Hip-hop was started by the youth, with DJ Kool Herc being just 16 years old on the night hip-hop began in The Bronx in 1973. Those origins 48 years ago are fitting as the genre has mostly been moved by younger rappers. Their tastes and perspectives keep hip-hop fresh and evolving. Here, in 2021, rap is very young, with a large number of its movers and shakers being under 25 years old. The advent of music technology and social media opens the door even more to the youth movement, too. With that in mind, XXL chose to shine some light on memorable lyrics from those very rappers, who are choosing their own route through the industry, and creating the music they desire.
Some lyrics are memorable because of their content and delivery, making them impossible to forget. West Coast rhymer Roddy Ricch, 22, rapping, “All this designer got me drip, drip/Straight up out the Yajects, I’m a big Crip/If I got a pint of lean, I’ma sip, sip/I run the racks up with my queen like London and Nip,” on his hit collab with Mustard, “Ballin,” sticks out so easily because of how much ground it covers, and his melodic cadence.
Over on the East Coast, Lil Tecca, 18, has built a loyal legion of fans off his rhymes, specifically those making up his four-times platinum-selling track “Ransom. “I got red, I got blue, what you want?” which he serves up on the song is catchy and perfectly stated, setting the tone for the rest of “Ransom,” his huge hit single.
Down in Atlanta, 24-year-old Playboi Carti began to gain fame in his career with 2017’s “Magnolia.” His big smash had people doing the Milly Rock more than ever before based in these famous lyrics: “In New York I Milly Rock, hide it in my sock/Running from an opp, then I shoot at opp.”
Carti, Roddy and Tecca are just a few of the young crop of rappers with standout lyrics that are all over social media, car speakers and playlists. Look out for your favorites in the Most Memorable Lyrics From Rappers Under 25 below.
See the Most Memorable Lyrics From Rappers Under 25
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