Hip-hop has been bred by controversy, one way or another. The mere nature of the culture was made to subvert typical norms. Graffiti, break-dancing, DJ’ing, and rapping were the primary touchstones in which Black artists could express themselves. How that was expressed would occasionally rub certain listeners the wrong way, whether through righteous political fervor or steamy raunchiness.
Consequently, networks, radio stations, and more would outright ban rap songs they didn’t quite find agreeable. Some of those songs become all-timers because of their notoriety. Noisey has selected four iconic, controversial rap songs that would eventually become banned by certain institutions over the years.
Four of the Greatest Rap Songs of All Time that were Once Banned
“F**k Tha Police” by N.W.A
N.W.A were notorious for rubbing tamer, vanilla listeners the wrong way. Violence in rap had already been hotly contested in the past—there was no way an anti-police song would ever fly with pro-establishment audiences. By the time “F**k Tha Police” came out, no rapper had ever been so explicit about their disdain for cops by that point.
As a result, it prompted the FBI to write a sternly worded letter in response. In solidarity with the authorities, various radio stations all over the world banned the record from the airwaves. To this day, Australia has waged a war on certain rap acts due to the ripple effects of “F**k Tha Police”.
“By The Time I Get To Arizona” by Public Enemy
Public Enemy’s “Fight The Power” has arguably become the de facto record whenever protests take place. It’s specific enough to America in the days of Ronald Reagan but broad enough to speak to any era. However, “By The Time I Get to Arizona” had its eyes firmly set on Arizona Governor Evan Meacham due to his strong resistance to Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the state.
As a result, the video depicted Black militia members killing Arizonan politicians in order to get the state to acknowledge MLK. Due to its violent imagery, MTV swiftly removed the video from its rotation. In the end, though, Meacham lost the worst. Public Enemy’s legacy remained untainted, while Arizona lost $100 million when the NFL moved the Super Bowl to California in 1993 because of the MLK controversy.
“Tip Drill” by Nelly
By itself, “Tip Drill” plays pretty run-of-the-mill. It’s a raunchy strip club anthem from Nelly and the St. Lunatics. Plenty of rappers have made some variation of that kind of song in the past. However, what defined its legend is the music video, an ode to debauchery and excess in ways hip-hop has hardly topped. There’s nudity, bubble baths, thousands of dollar bills, and even a credit card being slid between a woman’s buttocks.
Naturally, BET eventually banned it, even removing it from the dirtier BET: Uncut. Moreover, the BBC sided against “Tip Drill” as well. Even in an era where lewd records were embraced, Nelly and Co. took it a step too far for some people.
“Cop Killer” by Body Count/Ice-T
“Cop Killer” was so notorious that you still can’t stream it today on Spotify or Apple Music. Despite Ice-T’s insistence on it being a protest song, former president George H.W. Bush vehemently condemned it. Due to all of its backlash, Body Count’s label at the time, Warner, insisted they release their debut album without “Cop Killer” on it. Eventually, Ice-T left the label and, ironically, became a cop in television and film.
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