Introductions...

Love @ 1st Sight
Written by JusHH

Every rap career starts with that first verse. A verse that makes you immediately hop on the phone and ask your friends, “Yo, did you hear that?” A verse that makes you eager when you see his name featured on another song. You only get one chance to make a 1st impression and for these emcees, their introduction to the world was all it took to put them on the map.

Snoop Dogg – “Deep Cover”, Deep Cover Soundtrack (1992)

Call him “Snoop Eastwood”. Snoop’s voice and smooth flow was the first thing that jumped out and with that crazy beat that Dre put together, you know you were hearing something special. That tall skinny kid from the LBC went on to rule the West Coast ever since.


Nas – “Live at the BBQ”, Breaking Atoms (1991)

When Main Source made this record, he wanted to put together a nice posse cut. He gave this young kid who had been hanging around the studio a verse. From the very first line, “Streets disciple, my lyrics are trifle, I shoot slugs from my brain just like a rifle”, he not only took over that song, he became a legend.


Canibus – “Beasts from the East”, Love, Peace & Nappiness (1997)

This is arguably the best debut verse of all time. There was only one question when you first heard this song, “Who the f**k was that?” Canibus owned Hip-Hop for 18 months with some of the greatest punchlines and wordplay that we’ve ever heard.


2Pac – “Same Song”, This Is An EP Release (1991)

The verse wasn’t that long. The rhymes didn’t shake the earth. However this opportunity cracked the door open for 2Pac to become a rapper and he proceeded to knock that door off the hinges. He went on to become the most prolific and arguably the greatest rapper to ever touch a microphone.


Busta Rhymes – “Scenario”, The Low End Theory (1991)

Although a member of another group at the time, you knew that Busta needed to be a solo artist. He just had too much energy to be confined to a group. Almost two decades later, whenever this song comes on, your heart beats a little faster when Busta’s verse is about to start.


Capadonna – “Winter Warz”, Ironman (1996)

Cap’s rhymes had the opposite affect that Busta’s had. His verse on Ghostface’s album was so incredible that he became the 9th member of the Wu-Tang Clan.


AZ – “Life’s A Bitch”, Illmatic (1994)

The only other rapper on the all-time classic, Illmatic album. It made AZ an instant hit and people were already fiendin’ for his debut album. Unfortunately, this verse was the highpoint of his career and he is still trying jumpstart his career to this day. The fact that he’s still even mentioned is a testament to how great that verse was.


Foxy Brown – “Ain’t No N***a”, The Nutty Professor Soundtrack (1996)/

Lil’ Kim – “Player’s Anthem”, Conspiracy (1995)

Once these two spit their respective verses, Females couldn’t get a deal unless they were wearing a thong or talking about what they are able to accomplish with a certain organ. Out went women who wanted to show what they could do in the booth and in came women who wanted to show what they could do in the bedroom. Ladies, if you are frustrated and want to pinpoint a moment when it all changed, look no further that these two 16’s.
Foxy

Kim


Ice Cube – “Straight Outta Compton”, Straight Outta Compton (1990)

“Straight outta Compton, Crazy motherf***er named Ice Cube” - Rap was never the same since. Nearly every gangster, gun, and hardcore line can be traced back to this verse. His hard hitting rhymes completely changed the fabric of Hip-Hop’s relationship with the hood. It also wasn’t a bad starting point from Ice Cube’s career. He not only became a platinum artist but became even more successful in the film industry.