Now that Osama bin Laden is dead, we thought it only right to highlight how the Most Wanted Terrorist impacted hip-pop culture, specifically music.
Some shoutouts were pretty obvious, like the many anti-Osama anthems created post-September 11, but then we have some slicker mentions of the former fugitive.
Wherever a song may fall on the obvious-or-not meter, here are some of the most noteworthy Osama Bin Laden mentions.
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“Lord Lord Lord,” Kanye West
Kanye gave Osama Bin Laden a shoutout on the G.O.O.D. Friday track, released last September. Check out the lyrics below:
“All white Bentley I call that momma
My life crazy, like Obama’s
You talk slick well I’m Osama
Bin Laden, whats happenin’ I get it crackin’”
Listen to the song here.
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“Maybach Music 2 (Lost Verse),” Jay-Z
This isn’t the first time Jay has mentioned Osama bin Laden in rhyme. This time around Jay compares his elusiveness to that of Osama. Check out the lyrics below.
“Oreo, The Obama, curtains drawn they can’t see me Osama
cashmere throws thats a splash of class
S.C initials on the Tiffany glass”
Listen to the song here.
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“War,” OutKast
OutKast’s Big Boi namechecks Osama on the track “War” off 2003’s “Speakerboxx,” which was recorded from September 2001-2003. Check out the namechecked lyrics below.
“Operation Anaconda ask yourself
Was it full of bleeps and blunders, did they ever find Osama?”
Listen to the song here.
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“I Gott Grapes (Worldwide Treemix),” Nump, featuring M.I.A.
M.I.A. makes reference to how well Bin Laden was able to stay under the radar in this re-worked version of Nump’s most popular song. Check out the namechecked lyrics below.
“Down there in my garden,
I keep my trees hidden like Bin Laden
Down there in my garden,
I keep my s— hidden like Bin Laden”
Listen to the song here.
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“Osama Bin Laden Diss,” Eminem
Some questioned whether or not this was an authentic Eminem freestyle when it hit the ‘net. Check out the lyrics below:
“Things just ain’t the same for Osama,
Since the World Trade Bombings,
And the Pentagon got the world calling
Me to kill all of congress”
Listen to the song here.
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“911,” Gorillaz
Released before the animated band’s debut project, “911” features D12 and ex-Specials frontman Terry Hall. Check out the lyrics below.
“Yo, yo, now whether it’s Sadam or Bin Laden
That’s been starting all this trouble for us
Creepin’ horrors doin’ show after show, sleepin’ on the tour bus
We lost Aaliyah, lost our families, it takes no Tenges”
Listen to the song here.
