15 Classic Games That Got Hilarious Hip Hop Name Drops
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1. Contra in "Our House" by Joell Ortiz
"Now every day's a game of Contra, I got 99 men. An infinite amount of rounds inside this mighty fine pen." Bro, do you even Contra? With all due respect, Mr. Ortiz, everyone knows the secret code gives you 30 men. Not 99 men.
2. Pac-Man in "Mac Man" by Beanie Sigel
"They call me Pac-Man, and ain't a damn thing change." Mac Man is a bit of a linguistic masterpiece, deftly interweaving themes from games like Centipede and Frogger with the rough and tumble life of an illicit dope slinger.
3. Super Smash Bros. in "Heartbeat" by Childish Gambino
"Asking him if she gonna play games with the Super Smash Brothers, but none of them you." In a song filled with raw lyrics that cut to the bone, Smash Brothers cracks the icy atmosphere with a surprise combo breaker.
4. Defender in "Body Movin" by Beastie Boys
"And if you play Defender I could be your hyperspace." If you'll recall, Defender's ultimate secret weapon was the Hyperspace Time Warp, which allowed your spaceship to stage a strategic retreat. Now that's some real action from the back section.
5. Punch-Out!! in "Press The Start Button" by Ludacris
"So let's box like Tyson, you'll get Punched Out." If anyone doubts Ludacris loves games, this song puts the issue to rest, with a dozen titles mentioned ranging from Final Fantasy to Metal Gear Solid. In the elegant words of Sir Bridges himself, let the games begin, biatch!
6. Shinobi in "Triumph" by Wu Tang Clan
"Behold the bold soldier, control the globe slowly, proceed to blow swingin' swords like Shinobi." A reference to a martial arts master ninja seems like the perfect fit for Inspectah Deck. For even more shogun soliloquies, definitely check out GZA's Liquid Swords too.
7. Tomb Raider in "Simon Says" by Pharoahe Monch
"I'm soon to motivate the room, control the game like Tomb Raider." The New York City gritty committee proceeds with some instructions that are unrepeatable here. Let's just say Pharoahe wouldn't be a fan of Tomb Raider's new direction.
8. Street Fighter II in "Think Big" with Notorious B.I.G.
"In the back room playing Sega, Street Fighter II, I'm inviting you..." Biggie Smalls may have the most famous Genesis reference in Juicy, but it's great to hear that he keeps the Sega love coming, even with its inferior Street Fighter port. Here comes a new challenger!
9. The Legend of Zelda in "Lisa's Spider" by Cadence Weapon
"Until I run your house and take your jewels like Zelda's Link." It's always been kinda weird how much money Link just straight up steals from his neighbors.
10. Dig Dug in "High Schoolin" by OutKast
“Stay underground like Cheers or Dig Dug. Only come above to shake hands and give hugs.” Dig Dug's definitely an old school call back, but Cheers? Who remembered you had to climb stairs down into that bar. Big Boi, that's who.
11. Klonoa in "Proto Culture" by Del The Funky Homosapien
"Wex, Gex or Klonoa, I get 'em all at cost." Wow. Ask any Klonoa fan and they'll tell you the platformer never got its time in the spotlight. That is, until Del The Funky Homosapien immortalized it in this paean to the kind of games you can't rent at Blockbuster.
12. Pokémon in "Awesome" by ShowYouSuck
"I feel like Ash Ketcuhm. Caught 'em all, yeah, caught 'em all." The Chicago rapper ShowYouSuck has a reputation for cramming his lyrics with nostalgic nods to a bygone era of innocence. He's the only one who can rap about Pokemon and still seem cool.
13. Donkey Kong in "Human Video Game" by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
"Yo Ready Rock C? I wanna play a game of Donkey Kong!" Apparently when he wasn't shooting hoops outside of school, the West Philadelphia native spent thousands of dollars perfecting his skills as the king of kong.
14. Sonic The Hedgehog in "I Gotcha" by Lupe Fiasco
"Have my mind movin' faster than that hog in the hedges." If you blink, the blue blur will whiz past you in this song, so Lupe gets points for subtlety. Sonic's edgy attitude always went well with rap. This 16-bit baller will put you on blast ... processing.
15. Double Dribble in "Gamin' On Ya" by People Under the Stairs
"More drunk than a little and you'll probably never see the Double Dribble." Another song that wears its game cred on its sleeve, Gamin' On Ya earns a particular distinction for sampling the infamously garbled game announcer from the NES basketball classic.