The 50 Best Storytelling Rap Songs. —Amanda Montell, Warren G and Nate Dogg's hard-edged 1994 hip hop hit reps LA as a town full of girls and guns—from Long Beach to the Eastside, the rap duo find themselves facing firearms, thievery and hot babes. Rap Basement is a Hip Hop Lifestyle Network. Between the alto flute solo, the dreamy harmony and the band’s lament that "I'd be safe and warm if I was in LA,” the song is a hypnotic tout for SoCal. We're pretty sure it's the latter, but either way, this must be the most-referenced song in the city, at least on sidewalks or while running for one's life during inexplicably short crosswalk lights. There are one-liners aplenty in this track, but you can't be just any geek off the street to pull 'em off. The best hip-hop songs of all time are the songs that touch our souls. We love it even if traffic makes us anxious, even if we don't have a football team, even if we're so spread out we can barely meet up with a friend in town, and even when last call is at 1:30am and bars aren't supposed to close until 2. Our editorial content is not influenced by any commissions we receive. Inhaltlich und musikalisch ist er an den französischen und US-amerikanischen Gangsta-Rap und Battle-Rap angelehnt. So sit back, relax and strap on your seat belt as we turn to page FREAK, because this is Complex’s 100 Best L.A. Rap Songs. Though an uneventful composition by Zappa standards, his daughter Moon Unit elevates the song into stardom with Valspeak squeals like “grody”, “barf,” and “bitchin’”; her excessive use of “like”; and musings on the pronunciation of “Andrea.” Good luck pinpointing the origin of all the Valley hate, but something was clearly already brewing by ‘82: “But I live, like, in a really good part of Encino so it’s okay.”—Michael Juliano, We love steel drums, we love Perry Farrell and yes, we definitely freak out when Jane's Addiction ends their live shows with this crowd-pleaser. But we digress: The song’s ultimate staying power owes a bit to cars, but much more to the straight-faced “Go granny, go,” harmony and Dean Torrence’s soaring falsetto intro.—Michael Juliano, While Frank Zappa may have intended “Valley Girl” to be a takedown of well-off, Galleria-haunting ‘80s teens, the song instead created a nationwide lexicon of Valley girl slang—whoops. TRENDING NEWS. Was anyone more qualified to capture LA rock & roll in the mid-80s? Doubtful. Let other cities have their feel-good, celebratory theme songs — their "Philadelphia Freedom," their "Empire State of Mind." The song almost failed to be, however; Kiedis felt the emotional theme of loneliness didn’t fit the band’s tone, but producer Rick Rubin persuaded him to pursue it. We might not go cruising in “woodies” looking for “honeys” anymore, but the Brian Wilson and Mike Love-penned ode to local surf spots—Huntington, Malibu, Rincon, Laguna and Doheny—still breathes life into a storied salt air Shangri-La.—Michael Juliano, We wistfully envision a foggy South Bay morning when our rock & roll lady crush croons, "On Redondo Beach, everyone is so sad, I was looking for you, are you gone?" From Long Beach to Glendale, Venice to Pomona, the L.A. rap landscape is as interconnected as its highway system, as diverse as its scenery, and as reliable as its climate. —Amanda Montell, The marine layer must’ve been thick in 1961 to infect a bunch of boys from Hawthorne with such a surfing obsession. Sun? Boosie Badazz Calls Kris Jenner A “Madame” While Discussing Kanye West & Kim Kardashian’s Divorce . 1. So infectious is the track's signature guitar riff that we'll forgive the throwaway line about the frisky girls in old 'Frisco. Billie Eilish Used To Hate The Spotlight But Now She “F*cking [Loves] Fame” 146 . © Complex Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The lyrics tell the story of a woman beaten down by "Hell-A" who begins to lash out at others—a telling commentary about the city’s diversity and the intolerance it can breed. That last point, in particular, was even more apparent two decades later when Doris Day’s sauntering, twinkling rendition ditched mentions of Shirley Temple and Aimee Semple for Lassie and Marilyn Monroe (or, more specifically, her chassis).—Michael Juliano, We love this song because of the numerous mentions of buttering ladies up at fast food joints. It's hailed as one of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and is Saved By the Bell principal Mr. Belding's favorite tune. described—but there’s still a legitimate thrill from that opening, “Straight outta Compton, crazy motherfucker named Ice Cube.” The group packs so much raw personality and attitude into four minutes that it’s no wonder the song blasted a previously ignored region and culture of LA onto the national mainstage.—Michael Juliano, Soul Coughing front man Mike Doughty was actually living in downtown Manhattan, attending Eugene Lang College, when he came up with this ode to LA in '94. As his electric guitar wails against a backdrop of brass, BB King serenades our relentless town, reminding us that in the same breath, LA will "do you so wrong" and then "do you so right." Ice-T's song Race War from his 1993 solo album Home Invasion addressed the riots and the potential for further disturbances. During the year it was written, in 1987, the Guns N' Roses brethren shared a coke-filled mansion in the jungle of West Hollywood, infested with groupies and fondly named the Hell House. SIRODOGGYD: Die 5 besten Songs des Rap-Newcomers Strassenrap aus Wald (ZH): 2019 holte sich SIRODOGGYD den Titel beim Rap City Newcomer Contest. Shawn Mullins’s scratchy, spoken verses tell the story of a woebegone LA native with famous parents and child stars for friends. The song is very much open to interpretation—especially when you’re high as hell and feeing chatty with your Petty buddies. He liked the room's "natural reverb"—almost as much as he liked ladies from LA—and we can't argue with him. —Amanda Montell, During the making of Jim Morrison's last album with The Doors—before he joined the untimely 27 club—the chisel-jawed rocker recorded the vocals for "LA Woman" in the bathroom of the band's makeshift WeHo studio. —Kate Wertheimer, We're not sure who references this song (off 1982's Spring Session M) more—the people in LA who really don't walk, or the defiant ambulators who mock them. Sure, Claire Evans and her band would be just as at home in Hell (their words, not ours), but we won't argue with calling LA a shangri-la—even if almost everyone else might. 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The '96 song pleads for better race and gang relations in the city and alludes to local staples like the scene on Sunset and ghetto birds above. Facebook page opens in new window Twitter page opens in new window Instagram page opens in new window TripAdvisor page opens in new window Doc D Planetory Destruction. —Danielle Nedivi, This tender Kinks fan-favorite from 1972 finds frontman Ray Davies namedropping iconic Hollywood stars left and right, trying to understand their successes and tribulations by putting himself in their shoes as he walks down the iconic boulevard. Does the LA tourism board know about this song?? Packed with numerous references to everyday life in the Valley and complemented by an iconic video shot inside the Westside Pavilion mall, the 1989 hit evokes for many Angelenos the feeling of taking a leap into the great unknown in a city of myriad possibilities. The Decemberists songwriter tackles his love-hate relationship with the city—“An ocean’s garbled vomit on the shore”—as a relatable, alluring addiction. —Amanda Montell, Sheryl Crow’s breakthrough hit from her ’93 debut album is the perfect soundtrack for a carefree girls’ night out. 50 Cent turned the tables on "21 Questions," which takes the form of a relationship interview. As he dismisses the Frank Sinatra anthem towns of New York and Chicago, a crunchy synth kicks in—‘80s production be damned—and a nasally proclamation that “we was born to ride” inspires a sense of, dare we say, pride in LA, Santa Anas blowing and all. In fact, “She’s the terror of Colorado Boulevard,” is all too relevant these days as Pasadena ranks among the worst cities in California for auto collisions. Perhaps one of the most well-known muses in musical history, Los Angeles has long inspired odes to its beaches and women, its hard city streets and its celebrity siren call. We've chosen the 50 tunes that best encompass the LA experience—be it good, bad or ugly—and ranked them accordingly. Thanks for subscribing! Der Gangsta-Rap in Deutschland hat seine Wurzeln in den 1990er Jahren und stellt seit 2003/2004 ein erfolgreiches Sub-Genre des deutschen Hip-Hop dar. The record displayed an upbeat and accessible yet refined quality that many critics deemed his best effort to date (or his best effort ever, as it would turn out). Hence, the band's name.—Kate Wertheimer, Best Coast’s saccharine, sunny love letter to LA has all the subtlety of a romcom—seriously, just imagine the song playing over a movie intro with Amanda Seyfried jogging through palm tree-filtered sunlight. Rather, "Free Fallin'" nostalgically recalls a childhood sweetheart in Petty's home state of Florida whom the singer left behind when he moved to Los Angeles to pursue rock & roll stardom. 2 – Lorenzo “Nique la BAC” This French rapper is part of the troll rap it is hard to know when he is serious about a subject. This gnarly funk track (featuring the likes of Hansen, John King and Michael Simpson) is like a wacked-out litany of '90s LA debauchery, including dance floors, talk shows, hot dogs, No Doz and hot sex in back rows... the list goes on. Get the latest rap news, songs, mixtapes and videos first. We're pretty sure not. And for all the talk of gorgeous beaches, perfect weather and Hollywood glitz, "Desperados" tells of the overwhelming sense of seedy sadness that lurks beneath the glistening façade of the city. The song is an absolute classic: a '71 rock record that would speak for LA girls for generations to come: the lucky little ladies in the City of Light, the lost angels and everyone in between. To borrow from the chorus, "if we can't go to Heaven, let us go to LA"—hallelujah.—Kate Wertheimer, When the Santa Ana Winds begin to blow and fan the wildfire flames, Angelenos start to lose their minds. The song avoids the despairing pitfalls of immigration politics—an unsettlingly real issue thirty years later—thanks to Cheech’s sheepish fear of Tijuana and innocent love of the Eastside. Tiger, bear, whatever). This isn’t your typical beach bum anthem, but we suppose this track from Smith’s landmark debut, Horses, sets the tone for the laid back but sometimes distant beach city.—Michael Juliano, Referred to as the “Chicano National Anthem” by LA native George Lopez, this 1975 song by War pays homage to LA’s low rider car culture. Dr. Dre and a pre-fame Snoop Dogg rep their ‘hoods (“C-O-M-P-T-O-N and the city they call Long Beach”) and list off proof of how supremely G they are, all while remaining laid-back as can be.—Danielle Nevidi, Fear Fun is the most recent solo project of former Fleet Foxes drummer Josh Tillman, and was recorded upon his relocation from Seattle to LA. Herein is a selection from the rap ecosystem’s first 30 years with equal consideration given to the pre- and post-Jheri-curl eras. His ode to a lonely life in LA is perfectly captured in this haunting lo-fi gem, a 2003 track that finds the moody multi-instrumentalist somewhere between a ‘70s TV show theme and Joy Division.—Evelyn Derico, What may be gangsta rapper Ice Cube's greatest hit chronicles pretty much the best 24 hours a young dude in LA could ever have. 's 1996 farewell salute to the 20th century. The most famous rendition of the song, recorded in 1964 by the Rivieras, became a surf rock classic that surely inspired impressionable teenagers across the country to pack their bags and head out West. Feinsten Hip-Hop/Rap, Soul & Funk im Radio hören. Ice-T condemned the targeting of Korean-Americans during the riots. Try another. It will take you back nearly a decade with its piano-driven ballad and laid back melody, made famous as the theme song of LA’s hit show, The OC.Native to Hollywood, the indie rock band perfectly depicts a timeless energy of the city, from ‘driving down the 101’ to ‘driving in the sun.’ The easy, reggae beat belies the 1975 tune’s painful story of a lovers’ quarrel turned suicide. He'd taken a short visit to LA the previous summer, which inspired him to craft this spoken word piece interwoven with a lounge-y industrial backdrop and Los Angeles-laden imagery. Dein neues Hip-Hop-Radio aus Hamburg. And we love it!—Michael Juliano and Kate Wertheimer. Für … At the end of the day, LA (and its rocky romances) may spit you out and abandon you, but it sure is hard to resist “those Hollywood nights in those Hollywood Hills.”—Michael Juliano, With both humor and compassion (not to mention background vocals from local Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys), Zevon perfectly captures what it is to be an alcoholic in LA. We can't argue with that.—Kate Wertheimer, This ballad, released shortly after 2Pac’s death as a single from his last recorded album, is a loving tribute to the artist's adoptive hometown. And you can't question the genius of "I love you like a fat kid loves cake." Only "lame" joggers might boycott it—nobody likes name-calling.—Kate Wertheimer, Written by Brian Wilson during an LSD trip in 1965, this catchy song reached number three on the Billboard charts and has since been covered by numerous bands (most famously by David Lee Roth in 1985), payed homage to by the Beatles and semi-stolen by Katy Perry and Snoop Dogg (Lion? The whole album, and this song in particular, embraces a black humor that Tillman says was inspired by LA's secretly miserable comedians. Doughty told the LA Times in 2007 that he feels no connection to the song now, having become frustrated with constantly being associated with LA when he was in fact a New Yorker. Today, the widely played 14-line song is a staple at Los Angeles sporting events and is continually used in popular TV shows and movies. "It never rains in California, but girl don't they warn ya. Thank Jeff Tweedy and the late Jay Bennett of Wilco for crafting a West Coast complement to “This Land is Your Land”: Nearly every syllable is perfectly engineered for a sing-along, and so it’s no surprise the song is a staple at Wilco shows and Tweedy solo sets.—Michael Juliano, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and electric blues hero BB King got his start in Los Angeles back in the late 1940s. Later, he has a couple drinks, hangs out with his buddy for a while and then bags a girl he'd been "trying to fuck since the 12th grade." But even in 1937, lyricist Johnny Mercer was already lodging enduring complaints about Midwestern transplants, phonies and short-lived fame. First featured in the 1937 film Hotel Hollywood with lyrics by Johnny Mercer, Hooray For Hollywood is the best song ever written about what makes Los Angeles Los Angeles. 36 Songs Full of 'La La's, 'Na Na's, and Other Nonsense Syllables. What do Roger Troutman, Jerry Heller, and LAPD Chief Daryl Gates have in common?