


Jeru on Ya Playin' Yaself

Now I don't push a Lex
Others had their turn to flex, Jeru is up next
All, these so called players up in the rap game
Got brothers on the corner selling cooked cocaine
It used to be LaToya and, jim hats
But now it's uzis macs and, g-packs of cracks
Everybody's psycho or some type of goodfellow
But me I keep it real that's all swine like jello
Don't drink Cristal, and I can't stand Mo
Never received currency for moving a kilo
Or an ounce, make em bounce to this fake-pimp free flow
I never knew hustlers confessed in stereo
Or on video get caught you'll know who turned State's
Evidence, murder weapon, confession and fingerprints
Mama always said watch what comes out your mouth
Tight case for the DA from here to down South
Knowledge wisdom understanding like King Solomon's wealth
You're a player but only because you be playin yourself


Rakim on I Know You Got Soul

It's been a long time, I shouldn't have left you
Without a strong rhyme to step to
Think of how many weak shows you slept through
Time's up, I'm sorry I kept you
Thinking of this, you keep repeating you missed
The rhymes from the microphone soloist
And you sit by the radio, hand on the dial, soon
As you hear it, pump up the volume
Dance wit the speaker 'till you hear it blow,
Then plug in the headphone 'cause here it go
It's a 4 letter word when it's heard, it control
your body to dance (You got it) soul,
Ditects the tempo like a red alert
Reaches your reflex, so let it work
When this is playing, you can't get stuck wit
The steps, so get set and I'm a still come up wit
A gift to be swift, follow the leader, the rhyme will go
Def wit the record that was mixed a long time ago
It can be done but only I can do it
For those that can dance and clap your hands to it
I start to think and then I sink
Into the paper like I was ink
When I'm writing, I'm trapped in between the lines,
I escape when I finish the rhyme...
I got soul


It's tempting to throw up some really old school stuff... but I think Rakim's about as far back as I can safely go at this point given that Paid InFull and Yo! Bum Rush the Show! are already 10 years older than the average NTer.

 

[ez primo]

Dr Dre ft Snoop - "nuthing but a g thang"
One, two, three and to the fo'
Snoop Doggy Dogg and Dr. Dre are at the do'
Ready to make an entrance, so back on up
(Cause you know we 'bout had to rip +#%% up)

LL Cool J - "rock the bells"

L.L. Cool J. is hard as hell
Battle anybody I don't care who you tell
I excel, they all fail
I'm gonna crack shells, Double-L must rock the bells

GangStarr - "code of the streets"

Take this for example young brothers want rep
Cause in the life they're living you can't half step
It starts with the young ones doing crime for fun
And if you ain't down you'll get played out son

Cypress Hill - "i wanna get high"

I want to get high - so high!
I want to get high - so high!
I want to get high - so high!
I want to get high - so high!

 

[eyes of hazel]

I think these bars are so under the radar by the "R", but back in '87-'88, just

coming from an era of slow "beat" rappers. "R" changed thegame:

"MC's that wanna be dissed they're gonna...
Be dissed if they don't get from in fronta...
All they can go get is me a glass of Moet...
A hard time, sip your juice and watch a smooth poet...
I take 7 MC's put em in a line,
And add 7 more brothas who think they can rhyme,
Well, it'll take 7 more before I go for mine,
And that's 21 MC's ate up at the same time!"

"My Melody." My GOD!!!!!

 

[b fresco]

Wow, this thread is an instant classic...
On the iPhone till tomorrow so can't post anything, but everybody is quoting classic/timeless lyrics...
This is why I love this forum...
Good ole classic hip hop FTW...

 

[rocman23]

First off #$%% yo **@!@ and the clique you claim..... I'm a huge BIG fan but ithat was an instant kill soon as that came on

 

[j paycheck]

Ahhh this morning it was...


"%$$*! all you :;$& Get a grip motherphcker.

Yeah, this album is dedicated to all the teachers that told me I'd never amount to nothin', to all the people that lived above the buildings that I washustlin' in front of that called the police on
me when I was just tryin' to make some money to feed my daughters,
and all the nigz in the struggle, you know what I'm sayin'?

Uh-ha, it's all good baby bay-bee, uh

It was all a dream /I used to read Word Up magazine/Salt'n'Pepa and Heavy D up in the limousine/Hangin' pictures on my wall"

Then... All of sudden "A Dream" but Jay off BP2 got stuck in my head...

 

[jahsondc]

Crack backs heavy on the cash all night
at the drug site we hung tight
three o'clock in the night ounces of coke dirty kicks
money gets low in the street yo
tough times nickles thats bigger than dimes
you know the flavor
ruffneck city ain't nothin sweet kid ain't nothin pretty

Cappadonna - RUN


I grew up on the crime side, the New York Times side
Staying alive was no jive
At second hands, moms bounced on old men
So then we moved to Shaolin land
A young youth, yo rockin the gold tooth, 'Lo goose
Only way, I begin to gee off was drug loot
And let's start it like this son, rollin with this one
And that one, pullin out gats for fun
But it was just a dream for the teen, who was a fiend
Started smokin woolies at sixteen
And running up in gates, and doing hits for high stakes
Making my way on fire escapes
No question I would speed, for cracks and weed
The combination made my eyes bleed

Kwon da Chef -C.R.E.A.M.

 

[jayz2001]

- Wu Tang, "Triumph"... When I first heard the first 16 bars of the opening, I memorized it immediately... This was pre-internet "google" searching too, straight on repeat until I got it...
"I bomb atomically, Socrates' philosophies
and hypothesis can't define how I be droppin these
mockeries, lyrically perform armed robbery
Flee with the lottery, possibly they spotted me
Battle-scarred shogun, explosion when my pen hits
tremendous, ultra-violet shine blind forensics..."

Thats one of my fav openings ever. Another one I like is:

Ay Yo, Ay yo, Regardless of rain or snow, sleet or hail
I kick street tales, choking %#@#%@ like i'm sprewell
golden state, holding your fate in the palm of my hand
blow you away like its part of the plan
i gotta call it like i see it, talk it like i be it
walkin my walk, thugged out orthopedic
cause i'm soon to be up, give me room watch me heat up
%#@#%@ try to stick me like abdul lerima, follow the leader
make me go extra hard, yo nore should i hold back or show the repirtore
quit at 16 or throw in extra bars just for the non-believers
i show them why its so hard to reach us
i get p**** with my fathers features
puff heavenly, see me at 6'1" weigh a buck 70
catch me in spots yall %#@#%@ never be
packed in like green bay
harlem week to queens day
performing acapella, no dj
98 live, no replays
make it seem easy, so tell a friend to tell a friend
that its them again, nature noreaga, wild gremlins

Nature on Banned from TV

 

[shabooyah1124]

HOW'D I FORGET THIS?!


Check me out right here yo

Yo, the sun don't shine forever
But as long as it's here then we might as well shine together
Better now than never, business before pleasure
P-Diddy and the Fam, who you know do it better?
Yeah right, no matter what, we air tight
So when you hear somethin, make sure you hear it right
Don't make a !%@ outta yourself, by assumin
Our music keeps you movin, what are you provin?
You know that I'm two levels above you baby
Hug me baby, I'ma make you love me baby
Talkin crazy ain't gonna get you nuthin but choked
And that jealousy is only gonna leave you broke
So the only thing left now is God for these cats
And BIG you know you too hard for these cats
I'ma win cause I'm too smart for these cats
While they makin up facts you rakin up plats

 

[mytsharp]

^^^ best verse Sean Combs ever spit.

Even though it was written for him.

My-T.

 

[yungsatellite]

^^^

Better than "this the end"??


My pick..

Kool G rap It's a damn shame..


And once again it's big G runnin the number rackets
wearin Pele jackets
Fast loot tactics I'm well up in the millionaire bracket
The boss of all bosses/ I own racehorses and a fortress
corridors with olympic torches and Mona Lisa portraits
Jacuzzis and saunas and eatin steak at Benny Harner's
Bentley's limousine/ the front yard stream is full of pirahnas
I'm set a private jet I drink a lot of Beck's
Get a lot of sess condo and duplex, diamond infested Rolex
Deliver a crown at the world units with silver china
Sippin on finer wine-r you see more shines than diamond miners
The Highness, kingpin of heroin
I'm thorough when I have to bring the terror in
Handle business in each and every borough in
town or city, I'm rollin like Frank Nitty, I'm rich and pretty
Back up kiddies, I got crimies that's grimy and gritty
A +%$$@ that's spunky and likes to keep his pockets chunky
Makin most of my money, from all the dopefiends and junkies
I learned from the best the ones that's livin
and the ones that's put to rest
So I bless my chest with a vest and pack a Smith-N-Wes
And then I'm off to get the snaps, not the scraps
The game is be a real mack, the name is Kool G Rap

 

[eyes of hazel]

"Fast loot tactics;
I'm well up in the millionaire bracket"
The way he says that....

I'm surprised after all this time, no one has chopped that line into a chorus for a track...

His bars on Murda Music with Mobb....

 

[trethousandgt]

Didn't see this posted but these lyrics were so raw






I know how it feel to wake up !%%**+ up
Pockets broke as hell, another rock to sell
People look at you like youse the user
Selling drugs to all the losers, mad buddha abuser
But they don't know about your stress-filled day
Baby on the way mad bills to pay
That's why you drink Tanqueray; so you can reminisce
and wish, you wasn't livin so devilish, ss****
I remember I was just like you
Smokin blunts with my crew, flippin over 62's
Cause G-E-D, wasn't B-I-G
I got P-A-I-D, that's why my moms hate me
She was forced to kick me out, no doubt
Then I figured out licks went for twenty down South
Packed up my tools for my raw power move
Glock nineteen for casket and flower moves
for chumps tryin to stop my flow
And what they don't know will show on the autopsy
Went to see Papi, to cop me a brick
Asked for some consignment and he wasn't tryin to hear it
Smoking mad Newports cause I'm due in court
for an assault, that I caught, in Bridgeport, New York
Catch me if you can like the Gingerbread Man
You better have your gat in hand, cause man