Notable Kurt Cobain Mentions in Hip Hop
Jay Z, Eminem and more pay homage to the Nirvana frontman.
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Rappers Love Kurt Cobain - Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain tragically took his own life 20 years ago on April 5, 1994, but the rocker still symbolizes the embodiment of rock. Known for his grunge style, drug-infused partying, and making the ladies swoon, Cobain remains a staple in the music industry, even in hip hop. From Jay Z to Pharell and Kanye West, some of rap's finest have paid tribute to the late great Cobain with mentions to him in their music. Keep reading to check out some of the best Cobain references in hip hop. —Dominique Zonyeé (@DominiqueZonyee)(Photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)
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Jay Z, "Holy Grail" - Lyric: "Kurt Cobain, I did it to myself/ And we all just/ Entertainers/ And we're stupid/ And contagious."On the intro track to Magna Carta Holy Grail featuring Justin Timberlake, Hov borrows a line from Nirvana's critically acclaimed "Teen Spirit" track and drops a nod to KC's suicide.(Photo: Ron Smits/London Ent/Splash News)
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Pharrell, "The World Is Ours" - Lyric: "Up in mansion like the black Kurt Cobain/My n***a Ross said he's the boss, cause he works cocaine."The Grammy award-winning producer teamed up with MMG on Rick Ross’s 2012 Rich Forever mixtape for this one. Cobain died in his Seattle mansion from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. (Photo: Mark Davis/Getty Images for BET)
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Eminem, "Cum on Everybody" - Lyric: "My favorite color is red, like the blood shed / From Kurt Cobain’s head, when he shot himself dead,"Eminem has mentioned the “Heart Shaped Box" singer on several tracks, including this cut off his Slim Shady LP, released in 1999.(Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for YouTube)
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Game, "My Life" - Lyric: "Take me away like I overdosed on cocaine / Or take me away like a bullet from Kurt Cobain."Compton rapper, Game goes for the drug reference in addition to reminding us of how Cobain died as he illustrates his own despair in this lyric off his third studio album, LAX. The complete song features Lil Wayne.(Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images for Spike)
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Kanye West, "White Dress" - Lyric: "You like Piña Coladas, gettin' caught in the rain/ Or rockin' flannels all summer, like Kurt Cobain"Leave it to the Louie Vuitton Don to focus on Cobain's fashion sense, which had every urban teen in the '90s wearing skinny jeans and flannel shirts wrapped around their waists.(Photo: 13thWitness/Getty Images for Samsung)
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50 Cent, "A Baltimore Thing" - Lyric: "I hung out with Marvin when he wrote Sexual Healing/Kurt Cobain, we were good friends, Ozzy Osbourne too"Like Cobain, 50 Cent had his own experiences with drugs on this track. While Fif brags about the perks of being a dealer, he mentions Cobain with a host of other artists who were the users.(Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Motorola)
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Lil Wayne, "Dipset 2" - Lyric: "Yeah, you know young Wayne in here/Smellin' teen spirit, like Kurt Cobain was here""Teen Spirit" was such a good song that artists in almost any genre can't help but have been influenced by. Weezy dropped this reference on Da Drought 3, a freestyle over Juelz Santana's "Santana Town."(Photo: David Wolff - Patrick/Redferns via Getty Images)
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Kendrick Lamar, "Is It Love" - Lyric: "Give me vanity/Give me Kurt Cobain sanity"Kendrick, like Hov, nods to the cost of fame in his Cobain mention. This track from his self-titled EP, which K. Dot dropped before his critically acclaimed debut, good kid, m.A.A.d. city., features a sample from Angela McCluskey's "Don't Look Back."(Photo: Rick Diamond/BET/Getty Images for BET)
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Meek Mill, "Levels" - Lyric: "Cocaine Mulsanne, young n***a blowing up — Kurt Cobain"Meek Mill parallels his own success with Cobain's celebrity on the final installment of his Dream Chasers trilogy. When Cobain died in '94 he was one of the most popular people in music. (Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for BET)
