Hip-Hop's Top 10 Spider-Man References in Rap Songs
In Hip-Hop, referencing pop culture has always been a common and important part of the game. More specifically, many rappers have referenced comic books and superheroes in their songs to give listeners something familiar and enhance their music.Here are some favorite examples of when Hip-Hop rappers referenced Spider-Man, a.k.a. Peter Parker, in their songs.
Here we have a memorable debut single from one of Chicago's finest.
Towards the end of his second verse, he says:
"I'm the Spiderman, givin' bug MCs arachnophobia."
With these lines, he is saying he'll make other rappers afraid of him with his bars.
The catchy, energetic opening verse to the leading single goes something like this, Inspectah Deck:
"Terrorize the jam like troops in Pakistan
Swingin' through your town like your neighborhood Spider-Man."
In this braggadocious rampage, Lil Wayne adds a Spidey mention to push his current feelings about himself:
"I ain't playin'
Guns in my hands, I ain't prayin'
Fireman spittin' venom, Spider-Man, I'm enhanced."
"See, I'm a kleptomaniac, the Prowler, I confess
I got sticky fingers like Spider-Man, so I don't rest."
Here, Esoteric compares Spider-Man's sticky hand and web powers to the rapper being a thief for the sake of the song.
In this Tech N9ne collab, third on the mic, Brotha Lynch Hung, pops up and raps a quick, witty verse with the webbed superhero being named at first breath. He compares his rapping abilities to the drug Vicodin:
"Spiderman, off of this lyrical Vicodin
Off of this here we go I get it in."
In this passionate love song, poet Kweli smoothly fits in a Spidey reference in the form of a simile:
"I promise you'll be climbing walls like Spider-Man
Knees bucklin', you'll hit the floor when you try to stand (up)."
Funnily enough, this 2016 collab single features an abundance of killer comic book and superhero references, with Marvel's Spider-Man's name being dropped twice.
Kool Keith:
"The X-Men drinkin' tea watchin' chicks with D cups
Spider-Man saw Doctor Oct spittin' on top of a New York City bus."
MF DOOM:
"Web slinger need a beat, well, black him out
Flank him out, test his Spidey senses on his bank account."
Nasty Nas:
"Rhymes hittin', knowledge, wisdom, Nas different
Spidey-senses tinglin', swingin' from New England out to England (Woo)."
The song's hook and title are both references to the Spidey-verse.
Each of the three emcees raps this hook before kicking in their respective verses:
"Tobey Maguire got bit by a spider, me? Must've got bit by a goat (yeah)."
The line clearly means they are GOATs of the rap game, meaning "Greatest of All Time." Tobey Maguire, of course, is the actor who played Spider-Man in the original '00s trilogy.
In this self-titled album song, Earl compares his rapping to web-spinning and name-drops the red and blue superhero himself with a simile:
"Somethin' gotta give, spin another web
Head home, mess with Fisk, like I'm Spider-Man."
