Bad Poetry Day: 10 Worst Hip-Hop Verses of 2012 (So Far)

Making good rap music is hard work, and it's certainly not for everyone. While any MC can string together a few simple lines, the best rappers strive for great poetry -- an electrifying verse that competes with the beat to grab your attention.

Sadly, as producers gain notoriety for their musical contributions, many rappers become more and more lackadaisical with their lyrics, earning hits by default. Bad rappers can score smash records simply by relying on a good beat, and in the absence of quality lyrics, hip-hop fans are often left shaking their heads in disbelief over what constitutes a valid song these days.

In honor of Bad Poetry Day (Aug. 18), The BoomBox thought it would be fitting to highlight the 10 worst rap verses of 2012, so far -- there's even more to include. Here's a list that includes Soulja Boy, Kreayshawn and eight other dubious rhymers.

"Hey, bitch, I see you working at the mall,

At Forever 21, selling tanks and shawls,

You wanna quit your job?

You need a place to go?

Girl, run your own show,

But don't be on some ho shit,

Bounce with something cute on,

I kiss into a fog zone,

I be really off,

And searching for some water though..."

In the techno-influenced "Go Hard," Kreayshawn advises a retail employee to quit her gig and join her at a rave, and the last line suggests that they pop a pill at some point in the evening. Kreay should've went harder on her lyrical composition.

"Oh my god, swagging in the Ferrari, girl drop that ass,

It's Soulja Boy's party ... swagged out,

Damn my bracelet look like ...

Chain on my neck, swag, tattered like a bitch,

Kim Kardashian, drop it down asses,

Swag on my nuts bitch, meet me at the block, hey ...

I got the drop, swag ..."

Soulja Boy isn't nearly as omnipresent as he once was, and if he continues to drop joints like this, we'd prefer that he stay in the shadows. Here, the rapper reminds us that he's "swagged out" at least 20 times. He doesn't keep to the beat and disregards any attempt at rhyming as he pines after Kanye West's girlfriend.

"Making money is my hobby,

Flipping bricks is my passion,

Homegirl in the lobby,

Is you sucking dick,

I'm just asking.

I don't mean to be rude boo, but you know I'm that dude true,

More birds than Atlanta Zoo, going in like a curfew..."

Gucci Mane is full of metaphors -- most of them are terrible, though. On "Trap Back," the East Atlanta representative is hard at work trying to convince listeners that he really does come from that drug-dealer lifestyle. At this point, the topic is played out and uninspired, and not a single line here is clever enough to give "Trap Back" any life.

"You can't break me, I'm solid,

I go hard, 'bout it,

Can't break me down, I break laws,

Don't never abide, by it..."

Future tried his hand at creating a motivational track with "Go Harder" -- a cut dedicated to his haters. The Atlanta native's nursery rhyme-flow and basic wordplay do nothing to combat his reputation for having infectious songs that are completely devoid of substance. Future should've left the lights off on this one.

"Riding in the whip, ri-riding in the whip,

And if she ain't fucking, then she flying off a cliff,

Nigga never sleep, nigga never eat shrimp,

She heard a nigga faithful -- bitch, that's a myth,

I'm bout to bring the coast back, bout to bring the coast back,

I be burning bread, yep, nigga go and toast that..."

YG is a pretty big deal out on the West Coast. It's said that his music speaks to the street cats, giving them something to ride to. On "I'm a Thug," the up-and-comer does them a total disservice. The topics he references are stale, and instead of building on the theme of thug living, he inadvertently gives the world a peek at his meaningless dealings with the opposite sex.

"This is for my girls getting cake,

Hit the club ball bout to yell, 'Lil' momma straight!'

Every time we out to eat you know it's shrimp and steak,

And she ain't with the game naw lil' momma don't play..."



The three members of the group Travis Porter have never claimed to be dope MCs, but they aren't even trying to do anything other than reach for a smash at this point. Their single "Aww Yeah" works as a party cut, but Quez is just plain lazy on his verse. He spits the kind of standard, carefree braggadocio lines that sound better when the alcohol's flowing.

"Bitch I said throwing stacks,

Flocka, her hair long and her ass fat,

She screaming, 'Broke n----s that way,

Where the ballers at?' Fuck her all night,

And never call her back,

Homerun the pussy every time I swing my bat,

Squad, and if it's good I'm a double-back..."

Waka Flocka Flame's "Rooster in My Rari" has sort of a clever title, but the lyrics are definitely cringe-worthy. The rapper pushes the limits of sex-based lyrics with lines that are very explicit yet fairly unoriginal. The title here is more creative than Waka's bars.

"She give me dome when the roof gone,

After the K.O.D. she leave with me,

She got friends bring three,

I got drugs I got drinks,

Bend it over juicy j gone poke it like wet paint,

You say no to ratchet pussy, Juicy J can't..."

Juicy J's "Bandz a Make Her Dance" immediately became one of 2012's catchiest singles. The actual lyrics are terrible, but in spite of that, the track has grown legs. Here, the Taylor Gang member speaks on receiving oral pleasures in convertibles, doing drugs, drinking alcohol and embracing the ratchet.

"Can't trust every face, shit I gotta watch 'em,

Chief Keef Sosa I am on topic,

Smokin' big blunts and they long body,

My niggas hard body, don't fear nobody..."

Chief Keef has been sure to let the hip-hop industry know that Kanye didn't help with his recent success following the G.O.O.D Music leader's assist on "I Don't Like" -- although a co-sign from half of the Throne surely did something for the Chicago rapper. We'd suggest Keef take the help wholeheartedly and nix the arrogance, because left to his own devices, he might make another one of these monstrosities. Barely rhyming or riding the beat of this track, the upstart speaks on the people he can't trust.

"Who dat, dat bitch, prime time, top pick,

Limelight, all mine,

I ain't giving no room so fetch, bitch, yeah,

And that's the memo, get it, you already know my M.O.,

Get a little head in the back of the limo,

Then jump on the track like a sumo,

I'm start smacking bitches, Jennifer,

I'ma bring hell to bitches, Lucifer..."

Trina's back to her old tricks -- again. On this "Back to Business" track, we can't help but think that she may be playing around. The Miami princess is still reciting basic rhymes and lackluster punchlines, referencing everything here from a sumo wrestler to an ex-"Basketball Wives" star. Instead of back to business, maybe she should've gone back to the drawing board.

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