Boastful Rap: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

[["I Am Great" Song|Boastful, self-aggrandizing songs]] really occur in all genres, but it's particularly common for [[rap]]pers to rap about how they're badass/what they can do, about their possessions, homies, and stuff, about who they are, or a combination of all of the above.

Compare [[Bragging Theme Tune]] and [[A Wild Rapper Appears]]. If sung by a antagonistic character, can be considered a [[Villain Song]].

 

* A few of the [[Beastie Boys]]' songs affirm their rapping ability, though it is at times so absurd that it's quite possibly parody ("Got more hits than Sadaharu Oh", indeed).

** On that note, Run-DMC did this pretty often too, but [[Rule of Cool|no one really cares.]]

* [[N.W.A.]]. Sort of. They popularized all this.

My [[A Tribe Called Quest|Tribe's on more Quests]] than ''Midnight Marauders'' }}

* The Binary Star song "Honest Expression" is largely a reaction to this trope; an extended tirade about how everybody who makes Boastful Rap songs is a poser who is killing hip-hop.

* Knuckles the Echidna gets into the act in ''[[Sonic Adventure Series|Sonic Adventure]]'', trying to convince us that he didn't chuckle in every single one of his ''[[Sonic 3 and Knuckles|Sonic 3]]'' appearances, or that he has any form of visible musculature.

* Sushi K's rap in ''[[Snow Crash]]''. Which is [[Stylistic Suck|frighteningly terrible]] and ironically contrasted with a murder carried out by Raven, described in-book as the [[Badass|baddest-ass motherfucker in the world.]]

* About half of Jedi Mind Tricks' discography, but "Serenity In Murder" deserves a honorary mention for the line

* A lot of Missy Elliott's songs are this trope.

* Timbaland's ''Kill Yourself''.

* Let's be honest here - hip-hop itself largely consists of this trope, especially in [[The Eighties]] and [[The Nineties]]. Artists like Rakim, the various members of the Wu-Tang Clan, Big L, and more perfected the Boastful Rap. Doesn't stop a lot of it from being [[Crowning Music of Awesome]], though.

** This is true, particularly for Big L. He personified this trope. Just look up the lyrics to any one of his songs.

* ''Look Pimpin'' from ''[[MadWorld]]'', as sung by the final boss, {{spoiler|The Black Baron (stop staring)}}. There's also ''You Don't Know Me'', which was based around the lady bosses (Elise and Rin-Rin). Not based on anyone, but still a boast of power, is ''Ain't That Funny'', the Great Wall Street theme.

* Even the poster boys of [[Wangst]] aren't exempt from this. See [[Linkin Park]]'s "Step Up" and "High Voltage". The band's rapper continues this trend with Fort Minor's "Remember the Name".

* Bradley Nowell of [[Sublime]] was fond of these, the most famous probably being from the song "What I Got" 'I can play guitar like a motherfuckin riot.'

* ''LL Cool J'''s battles with ''Kool Moe Dee'' were the stuff of [[Hip Hop]] legend.

* Lupe Fiasco's "Superstar" was a surprising deconstruction of this trope. Though he wasn't parodying those who boast, it was definitely more about the insecurities and loneliness that come from 'gangsta' celebrity rather than the perks, fame, and money.

* [[Kanye West]]: Oh, yes..

* As previously mentioned legendary emcee Rakim raps was made of this. But this was part of the appeal along with his sharp lyricism.

* Bender from Futurama is fond of these

* ''[[Teen Witch (film)|Teen Witch]]'' has a trio of white boys rap against the titular character's best friend friend who all of a sudden starts rapping boastfully as a result of her friend's witch powers.

* iCarly during the party scenes of ''iParty with Victorious'' is a good example of this trope. However, Sam and Rex are the only characters that don't make Tupac roll over in his grave.

** Subverted by Robbie who gets knocked unconscious by an angry crowd member before he can make a presumably poor attempt of a Boastful Rap.

* Chris Brown's "Look at Me Now".

 

* Toyed with by [[Insane Clown Posse]], who boast about things like sex with obese women and having magic powers in a parody of the boastful rap style.

Only we'd rap about fucking a beehive. }}

* From [[The Lonely Island]]:

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPOiqtf2FTE This] rap video with, out of all people, ''Taylor Swift''. Also featuring T-Pain.

* [[PDQ Bach]] gives "Classical Rap", featuring:

* "White And Nerdy" by [["Weird Al" Yankovic|Weird Al Yankovic]].

Do vector calculus just for fun... }}

I phone him up at home and I make him do my tech support }}

* 50 Cent did "Window Shopper" with a video that featured super-imposed pricetags on every piece of product placement. Lily Allen then did [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-If2eG4jrE "Nan You're A Window Shopper"] which reversed and parodied the original.

* [[Older Than You Think|In 1984,]] "The Rappin' Duke" was [[John Wayne]] claiming to be the first rapper.

* "The Shadow of Def" by [[Brave Saint Saturn]].

You step to me, you're gonna get dissed, homeboy. }}

** For a better [[Star Wars]] reference, try the second [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yH8b5ruc_-E Star Wars Gangsta Rap,] which is about the Rebels and Empire having a rap battle. '''ROLL UP ON YER PLANET, <big>DEATH STAR DRIVE-BY!</big>'''

I’m just a regular everyday normal guy…And my sexual performance is average. }}

** As well as the "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqXi8WmQ_WM MC] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvjDr8KKtsE Vagina]" [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC03hmS1Brk videos]

"When I show women my money they want to have sex with me and they always have orgasms because my penis is so big, [[Bigger Is Better in Bed|25 inches long]] and [[Blatant Lies|12 inches wide]]" }}

* [http://www.myspace.com/mcemttherapper "Pace, Precision, Power"], which is a boastful rap about Pro Evolution Soccer.

* The Flobots' "Handlebars" is a deconstruction of boastful rap, starting with childlike bragging ("I can ride my bike with no handlebars") and culminating in some pretty scary stuff ("I can end the planet in a holocaust").

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5oEyFa9XQI Jaden's Rap] from [[Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Abridged Series|Yu-Gi-Oh the Abridged Series]]

* Spose's song, fittingly titled [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYws8biwOYc I'm Awesome]

Under the ground }}

* Ever heard anyone rap about being a freelance Final Cut Pro editor? [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=No18-olLtu4&feature=channel_video_title You have now.]

* Every Wrestler in GLOW did this before every match, including the one that would become WWE's Ivory. The parody came from most of the roster being stock [[Funny Foreigner|foreigner]] [[Evil Foreigner|wrestlers]].

* [[The Veronicas]] "Popular".

* [[Tinie Tempah]]'s "Pass Out" is half straight example, half [[Affectionate Parody]]. The hook is standard if arguably lame Boastful Rap about partying and drinking and getting all the women, but the verses contain bizarre, uncool boasts like "I got so many clothes I keep them in my aunt's house" and "I'm pissed I never got to fly on a Concorde / I been Southampton but I've never been to Scunthorpe". (Note: for Americans unsure about those English towns, know that they are both desperately uncool.)

* There are mock rap battles in ''[[Homestuck]]'' ([[Trope Overdosed|of course]]), including the lamest {{spoiler|and best}} in the history of [[Timey-Wimey Ball|Paradox]] Space.

** At one point, Tavros attempts to troll Dave by performing a Boastful Rap ("'Cause I'm your bully, and you're not in charge"), but unintentionally keeps making it [[Mistaken for Gay|homoerotic]], much to Tavros's chagain.

* The [[SCP Foundation]] has an [http://www.scp-wiki.net/follow-the-keter epic rap battle] between [http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-076 SCP-076-2] and [http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-682 SCP-682].

* ''[[The Simpsons]]'' episode "New Kids on the Blech," where Bart is reading aloud from the song they're to sing (sort-of rap, like the [[Boy Band]]s do):

'''Milhouse''': No one told me there was going to be boasting. }}

** Another from ''[[The Simpsons]]'' is Poochie's introduction when he first appears on Itchy and Scratchy.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:These Tropes Love to Brag]]

[[Category:Boastful Rap]]