They spinnin' n***a, they spinnin'!!!!

Whip Appeal
Written by JusHH

I think we can all agree that Hip-Hop is the most materialistic music genre since, well, music was created. You can’t turn on any song without hearing about some item that said rapper is either flaunting or chasing. It’s so bad that, MTV cribs is practically a 30 minute Hip-Hop video. Aside from Ice, the most coveted thing to floss has to be the car. I promise you, Henry Ford never foresaw 20” rims, TV’s in the headrest and “removing the roof” when he created his Ford. But I’m not here to bash my rappers. I’m here to celebrate their love for the automobile and determine which is the greatest Whip, Wheels, Ride, V, Car in Hip-Hop history.

From worst to best…

Toyota

Keep in mind that the Toyota Camry is the most used car in the country. I am sure that most if not all rappers have either owned or have been in a Toyota Camry. Yet I can’t even think of a rhyme that has either word in it. Now that I think of it, I’d probably call dude a cornball if he talked about picking up girls in his “Toyota C”. Haha.

Porche

The Porche was always a fly car to have. But it wasn’t that rare and luxurious compared to others and frankly rappers didn’t really flaunt them.

Lamborghini, Ferrari (tie)

This is a tricky one to call. If either of these cars are brought out, they beat just about everything else on the list. But they are kind of like Unicorns, people would mention them from time to time but you never saw them. Very few have even been seen riding in either one of these two cars. They were part of some dope lines but they definitely aren’t Hip-Hop.

Infinity

For a period in time, the Infinity Q45 was the car to have. Everyone seemed to rap about their Q-4-5. It fit well with punchlines and if you saw one on the street, they definitely caught your eye.

Bentley, Phantom (tie)

Very similar to the Ferrari, Lambo argument. These cars quickly became the “flavor of the month” vehicle. While both blew up for a short period of time, neither dominated long enough to really have any kind of long term impact.

Acura

The best thing about this car was how it was used in raps. Shortened to “Ack”, it rhymed with everything. Who will ever forget Pun’s “packing a Mac in the back of the Ack”? And all Raekwon needed on the purple tape was, “house my gat, my Ack. Bank Account fat, its going down like that.” In the early 90’s you could see the low sitting Acura’s (with the kit – although I never knew what that meant) on streets all over the hood.

Lexus

Its hard not to be near the top of this list when you are most closely connected to the greatest rapper (Jay-Z) during the creation of his greatest album (Reasonable Doubt). In the 90’s there was no better flossing than behind the wheel of a Lexus. Appropriately shortened, to come through in a “Lex” meant you were somebody. The problem is that by 2000, no one really cared about that car. It was like the Wu-Tang Clan of cars.

BMW

When Mr. Cheeks gave props to the Beemer back in the day, he was just stating the obvious – BMW’s are dope. Also called the “BM”, the car fit well in many raps and were driven by many artists and people in the hood. It would be higher but it kind of has the little brother syndrome going for it as it never reached the level of its big brother (fyi… it’s the #1 car on the list).

Cadillac

It is hard to top when one car can represent an entire region. While everyone pretty much had it, no one rode in a Caddy like people from the south. The rims, the candy paint, the booming system in the trunk – nothing screamed Houston or Atlanta more. The longevity speaks volumes too. Back in ’94, Outkast named their debut album after the Caddy and you can still hear Bun-B rep it in his verses. And with the South pretty much dictating what’s hot in Hip-Hop, its only fitting that their signature ride is celebrated.

SUV/ Trucks (all models)

If pimping your car out was the flame, than SUV’s were no doubt the gasoline that turned them into forrest fires. The rims which were great at 18 suddenly ballooned to 24 and 26 inches! TV’s, Xboxes and just about anything else you can look at on a screen were inserted any and every where there was room. Speakers the size of Honda Civics were placed in the trunks. And this was all before someone decided to put Lamborghini style doors on them. The race to try to one up the next man got so outrageous and it went right in line with rappers outlandish tales in their verses. But as Hip-Hop as these behemoths were, they were the only runner up.

Mercedes Benz

The grand daddy of all Hip-Hop whips, rides and cars were made in Germany. The Mercedes Benz was the perfect combination of luxury and practicality. While you did see them on the street, you never saw them in the wrong hands. (those who couldn’t get a Benz, got a BM) They stand the test of time. They were as hot in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s as they are today. Roll through in a Benz, and you are somebody – period. In terms of the music, they were the car to rap about. They were called “Benzes”, “Big Body” and they got so cool at one point that only a single number was sufficient. Jay-Z, “had more 6’s than first grade” and Fab had a “6 ever since the 5 retired.” You even had the option to pimp them out or not – it didn’t make a difference. A Benz was a Benz and it was always dope and is Hip-Hop’s #1 vehicle of choice.

I know what some of you are thinking, “Jus, you forgot about the Maybach.”

No I didn’t, Mercedes makes those too.