The 10 Greatest M.O.P. Couplets
When not shouting, “BROWNSVILLE, HOME OF THE BRAVE,” at high decibel levels, Aaron Matthews writes about hip hop, movies, and videogames at Canned Thinking. He also contributes to Metal Lungies, and Hip Hop Is Read.
There are two things you need to know about M.O.P.
1. M.O.P. are always angry.
2. During their brief tenure on Roc-A-Fella Records, the pair recorded an album entitled Kill Nigga Die Slo Bluckka Bluckka Bloaoow Blood Sweat Tears and We Out.
Let’s take a slide through the ill side of town.
1. Lil’ Fame, “Face Off 2k1″, Warriorz:
Niggaz ain’t feelin the Fame bitch? Stop dreamin’/I’m the shit that felt good comin’ out of my pop’s semen.
Why it’s Great: There is no possible scenario where Fame can imagine someone not feeling him. Accordingly, when a prenatal Jamal Grinnage was released from his father’s semen, his pops experienced pleasure. (Matthews)
Ranking:
2. Lil’ Fame, “1/2 & ½”, Gang Starr ft.M.O.P.
“Here comes the revolutionist/executionist/flip a triple 6 into three 9’s/cause a crucifix”
Why It’s Great: Fame gets his Noah Webster on and invents the word, “executionist.” Couplet gets bonus points for possibly veiled Crispus Attucks reference. Very veiled. Related note: why has there not been a rapper named Crispus Attacks? (Weiss)
Ranking:
3. Lil’ Fame, “Calm Down”, Warriorz
“Brooklyn, you heard?/I’ll yap the gold cross off John Paul the Third”
Why it’s Great: Because Lil’ Fame has snatched the chains of three archbishops and a half-dozen aldermen. Robbing sundry Catholic dignitaries is one of his favorite hobbies. (Douglas Martin)
Ranking:
4. Lil’ Fame, “Who Got Gunz?” (Gang Starr ft. M.O.P. and Fat Joe)
“We’ll run you down, M-O-P’s run you down/Hunt you down, guns sings like Bilal/bloaw!!!”"
Why it’s brilliant: Equating the name of neo-soul singer Bilal, to the sound effect of a gunshot from the old school Batman TV series–what took so long for this to happen? (Zilla)
Ranking:
5. Lil’ Fame, “Show No Mercy” (Pharaohe Monch ft.M.O.P.)
“You wanna see my 4-5 blow?/Nigga put the phone down ‘fore I dump 2 times 4″
Why it’s brilliant: Instead of nicely asking someone to be discreet while answering their cell phone in a movie theater, Fame proposes that he give the person 8 tickets to hell’s matinee. (Zilla)
Ranking:
6. Billy Danze, “Breakin’ The Rules” First Family 4 Life
Before you test me/Know I feel that the impact from a gat when it kicks back is sexy.
Why it’s Great: Danzini’s fetishization of his firearm is Spector-esque in its creepiness. (Matthews)
Ranking:
7. Billy Danze, “G-Building”, Warriorz
Now you wanna show love/You hear the soft music in the background it’s your brain on slugs!
Why It’s Great: Just like the anti-drug PSAs, but with more bullets. (Matthews)
Ranking:
8. Lil Fame-”Cold As Ice,” Warriorz
“Shit, I ain’t concerned until it’s my turn/I snatch a mic jump on the stage and show my ass like Howard Stern.”
Why It’s Great: Fizzy Womack may have been the only person on earth who found Fartman funny. (Weiss)
Ranking:
9. Billy Danze, “B.I. Vs. Friendship”, Gang Starr ft.M.O.P.
I am as invaluable to my niggas as an old rusty ass .32/(Better than nothing!)
Why It’s Great: The line was influenced after an acid trip and impromptu reading of late-period Hunter S. Thompson. (Matthews)
10. Lil’ Fame, “Home Sweet Home”, Warriorz
Brooklyn military killin’ every motherfucker in sight, get hard/w-w-w DOT I-Will-Fuck-You-Up DOT com.
Why it’s Great: Someone actually bought the site www.iwillfuckyouup.com a while back. It’s currently down, but STILL. Fame should use that G-Unit money [ed. note–all $6!] to purchase that domain; think about the children who will visit www.iwillfuckyouup.com and see nothing but a blank. (Matthews)
Ranking:
Download:
MP3: M.O.P.-”Breaking the Rules”
MP3: M.O.P.-”Cold As Ice”
MP3: M.O.P.-”No Love”
MP3: M.O.P.-”Top of the Line”
Stumble It!
February 10th, 2009 at 1:39 am
LOL… I cropped those Fame faces…
February 10th, 2009 at 3:07 am
pitchfork should change their rating system to lil’ fame heads.
February 10th, 2009 at 7:28 am
i think this calls for a separate berkowitz post, but this was way, way better than nothing. ‘anti-love’ is such a great phrase, as is “billy danze: index finger exerciser”.
February 10th, 2009 at 8:22 am
Surely lacking “Give ‘em a slug, these niggaz ain’t worthy of love/They should be put in a hole that was recently dug”
February 10th, 2009 at 8:32 am
[…] non-Nico news, Aaron from MetalLungies.com drops the 10 Greatest M.O.P. Couplets at the Passion of the Weiss. My favorite Mash Out Posse bars that didn’t make the list? You guessed […]
February 10th, 2009 at 9:26 am
I’ve always been partial to:
“The most beautifullest thing in the world is .44 desert eagle/THAT SHIT IS DIESEL!”
I’m always welcome to Keith Murray references.
February 10th, 2009 at 9:40 am
Dom: A worthy contender if there ever was.
Zeus: That was actually on the original list, but was cut at the last-minute for Howard Stern. Keith Murray references are always a good time.
February 10th, 2009 at 10:36 am
Nice list
I’d like to think the following posed some serious competition
off of ‘handle your business’,
“What the rawdog feelin? / An author like, Terry McMillan”
Because personally it brings to life the mental image of Lil Fame slouched back, all comfy on a living room couch, reading ‘Waiting to exhale’ and/or ‘how stella got her groove back’ by antique lampshade light. I’d like to think Lil Fame’s more of a gatsby-wearing, Cliff Huxtable-type when at home.
Also, ‘I Luv’ isn’t too shabby with the following couplets:
Aiyyo, you know what I love
(What’s that?)
It’s when motherfuckers assume
that they ass can’t get popped, at 12 o’clock in the afternoon
I got the balls to come through your walls, like (Boooom!)
Have an orgasm every time I clear the fuckin room
Because, come on…
February 10th, 2009 at 11:12 am
I loved this and for the record there has been an emcee named Crispus Attucks. He used to be down with Clinton Sparks back around 1999-2001 when he had the Compound Entertainment label and used to sell mixtapes (actual TAPES!) and make 12’s.
One.
February 10th, 2009 at 11:17 am
That’s why he needs to be Crispus Attacks!
February 10th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Scroll down to Cr on this list:
http://www.cutmasters.com/top/vs-c.html
February 10th, 2009 at 11:40 am
Damn, looks like T.I. stole every idea he had.
February 10th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
This turned out great fellas. Team Passion runnin’ tings…
February 10th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
The Mop.
February 10th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Thanks for the kind words, y’all. And thanks to Jeff, Douglas and Zilla for their contributions. And Ivan for making the Fame heads.
I think Lil’ Fame heads should be the universal ranking for everything.
February 10th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
As far as I’m concerned, from now on, they will be.
February 10th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
While no rap lyric sites will back up how I’m hearing it, I’ve always heard the line “Jiminy frail bastards, your tracks need tune-ups/No limit, what the fuck, recordin for nig’ junior” from the “U Don’t Know” remix as “what the fuck, recordin’ for Nick, Jr.” as in the Nickelodeon channel for small children. Though based on the “No Limit” reference, it could be a diss towards Lil’ Romeo, i.e. the “nig junior.”
February 10th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
someone has to crop a half a lil fame head. You never know when you’ll need it for a review.
February 10th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
Co-sign the Nick Jr. reference, I will continue to hear it this way, regardless
February 12th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Wait, M.O.P. isn’t referencing Nick Jr.?! I always thought they were referencing the fact that Master P and Romeo had a show on a Nickledeon for awhile.
August 18th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
[…] Plug: The 10 Greatest M.O.P. Couplets by yours truly. Fuck it, I’m proud of that […]