Music is subjective in many ways. From a fan's opinion about an artist and the songs they create to what the lyrics mean, there are different perspectives used in interpreting that music, especially within hip-hop. As the genre expands and evolves to create a more widespread impact, sometimes the rhymes gets lost in translation when listeners mishear lyrics. This happens often with rapper's bars. A fixture of pop culture, hip-hop has become the dominant genre and that can mean a new fan of one song isn't privy to the nuances that lyrics embody. Even a rap loyalist for decades can get the message in the music wrong. There are plenty of hip-hop lyrics that have been misheard over the years. XXL went straight to the people to see what they've been getting wrong from the start, and some of the responses are hilarious. We asked Twitter what the most misheard hip-hop lyrics.
Some of hip-hop's biggest songs have lyrics that were frequently misheard. Future and Drake's 2020 single "Life Is Good," which was the No. 2 song on the Billboard Hot 100 at its peak is one of them. Twitter user @dglenn9000 thought he heard, "I'm in the loop with the voo, I'm in the loop with the woo" on the track—lyrics that definitely aren't there.
For @yuhSchimo, they thought "We got the soda" is a lyric from Fetty Wap's hit 2015 song "679" featuring Remy Boyz. which peaked at No. 4 on the Hot 100 in 2015. The line Fetty actually sings: "And I got this sewed up."
There are also tracks widely regarded as classics that people struggle with. Twitter user @verbal_clap knows someone who thought the hook of OutKast's 2001 classic "So Fresh, So Clean" was "Aint nobody dope as me, I'm just so versatile," when its clearly is "I'm just so fresh, so clean."
Audio Two's "Top Billin," a legendary 1987 hip-hop single in its own right, has been at the center of debate due to a line that sounds like "Suckas that's down with me," but actually is "Suckas that's down with neither of us," according to @Smitty1973Greg and many others. The lyric works better the second way, but due to the way it's rapped, it's somewhat difficult to understand.
Check out some of the most misheard hip-hop lyrics according to the people on Twitter below.
T-Pain's "Buy U A Drank (Shawty Snappin')"
Lil Durk's "Granny Crib"
Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind" featuring Alicia Keys
OutKast's "So Fresh, So Clean"
Lil Wayne's "Right Above It" featuring Drake
Audio Two's "Top Billin"
Young Thug's "Digits"
YoungBoy Never Broke Again's "Bout My Business"
Rick Ross' "The Devil Is A Lie" featuring Jay-Z
Fetty Wap's "679" featuring Remy Boyz
Future's "Comin Out Strong" featuring The Weeknd
Kanye West's "so Appalled" featuring Jay-Z, Swizz Beatz, CyHi The Prince, Pusha-T and RZA
Rod Wave's "Letter From Houston"
Jahlil Beats' producer tag as heard on Bobby Shmurda's "Hot N*gga"
Young Thug's "Stoner"
Lil Wayne's "Steady Mobbin" featuring Gucci Mane
Future's "Life Is Good" featuring Drake
Kanye West's "Praise God" featuring Travis Scott and Baby Keem