But every now and then, I wonder if the gate was put up
To keep crime out or keep our ass in
Collection
Southern rap quotes
50 lines from 25 artists filed under the South, all rated 3.5 or higher. 46 are lyrics and 4 are interview lines. Sections run by the decade of each song's release; interview lines carry no year, so they have a section of their own. By release decade the dated lyrics split 9 from the 1990s, 7 from the 2000s, 23 from the 2010s and 7 from the 2020s.
Big K.R.I.T., J. Cole and OutKast have the most lines, and the themes that come up most are wisdom, wit and life. Next to the East Coast rap quotes page, life shows up in 20% of the lines here against 12% there and love shows up in 10% of the lines here against 4% there; justice goes the other way, 14% there against 4% here (a line can carry more than one theme). The top-rated short line is “Go hard or go home” (Jeezy, Go Hard, 2010).
An artist's scene comes from our artist data, not from where a song was recorded. No line appears on more than two of the region, decade and old school pages, and no two of them share more than a quarter of their quotes.
The South in the 1990s
I live by the beat like you live check-to-check
If it don't move your feet, then I don't eat
Even the sun goes down, heroes eventually die
Horoscopes often lie
And sometimes, "Y"
Nothing is for sure, nothing is for certain
Imagine peace on this Earth when there's no grief
Imagine grief on this Earth when there's no peace
Niggas frown when you up and smile when you down
And when you change for the better, shife fools stop comin' around
We on our back, starin' at the stars above (Aww, man)
Talkin' bout what we gonna be when we grow up (Mm)
I said, "What you wanna be?" She said, "Alive"
Have you ever seen a nigga who was strong in the game
Overlookin' his tomorrows, and they finally came?
My soliloquy may be hard for some to swallow
But so is cod liver oil
It's fucked up when your mind's playin' tricks on ya
The South in the 2000s
But you can never walk on water if you still fear the sea
He say, she say rumors all day
The rap game is high school and life's a hallway
Didn't choose this dirty game, this dirty game it chose me
Some say I lucked up; I call it perfect timin' (Chyeah)
I used to hit the kitchen lights, cockroaches everywhere
Hit the kitchen lights: now it's marble floors, everywhere! (haha)
Hope that we feel this, feel this way forever
You can plan a pretty picnic but you can't predict the weather
Man, I got summer hatin' on me 'cause I'm hotter than the sun
Got spring hatin' on me 'cause I ain't never sprung
Winter hatin' on me 'cause I'm colder than y'all
And I will never, I will never, I will never fall
The South in the 2010s
Go hard or go home
If they don't know your dreams, then they can't shoot 'em down
One thing about the men that's controlling the pen
That write history, they always seem to white-out they sins
Only thing worse than death is a regret-filled coffin
So try before you die or always wonder what if?
I used to sell dope, nigga, now I can't vote (Vote)
Gettin' bread every day, I graduated from biscuits
I don't do karate, so why lil' shawty wanna kick it?
My weed is loud and you smokin' libraries (Damn)
How's he God if he lets Lucifer let loose on us?
Don't be flirtin' with your gift, you better marry it—you nervous?
No matter what you say or what you do
When I'm alone, I'd rather be with you
God on my line after all, but I ain't pick up when he called
Matter of fact, I ain't pick up at all, cause my bills paid now
Said my grace now, my lights is still on, so why would I pray now?
Always gon' be a whip that's better than the one you got
Always gon' be some clothes that's fresher than the ones you rock
Always gon' be a bitch that's badder out there on the tours
But you ain't never gon' be happy 'til you love yours
No such thing as a life that's better than yours
Life's the biggest troll, but the joke is on us
I love myself, I no longer need Cupid
If you ain't 'bout your own people, what you gon' raise your fists for?
Everything that I am
You called me names till I became a name
Too much shine can dull the soul
I never seen a star on a red rug
If I wanna see stars, I just look above
I was already sentenced, before I came up out the womb
You can build a bear, fuck it, I'm finna build a thot
I'm gonna live by my confidence, I'm gonna die by my arrogance
You was listening to your coaches
I was listening to the vultures
The South in the 2020s
Lord, I thank You for this man, but can You come back and get him?
You can hug that block all night, it ain't gon' hug you back (Facts)
They don't make statues of critics, they don't make statues of fans
I'm not no poli-ma-tician, I can't be shakin' them hands
Can't stand on business, I keep fallin' like Alicia Keys
Face card pretty, you know God don't like ugly
We said a oath when we was kids, forever break the law
These hoes don't be mad at Megan, these hoes mad at Megan's Law
Southern rappers in their own words
You could put a lot of Auto-Tune on it and it’ll still be a sucky song.
They don’t make statues of the critics. Judgment and critique are not more important than art.
I’d rather be hated for who I am than loved who I’m not any day
Don’t underthink me, and don’t overthink me. Don’t underestimate me, and don’t overestimate me. Just do you.