Many people could make an argument that hip hop glorifies violence. There’s a lot of it in the genre. However, the likely reason it’s there is that rappers and artists are just talking about their lives and the situations they’ve been put in. You can’t have a rap genre without fighting, so without further ado, here are 27 awesome rap songs about fighting.
1. Knuck If You Buck – Crime Mob
Knuck If You Buck was insanely popular when it came out, but it was really the fact that it became an anthem of fist fighting that landed it on our list today. For a long time, it’s been a staple at nightclubs, which earned it the credit for starting countless altercations in clubs that even led to a few murders. And that’s just the ones we know about. A fighting song that actually makes people want to fight? Sign me right up. Among Atlanta-based rap songs, it’s still near the top of the rankings to this day.
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2. Ante Up – M.O.P.
Ante Up was the lead single from M.O.P.’s Warriorz album and eventually became the most popular song they released. You know the drill; this one gives you fights, kidnapping, drawn guns, etc. It was the favorite song for M.O.P., too, one they felt deserved a lot more recognition than it got. And they were right.
3. Neva Eva – Trillville feat. lil scrappy & lil jon
Neva Eva by Lil Scrappy was actually a fairly popular song instead of a deeper cut like our last entry. It would eventually reach the top 25 of the Hot Rap Songs chart and appear on the Hot 100. Lil Scrappy and Lil Jon used the song to warn you to stay out of their face because you won’t “neva eva” be on their level.
4. You Don’t Want Drama – 8 Ball & MJG
I don’t think we can do this article without this song. The chorus is just exactly what we’re looking for—busting heads, smacking hos, and shooting the club up. Check, check, check. If this is what happens when it goes down, I certainly don’t want the drama, and neither do you.
5. Mama Said Knock You Out – LL Cool J
LL Cool J dropped this title track back in 1991, and it would revitalize his entire career. While he appeared to be fading out a bit, his grandmother told him to go knock out some hits, so he did with this one. While it might not have been inspired by fighting, it sure got used by boxers and fighters nationwide to represent knocking out an opponent. Momma Said Knock You Out would eventually rise to the top of the US Hot Rap Songs chart and number 17 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Rolling Stone went as far as to rank it the 29th best hip hop song of all time on their list in 2012, but that’s probably reaching quite a bit.
6. Break Stuff – Limp Bizkit
The title says rap, so rap metal counts. Break Stuff may remain to this day the most popular Limp Bizkit song out there. Coming out in 1999 as part of the band’s Significant Other album, Break Stuff was symbolic of the pent-up rage many people felt that would eventually see them punch their boss in the face and tear up an office. It charted fairly well, too, rising to number 14 on the Alternative Airplay chart and 19 on the Mainstream Rock chart.
7. What Up Gangsta – 50 Cent
You never really know what you’re going to get with 50 Cent. Will the next release be a banger of a club song, or is he going back to hardcore gangsta rap? What Up Gangsta was one of the second, loaded down with all the confidence you could ever imagine inside of a single person. 50 Cent goes through all the ways he dispatched his enemies with all the braggadocious bravadoes one could expect from one of the OGs. This one came from his debut album, Get Rich or Die Trying.
Recommended: Top hip hop albums of all time
8. Murder Man – Pastor Troy
Murder Man is one of the most ominous songs out there. The point of the sign was never far out of reach and it was easy to understand. Do not f*ck with the Murder Man. He’s been fighting and popping heads longer than you have and he’s going to take you out if you cross him. That kind of fight is definitely not the one you want to try to take.
9. Hard In Da Paint – Waka Flocka
Waka Flocka’s Hard In The Paint was one of the most popular songs of the year, and it was the one that put both he and Lex Luger on the musical map. It goes hard every second of the sign and shows how utterly hard Waka is going down in the paint. He is not a man to cross, either lyrically or in a fistfight. It leaves listeners feeling like they can’t be touched. That could be good, could be bad. But listen to it before you go out to fight somebody.
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10. Never Scared – Bone Crusher feat. Killer Mike & T.I.
While Never Scared would be Bone Crusher’s only hit single, it was the first in a long string for T.I. It was a massive hit, rising to number 26 on the Hot 100 and climbing into the top 10 of the Hot R&B/Hip Hop and Hot Rap Songs charts. He doesn’t care where you’re from, how big you are, or anything you say. He will bust “ya head.”
11. Who Run It – Three 6 Mafia
Three 6 Mafia’s Who Run It was just waiting for someone to step out of line. And the first person who did was getting tossed right out of the club and would be lucky not to get beat up on the way out.
12. Bia’ Bia’ – Lil Jon & the east side boyz feat. Ludacris & Too Short
Just stop acting like a b*tch and get ya hands up.
13. Arguments – DDG
Here’s a rap song about fighting that isn’t actually violent at all. Instead, it’s a plea to work out issues in a relationship. Instead of throwing hands, DDG talks about his fights with his lover and tells her that they fight because they’re in love. It’s really him reaching out to find common ground and solve problems peacefully, so we did get to throw a sweet rap song about fighting onto the list here.
14. What’s My Name? – DMX
The oddest part of this song is that if you pull lines out of it and let them stand on their own, it sounds like a drunk dude outside the bar trying to fight you. The awesome thing about this song is that all of those lines make for one of the most ominous and intimidating songs DMX has released. Word of caution, if you do start throwing out these song quotes, you better hope a police officer is on hand to restrain you and the target of your hate.
15. Bring Da Ruckus – Wu-Tang Clan
Everyone knows that you better protect your neck around Wu-Tang, but you might need to do more than that. Bring Da Ruckus was a song that made people absolutely lose their minds and lose control of their actions. Not too much fighting goes on in the song, it’s more threatening than anything else, but the unquestioned thing about it is that it’s a masterpiece.
16. Hit ‘Em Up – 2Pac
Hit’ Em Up might be one of the quintessential diss songs in all of hip hop history. Tupac’s legendary diss was utterly ruthless, calling out everyone involved with Bad Boys in one fell swoop and making specific violent threats toward every one of them. Plus, you get legendary lines like “fuck your bitch and the clique you claim” that have been repeated untold numbers of times over the years.
17. Move B***h – Ludacris feat. Mystikal & I-20
Out of every song on this list, no matter how popular, there may not be a more ubiquitous song than Move B***h. It didn’t do anything particularly special if we look at it objectively. It just related to so many people’s feelings of rage and their propensity toward violence that it became a hit. Several car crashes have likely happened while this song was playing, and that’s in addition to bar fights started over quoting the lyrics to people in your way.
18. Dead Wrong – the notorious b.i.g. feat. Eminem
Dead Wrong is one of those violent rap songs that might go a little too far. Beyond the violent altercations, it covered everything from animal sacrifices to pedophilia, r*pe, and stabbings. See why it might go too far? While it’s a lyrical genius, this is not a fighting song for the faint of heart.
19. A Fight – Apache
Can we go wrong picking a song that is literally just titled A Fight? Apache dropped this one to let everyone know if you fight them, he isn’t stopping at breaking your jaw. He’s ripping your arm out of the socket. It may be the best and most creative song out there about beating up people.
20. Bring Your Whole Crew – DMX
You know someone is a person you don’t want to mess with when you threaten them, and they tell you to bring the whole crew over when you come their way. DMX songs always reek of violence and fighting, but this one takes the fight a step further than most. Ignoring the obvious early line about necrophilia, Bring Your Whole Crew is all about splitting heads with machetes and caving in chests. The walls will have a new coat of red paint by the time it’s over.
21. Kick In The Door – The notorious b.i.g.
From Tupac’s legendary diss track earlier to a diss track that even targets the listener. The Notorious B.I.G. dropped Kick In The Door as part of his Life After Death album to describe the door-to-door search they would be going on to take out their enemies. Well… enemies, friends, haters, the audience of the song… Everybody basically.
22. How I Could Just Kill A Man – Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill’s debut single How I Could Just Kill A Man went through several iterations to make it onto public radio. It was a big hit and a feature in the 1992 film Juice, but it was also a song that will have you on guard and ready to throw down at any time.
23. Girlfight – Brooke Valentine
It’s not just the dudes that are willing to fight in the rap community; it’s the ladies too. Brooke Valentine’s Girl Fight was an anthem of women going harder than the dudes around them that were faking it and an awesome fighting song.
24. Bring Em Out – T.I.
T.I.’s Bring ‘Em Out was a huge challenge to anyone who might want to step foot in his way. Instead of figuring out who he had to fight, he was ready for anything, telling the challenger to go ahead and come out and get whooped.
25. Pursuit of Happiness – Kid Cudi
Does the fight always have to be a fight between people, or can it be a struggle in your life? Kid Cudi’s Pursuit of Happiness definitely describes a fight, but it isn’t like the ones in our other songs. While he has dodged some bullets and will still throw his hands at the drop of a hat, he’s trying to live his life to the fullest and find a way to escape from the dreams that plague him. More of an internal fight if you ask me, but that’s okay.
26. Fight The Power – Public Enemy
Fight The Power was one of the most influential rap songs of the early 90s. It wasn’t about a physical fight (most of the time) but about fighting back against the powers that hold back black communities. It’s been listed numerous times among major publications’ best songs of all time lists and would be an integral part of Public Enemies’ 1999 album Fear Of A Black Planet.
27. Till I Collapse – Eminem
Till I Collapse is classic Eminem, and I mean that in the best way. This song works just as well for a heavy gym workout as it does for getting hyped up to defend a homie at the bar. Nothing will ever get you as ready for a fight as this song, and hearing the fight Eminem goes through in it is nothing short of inspirational.
As a contributing writer for Music Grotto, Dakotah writes and produces professional music/media content. He works closely with editorial staff to meet editorial standards and create
quality content for the Music Grotto website. Dakotah is passionate about music in a wide variety of genres, from hip-hop to country and lo-fi to metal, and he enjoys creating music pieces for Music Grotto.