RapGenius x VIBE Present: 10 Hip-Hop Spike Lee References
The upcoming wide release on Friday of Spike Lee's new film Red Hook Summer inspired us to look back at the relationship between the director and hip-hop. Spike's work has always been in dialogue with rap, from his use of Public Enemy on the soundtracks to Do the Right Thing and He Got Game to his Malcolm X biopic's huge influence on rap's then-prominent black nationalist bent to his casting of real-life hip-hoppers Mos Def, Charli Baltimore, MC Serch, Canibus, and The Roots in our personal favorite of his films, Bamboozled. Plus, he commissioned and directed the video for "Da' Butt", for which we cannot thank him enough.
Rappers, in turn, have always showed Spike love. His movies and their iconic characters—Radio Raheem, Gator, Mars Blackmon, Nola Darling—have worked their way into scores of songs. But he has also become so beloved that his lesser-known movies, TV commercials, and even his production company have also been the subjects of rhymes. Below are 10 different Spike movies referenced in rap songs—and with none of the lame "do the right thing like Spike Lee" similes that make us want to die. (In alphabetical order.) —Shawn Setaro, Editor-in-Chief of Rap Genius
Rappers, in turn, have always showed Spike love. His movies and their iconic characters—Radio Raheem, Gator, Mars Blackmon, Nola Darling—have worked their way into scores of songs. But he has also become so beloved that his lesser-known movies, TV commercials, and even his production company have also been the subjects of rhymes. Below are 10 different Spike movies referenced in rap songs—and with none of the lame "do the right thing like Spike Lee" similes that make us want to die. (In alphabetical order.) —Shawn Setaro, Editor-in-Chief of Rap Genius
1. Bamboozled:
"Won't ever look back 'cause he gotta keep moving
Even if he leave his own people bamboozled"
- Big Krit, "Another Naive Individual Glorifying Greed & Encouraging Racism"
This song actually opens with a sample from Bamboozled, just in case the reference wasn't clear. Krit's verse criticizes an artist who, like Savion Glover's character in the film, delves into minstrel-esque stereotypes in order to gain fame and riches.
"Won't ever look back 'cause he gotta keep moving
Even if he leave his own people bamboozled"
- Big Krit, "Another Naive Individual Glorifying Greed & Encouraging Racism"
This song actually opens with a sample from Bamboozled, just in case the reference wasn't clear. Krit's verse criticizes an artist who, like Savion Glover's character in the film, delves into minstrel-esque stereotypes in order to gain fame and riches.
2. Clockers:
"Not Fat Joey Crack, but still jealous ones envy
Who sent me? D.I.T.C., good and plenty
Like the doctor, smoke a Spike Lee joint and watch Clockers
Get rude like Shabba, make moves behind my blockers"
- A.G., "Five Fingas of Death"
Andre the Giant sneaks in a dual reference here, both to zoning out while watching Spike's 1995 thriller, and to the filmmaker's habit of billing each of his movies as "A Spike Lee Joint".
"Not Fat Joey Crack, but still jealous ones envy
Who sent me? D.I.T.C., good and plenty
Like the doctor, smoke a Spike Lee joint and watch Clockers
Get rude like Shabba, make moves behind my blockers"
- A.G., "Five Fingas of Death"
Andre the Giant sneaks in a dual reference here, both to zoning out while watching Spike's 1995 thriller, and to the filmmaker's habit of billing each of his movies as "A Spike Lee Joint".
3. Get on the Bus:
"Now is the time to get on, like Spike Lee said get on the bus
Go get your work and keep your beeper chirping is a must"
- Big Boi, "Aquemini"
Get On The Bus was Spike's well-reviewed but little-seen film about the Million Man March. Outkast's Big Boi apparently beat the odds and made it out to the theater. He may have missed the point, however, as he uses the uplifting film's title as an inspiration to dope dealers.
"Now is the time to get on, like Spike Lee said get on the bus
Go get your work and keep your beeper chirping is a must"
- Big Boi, "Aquemini"
Get On The Bus was Spike's well-reviewed but little-seen film about the Million Man March. Outkast's Big Boi apparently beat the odds and made it out to the theater. He may have missed the point, however, as he uses the uplifting film's title as an inspiration to dope dealers.
4. He Got Game:
"Ask Ray Allen, the boy got game
Or Jesus Shuttlesworth, the boy got range...s
In the parking lot, niggas talk a lot"
- Game, "Mr. West/Money the Power"
Real-life basketball star Ray Allen portrayed top hoops prospect Jesus Shuttlesworth in 1998's He Got Game. Note Game's sly change of subject by just adding a consonant, from "range" when shooting jumpers to "Range" Rovers.
"Ask Ray Allen, the boy got game
Or Jesus Shuttlesworth, the boy got range...s
In the parking lot, niggas talk a lot"
- Game, "Mr. West/Money the Power"
Real-life basketball star Ray Allen portrayed top hoops prospect Jesus Shuttlesworth in 1998's He Got Game. Note Game's sly change of subject by just adding a consonant, from "range" when shooting jumpers to "Range" Rovers.
5. Jungle Fever:
"Herb, you just an ingrown hair in a world of tweezers
We can dance before I crack emcees like Gator on Jungle Fever"
- Ras Kass, "Wild Pitch"
Samuel L. Jackson's breakout role was as the crack-addicted Gator in Jungle Fever. When approaching relatives for money to buy drugs, he would often break into a funny yet sinister dance, something that Ras puns on effectively here.
"Herb, you just an ingrown hair in a world of tweezers
We can dance before I crack emcees like Gator on Jungle Fever"
- Ras Kass, "Wild Pitch"
Samuel L. Jackson's breakout role was as the crack-addicted Gator in Jungle Fever. When approaching relatives for money to buy drugs, he would often break into a funny yet sinister dance, something that Ras puns on effectively here.
6. Malcolm X:
"I'm hotter than Red with a head full of lye
Better run and get Spike, tell him I'm on fire"
- Lupe Fiasco, "Fire"
This song gains its title and central image from its main musical sample, Jimi Hendrix's tune also called "Fire". Here, Lupe works in a typically multi-layered reference. "Red" was the name Malcolm X went by prior to his Nation of Islam conversion. The "head full of lye" imagery refers to the chemicals used in hair conking, a process that literally burns, and that Malcolm wrote elegantly about. And Spike both directed the Malcolm X biopic and also portrayed "Shorty," who had a conk that he dearly loved.
"I'm hotter than Red with a head full of lye
Better run and get Spike, tell him I'm on fire"
- Lupe Fiasco, "Fire"
This song gains its title and central image from its main musical sample, Jimi Hendrix's tune also called "Fire". Here, Lupe works in a typically multi-layered reference. "Red" was the name Malcolm X went by prior to his Nation of Islam conversion. The "head full of lye" imagery refers to the chemicals used in hair conking, a process that literally burns, and that Malcolm wrote elegantly about. And Spike both directed the Malcolm X biopic and also portrayed "Shorty," who had a conk that he dearly loved.
7. Mo' Better Blues
"Whatever, smoking on a Spike Lee joint
Hey, I'm mo' better, I'm hoping niggas get the point"
- Method Man, "Biscuits"
Yet another "Spike Lee Joint" joke (rappers seem to love that one, for some reason) goes right into a nod to Spike's 1990 film Mo' Better Blues. Dialogue from that film was sampled by The Roots on the intro to their classic Things Fall Apart, in one of rap's all-time great album beginnings.
"Whatever, smoking on a Spike Lee joint
Hey, I'm mo' better, I'm hoping niggas get the point"
- Method Man, "Biscuits"
Yet another "Spike Lee Joint" joke (rappers seem to love that one, for some reason) goes right into a nod to Spike's 1990 film Mo' Better Blues. Dialogue from that film was sampled by The Roots on the intro to their classic Things Fall Apart, in one of rap's all-time great album beginnings.
8. School Daze
"It's likely I'mma take boo in the cut
Take her back to Spike Lee and have her doing the butt"
- Fabolous, "Boottee (Remix)"
"Da' Butt" was a hit song by E.U. that was written specifically for the 1988 film School Daze. The tune became a number one r&b hit and even managed to cross over into the Top 40 pop chart. Fab, always one to detail his conquests, takes the song's titular dance to its logical end here.
"It's likely I'mma take boo in the cut
Take her back to Spike Lee and have her doing the butt"
- Fabolous, "Boottee (Remix)"
"Da' Butt" was a hit song by E.U. that was written specifically for the 1988 film School Daze. The tune became a number one r&b hit and even managed to cross over into the Top 40 pop chart. Fab, always one to detail his conquests, takes the song's titular dance to its logical end here.
9. She's Gotta Have It:
"I got a bad habit
Similar to the girl on She's Gotta Have It
I think with the brain and I whip behind the zipper
I'm living kinda good similar to Jack Tripper"
- Grand Puba, "All For One"
For all of Spike's strengths as a filmmaker, he has often met with criticism for his portrayal of women. He has—with some justice—been accused of having female characters who are either severely under-developed or stereotypes. A notable exception is Nola Darling, the focus of She's Gotta Have It. She is captivating and full of life and, as Puba alludes to here, unapologetically in control of her sexuality. She spends the majority of the movie openly juggling three boyfriends without apology or regret, and stays true to herself throughout.
"I got a bad habit
Similar to the girl on She's Gotta Have It
I think with the brain and I whip behind the zipper
I'm living kinda good similar to Jack Tripper"
- Grand Puba, "All For One"
For all of Spike's strengths as a filmmaker, he has often met with criticism for his portrayal of women. He has—with some justice—been accused of having female characters who are either severely under-developed or stereotypes. A notable exception is Nola Darling, the focus of She's Gotta Have It. She is captivating and full of life and, as Puba alludes to here, unapologetically in control of her sexuality. She spends the majority of the movie openly juggling three boyfriends without apology or regret, and stays true to herself throughout.
10. 25th Hour:
"Table full of powder, A.C. broke
'Bout to take another shower, on my 25th hour
Spike Lees everywhere, game or the flight
You might see me anywhere, day in the life"
- Jay-Z, "Ignorant Shit"
Hov explained this one pretty well himself in Decoded (page 63, if you're playing along at home). In Lee's film, the titular phrase refers to the time right before Ed Norton's character turns himself in to go to jail. Jay notes that "[e]very hour is the 25th hour when you're on the streets—it can end at any moment." The "Spike Lees" in the following line refer to the best seats wherever one may be, a nod at the director's habit of sitting court-side at New York Knicks games.
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"Table full of powder, A.C. broke
'Bout to take another shower, on my 25th hour
Spike Lees everywhere, game or the flight
You might see me anywhere, day in the life"
- Jay-Z, "Ignorant Shit"
Hov explained this one pretty well himself in Decoded (page 63, if you're playing along at home). In Lee's film, the titular phrase refers to the time right before Ed Norton's character turns himself in to go to jail. Jay notes that "[e]very hour is the 25th hour when you're on the streets—it can end at any moment." The "Spike Lees" in the following line refer to the best seats wherever one may be, a nod at the director's habit of sitting court-side at New York Knicks games.
Click on for the bonus!
40 Acres and a Mule Productions:
"I'll get my own forty acres—give me four nights
Four o's, a Glock .40 for the jackers and I'm Spike"
- Jay-Z, ",a href="http://rapgenius.com/Jay-z-44-fours-lyrics">44 Fours"
Hov's propensity for referencing Lee continues on this relatively obscure numerically-obsessed gem, where he refers to the name of the director's production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks.
"I'll get my own forty acres—give me four nights
Four o's, a Glock .40 for the jackers and I'm Spike"
- Jay-Z, ",a href="http://rapgenius.com/Jay-z-44-fours-lyrics">44 Fours"
Hov's propensity for referencing Lee continues on this relatively obscure numerically-obsessed gem, where he refers to the name of the director's production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks.
Nike Commercials:
"Sitting on rims like Spike on a basket
Play with the kid, I'll turn your body into fragments
Weezy kill the beat -- now they checking him for maggots"
- Lil Wayne, "Straight to the Dance Floor"
Weezy makes reference to Lee's famous Nike commercial that finds him up on top of a (basketball) rim. How the 5'5" filmmaker manages to catch so much air is mysterious until the camera pulls back to find Lee (in the guise of his "Mars Blackmon" character) actually standing atop Michael Jordan's shoulders. Wayne's rims, of course, are of the automotive variety.
"Sitting on rims like Spike on a basket
Play with the kid, I'll turn your body into fragments
Weezy kill the beat -- now they checking him for maggots"
- Lil Wayne, "Straight to the Dance Floor"
Weezy makes reference to Lee's famous Nike commercial that finds him up on top of a (basketball) rim. How the 5'5" filmmaker manages to catch so much air is mysterious until the camera pulls back to find Lee (in the guise of his "Mars Blackmon" character) actually standing atop Michael Jordan's shoulders. Wayne's rims, of course, are of the automotive variety.
