Here Are The Most Important Cars In Hip-Hop

All roads lead to Chevrolet’s 1964 Impala SS. But those roads were only beginning to be paved in the late ‘80s. According to Chron, the sedan not only symbolized class but also “nodded to a more elegant age of cars when cruising was regarded over speed”. The Impala always made a statement. It also helped that they were fairly easy to modify, especially into lowriders. Notable mentions and appearances of the “6-4” would be Eazy-E’s “Crusin’ In My ‘64” and Dr. Dre’s “Let Me Ride.” Dre’s Impala would make continued appearances in many of his and Snoop Dogg’s music videos.

The Cadillac Escalade arrived on the market in 1999 and was an immediate hit, bringing in some $200 million pre-tax over its two years of existence. From there, the redesigned second-generation Escalade would quickly establish the SUV as a symbol of celebrity and elite status, as well as an icon of rap culture, featured in videos from artists like Big Tymers to 50 Cent (with The Game) and Jay-Z.

It wasn’t long before everyone in rap seemed to be driving an Escalade with tinted windows on wicked chrome rims and spinners. From there, the Escalade etched itself into pop culture a hip-hop favorite – and also into GM’s annals as one of the automaker’s most-profitable models, second only to the Corvette.

The Cadillac Escalade may get the lion’s share of attention in pop culture, but its hard to forget the impression that the Yukon Denali made when it appeared in Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” video. In fact, it might very well be due to the ubiquity of the Escalade that the GMC stood out, and Eminem’s video made me a lifelong fan of the Denali.

While the Denali is merely a trim, and not a model made famous by the greatest emcees of the genre, the Denali lineup has been the object of more rappers’ affection than similar near-luxury SUVs.

There’s something endearing about Marshall Mathers — who’s famously from Detroit — repping the Big 3. Like a homecoming in the most appropriate vehicle for someone who, by all rights, could easily be driving the best from Italian or German carmakers. Eminem may be rapping about losing yourself, but that doesn’t mean losing touch with where you’re from.

Speaking of the Big 3, Chrysler shocked everyone with the introduction of its 300C. The full-sized, square sedan with its chiseled design looking luxurious while still “hiding” away those German underpinnings and its 5.7-liter V8 Hemi.

It sold well for the company as an accessible American-made car with Mercedes-Bentley-like presence on the road. The result was one of the most iconic vehicle designs of the early 21st century and an almost instant hip-hop and rap icon.

You can find the 300C in numerous music videos. Dr. Dre did a commercial for it once the brand started using his Beats Audio as an exclusive sound system, and Eminem would also be the voice for Chrysler commercials. Chrysler also worked with DUB magazine in creating everything from special show cars to factory rims, which further helped to solidify the 300Cs iconic status in hip-hop.

“Rollin’ in MPV’s, every week we made 40 G’s”

When you think of hip hop, the MPV probably isn’t the first vehicle that comes to mind. But the MPV did its work behind the scenes, before those songs you love ever hit the public eye. Or, uh, public ear. Biz Markie owned two MPVs, outfitting one with a massive sound system. DJ Premier did the same, and his MPV became a go-to listening station for artists working on their latest tracks. It’s been mentioned in plenty of songs, far more than you’d think for a little family hauler. Nothing special, nothing flashy, just a damn good car with a great stereo.

Before the Mercedes G-Wagen and the McLaren P1 became the darlings of the genre, large sedans were beloved by rappers and featured prominently in their music. Big body ’Mercs were held in high esteem, along with similar cars from Lexus and Acura. The Acura RL was one of those big sedans that looked just as good slammed as it did stock, maybe even better. But many other Acuras have been alluded to by rappers: the Integra and Legend being among these.

The Acura (or Honda) Legend is not exactly as big a sedan as the Acura RL, but it’s nonetheless an icon for hip-hop fans who grew up in the ’90s in the South, listening to Juvenile and Silkk the Shocker — both New Orleans natives. Frank Ocean talks about the Legend in the song “Nights,” off the album Blonde. And Ludacris is also an Acura Legend fan. The U.S.-based Acura Design Studio even restored and brought back to life a 1993 Acura Legend for the F&F star.

As we’ve already seen, loving Frank Ocean is easy for those who love cars. Ocean’s car obsession runs the gamut from Acuras to Astro vans to Ferraris to BMWs. But of all the car cameos among Frank Ocean’s oeuvre, the Porsche 911 is the greatest.

This is not said as a fanboy of the Stuttgart brand, but as a lover of simple machines. Simplicity and flawless execution thereof being the tenets that Achim Anscheidt followed when designing and building his immaculate 911, which is purity personified. Frank Ocean doesn’t technically call out the fast low-flying beetle by name, but in the fifth track of the album Endless, titled “U-N-I-T-Y,” Ocean slows down his syllables and says, “I want the Porsche Bugatti-design...”

We can interpret this as a reference to a single example of the 911. Achim Anscheidt is the designer behind the Bugatti Chiron, and he would often turn to his own 911 project car to cleanse his palate. Think of his silver 911 as a counterpoint to the tech-laden Bugatti. The theme being less is more: less tech, less complexity; less power, sure, but also less to get in the way between the car and driver.

At some point, it gets easier to list the artists who haven’t mentioned Lexus in some way. The LS400, the GS, even the SC all got their fair share of shoutouts back in their ‘90s heyday. Just for kicks, here’s a forum thread on ClubLexus full of musical references to the brand’s cars. You might note that it’s twelve pages long.

The interesting thing about Lexus is that its buyers, even artists whose tastes change with the styles of the time, seem to have some real brand loyalty. If you hear a Lexus mention in one track, you’re likely to hear it again later — either referencing the same car, or another, newer model from the Lexus lineup. Turns out, when you’re single-mindedly focused on East Coast-West Coast battles, it’s nice not to have to worry about automobile reliability.

Because of its rarity, cost and exclusivity – especially in the U.S. market – the Mercedes G-Class or G-Wagen shed its military roots to embrace the lifestyle of the elite. Friend of Jalopnik Brett Berk explained in a GQ article that the U.S. would get a taste of that G-Wagen life thanks to a company called Europa, which, in 1993, started importing the German gem and worked to federally certify the SUV for sale in America. After a few years, it was doing so well that Mercedes wanted in on it, and in 2001, gave the U.S. its very own G-Wagen.

If the Cadillac Escalade was a hulking status symbol on the road, a boxy SUV with the Mercedes three-point star was even more impressive. And the G-Wagen would go on to have songs written about it and be featured in a litany of music videos.

We might have lost you with Buick Regal on this list, but hold on. We’re not talking about just any Regal, here. We’re talking about the second generation B-Body Regal.

In the same vein as the Impala, this generation of Regal would also become huge in the rap and lowrider circles. Looking back now, the cars themselves weren’t anything special, but they have a special place in the hearts of many hip-hop artists. Rapper 50 Cent’s first car was an ‘82 Regal that he tracked down to put in a video. Rae Sremmurd also had a Regal featured in a video. When you do come across one of these second-gen icons, it’s not uncommon to see it riding around on huge Forgiato Grassetto Wheels.

The fourth-generation Chevy Monte Carlo was a sort of distant relative to the Regal. It wasn’t as popular as the Regal, sure, but it did have its moment, especially in the Dirty South/Southern Hip Hop circles. There, Monte Carlos, and their rarer SS versions, were popular, and typically received massive aftermarket rims.

Even today, many rappers still use these things either in videos or as the topic of a song or video. Rappers like Curren$y, Freddie Gibbs and Slim Thug each either own or regularly drive a Monte Carlo of this vintage.

Jay Z’s 1998 Album It’s A Hard Knock Life Vol 2. brought Jay Z into the mainstream. He was no longer just a New York MC, but was now at the forefront of the hip-hop scene. Just as iconic as the album single “Hard Knock Life (The Ghetto Anthem)“ with its well known sample from the musical Annie, is another hip-hop icon: The Bentley Azure convertible. From then-on, the Continental R-based convertible became a favorite of rappers everywhere, being mentioned in songs like Lil Flip’s “Sunshine” to Nas’ “Blaze a 50.” Jay-Z even reminisces about the convertible in his song “Smile.”

Rolls-Royce, too, has a long history of being associated or mentioned in rap songs. From Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five’s 1979 song “Superrappin’” to Rev Run famously owning one in his hit reality show Run’s House.

The current Phantom VII has been around for over 20 years now, meaning it has had a nice following among rappers. Everyone from Rick Ross, Moneybagg Yo, Meek Mill, Busta Rhymes, 50 Cent and Drake — and the list goes on.

“All I ever wanted was a big-body ‘Benz (and a clean set of rims)”

If you haven’t already noticed a pattern, a lot of the vehicles on this list (outside of the MPV and 911) are larger than life, from the Escalade and G-Wagen to those big statement-making sedans. And while we’ve briefly mentioned the big-body Benz earlier in this compilation, it truly does need its own spot among the influential car greats. There are enough mentions of this “big-body ‘Benz” that someone on the internet began an attempt to compile every hip-hop and rap song that mentions it, and appears to had given up. But a good one is right above, Kidd Kidd’s “Big Body Benz” featuring — oh yeah — another familiar name on this list, 50 Cent.

We’d also be remiss to not include Jay-Z and Kanye’s music video for “Otis feat. Otis Redding” from their Watch the Throne album with this entry, as it features the two destroying a Mercedes Maybach 57. At first, the idea of tearing apart something like a Maybach appears outright criminal, but you do have to enjoy the focus they put on the torch, and later, the Milwaukee-branded saw cutting through the roof. But the end result makes for a good time.

The Chevy Impala is such an iconic car we had to count it twice. Among the vehicles in this list, you may have noticed a theme. And that’s clearly the heavy influence of the nineties and aughts, at which time the hip-hop and rap genres reached the mainstream.

Likewise, the Impala is one of those cars whose popularity peaked around the same time, and the affinity that hip-hop had for the Impala was mostly directed at classic models — the ones beloved by the lowrider community — way before the Impala became a boring executive sedan. Arguably, the last model that had a distinct flair and was stylish enough to proudly sport the leaping antelope badge was the seventh-generation Chevy Impala SS, based on the Caprice, which sported the same design since the early ’90s.

The 1994-1996 Impala SS was famous for its small-block 5.7-liter V8, but its stylish looks are easily just as memorable. A Chevy Impala (or possibly a Caprice) featured in the Outkast video for “B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad).” It’s hard to tell which B-body we’re looking at, but the video is so damn good, it’s easy to overlook it.