10+ Gangsta Rap Songs You Should Get Off Your A** & Listen to ASAP

​​Everybody needs a little gangsta’ rap music in his or her life, period. No matter gender, race, culture, country, or social hierarchy, it’s an undeniable truth that everyone arrives at a moment in life where you need to just let loose, brag, curse, talk sh*t, wipe the “dirt off your shoulder,” and liberate all the stress and sheltered bravado that’s been built up over the day, week, month, or year. And gangsta rap, used responsibly, is one of the best ways to let it all hang out.

Put together an aggressive beat that knocks, lace it with some hard-edged street lyrics mixed with a few materialistic and braggadocios lines, and you’ve got one of the best musical genres for getting pumped at the gym, playing sports, letting off some steam, chilling in the park with ‘da homies,' or building up your courage before taking on that interview that leads to a new chapter in your life. ​

Here's my list of 10+ gangsta' rap songs you need to listen to asap:

#12. Nipsey Hussle - "Strapped" - Bullets Ain't Got No Name Vol. 3

First up? Nipsey Hussle. Ever heard of him? He may be one of the Westcoast's freshest gangsta' rap artist as of today, but he's actually been around for a long while, from repping his hood on wax and pumping out mixtapes on the underground circuit, to opening up "Crenshaw" clothing stores and mom-and-pop fish joints across Los Angeles. He's got a million gangsta' tracks to choose from, but his most blunt and hardcore track? "Strapped." My favorite part?  

Slauson ni**a I bet you get banged on,
That's what my ni**a Shady Blue got the gage for,
That's what my ni**a Black Sam got the mack for,
Feds frontin my spot, I'm runnin out the back door,
But it's a rap cause they had me surrounded,
Took me to the ground,
Then they took me downtown,
Cause I was (Strapped)

Listen to song here.

#11. Juelz Santana ft. Cam'ron - "Dipset Anthem" - The Diplomats: Diplomatic Immunity

Remember when the Dipset crew was running New York? Cam'ron, Juelz Santana, Jim Jones, Freekey Zekey? Every single they put out was banging'. Plus, not only were they respected in the streets and always rocking the flyest gear in the rap game, they also had some of the best music videos. In fact, "Dipset Anthem" is in my top 20 favorite music videos of all-time! My favorite part? 

I see a town I'm likin'
See some ni**as getting money in a town I like it
I run up on them with the pound and light it
Like it's my block now, all right kid?
He understood me quite clear
Then that thing banged out, ranged out the side of his right ear

Listen to song here.

#10. Kurupt ft. Nate Dogg - "Behind the Walls" - The OZ Soundtrack

A classic gangsta’ hit from Westcoast rap artist Kurupt, featuring Nate Dogg on the track. I mostly love the aggressive beat put down on “Behind the Walls,” and Kurupt’s and Nate Dogg’s couldn't of been a better duo to lace the track with some gangsta' lyrics. My favorite part?

A fool walked up, talking 'bout the phone,
Phone check huh? I miss my pump,
It ain't no thing even though he's holding boulders,
I'ma still squabble this fool from the shoulders,
If I win or lose the respect that counts
Be the first take off P.C. out

Listen to song here.

#9. Jay-Z - "Dirt Off Your Shoulders" - The Black Album

​“Talk that sh*t Hov!” I wasn’t initially feeling “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” sonically, but Jay-Z’s braggadocios hip-hop single eventually grew on me the more I heard it. Apparently it even grew on President Obama too, who infamously brushed his shoulder off during a campaign speech with his then rival Hillary Clinton. I won’t dub Jay-Z as the creator of brushing your shoulder off, but if you’re familiar with the song’s origins, I‘m sure you and I can both agree that he definitely put it on the map! My favorite part?

Came from the bottom the bottom, to the top of the pots,
Ni**a London, Japan and I'm straight off the block,
Like a running back, get it man, I'm straight off the block,
I can run it back ni**a cause I'm straight with the Roc
​
Listen to the song here.

#8. DJ Quik Ft. AMG - "Trouble" - Under the Influence

I remember being in 10th grade and DJ Quik’s “Trouble” was banging across every urban radio station across Los Angeles. What’s more, I specifically remember one of my older cousins arriving to a park in his shiny Monte Carlo, windows down, and bumping “Trouble” for everyone to hear as he pulled up. “Trouble” was one of DJ Quik’s best mainstream gangsta’ hits, and the remix went even better! My favorite part?  

And when you see me on the street in a black jeep,
Know I got the heat up under,
Not up under the seat, up under my cheek,
Like so close to me that when I move it squeaks,
I ain’t a big buff dude, I’m a rap singer,
I exercise one muscle, and that’s my strap finger
​
Listen to the song here.

#7. Kurupt - "On, On Site" - Space Boogie: Smoke Odyssey

My oldest brother gave me my first And1 Mixtape DVD in 2001 when I was just a freshman in high school. The And 1 DVDs were infamous for highlights of entertaining streetball tours, but were also as equally known for breaking in hot underground hip-hop records. Kurupt’s “On, On Site” was introduced to me in Volume 4 and has since become arguably the best song to ever grace the mixtape's series. My favorite part?    

I'ma git ya hit ya ni**a makes no mistakes, I'ma crack the plate,
I ride like dirt bikes, poetical ninja, I injure, pop mics forty-fifth recite,
The system's assistance to get up in this,
Dogg Pound, California you can't f**k with this,
Kurupt Young Gotti, Fred, Daz Dillinger,
Two shots just a killa to the head,
F**k you, you, your homeboy your whole hood,
F**k ya'll punk b***h made ni**az,
On, onsite, let off on sight,
Lettin off on the first thang in sight, f**k ya'll ni**az
​
Listen to the song here.

#6. Snoop Dogg - "Still a G Thang" - Da Game Is To Be Sold Not To Be Told

What would a gangsta’ mix be without a little bit of Snoop Dogg? Snoop’s “Still a G Thang” is actually one of my favorite rap songs of all time. The D-O-Double G had left Death Row, hooked up with Master P’s No Limit Records, and despite being hated on by fans for his move southwards, Snoop managed to still be himself and talk as much sh*t as he wanted on wax. This classic stays in heavy rotation throughout my library up until this day. My favorite part?

Spokane get ya money man, tic-tock, Little Rock,
Right next to Houston, Texas, Home of Rap-A-Lot,
We like to jack a lot, Gimme what ya got,
Let me get that up out ya, ni**a I got ya,
Somethin' for the summertime while it's hot,
And got the b*****es posted up in the parkin' lot
And guess what, she want the ni**a with the biggest nuts,
The ni**a who don't give a fuck!,
See, ni**as like me, all we see, is money, power moves, and a b****h a week
And last but not least my nigga B-O-Z, much love from the N.O. my ni**a feel me,
Oh yeah, and my little cousin D-A-Z, forever ni**a, this DPGC
​
Listen to the song here.

#5. Snoop Dogg - "Pimp Slapped" - Paid tha Cost to Be da Bo$$

“It all boils down to the fact that you’re jealous of my paper stack." At a time when everyone was criticizing Snoop for his relations with Suge Knight, Snoop responded in the only way he could: With a banging diss track that should be in consideration for top diss tracks of all-time. My favorite part? 

But I walk the main line every time I go down,
You can check my G Files, I do it LBC style!
​
Listen to the song here.

#4. Kurupt - "I'm Back" - Against the Grain

Kurupt is my favorite Westcoast hip-hop artist and one of my favorite rap artist of all-time. I had only listened to his radio singles growing up, but when one of my brothers brought home a copy of Against the Grain, “I’m Back” immediately became one my favorite tracks. My favorite part?

Hold it steady, tell the homies, hold up, don't slap em’,
Cause I'ma be the first one to throw bombs at em’,
And I'ma be the first one to throw a chrome in em’,
And I'ma be the first one to thunderdome with em’, ni**ga
This Kurupt Young Gotti just in case you didn’t know me,
This ain’t for the homies, this is for my enemies only (I’m Back!)
​
Listen to the song here.

#3. T.I. Ft. Trick Daddy & Lil' Wayne - "Stand Up" - Urban Legend

T.I.’s Urban Legend was one of those ‘game changer’ albums for me. I had just moved to Atlanta in 2004 and was carrying out my freshman year in college when a friend put me on to the hottest street rapper out of the city and soon to be ‘king of the South’. Urban Legend was loaded with radio singles, street anthems, and bangers—“Bring Em’ Out”, “You Don’t Know Me”, “Motivation”—but it was track 16, “Stand Up,” that stood out as the most hard-edge song of the entire album. My favorite part?

If you don’t like what I’m saying than buck,
Swang when you see me, we can throw them hands sucka!
​(Stand up)
If you ain’t notice ni**a I don’t give a f**k,
If I said it then I meant it, and what f**k ni**a,
(Stand up)
You don’t wanna see the trigger man bust, hit you and your mans up,
Make it hard for ni**as to, (Stand up)
Tell your crew they don’t want it with us dude,
And if them motherf***ers do, bust a motherf***ing move!
​
Listen to the song here.

​#2. Mack 10 - "Foe Life" - Mack 10

I don’t know if there’s any song that comes on harder than Mack 10’s Foe Life. Make a beat that knocks, add some gangster lyrics and a few gangbanging references, and you’ve got all the ingredients of a classic Westcoast banger. My favorite part?

So take 10 paces,
And try to guess the color of my shoelaces

Listen to the song here.

​#1. 2pac - "Ambitionz as a Ridah - All Eyes on Me

“I won’t deny it, I’m a straight ridah, you don’t want to f**k with me." Tupac’s “Ambitions as a Ridah”, from his multi platinum selling double disc CD All Eyez on Me, is arguably one of the most ‘thuggish’ rap songs of all time. Westcoast veteran Daz Dilinger made sure that as soon as the beat dropped you’d feel as if you were riding shotgun for an 11pm trip through the ghettos of Anytown, USA, and Tupac’s aggressive vocals and gangsta’ lyrics were a perfect fit over the tunes. My favorite part?

​Now these money hungry b****es getting suspicious,
Started plotting and planning on some schemes to come and twist us,
But thug ni**as be on point and game tight,
Me, Syke and Bogart, strapped up the same night,
Got problems then handle it, motherf***ers see me,
These ni**as is jealous cause deep in they heart they wanna be me,
​(Yeah)
And now ya got me right beside ya,
Hoping you listen I catch you paying attention to my ambitions as a ridah
​
Listen to the song here.

​And there you have it folks; my list of my top 10+ favorite gangsta rap songs of all time. Have any of your favorites that I missed? Well, let me know down below!