Rap / Hip Hop Songs

• Criteria
  While Hip Hop music developed in early 70s, significant output related to the Vietnam War came from the late 1980s onwards, meaning that all of these songs fall into the post-war category. Songs included need to mention Vietnam, or specific themes especially found in the lyrics of the post-Vietnam War era, which include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), prisoners of war (P.O.W.s) and the missing in action (M.I.A.s), the plight and treatment of veterans, agent orange, napalm, and comparing Vietnam to contemporary conflicts and domestic protest. References to Vietnam War films are also present.

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• Context
  Hip Hop emerged in the early 1970s on the US east coast, focused on "rhythmic beat patterns and spoken delivery". (1). The 1980s and 90s saw a break-out into multiple Hip Hop sub-genres and cultures, from East Coast Hip Hop to West Coast Hip Hop and Southern Hip Hop, and other styles, with lyrics focusing on racial discrimination, gun and gang violence in US cities and communities, and anti-establishment and political themes. Either growing-up in the context of the Vietnam War, or in the post-war era, in which the impact of Vietnam heavily influenced political and culture, a large number of hip hop songs focused on or referenced the war, often using it as a point of comparison for contemporary events and community violence, or reflecting on racial discrimination and inequality, or the horrors of war.

(a) City and community violence
The most important and frequent theme found in Hip Hop songs - using the Vietnam War as a comparison to city and community violence in the US, between different "gangs", as a threat of violence, or being involved in a domestic "war", also as an expression of being caught up in difficult social, economic, and violent circumstances, such as using the term "concrete jungle".

(b) Civil Rights / Racial discrimination:
Reference to African-American Civil Rights Movement in the US (1950s-60s), or contemporary inequality movements, such as Black Lives Matter. Songs may discuss inequality in the draft system, and racial mistreatment at home or in Vietnam. May also reference the lack of rights at home despite fighting for their country alongside US white citizens. Typically found in soul, gospel, funk, and blues performed by African-Americans, this also emerged in Hip Hop. May reference Martin Luther King Jr. and Muhammad Ali (in relation to refusing to fight in Vietnam).

(c) Contemporary Events
The Vietnam War was often used as a point of comparison to contemporary events in the post-war period, including Hip Hop songs, in opposition to the government and foreign interventionist policies. In the 1990s, this is seen with the First Gulf War, and in the 2000s, with the invasion of Afghanistan, and Iraq War.

(d) Past Events
Used to present an anti-war / peace message, particularly seen in Hip Hop from the 2000s onwards, with recollection of the My Lai Massacre, as well as other key Vietnam War moments, such as the Kent State and Jackson State shooting.

(e) Family History
Several Hip Hop songs referenced family members who fought in the Vietnam War - part of the post-war trend focusing on veteran issues, see below for further details.

(f) Veterans
One of the key themes found in the post-war period is the impact of the war on veterans, especially displayed through Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - frequently referenced in post-war 1980s songs about US veterans, often connected in songs to stress, shell shock, flashbacks, nostalgia, and feelings and dreams related to an event. Songs also referenced the treatment of veterans back in the US – such as lack of govt support, unemployment, unwelcome (no parades etc.), and blamed for the war and its controversies etc. Moreover, songs referencing a disabled Vietnam War veteran, and a drug addicted veteran, both appeared frequently in the post-war era.

(g) Films:
With Hip Hop coming in the post-war period, it aligns with many other music genres that are influenced by Vietnam War films, which had a major cultural impact, and its imagery and quotes are frequently found in the vivid, almost cinematic lyrics. The first peak, around 1978-1979 saw big stylized films, such as The Deer Hunter (dir. Michael Cimino) and Apocalypse Now (dir. Francis Ford Coppola. By the mid-1980s, films like Uncommon Valor (1983), Missing in Action (1984), and Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) concentrated on the US soldier as hero and the Vietnamese, Chinese, and Russians as villains. This reflects the Reagan-era nationalism and the need to overcome the "Vietnam Syndrome". The second wave of Vietnam War films came in 1986-1987 with Platoon (dir. Oliver Stone), Hamburger Hill (dir. John Irvin), and Full Metal Jacket (dir. Stanley Kubrick). These films claimed to show the reality of combat in Vietnam in comparison to the stylised 'message' and 'flag-waving' films which came before. Once again, the major cultural impact of these films is represented in song references - especially seen in Hip Hop using the popular 1987 film Good Morning, Vietnam, based around the rebellious radio broadcaster Adrian Cronauer, who began each show with "Good Morning Vietnam".

The 1980s saw a revival of interest in the Vietnam War, which had subsided in the mid to late 70s following the US withdrawal. Both films and music sought to reflect on the impact the war had on American society and to ask "why did the North win?" A Reagan-era trend of nationalism grew, an attempt to overcome the "Vietnam Syndrome" - the perception that domestic controversies over the war led to the US taking a less interventionist position in US foreign affairs. This term also applied to veterans, who may have felt guilt or shame about the war, influenced by the domestic climate they returned to in the US.¹

Ronald Reagan spoke about this on 18 August 1980: "for too long, we have lived with the Vietnam Syndrome..As the years dragged on, we were told that peace would come if we would simply stop interfering and go home..We dishonor the memory of 50,000 young Americans who died..we give way to feelings of guilt as if we were doing something shameful, and we have been shabby in our treatment of those who returned. They fought as well and as bravely as any Americans have ever fought in any war. They deserve our gratitude, our respect, and our continuing concern".² Many war films of the period fitted into this climate of trying to overcome the Vietnam Syndrome, such as First Blood [Rambo] (1982), Uncommon Valor (1983), and Missing in Action (1984).

#1 Boogie Down Productions Stop the Violence 1988 · Album · By All Means Necessary · Jive # 1097-2-J · USA

Influential East Coast Hip Hop group, formed 1986 in Bronx, New York, USA, featuring prominent rap musician KRS-One. They released one of the first Hip Hop / rap songs to reference the Vietnam War, in the track "Stop the Violence" (Jive Records # 1121-1-JD), which took aim at politicians for contributing towards violence in communities, including sending people to war, such as Vietnam. The song also portrayed the Vietnam veteran as a drug dealer, a common feature in 1980s Vietnam War songs: "you're off to Vietnam [...] how many veterans are out there pedaling?" . It featured on the album By All Means Necessary (Jive Records # 1097-1-J). KRS-One would go on to reference Vietnam in the 1995 song "What I Know", discussed below.

Themes: Anti-Government Vet Drugs Inflation Reagan

Genres: ♪ Hip HopRap

#2 Geto Boys Scarface 1989 · Album · Grip It! On That Other Level · Rap-A-Lot # RAP-103-2 · USA

Credited on the record as Ghetto Boys.

Southern Hip Hop / Gangsta Rap group formed in 1986 in Houston, Texas, USA, released the song "Scarface" (Rap-A-Lot Records # RAP-103-2), one of the first Hip Hop tracks to use Vietnam as a comparison for violence in US cities and communities, which became a significant trend in this genre: "open fire like a lunatic from Vietnam, bullets fled to the head, bodies bled" .

Themes: City & Community Violence Drugs Violence Metaphor Crazed Vet

Genres: ♪ Hip HopSouthern Hip HopGangsta Rap

#3 Public Enemy Black Steel In The Hour of Chaos 1989 · Album · It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back · Columbia # FC44303 · USA

The song "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" (Def Jam Recordings # 38-68613) dealt with someone who received a draft card to fight in Vietnam: "I got a letter from the government... they wanted me for their army" . The lyrics criticised the war, the prison system, and racism, with several Civil Rights references, such as why should an African American fight in a war when they did not have equal rights at home: "here is a land that never gave a damn about a brother like me... I'm a Black man and I could never be a veteran" . This theme was usually found in blue and soul music from the 60s and 70s, and rarely repeated by other hip hop artists. Featured on the 1988 album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (Def Jam Recordings # BFW 44303).

Themes: Draft Vet Anti-Government Civil Rights

Genres: ♪ Hip HopRap

Also in: ▤ Civil Rights Songs▤ Draft Songs

The trend of using Vietnam as a case study to criticise US foreign policy and interventions continued in the 1990s. While the number of songs decreased compared to the 80s period, artists continued to focus on the impact of the war on veterans and society, and the use of Agent Orange and Napalm.

#4 Public Enemy Welcome to the Terrordome 1990 · Single · Def Jam # 44-73135 · USA

The song "Welcome to the Terrordome" (Def Jam Recordings # 44-73135), released as a single in 1989, but featured on the 1990 album Fear of a Black Planet (Def Jam Recordings # CK 45413) is an early example of Hip Hop artists using Vietnam as a metaphor for conflict: "Droppin' a bomb, brain game, intellectual Vietnam" .

Theme: Violence Metaphor

Genres: ♪ Hip HopEast Coast Hip Hop

#5 Eric B. & Rakim Run for Cover 1990 · Album · Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em · MCA # 6416 · USA

East Coast Hip Hop duo, formed in 1986 in New York, USA, and disbanded in 1992. The song "Run for Cover" (MCA Records # 6416) is another example of a hip hop group using Vietnam as a metaphor for conflict and violence: "my brother, run for cover because I'm armed, my brain contains a bomb, as if I escaped from Vietnam" .

Show full lyrics (20 lines) ▾

Theme: Violence Metaphor

Genres: ♪ Hip HopEast Coast Hip Hop

#6 IAM Vietnam 1990 · Album · Concept · Roker Promocion # RP-02 · France

French Hip Hop group, formed 1989 in Marseille, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France, featuring Akhenaton, Kheops, Shurik'N, Imhotep, Freeman (1990-2008), Kephren (dancer, manager, 1990-present). The rare cassette (only 300 copies made, last sold on Discogs for $900), had the song "Vietnam" (Roker Promocion # RP-02). Firstly, the song compared current world events to the Vietnam War era: "it is total chaos; the world is in agony, with no justice to be found, we plunge back, just like in the past, into the heart of the Vietnam era of the 70s" . It then used Vietnam as a comparison to community violence in France: "before long, Marseille is gonna be just like Vietnam, it’s nothing but psychopaths out there" .

Show full lyrics (65 lines) ▾

Themes: City & Community Violence Vietnam Analogy Violence Metaphor

Genres: ♪ Hip HopFrench Hip Hop

Also in: ▤ European Songs▤ Vietnam as Comparison

#7 Geto Boys Fuck a War 1991 · Album · We Can't Be Stopped · Rap-A-Lot # 4XL 57161 · USA

Credited on the record as Ghetto Boys.

Southern Hip Hop & Gangsta Rap group, formed in 1986 in Houston, Texas, USA. The song "Fuck a War" (Rap-A-Lot Records # 4XL 57161) is one of dozens of 90s songs inspired by the First Gulf War (1990-91), also referred to as Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm, the names of US operations against Iraq, directed by the US president George H. W. Bush. The track begins with a phone call, informing the MC that he's been drafted to fight in the First Gulf War. The lyrics then outline his opposition to the conflict, arguing that the conflict is a waste of time. Furthermore, it contained an argument often seen in 60s / 70s Vietnam War songs, and highlighted by Martin Luther King Jr. in his opposition to the war - which is why should African Americans fight for the country when they do not receive equal rights at home, thus containing a Civil Rights message: "they puttin' niggas on the front line, but when it comes to gettin' ahead, they put us way behind" , and thus they declared: "yo, Bush! I ain't your damn ho" . The narrator then used Vietnam as a reference point for comparison: "in Vietnam a lot of niggas died young" . It also noted the Prisoner of War issue: "P.O.W.'s got hung" .

Show full lyrics (34 lines) ▾

Themes: First Gulf War Iraq George H. Bush Grenade P.O.W. Medals

Genres: ♪ Hip HopSouthern Hip HopGangsta Rap

Also in: ▤ Civil Rights Songs▤ Draft Songs▤ P.O.W. / M.I.A. Songs▤ Vietnam as Comparison

#8 N.W.A. Dayz of WayBack 1991 · Album · Efil4zaggin · Ruthless # CDL 57126 · USA

The song "The Dayz of Wayback" (Priority Records # SL 57126) contained a minor reference to the Vietnam War, used to compare to city and community violence: "Compton was like still water... now it's like muthafuckin' Vietnam, everybody killin'" .

Themes: City & Community Violence Violence Metaphor

Genres: ♪ Hip HopGangsta RapWest Coast Hip Hop

#9 Ice Cube How to Survive in South Central 1991 · Album · Boyz n the Hood · Qwest # 9 26643-2 · USA

Soundtrack to the coming-of-age crime drama film Boyz n the Hood (1991), set in South Central Los Angeles. It featured the song "How to Survive in South Central" (Qwest Records # 9 26643-2) by Ice Cube. As other songs on this list, it used Vietnam as a reference point to violence, swapping the jungle for the city's concrete: "as you enter, the concrete Vietnam, you say, the strong survive" . Ice Cube returned to this theme on his 2013 single Sasquatch, discussed below.

Themes: City & Community Violence Violence Metaphor

Genres: ♪ Hip HopWest Coast Hip HopGangsta Rap

#10 Dr. Dre Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat 1992 · Album · The Chronic · Death Row · USA

The song "Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat" (Interscope Records # P1 57128) used Vietnam to describe a bad trip on drugs: "smoke go in your lungs like that, you get lifted, calm, and if it's the bomb, taken away like Calgon, Vietnam" . Calgon was a reference to an old commercial slogan.

Themes: Drugs Violence Metaphor

Genres: ♪ Hip HopWest Coast Hip HopGangsta Rap

#11 Rage Against the Machine Wake Up 1992 · Album · Rage Against the Machine · Epic # Z 52959 · USA

The song "Wake Up" (Epic Records # Z 52959) focused on racism within the American government and counter-intelligence programs by the FBI. Interestingly, this included looking back to the Vietnam War era, referencing Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous anti-Vietnam War speech: "you know they went after King, when he spoke out on Vietnam" - on 4 April 1967, MLK delivered his most controversial speech, "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence" at Riverside Church in New York, in which he took a strong position against the war, opposing the policies of President Johnson. He shortly followed this up with the speech "Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam", delivered at Ebenezar Baptist Church Atlanta, Georgia, on 16 April 1967, featured on the record "Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam", released by Black Forum Records (# BF-451), a spoken-word sub-label of Motown Records. In 1971 this posthumously won the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album. King's opposition to the Vietnam War can be traced back to 1965, although most of his public speeches on the issue took place in 1967 and 1968, when he took part in many anti-war demonstrations, which caused tension between King and President Johnson.

Show full lyrics (17 lines) ▾

Themes: Civil Rights MLK Anti-War

Genres: ♪ MetalRap Metal

Also in: ▤ Civil Rights Songs▤ Metal Songs

#12 Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber 1993 · Album · Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) · Loud # 07863-66336-1 · USA

The song "Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber" (Loud Records # 07863-66336-1) [and the Part II version as well] contained a brief reference to Vietnam amongst lyrics about violence and war - taken from the popular 1987 film Good Morning, Vietnam, based around the rebellious radio broadcaster Adrian Cronauer, who began each show with "Good Morning Vietnam".

Themes: Good Morning, Vietnam Film

Genres: ♪ Hip HopEast Coast Hip Hop

#13 Top Dog Vietnam-In-America 1994 · Single · Family Affairs / Vietnam-In-America · On the One # RSC 81618-8 · USA

Southern Hip Hop artist, also known as Robert (Top Dog) Simmons Jr. The song "Vietnam-In-America" (On the One Records # RSC 81618-8) provided a portrayal of a struggling Vietnam War veteran in the US, mistreated, as well as racially discriminated against: "I thought the war was over but I can't tell, cause every time I see a gook I want to raise some hell, but a black man can't get a government loan" . The veteran declared: "I refuse to be victim of society" . Note: full lyrics needed.

Themes: Vet Mistreatment of Vet Civil Rights Gook Anti-Government Anti-Asian Racism

Genres: ♪ Hip HopSouthern Hip Hop

Also in: ▤ Civil Rights Songs

#14 Mobb Deep Survival of the Fittest 1995 · Single · Loud # 07863-64355-1 · USA

The song "Survival of the Fittest" (Loud Records # 07863-64355-1), which featured on the album The Infamous, used Vietnam as a metaphor for city and community violence: "there's a war goin on outside no man is safe from... it's similar to Vietnam" .

Themes: City & Community Violence Violence Metaphor

Genres: ♪ Hip HopRap

#15 Mobb Deep Shook Ones Part II 1995 · Single · Shook Ones Part II / Shook Ones Part I · Loud # 07863-64315-1 · USA

Shook Ones Part II on the album The Infamous There's a war going on outside no man is safe from / You can run but you can't hide forever / In these streets that we done took / You're walking with your head down, scared to look / You shook cause there ain't no such thing as half way crooks / There never around when the beef cooks / And my part of town is similar to Vietnam / Now we all grown up and hold heavy on the cops control [From Justin A. Brummer notes from RYM]

Themes: Vietnam Analogy Violence Metaphor

Genres: ♪ Hip HopHardcore Hip Hop

Also in: ▤ Vietnam as Comparison

#16 Mobb Deep Apostle's Warning 1996 · Album · Hell on Earth · Loud # 07863-66992-19 · USA

The song "Apostle's Warning" (Loud Records # 07863-66992-19) - here, again, Mobb Deep used Vietnam to represent violence, in this case escalation: "we hyperactive when it's time to Vietnam it" .

Themes: City & Community Violence Violence Metaphor

Genres: ♪ Hip HopEast Coast Hip HopGangsta Rap

#17 Chuck D The Pride 1996 · Album · Autobiography of Mistachuck · Mercury # 314 532 944-2 · USA

The song "The Pride" (Mercury Records # 314 532 944-2) focused on black pride and the Civil Right movement of the 1960s - it referenced the James Brown song "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud (Parts 1 & 2)" (1968), the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.: "I was in third grade when Dr. King got slain" . It referenced the imprisonment of Bobby Seale, a Black Panther leader, arrested at the anti-Vietnam War demonstrations outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August 1968 - one of the Chicago Eight, he was infamously gagged and chained in court. It also referenced the Woodstock music festival and the Kent State Vietnam War demonstration - which took place on 4 May 1970, in Ohio, where members of the Ohio State Guard shot and killed four students: "Free Huey, Eldridge, Bobby, Angela, Woodstock to Kent State, the music of the time for the mind" .

Show full lyrics (22 lines) ▾

Themes: Civil Rights MLK Black Panther Kent State Woodstock Bobby Seale

Genres: ♪ Hip HopEast Coast Hip Hop

Also in: ▤ 1968 Chicago Seven / Eight Songs▤ Civil Rights Songs▤ Kent / Jackson State Songs

#18 Rage Against the Machine Vietnow 1996 · Single · Epic # EPC 664777 2 · USA

The song "Vietnow" (Epic Records # EPC 664777 2) used Vietnam to attack the "lies" on right-wing AM radio shows, directly referencing conservative politician Ollie North. Also contained in the lyrics was a reference to Sgt. Stacey Koon, one of the 4 LAPD policemen videotaped beating African-American Rodney King in 1991: "comin down like bats from Stacey Koon" . Also note the reference to US involvement in sending contras into Nicaragua: "undressed and blessed but the lord, the same devil that ran around Managua with a sword" - Mangua is the capitol city of Nicaragua. The song also featured on the 1996 album Evil Empire (Epic Records # E 57523). A live version also featured as the b-side on a 1997 single: The Ghost of Tom Joad / Vietnow (Live) (Epic Records #ES7 3705).

Show full lyrics (42 lines) ▾

Themes: Oliver North Anti-Government Rodney King Police Brutality Nicaragua Vietnam Analogy

Genres: ♪ MetalRap Metal

Also in: ▤ Metal Songs▤ Vietnam as Comparison

#19 Wu-Tang Clan A Better Tomorrow 1997 · Album · Wu-Tang Forever · Loud # 07863-66905-1 · USA

The song "A Better Tomorrow" (Loud Records # 07863-66905-1) used the portrayal of a Vietnam War veteran, suffering from PTSD, as a metaphor for violence and tension in city communities: "the projects, lifeless like a Vietnam vet, constant war, sever threats of enemy conquest... streets are like a jungle" .

Themes: Violence Metaphor Vet PTSD Jungle City & Community Violence

Genres: ♪ Hip HopEast Coast Hip Hop

Also in: ▤ PTSD Songs

#20 Public Enemy Resurrection 1998 · Album · He Got Game · Def Jam # 314 558 130-1 · USA

The song "Resurrection" (Def Jam Recordings # 314 558 130-1), another track from Public Enemy - referenced the Vietnam War in the context of the 1998 bombing of Iraq, under US President Bill Clinton and the UK, taking place between 16 to 19 December 1998, said to have been launched due to Iraq's failure to comply with UN inspections for weapons of mass destruction.¹ The lyrics warned against getting embroiled in another conflict: "fucking with Saddam will bring a new Saigon, ain't nothing changed" .

Themes: Iraq Saigon Saddam Hussein Vietnam Analogy

Genres: ♪ Hip HopEast Coast Hip Hop

Also in: ▤ Vietnam as Comparison

#21 Kool G Rap Cannon Fire 1998 · Album · Roots of Evil · Illstreet Downlow # DLM 6001-1 · USA

East Coast Hip Hop artist, born Nathaniel Thomas Wilson on 20 July 1968 in Queens, New York, USA. The song "Cannon Fire" (Illstreet/Downlow # DL 6001-2) contained a small reference to Vietnam - again used as a metaphor for city violence: "I stand my ground and hold the fort down... it's like a time bomb you hit, Vietnam ta Saigon" . He also released "The Realist" with Mobb Deep, which referenced the Vietnam War.

Themes: City & Community Violence Saigon Violence Metaphor

Genres: ♪ Hip HopRap

#22 Mos Def Speed Law 1999 · Album · Black On Both Sides · Rawkus # 088 112 905-2 · USA

The song "Speed Law" (Rawkus # RWK 1159) is a good example of hip hop groups comparing city violence to Vietnam, in this case Brooklyn - "Brook-nahm Vietnam, the heat is on" - showing the continued importance and re-interpretation of the war in cotemporary culture and society.

Theme: Violence Metaphor

Genres: ♪ Hip HopRap

#23 2Pac Homeboyz 1999 · Album · Still I Rise · Interscope # 0694904131 · USA

Collaboration, between 2Pac (also known as Tupac Shakur), a prominent and highly regarded West Coast Hip Hop / Gangsta Rap artist, born on 16 June 1971 in Manhattan, New York, USA, and murdered on 13 September 1996 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, from gunshot wounds - and Outlawz, a group of the same genre, founded in 1995 in Montclair, New Jersey, USA. The song "Homeboyz" (Interscope Records # 0694904131) was of course released after 2Pac's death, which used Vietnam to glorify violence: "turnin these streets into Vietnam" .

Themes: Violence Metaphor City & Community Violence

Genres: ♪ Hip HopWest Coast Hip HopGangsta Rap

#24 Eminem Bad Meets Evil 1999 · Album · The Slim Shady LP · Interscope # INT290287 · USA

The song "Bad Meets Evil" (Interscope Records # INT290287) - again, another example of using Vietnam to portray violence - in this case, in the role of a North Vietnamese guerilla fighter: "I'm comin' back to blow your house up... we hit the trees 'til we look like Vietnamese people... against peaceful, see you in hell for the sequel". Collaboration with Royce da 5'9", Hardcore Hip Hop artist from Detroit, Michigan, USA - the Vietnam reference is from the chorus, which they both performed on.

Themes: City & Community Violence Anti-Asian Racism Violence Metaphor Guerrilla Warfare

Genres: ♪ Hip HopHardcore Hip HopConscious Hip Hop

#25 Big Red Vietnam 1999 · Album · Big Redemption · Source # 243 8477182 9 · France

Obscure French Hip Hop group, which released the song "Vietnam" (Source # 7243 8477182 9). It's one of the few songs on here to focus on the battle zone, narrated from a combat perspective: "I camp in the woods, blood and sweat, it's my daily life, people dying in fear all around me" . It noted the use of napalm: "I was dropping the napalm, I saw that the Cong were not weaklings" - chemical weapon Napalm B - a jellied gasoline mixture, with polystyrene, benzene, and gasoline. Declared a war-crime since 1980, the US government extensively used this weapon during the Vietnam conflict, dropping 388,000 tons on Indochina between 1963 and 1973.¹²³

The song criticised politicians for sending people to war: "by what right do you condemn me to die in Vietnam, behind your office you're clean" . Also note the reference to three Vietnam War films, Apocalypse Now, First Blood (Rambo), and Hamburger Hill: "we force you to crawl on a Hamburger Hill, you're ready for the Apocalypse Now... you don't have the balls of Rambo" , and thus another example of the major cultural impact of Vietnam War films and its influence on music.

Show full lyrics (105 lines) ▾

Themes: Napalm Anti-Government Rambo Apocalypse Now Film City & Community Violence

Genres: ♪ Hip HopRap

Also in: ▤ European Songs

#26 Tech N9ne Questions (Rough Draft) 1999 · Album · The Calm Before the Storm · MidWestSide # MWS 6621 · USA

The song "Questions (Rough Draft)" (MidWestSide Records # MWS 6621) again used Vietnam as a metaphor for violence: "could you be the reason I'm a bomb, straight out of Vietnam, ready to explode on Satan?" .

Show full lyrics (15 lines) ▾

Theme: Violence Metaphor

Genres: ♪ Hip HopHardcore Hip Hop

#27 Mobb Deep Ft Kool G Rap The Realest 1999 · Album · Murda Muzik · Loud # CK 63715 · USA

The song "The Realist" (Loud Records # CK 63715) - a collaboration between Mobb Deep and Kool G Rap, used the portrayal of a "crazed" Vietnam veteran as an example of someone out-of-control with a gun in the US cities: "so young that you wouldn't even expect to be burstin' off guns like a Vietnam vet" .

Themes: Violence Metaphor Crazed Vet Vet City & Community Violence

Genres: ♪ Hip HopRap

#28 Snoop Dogg G Bedtime Stories 1999 · Album · No Limit Top Dogg · No Limit # P2 50052 · USA

In the song "G Bedtime Stories" (No Limit Records # P2 50052), he used the cliched image of a "crazed" Vietnam veteran to describe out-of-control gun violence: "I ran up on this nigga and I shot him in his neck, shooting like a muthafuckin Vietnam vet" .

Themes: Crazed Vet Vet City & Community Violence Violence Metaphor

Genres: ♪ Hip HopWest Coast Hip HopGangsta Rap

#29 Rage Against the Machine Sleep Now in The Fire 1999 · Single · The Battle of Los Angeles · Epic # 491993 2 · USA

The song "Sleep Now in the Fire" (Epic Records #669136 2) referenced Agent Orange: "the agents of orange, the priests of Hiroshima, the cost of my desire, sleep now in the fire" . Agent Orange was the defoliant / herbicide used by U.S. forces during the Vietnam War, which had long term negative health effects on the Vietnamese and US soldier whom came into contact with the chemical. It is frequently referenced in post-war songs. Also note the reference to the bombing of Hiroshima. Featured on the album The Battle of Los Angeles (Epic Records # EK 69630). The song reached # 62 in Billboard Hot 100 Airplay (US), # 26 in US Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks, and # 43 in UK Singles (The Official Charts Company).¹

Show full lyrics (35 lines) ▾

Themes: Agent Orange Atomic Vietnam Analogy Hiroshima WW2

Genres: ♪ MetalRap Metal

Also in: ▤ Metal Songs▤ Vietnam as Comparison

#30 Eminem Under the Influence 2000 · Album · The Marshall Mathers LP · Aftermath # 069490629-1 · USA

Heading into the 2000s, this Eminem album continued the trend started in the late 80s and throughout the 90s, in using Vietnam as a metaphor for violence, showing the continued pervasiveness of the war in American culture. The song "Under the Influence" (Aftermath Entertainment # 069490629-1) was a collaboration with D12, a Hardcore Hip Hop group from Detroit, Michigan, formed in 1996 - on verse 3, rapped by Bizarre (born Rufus Arthur Johnson on 5 July 1976 in Detroit, Michigan), he said: "I drop bombs, like I was in Vietnam".

Themes: City & Community Violence Violence Metaphor

Genres: ♪ Hip HopHardcore Hip HopConscious Hip Hop

#31 Canibus The C-Quel 2000 · Album · 2000 B.C. (Before Can-I-Bus) · Universal # 159 054-2 · Jamaica

Canibus, born Germaine Williamson 9 December 1974 in Kingston, Jamaica, his career was based in New York, part of the East Coast Hip Hop / Hardcore Hip Hop scene, finding minor success and known for freestyle and battle raps. This album contained three references to Vietnam. The song "The C-Quel" (Universal Music # 012 159 054-2) described one of these rap battles, using Vietnam as a metaphor for being a jungle guerilla, taking on MCs on a verbal battle: "I'll battle you with a gun to my neck, ambushin' emcees, jumpin' out the trees like Vietnamese in fatigues covered with leaves" . The song "Horsementality" continued the theme: "and my lyrics be the atomic rockets, cosmic vomic - spittin', hittin' at y'all Vietnam vets" , as did the song "100 Bars" , presenting an image of guerilla warfare as a metaphor: "duckin' down low like we in 'Nam fightin' the Viet Cong, screamin' 'incoming' when I see a bomb" .

Show full lyrics (31 lines) ▾

Themes: Violence Metaphor Rap Battle Vet VC Guerrilla Warfare

Genres: ♪ Hip HopRap

#32 Jedi Mind Tricks I Against I 2000 · Album · Violent by Design · Superegular # SUPR 109 · USA

The song "I Against I" (Superegular Recordings # SUPR 109) used both Vietnam and the Iraq War as metaphors for violence: "with Ominous, detonate the bomb, heads dread hallucinogenics since Vietnam, I spit a psalm, create bombs like an Iraqi" .

Themes: Iraq Vietnam Analogy

Genres: ♪ Hip HopEast Coast Hip HopHardcore Hip Hop

Also in: ▤ Vietnam as Comparison

#33 Tech N9ne Who You Came To See 2001 · Album · Anghellic · JCOR # 422860949-2 · USA

A couple more minor references to the Vietnam War on this Tech N9ne album (JCOR Entertainment # 422860949-2). The song "Who You Came to See" contained the line: "boss ballin' bigger than Vietnam, we drop bombs on the boulevard" , while the song "Breath" had the line "fuckin' with me you would think you were in Vietnam, when I explode ain't nothin' left but remains" - both using Vietnam as a metaphor for city and community conflict back in the US.

Themes: City & Community Violence Violence Metaphor

Genres: ♪ Hip HopHardcore Hip Hop

#34 Tech N9ne Breath 2001 · Album · Anghellic · JCOR # 422860949-2 · USA

Annotation: see “Who You Came To See” above (same release).

Themes: City & Community Violence Violence Metaphor

Genres: ♪ Hip HopHardcore Hip Hop

#35 DPG At Night 2001 · Album · Dillinger & Young Gotti · D.P.G. # 1001 · USA

Themes: Napalm Violence Metaphor City & Community Violence

Genres: ♪ Hip HopWest Coast Hip HopGangsta Rap

#36 Aesop Rock Nickel Plated Pockets 2001 · Single · Daylight / Night Light / Nickel Plated Pockets · Definitive Jux # DJX21 · USA

East Coast Hip Hop / Abstract Hip Hop artist, born Ian Matthias Bavitz on 5 June 1976, Syosset, New York, USA, released the song "Nickel Plated Pockets" (Definitive Jux # DJX21) which contained a minor reference to the Vietnam War violence / conflict metaphor: "it's Vietnam in the fumes" .

Themes: Violence Metaphor Drugs

Genres: ♪ Hip HopEast Coast Hip HopAbstract Hip Hop

#37 Denana Zurück aus Vietnam 2001 · Compilation · Streitkraft - Hannover Underground Styles · Illvibe # ILL005-CD · Germany

Theme: Agent Orange

Genres: ♪ Hip HopRap

Also in: ▤ European Songs

#38 Nas Doo Rags 2002 · Album · The Lost Tapes · Ill Will # CK 85275 · USA

The post-war song "Doo Rags" (C2Records # 85275) contained a Civil Rights message, regarding the recruitment of African-American into the army: "political thugs...persuade us to pull trigger in army boots, yellin' join the armed forces" , while there is "war in the ghetto" and "murderers wearin' police uniforms, Confederate flags I burn" , a reference to policy brutality and racism. The narrator then moved onto Vietnam, noting "we lost the Vietnam War, intoxicated poisons" - presumably a reference to Agent Orange, the defoliant / herbicide used by U.S. forces during the Vietnam War, which had long term negative health effects on the Vietnamese and US soldier whom came into contact with the chemical. It is frequently referenced in post-war songs. It moved onto the image of the drug-addicted veteran: "needles in arms of veterans" .

Show full lyrics (18 lines) ▾

Themes: Civil Rights Draft Police Brutality Vet Flag Agent Orange

Genres: ♪ Hip HopRap

Also in: ▤ Civil Rights Songs▤ Draft Songs

#39 Louie Logic Trail of Tears 2002 · Compilation · Debacle in a Bottle: A Not Album · Pot to Piss In · USA

Obscure East Coast Hip Hop artist, born Louis Dorley in Brooklyn, New York, USA. The song "Trail of Tears" (Pot to Piss In) - the title of course referred to the forced displacement of Native Americans by the United States government (1830-1850), featured in the later part of the song. This track also contained a verse about the Vietnam war, recalling the draft and referencing the US president Lyndon B. Johnson: "nineteen sixty-five, after the draft captured a class... Johnson ships our young men" . It then moved onto the My Lai Massacre - the mass murder of between 300-500 civilians in the South Vietnamese area known as "Pinkville", containing the hamlets, known as My Lai 4 and My Khe 4, and throughout the area of Song My, by US forces on 16 March 1968: "countless Vietnamese died at Lieutenant William Calley's cold order" . It noted the indiscriminate killing: "both daughters and sons killed and carried to mass graves" .

Themes: Indigenous Rights Da Nang My Lai Guns Draft LBJ

Genres: ♪ Hip HopEast Coast Hip Hop

Also in: ▤ Draft Songs▤ My Lai & Lt. William Calley Songs

#40 Lil Wayne Blood Line 2002 · Album · 500 Degreez · Cash Money # 440 060 058-2 · USA

The song "Blood Line" (Cash Money Records # 440 060 058-2) continued the trend of using Vietnam as a metaphor for violence: "the dirty south is straight Vietnam, I skate with the bomb" .

Show full lyrics (23 lines) ▾

Themes: Violence Metaphor City & Community Violence

Genres: ♪ Hip HopSouthern Hip HopGangsta Rap

#41 Talib Kweli Get By 2003 · Single · Rawkus # MCAR-25971-1 · USA

The song "Get By" (Rawkus # MCAR-25971-1), which contained verses from Kanye West, JAY-Z, Mos Def, and Busta Rhymes. contained a minor reference to the popular 1987 film Good Morning, Vietnam, based around the rebellious radio broadcaster Adrian Cronauer, who began each show with "Good Morning Vietnam" - this is a similar Vietnam reference to the Wu-Tang Clan song "Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber" discussed above.

Themes: Film Good Morning, Vietnam Violence Metaphor

Genres: ♪ Hip HopEast Coast Hip HopConscious Hip Hop

#42 Immortal Technique Obnoxious 2003 · Album · Revolutionary Vol. 2 · Nature Sounds # NSD-104 · Peru

The song "Obnoxious" (Nature Sounds # NSD-104) was released in the context of the Iraq War (2003-11), calling out the US president George W. Bush for not fighting in the Vietnam War: "don't talk about war when niggas know that you puss, a fuckin' hypocrite, draft-dodger like George Bush" .

Themes: George W. Bush Iraq War Vietnam Analogy Draft Draft Dodger

Genres: ♪ Hip HopEast Coast Hip HopPolitical Hip Hop

Also in: ▤ Draft Songs▤ Vietnam as Comparison

#43 Jedi Mind Tricks The Wolf 2003 · Album · Visions of Gandhi · Babygrande # BBG-CD-006 · USA

The song "The Wolf" (Babygrande # BBG-CD-006), another track from Jedi Mind Tricks referencing the Vietnam War, used as a metaphor for city violence: "the street is Vietnam" .

Show full lyrics (15 lines) ▾

Themes: City & Community Violence Palestine Violence Metaphor Religion

Genres: ♪ Hip HopEast Coast Hip HopHardcore Hip Hop

#44 J. Rawls Bobby Seale Bound and Gag 2003 · Album · Histories Greatest Battles, Campaigns & Topics · Female Fun # FF004 · USA

J. Rawls, born 27 February 1974 in Columbus, Ohio, USA, currently based in Obetz, Ohio, USA, released this instrumental hip hop album with samples from history, including the song "Bobby Seale Bound and Gagged" (Female Fun Records # FF004). It started with a sample from Bobby Seale talking, and then moved on to a news clip.

.

Themes: Chicago Seven Civil Rights Bobby Seale Black Panther Demonstration Anti-War

Genres: ♪ Hip HopRap

Also in: ▤ 1968 Chicago Seven / Eight Songs▤ Civil Rights Songs

#45 Jedi Mind Tricks And So It Burns 2004 · Album · Legacy of Blood · Babygrande # BBG-LP-33 · USA

Jedi Mind Tricks song "And So It Burns" (Babygrande # BBG-LP-33), again used Vietnam as a metaphor for city violence: "drop bombs like a B-25 on ya, yeah, it's Vietnam in the trenches" .

Show full lyrics (16 lines) ▾

Themes: City & Community Violence Trench Communism Violence Metaphor

Genres: ♪ Hip HopEast Coast Hip HopHardcore Hip Hop

#46 Nelly Heart of a Champion 2004 · Album · Sweat · Derrty # B0003314-02 · USA

Pop Rap artist, born Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. on 2 November 1974 in Austin, Texas, USA. The song "Heart of a Champion" (Derrty Entertainment # B0003314-02) noted that his father was a Vietnam War veteran: "My daddy was a soldier, a Vietnam vet" .

Themes: Vet Family Vet

Genres: ♪ Hip HopPop Rap

#47 The Impossebulls Circle of Lies 2004 · Album · Slave Education · Slam Jamz # SJMVD1001DV · USA

The song "Circle of Lies" from the Hip Hop group The Impossebulls, featuring Chuck D, was an anti-war protest songs against the invasion of Afghanistan, the Iraq War, and George W. Bush, with the chorus reference the Vietnam War: "got win the wars... another Vietnam, in the circle of lies... we got to get our shit together" . Note: full lyrics needed.

Themes: Afghanistan George W. Bush Anti-War Iraq War Vietnam Analogy

Genres: ♪ Hip HopEast Coast Hip HopConscious Hip Hop

Also in: ▤ Vietnam as Comparison

#48 Kanye West Diamonds (From Sierra Leone) 2005 · Single · Diamonds From Sierra Leone · Roc-A-Fella # B0004940-11 · USA

The song "Diamonds (From Sierra Leone)" (Roc-A-Fella Records # B0004940-11) - it featured on his second album, "Late Registration" (2005) - is protest song focused on blood diamonds, mined in war zones, in this case, Sierra Leone. He compared the conflict to the Vietnam War, including a play on the popular 1987 film Good Morning, Vietnam, based around the rebellious radio broadcaster Adrian Cronauer, who began each show with "Good Morning Vietnam" : "good mornin', this ain't Vietnam, still, people lose hands, legs, arms, for real" .

Themes: Anti-War Sierra Leone Good Morning, Vietnam Film Vietnam Analogy

Genres: ♪ Hip HopExperimental Hip HopPop Rap

Also in: ▤ Vietnam as Comparison

#49 Rob Swift Vietnam? 2005 · Album · War Games · Coup De Grâce # CGC5013 · USA

Turntablism / East Coast Hip Hop artist, born 14 May 1972 in Queens, New York, USA. The song "Vietnam?" (Coup de Grâce # CGC5013) is an example of using the conflict as a comparison point to contemporary events, in this case Iraq War (2003-11) - it contained samples of US president George W. Bush speaking about the Iraq War, and so-called "Axis of Evil", and terrorism. The CD booklet contained an image of Bush on the back.

Themes: George W. Bush Iraq War Vietnam Analogy

Genres: ♪ Hip HopTurntablism

Also in: ▤ Vietnam as Comparison

#50 Sage Francis Slow Down Gandhi 2005 · Single · A Healthy Distrust · Epitaph # 86709-2 · USA

Sage Francis is a East Coast hip-hop artist, born in Miami, Florida (1976), and currently based in Providence, Rhode Island. In 2005 he self-released the 12" single "Slow Down Ghandi" , which later appeared on the album A Healthy Distrust (Epitaph Records # 86709-2). He wrote the song during the 2004 presidential election, about "fly-by-night activists who get caught up in political fervor every election year and then they fall by the wayside when the party is over".¹ In the middle section of the song, he criticised US military recruitment methods with regards to the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, saying "it felt like Kent State the way they targeted the students, I galloped off whistling Ohio" - a reference to the famous Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young single Ohio. Francis later wrote that "ever since 9/11 I've been on an anti-war crusade, dear Barack…bring 'em home".²

Show full lyrics (44 lines) ▾

Themes: Kent State Anti-Government

Genres: ♪ Hip HopRap

Also in: ▤ Kent / Jackson State Songs

#51 The Herd I Was Only Nineteen 2005 · Album · The Sun Never Sets · Elefant Traks # ACE021 · Australia

Hip Hopcover of the song "I Was Only Nineteen" (Elefant Traks # ACE021). This group formed in 2001, Sydney, NSW, Australia. The line-up featured: Ozi Batla (MC), Urthboy (MC), Berzerkatron (MC), Unkle Ho (drum programming), Traksewt (drum programming, accordion, clarinet), Sulo (drum programming, guitar), Toe Fu (guitar), Rok Poshtya (bass), Jane Tyrell (vocals), Alejandro (laptop, vocals), and Snapsuit (production). The song dealt with the negative impact of war on the soldier. Written by John Schumann, born 18 May 1953 in Adelaide, Australia, leader singer of Redgum, formed in 1975, Adelaide, and disbanded in 1990. As discussed above, John Schumann based it largely on the experiences of the Vietnam war veteran Mick Storen (his brother-in-law).¹ This song provided an important representation of the loss of innocence for a nineteen year old, whose life changed because of the war. It brought attention to the plight of the Australian Vietnam veteran.

Cover of the Redgum song (1983).

Show full lyrics (37 lines) ▾

Themes: ANZUS PTSD Agent Orange Drugs Vet Soldier's Perspective

Genre: ♪ Hip Hop

Also in: ▤ Australian & New Zealand Songs▤ PTSD Songs

#52 Jedi Mind Tricks Uncommon Valor 2006 · Album · Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell · Babygrande # BBG-CD-1002 · USA

The song "Uncommon Valor: A Vietnam Story" (Babygrande # BBG-LP-1052) started out with sound-clips / samples of gunfire, helicopters, and Richard Nixon. It took an anti-war perspective, narrated from the perspective of a soldier in the conflict, opposed to the indiscriminate killing: "I didn't sign up to kill women or any children, for every enemy soldier, we killing six civilians" . It made a comparison to World War Two, claiming that Vietnam was not justified: "this ain't a real war, Vietnam shit, World War II, that's a war, this is just a military conflict" . It also questioned the official government line, in protecting an independent South Vietnam from communism: "I ain't seen no Chinese since we landed" . Furthermore, it criticised the politicians: "the president, he doesn't care" . Note the reference to Operation Rolling Thunder - the sustained aerial bombardment of North Vietnam, to support the South Vietnamese government, pressure the North Vietnamese, and to target North Vietnamese transport, industry, and air defences, launched by Lyndon B. Johnson on 2 March 1965: "why I was a part of Operation Rolling Thunder... jungle like the fucking harbinger of death" .

Also of significance, is the second verse, performed by R.A. the Rugged Man - East Coast Hip Hop / Hardcore Hip Hop artist, born Richard Andrew Thorburn on 10 January 1974 in New York, USA - whose father was Staff Sgt. John A. Thorburn, a Vietnam veteran.¹ It tells his story, including coming into contact with Agent Orange, the defoliant / herbicide used by U.S. forces during the Vietnam War, which had long term negative health effects on the Vietnamese and US soldier whom came into contact with the chemical. It is frequently referenced in post-war songs: "but ain't escape Agent Orange, two of my kids born handicapped" - this referred to his brother Maxx, born disabled and blind, who died at the age of 10, and Thorburn's sister, Dee Ann, who died in 2007 at the age of 26.²Vinnie Paz referenced this collab on the song "Writings on Disobedience and Democracy" (2016), discussed below.

Show full lyrics (28 lines) ▾

Themes: Nixon Sound-Effects VC Agent Orange Jungle Foxhole

Genres: ♪ Hip HopRap

#53 Birdman Problem Solver 2006 · Mixtape · The Carter 2: Like Father, Like Son · MixUnit · USA

The song "Problem Solver" (MixUnit), another one from Lil Wayne (in collaboration with Birdman and DJ Khaled) using Vietnam as a metaphor for city / community violence, comparing it to Hollygrove, New Orleans, were the artist was from: "tick tick make a nigga drop the bomb, weed lit yea, I'm from Hollygrove Vietnam" .

Show full lyrics (19 lines) ▾

Themes: City & Community Violence Marijuana Violence Metaphor

Genres: ♪ Hip HopSouthern Hip HopGangsta Rap

#54 Kendrick Lamar G'z and Hustlers 2007 · Mixtape · Training Day · Top Dawg · USA

Credited on the record as K-Dot.

The song "G’z and Hustlers" by Kendrick Lamar, but released under the name K-Dot on a mixtape, the first of at least five songs to reference the Vietnam War, used as a metaphor for violence: "my bones made out of cement, strong arm, explode on y'all, Vietnam, boom".

Show full lyrics (18 lines) ▾

Themes: Violence Metaphor City & Community Violence

Genres: ♪ Hip HopWest Coast Hip HopConscious Hip Hop

#55 Talib Kweli Happy Home 2007 · Album · Liberation · Blacksmith # 0902663160 1 8 · USA

The song "Happy Home" (Blacksmith Music # 0902663160 1 8) - a collaboration between Talib Kweli and Madlib - West Coast Hip Hop artist, born Otis Jackson Jr., born on 24 October 1973 in Oxnard, California, USA. It told the story of Talib Kweli's father, Perry Greene growing in the 1960s Civil Rights and Vietnam era - it described him escaping the segregated South, to the hippie New York folk scene: "through the Segregated South... Perry was out, livin' like a hippie in the sixties... headin' to The Village to see Bob Dylan" . His father then received the draft call: "got this draft card in the mail" . It contained a Civil Rights message, noting the draft resistance of Muhammad Ali: "the champ said, I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong" - Ali had asked why he should fight brown people in Vietnam when black people did not receive equal rights at home. This had an impact on his father, encouraging him to become politically active: "people bleeding on TV is so tragic, creating the catalyst for the people to get active" . It concluded with Talib Kweli taking on the responsibilities and duties of his ancestors: "now I'm standing on the shoulders of my ancestors" .

Show full lyrics (27 lines) ▾

Themes: VC Civil Rights Draft Muhammad Ali TV War Bob Dylan

Genres: ♪ Hip HopEast Coast Hip HopConscious Hip Hop

Also in: ▤ Civil Rights Songs▤ Draft Songs

#56 Nipsey Hu$$le Put That on Me 2008 · Mixtape · Bullets Ain't Got No Name Vol. 1 · Cinematic Music · USA

Nipsey Hussle, West Coast Hip Hop / Gangsta Rap artist, born Airmiess Joseph Asghedom on 15 August 1985 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was murdered on 31 March 2019 in Los Angeles, California, from gunshot wounds. In the song "Put That on Me" (Cinematic Music Group), he compared himself to a Vietnam vet, who had suffered in a conflict, but in this case, from city and community violence in the US: "done it all, but I ain't dead yet, that's why I look at life like a Vietnam Vet" .

Themes: City & Community Violence Vet Drugs Violence Metaphor

Genres: ♪ Hip HopWest Coast Hip HopGangsta Rap

#57 Immortal Technique Hollywood Drive By 2008 · Mixtape · The 3rd World · Koch · Peru

This mixtape (Koch Records) featured two references to the Vietnam War. Firstly, the song "Hollywood Drive By" , which used Vietnam as a comparison for alleged government lies: "like government officials trying to justify Vietnam" . Secondly, the song "The 3rd World" - an outdated term for developing countries, that originated during the Cold War in the 1950s - the artist discussed his home area, describing it as being worse than the US: "from where police brutality is not half as nice, it makes the hood in America look like paradise" . He used Vietnam as a metaphor for a war zone: "from where the bombs that they used to drop on Vietnam" .

Show full lyrics (15 lines) ▾

Themes: Anti-Government Vietnam Analogy

Genres: ♪ Hip HopEast Coast Hip HopPolitical Hip Hop

Also in: ▤ Vietnam as Comparison

#58 Immortal Technique The 3rd World 2008 · Mixtape · The 3rd World · Koch · Peru

Annotation: see “Hollywood Drive By” above (same release).

Show full lyrics (15 lines) ▾

Themes: Police Brutality Poverty Vietnam Analogy

Genres: ♪ Hip HopEast Coast Hip HopPolitical Hip Hop

Also in: ▤ Vietnam as Comparison

#59 Antonio Pinto Vietnam à Brasileira 2008 · Soundtrack · City of Men (Cidade dos Homens) · Bodog # 0189370BDM · Brazil

Film score of Cidade dos homens [City of Men], it featured the song "Vietnam a Brasileira" (Miramax Records # 0189370BDM) by Antonio Pinto, born in 1967 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The vocal was by Brazilian rapper Rappin' Hood, birth name Antônio Luiz Junior - born on 7 November 1971 in São Paulo, Brazil.

Track 2, printed "Vietnam A Brasileira"; written and performed by Antonio Pinto and Rappin' Hood. Brazilian edition Lakeshore LKS 33978.

Themes: Vietnam Analogy Film City & Community Violence

Genre: ♪ Hip Hop

Also in: ▤ Latin & Central American, & Caribbean Music▤ Vietnam as Comparison

#60 Eminem Crack a Bottle 2009 · Single · Aftermath # INTR-12562-1 · USA

The song "Crack a Bottle" (Aftermath Entertainment # INTR-12562-1), which featured Dr. Dre and 50 Cent (born Curtis James Jackson III on 6 July 1975 in Queens, New York, USA, East Coast Hip Hop / Gangsta Rap artist) - the later referenced Vietnam in his verse, used as a metaphor violence and strength: "I'm the napalm, the bomb... I'm so calm, through Vietnam, ring the alarm".

Themes: City & Community Violence Napalm Violence Metaphor

Genres: ♪ Hip HopHardcore Hip HopConscious Hip Hop

#61 Tyler, The Creator Slow It Down 2009 · Album · Bastard · Not On Label · USA

West Coast Hip Hop / Hardcore Hip Hop artist, born Tyler Gregory Okonma on 6 March 1991 in Hawthorne, California, USA. The song "Slow It Down" continued the trend of using Vietnam as a metaphor for violence: "if you talk shit, I'll make you cry... I make California Vietnam" .

Themes: Violence Metaphor City & Community Violence

Genres: ♪ Hip HopWest Coast Hip HopHardcore Hip Hop

#62 Time Subterranean Homesick News 2009 · Album · Naked Dinner · Dirty Laboratory # DLP0011 · USA

Obscure, relatively unknown Hip Hop artist Christopher Steele, born in Denver, Colorado, USA. The song "Subterranean Homesick News" (Dirty Laboratory Records # DLP0011) referenced the Kent State shooting - this took place on 4 May 1970, in Ohio, where members of the Ohio State Guard shot and killed four students at an anti-Vietnam War demonstration. They used this as a metaphor / example of government neglect: "instead of Kent State they kill us with silence, they kill us with neglect" . One of dozens of post-war songs about the demonstration, it displays the event's lingering importance as a reference point for confrontation with government / state bodies in contemporary society and protest music.

Themes: Kent State Anti-Government

Genres: ♪ Hip HopPolitical Hip Hop

Also in: ▤ Kent / Jackson State Songs

#63 Myka 9 1969 2009 · Album · Fake Four # FFINC006 · USA

Myko 9, West Coast Hip Hop / Conscious Hip Hop / Jazz Rap artist, born Michael Lafayette Troy on 16 January 1969 in Los Angeles, California. The song "1969" (Fake Four Inc. # FFINC006) referenced many political issues and events of the 60s/70s. including Civil Rights, the counter-culture, and two well-known Vietnam evens: (a) the Kent State shooting - which took place on 4 May 1970, in Ohio, where members of the Ohio State Guard shot and killed four students, and (b) demonstrations outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August 1968: "the peace movement took Chicago late and they took four dead in Ohio" .

Show full lyrics (22 lines) ▾

Themes: Civil Rights Chicago Seven Kent State Woodstock Bob Dylan

Genres: ♪ Hip HopWest Coast Hip HopConscious Hip Hop

Also in: ▤ 1968 Chicago Seven / Eight Songs▤ Civil Rights Songs▤ Kent / Jackson State Songs

#64 Lil Wayne Wasted 2009 · Mixtape · No Ceilings · Young Money · USA

In the song "Wasted" (Young Money Entertainment), Lil Wayne again returned to the Vietnam violence metaphor, used here to describe always carrying a weapon: "I'm always strapped—Vietnam, nigga" .

Show full lyrics (16 lines) ▾

Themes: Violence Metaphor City & Community Violence

Genres: ♪ Hip HopSouthern Hip HopGangsta Rap

#65 Kendrick Lamar Still Hustlin' 2009 · Mixtape · C4 · Top Dawg · USA

Credited on the record as K-Dot.

Kendrick Lamarsong "Still Hustlin’" (Top Dawg Entertainment), released under the name K Dot, featuring Ab-Soul and Jay Rock), used Vietnam and Iraq as a reference point for conflict: "bombs in my peak hold, bombs over Baghdad... run you nigga like a marathon, this is when Vietnam meets the Babylon".

Themes: Tanks Iraq War Vietnam Analogy

Genres: ♪ Hip HopWest Coast Hip HopConscious Hip Hop

Also in: ▤ Vietnam as Comparison

#66 Kendrick Lamar 2DopeBoyz Freestyle 2009 · Single · Not On Label · USA

The song "2DopeBoyz Freestyle" seems to be a digital-only release, with the lyrics posted on Genius - it used the portrayal of a mistreated Vietnam veteran with a violent streak: "mind of a Vietnam Vet when a nigga rhyme" .¹

Themes: Vet Mistreatment of Vet Crazed Vet

Genres: ♪ Hip HopWest Coast Hip HopConscious Hip Hop

#67 Mos Def History 2009 · Album · The Ecstatic · Downtown # DWT70055 · USA

The song "History" , a collaboration between Mos Def and Talib Kweli, recalled a key moment in the Vietnam conflict - the collapse of South Vietnam under US President Gerald R. Ford in 1975: "Ford was president... the war was ended when the North Vietnamese stormed the city of Saigon" .

Show full lyrics (17 lines) ▾

Themes: Saigon Fall of Saigon Ford

Genres: ♪ Hip HopEast Coast Hip HopConscious Hip Hop

#68 Kanye West Power: Remix 2010 · Single · Good · USA

The song "Power: Remix" (Good) (with JAY-Z and Swizz Beatz), West took an anti-war position on the US presence in Iraq, and warned about intervention in Iran, using Vietnam as a reference point, a key trend found in the post-war period in all genres: "bring our troops back from Iraq, keep our troops out of Iran... how we gon' stop the next Vietnam" . It also featured on the 2011 album Good Friday

Themes: Anti-War Korea Iraq War Vietnam Analogy Iran

Genres: ♪ Hip HopExperimental Hip HopPop Rap

Also in: ▤ Vietnam as Comparison

#69 Eminem On Fire 2010 · Album · Recovery · Aftermath # B0014411-01 · USA

The song "On Fire" (Aftermath Entertainment # B0014411-01) described attacking a Vietnam veteran, portrayed stereo-typically as a homeless person - after taking his anger out on the veteran, he left him a pile of money: "hop out on a homeless man holding a sign sayin' Vietnam vet... beat his ass, and leave him nine grand".

Themes: Vet Mistreatment of Vet

Genres: ♪ Hip HopHardcore Hip HopConscious Hip Hop

#70 B.o.B Letters From Vietnam 2010 · Album · B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray · Atlantic # 518903-2 · USA

"Letters From Vietnam"

Goodbye my love
The country is in need of me
And I heard there were signs for war
So I'm going overseas
So don't cry my love
The skies above will cry for you
And I'll be safe so hopefully
I'll come back home for you
Yeah, yeah
So please
Tell me it's not true
After all the love I've given
You found someone new
And oh, of all the things I've seen
This has got to be, got to be the greatest tragedy
Oh you, you let it all slip away
But soon you'll find
Soon you'll find (yeah)
What you can't replace
I gave away my love
That I promised you I would keep
A thousand deaths I died that day
When two became one
A greater force pulled you away
So I got on my knees and begged
The silence replaced my tears
So goodbye, my love
August 1, 1965
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
So please
Tell me it's not true
After all the love I've given
You found someone new
And oh, of all the things I've seen
This has got to be, got to be the greatest tragedy
Oh you, you let it all slip away
But soon you'll find
Soon you'll find, yeah
What you can't replace
Yeah
Goodbye my love
As I bid farewell to thee
All is fair in love and war
So I'm going overseas

Themes: Soldier's Perspective Dear John Letter Lost Love

Genres: ♪ Hip HopSouthern Hip Hop

#71 Snoop Dogg Eyez Closed 2011 · Album · Doggumentary · Doggystyle # 509999 07952 2 0 · USA

The song "Eyez Closed" (Doggystyle Records # 509999 07952 2 0), a collaboration between Snoop Dogg, Kanye West, and John Legend, returned to the theme of a "crazed" Vietnam veteran, to portray out-of-control gun violence in US cities and communities: "Vietnamese eyes tighter than ever, fuck with the Dogg, I'm biting whomever" .

Themes: City & Community Violence Crazed Vet Vet Anti-Asian Racism Violence Metaphor

Genres: ♪ Hip HopWest Coast Hip HopGangsta Rap

#72 Immortal Technique In the Trenches 2011 · Mixtape · Peru

The song "In the Trenches" again used Vietnam as a metaphor for violence, referencing the Vietcong (or "VC") - the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam (Vietnamese: Mặt trận Dân tộc Giải phóng Miền Nam Việt Nam) (NLFSV or NLF), the political and military resistance to the US and South Vietnamese government from within South Vietnam: "runnin' through machine gun fire and barbed wire fences, like the Viet Cong back with a vengeance" . Released 2011, a mixtape digital-only release.

Themes: Violence Metaphor VC Guns Trench City & Community Violence

Genres: ♪ Hip HopEast Coast Hip HopPolitical Hip Hop

#73 Vinnie Paz And Your Blood Will Blot Out the Sun 2012 · Album · God of the Serengeti · Enemy Soil # ES-CD-1201 · USA

This album featured the first two solo efforts from Vinnie Paz to reference the Vietnam War. The first was in the song "And Your Blood Will Blot Out the Sun" (Enemy Soil Records # ES-CD-1201) which contained an anti-war protest message, suggesting that people did not need government or orders to carry out a massacre, referencing the My Lai Massacre - the mass murder of between 300-500 civilians in the South Vietnamese area known as "Pinkville", containing the hamlets, known as My Lai 4 and My Khe 4, and throughout the area of Song My, by US forces on 16 March 1968: "murder doesn’t need a lobbyist or an ambassador, ask the survivors of the Mỹ Lai massacre" . The other song, "You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train" , provided an anti-war, anti-government take, featuring a sample from Howard Zinn, a US intellectual and historian, which referenced the Vietnam War.

Themes: Anti-War Genocide My Lai My Lai Analogy

Genres: ♪ Hip HopEast Coast Hip HopHardcore Hip Hop

Also in: ▤ European Songs▤ My Lai & Lt. William Calley Songs▤ Vietnam as Comparison

#74 Vinnie Paz You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train 2012 · Album · God of the Serengeti · Enemy Soil # ES-CD-1201 · USA

Annotation: see “And Your Blood Will Blot Out the Sun” above (same release).

Themes: Anti-War Anti-Government WW2 Korea Propaganda War Lineage

Genres: ♪ Hip HopEast Coast Hip HopHardcore Hip Hop

Also in: ▤ European Songs▤ My Lai & Lt. William Calley Songs

#75 Noize MC Вьетнам (Vietnam) 2012 · Album · Новый альбом (New Album) · Not On Label · Russia

Russian, hip-hop

Это наше новое скандальное видео! Как жаль, что вы его только щас увидели!
Как жаль, что мы его так поздно доделали, но несправедливость царит оголтелая,
И лучше уж поздно, чем никогда — Вы должны все знать, что творится беда:
Как стало совсем недавно известно нам, Америка вводит войска во Вьетнам!
Мы резко против этой бойни и резни! Я обращаюсь к Президенту и Конгрессу:
Довольно опытов кровавых над людьми во имя низменных, корыстных интересов!

Я надену клёш и, в руки взяв с «пацификом» знамя,
Вам спою о том, что надо делать «лав», а не войну во Вьетнаме,
И пусть я опоздал, пусть мой протест ничего не изменит,
Зато меня никто не обвинит в пиаре на модной теме!

Е-е-е! Лав! Лав! Лав!
Е-е-е! Пис! Пис! Пис!
Ололо! Лав! Лав! Лав!
Трололо! Пис! Пис! Пис!

Пис!' — не мешки ворочать, это точно: мешки ворочать нельзя заочно,
Мешок не влезает в электронную почту и не помещается на столе рабочем!
Вы, если хотите, проверьте сами, но мешок приходится брать руками:
Кто готов слова подкреплять делами, кто с нами против войны во Вьетнаме?

Друзья, нам срочно надо ехать в Вашингтон, пока открыт проклятый занавес железный!
Мы окружаем Пентагон со всех сторон и начинаем хором петь вот эту песню:

Я надену клёш и, в руки взяв с «пацификом» знамя,
Вам спою о том, что надо делать «лав», а не войну во Вьетнаме,
И пусть я опоздал, пусть мой протест ничего не изменит,
Зато меня никто не обвинит в пиаре на модной теме!

Ведь завтра эта тема актуальна не будет, завтра о другом будут париться люди,
Завтра что-то новое станут мусолить блоггеры и анонимные тролли.
И никто про Вьетнам не напишет в ЖЖ — Вам всем будет завтра наплевать уже.
Вам сегодня уже наплевать на Вьетнам и вчера на него плевать было вам!
Вы, нищие духом трусливые создания, где, бл*дь, ваше гражданское сознание?!
Слышу в ответ только щёлканье кнопок и гневное ёрзанье чьей-то жопы —
Чую, это кто-то строчит комментарий, меня обвиняющий в грязном пиаре:
Я его прочитаю, уже даже не злясь — свиньи повсюду находят грязь!
Давай, груби, разоблачитель, груби, но помни — в какой бы ты ни скрывался глуби,
Я тебя всё равно вычислю по IP — ты ещё пожалеешь, что компьютер купил!
Я приеду к тебе в венке из ромашек, накормлю кислотой и надую гашем,
Привяжу к батарее и оставлю в бэд-трипе: будешь знать, как наезжать на хиппи!

Я надену клёш и, в руки взяв с «пацификом» знамя,
Вам спою о том, что надо делать «лав», а не войну во Вьетнаме,
И пусть я опоздал, пусть мой протест ничего не изменит —
Он и так ничего не менял, даже когда для него было самое время,
Трололо…

Themes: Anti-War Peace Protest Demonstration Pentagon Washington D.C.

Genres: ♪ Hip HopRap RockConscious Hip Hop

Also in: ▤ European Songs

#76 Vinnie Paz God Bless 2013 · EP · Carry on Tradition · Enemy Soil # ES-LP-1301 · USA

Next up from Vinnie Paz was the song "God Bless" (Enemy Soil Records # ES-LP-1301) which used the Vietnam violence metaphor: "I will kill motherfuckers, that is plainly said... this a Vietnam song" .

Themes: Violence Metaphor City & Community Violence

Genres: ♪ Hip HopEast Coast Hip HopHardcore Hip Hop

#77 Kendrick Lamar Control 2013 · Bootleg / Unauthorized · Not On Label · USA

Another track from Kendrick Lamar, the song "Control" , in collaboration with Big Sean and Jay Electronica, again used Vietnam as a metaphor for violence: "so many bombs, ring the alarm, like Vietnam" . He also referenced the leader of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, and Louis Farrakhan, head of the US-based Nation of Islam: "so many bombs, make Farrakhan think that Saddam in this bitch" .

Themes: Violence Metaphor Saddam Hussein

Genres: ♪ Hip HopWest Coast Hip HopConscious Hip Hop

#78 Ice Cube Sasquatch 2013 · Single · Lench Mob · USA

On the song "Sasquatch" , Ice Cube returned to the theme of his 1990s song "How to Survive in South Central" , using Vietnam as a reference / metaphor for violence: "all my enemies swear I'm Attila, Vietnam vet, burn down your villa" .

Themes: Violence Metaphor Vet Crazed Vet City & Community Violence

Genres: ♪ Hip HopWest Coast Hip HopGangsta Rap

#79 Chance the Rapper Everybody's Something 2013 · Mixtape · Acid Rap · Not On Label · USA

Chance the Rapper, Pop Rap artist, born Chancelor Johnathan Bennett on 16 April 1993 in Chicago, Illinois, USA, released the song "Everybody's Something" - the verse performed by Saba - Conscious Hip Hop artist, born Tahj Malik Chandler on 17 July 1994 in Chicago, Illinois, USA - contained a reference to Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay), avoiding the Vietnam War draft: "like Cassius ducking the draft and now the fight is over" .

Themes: Muhammad Ali Draft Draft Dodger Draft Resistance Protest Analogy

Genres: ♪ Hip HopPop RapConscious Hip Hop

Also in: ▤ Draft Songs

#80 Emis Killa Vietnam Flow 2013 · Album · Mercurio · Carosello Records & Tapes · Italy

Emis Killa, Pop Rap born Emiliano Rudolf Giambelli on 14 November 1989 in Vimercate, Italy, released the song "Vietnam Flow" (Carosello Records & Tapes), compared gang land violence in Lombardi, Italy to Vietnam War and other wars, including a reference to the former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. It also referenced the 1994 film Forrest Gump which contained a Vietnam War segment: "I go to war like a soldier... I crush the Lombard territory... face in the mud Viet Cong, I light this bomb on Saddam, run like Forrest Gump from fucking Viet Nam" .

Show full lyrics (17 lines) ▾

Themes: City & Community Violence VC Film Tanks Saddam Hussein Forrest Gump

Genres: ♪ Hip HopPop Rap

Also in: ▤ European Songs▤ Vietnam as Comparison

#81 R.A. the Rugged Man Learn Truth 2013 · Album · Legends Never Die · Nature Sounds # NSD-159 · USA

Show full lyrics (37 lines) ▾

Themes: Napalm Anti-War Genocide Atomic Reagan Anti-Government

Genres: ♪ Hip HopEast Coast Hip HopHardcore Hip Hop

Also in: ▤ Civil Rights Songs

#82–86 Marc Mac Message From Soulville 2013 · Album · Omniverse (series: Beats N Knowledge No. 3) # OMNICD05 · UK

All 5 songs from this album in the archive are in this collection

Show the full entries ▾ · Release page →

#87 Eminem Headlights 2013 · Single · Interscope · USA

The song "Headlights" (featuring Pop Rock artist Nate Ruess) used Vietnam, as well as the First Gulf War, and the atomic bomb to describe a violent / confrontational situation, in this case a domestic, home setting: "our house was Vietnam, Desert Storm, and both of us put together could form an atomic bomb".

Themes: Violence Metaphor First Gulf War Atomic Vietnam Analogy

Genres: ♪ Hip HopHardcore Hip HopConscious Hip Hop

Also in: ▤ Vietnam as Comparison

#88 Mortis Guten Morgen Vietnam 2014 · Album · Hollywoodpsychose · Showdown # SHOW1013 · Germany

Berlin, Germany-based Hip Hop artist, born Marc Junge, released the song "Guten Morgen Vietnam" (Showdown Records # SHOW1013) - the title is a German translation of 1987 film Good Morning, Vietnam, based around the rebellious radio broadcaster Adrian Cronauer, who began each show with "Good Morning Vietnam" - one of several Hip Hop songs to use this well-known film as a metaphor for violence: "life rages on the street, the houses are empty" .

Show full lyrics (19 lines) ▾

Themes: Violence Metaphor Good Morning, Vietnam Film Marijuana

Genre: ♪ Hip Hop

Also in: ▤ European Songs

#89 XXXTentacion Sounds of the Melting Pot 2015 · EP · Ice Hotel · Not On Label · USA

Hip hop artist, born 23 January 1998 in Plantation, Florida, USA, died 18 June 2018 in Deerfield Beach, Florida, USA, shot dead at the age of 20 in a robbery at a motorcycle dealership. The song "Sounds of the Melting Pot" had an intro with sample of quotes from actors, with Elliott Gould saying "the irony is that most of the stores that were destroyed during the riots were owned by black people" . This is followed by Edward Furlong, who said "why trash your own neighborhood?" . Again, Elliott Gould replied that "it's an irrational act, it's like an expression of rage by people who feel neglected" . Then Beverly D'Angelo provided the reference to the 1968 Chicago demonstrations outside Democratic National Convention, saying: "exactly, I mean it's like we had in Watts or the riots in Chicago in '68" . But it concludes with Edward Norton saying: "I don't buy that for a minute....it's..an excuse...to go and loot a store, nothing more" ..

Themes: Chicago Seven Civil Rights Protest Analogy

Genres: ♪ Hip HopTrap

Also in: ▤ 1968 Chicago Seven / Eight Songs▤ Civil Rights Songs

#90 Michael Nhat Jesus Was A Gook 2015 · Album · Heads on Sticks · Not On Label · USA

Show full lyrics (47 lines) ▾

Themes: My Lai Genocide Gook VC Anti-Government Civil Rights

Genres: ♪ Hip HopExperimental Hip Hop

Also in: ▤ Civil Rights Songs▤ My Lai & Lt. William Calley Songs

#91 Lil Wayne Thinking Bout You 2015 · Album · Free Weezy Album · Young Money · USA

Another track from Lil Wayne, the song "Thinking Bout You" (Young Money Entertainment) which contained a racist line about Asian people: "chinky eyes like I'm from Vietnam, got my bitch with chinky eyes" .

Themes: Anti-Asian Racism Violence Metaphor

Genres: ♪ Hip HopSouthern Hip HopGangsta Rap

#92 Andy Cooper Bring It to Me 2015 · EP · The Free EP · Not On Label · USA

Bring It to Me Napalm, Agent Orange, Apocalypse Now In a true war of words to enforce my turf With all sorts of hurt I would scorch the earth Kinda like ‘Nam when the Vietcong got to swarming I love the smell of Napalm in the morning Agent Orange putting your troops under siege As I stand in command with the boots and fatigues To march up into town with a Light Brigade Quick strike then ignite with a live grenade [From Justin A. Brummer notes from RYM]

Themes: Violence Metaphor Napalm Agent Orange VC Film

Genre: ♪ Hip Hop

#93 Run the Jewels Talk to Me 2016 · Single · Williams Street # AllLivesMatter-ass white folk" · USA

Hardcore Hip Hop group, featuring Brooklyn, New York-based artist El-P (producer, vocals) and Atlanta, Georgia-based Killer Mike (vocals). The song "Talk to Me" (Williams Street) was a contemporary protest song about racism, which noted push-back against the Black Lives Matter movement, which sought to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality against black people (2013-present): "my job is to fight for survival in spite of these #AllLivesMatter-ass white folk" , and that "brave men didn't die face down in the Vietnam muck so I could not style on you" .

Themes: Civil Rights Black Lives Matter Anti-War Hitler Pro-Soldier

Genres: ♪ Hip HopHardcore Hip Hop

Also in: ▤ Civil Rights Songs

#94 Little Simz LMPD 2016 · Album · Stillness in Wonderland · Age 101 # AGE1011X · UK

Conscious Hip Hop artist Little Simz, born Simbiatu Abisola Abiola Ajikawo on 23 February 1994 in Islington, London, UK. The song "LMPD" (Age 101 Music # AGE1011X) also tackled the Black Lives Matter movement, which sought to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality against black people (2013-present): "still marching, screaming black lives matter" . It recalled the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, referencing Martin Luther King, Jr. famous speech: "Luther King's soul is still patiently waiting for his dreams to come true" . Simz also noted the draft resistance of Muhammad Ali, another Civil Rights reference - Ali had asked why he should fight brown people in Vietnam when black people did not receive equal rights at home: "Ali deny Vietnam and stand firm, real and strong" .

Themes: Civil Rights Black Lives Matter MLK Muhammad Ali Draft Draft Resistance

Genres: ♪ Hip HopConscious Hip Hop

Also in: ▤ Civil Rights Songs▤ Draft Songs▤ European Songs

#95 $uicideboy$ Magazine 2016 · EP · Radical $uicide · G59 · USA

A collaboration with Getter, born Tanner Petulla on 13 April 1993 in San Jose, California, USA, known for Trap and Brostep. The song "Magazine" (G59 Records) used Vietnam as a metaphor for violence: "I come through with helicopters... looking like the dawn of Vietnam" .

Show full lyrics (16 lines) ▾

Themes: Violence Metaphor Helicopter

Genres: ♪ Hip HopSouthern Hip HopTrap

#96 A Tribe Called Quest Lost Somebody 2016 · Album · We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service · Epic # 88985377872 · USA

Prominent and influential Conscious Hip Hop / Jazz Rap group, formed in 1988 in Queens, New York, USA, and disbanded in 2017, featuring Q-Tip (rap, producer), Ali Shaheed Muhammad (DJ, co-producer, rap) Jarobi (rap, 1988-91, 2006-17), and Phife Dawg (rap, 1988-2016). The song "Lost Somebody" (Epic Records # 88985377872) again is an example of hip hop groups using Vietnam as a metaphor for community and city violence, and losing someone to conflict: "cities end up war-torn, Vietnam going wrong, heroin going strong" .

Show full lyrics (20 lines) ▾

Themes: City & Community Violence Heroin Violence Metaphor Drugs

Genres: ♪ Hip HopConscious Hip HopJazz Rap

#97 Juicy J Trap 2016 · Mixtape · #MustBeNice. · Not On Label · USA

Southern Hip Hop artist, known for Trap, born Jordan Michael Houston on 5 April 1975 in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. The song "Trap" released on a mixtape, in collaboration with Gucci Mane and PeeWee Longway, used Vietnam as a comparison to community and city violence: "I got shooters on my side... ready for combat, like Vietnam, wartime ain't no joke" .

Show full lyrics (16 lines) ▾

Themes: City & Community Violence Violence Metaphor

Genres: ♪ Hip HopSouthern Hip HopTrap

#98 MadMan Veleno 6 2016 · Mixtape · MM Vol. 2 · Tanta Roba · Italy

Hip Hop artist, born Pierfrancesco Botrugno on 25 July 1988 in Puglia, Italy. The song "Veleno 6" used the Vietnam violence metaphor: "I drop bombs Vietnam, Indochina style" .

Themes: Violence Metaphor Atomic Hiroshima WW2

Genres: ♪ Hip HopTrap

Also in: ▤ European Songs

#99 Travis Barker Out of Control 2016 · Single · LaSalle · USA

Hip Hop collaboration, between Travis Barker, born on 14 November 1975 in Fontana, California, USA, and Yelawolf, born Michael Wayne Atha on 30 December 1979 in Gadsden, Alabama, USA. The song "Out of Control" continued the trend of using Vietnam to create the image of violence and conflict in US communities and cities: "I float like a jet of propellers, a Vietnam machine, speaking of Vietnam, I'm in this beat like a heater in Vietcong" .

Show full lyrics (19 lines) ▾

Themes: Violence Metaphor VC City & Community Violence

Genres: ♪ Hip HopRap Rock

#100 Vinnie Paz Ninety Three 2016 · Album · The Cornerstone of the Corner Store · Enemy Soil # ES-CD-1601 · USA

Show full lyrics (42 lines) ▾

Themes: City & Community Violence Jungle Violence Metaphor

Genres: ♪ Hip HopEast Coast Hip HopHardcore Hip Hop

#101 Vinnie Paz Writings on Disobedience and Democracy 2016 · Album · The Cornerstone of the Corner Store · Enemy Soil # ES-CD-1601 · USA

Annotation: see “Ninety Three” above (same release).

Show full lyrics (42 lines) ▾

Themes: Anti-War Nixon Watergate K.I.A. Economic Family Vet

Genres: ♪ Hip HopEast Coast Hip HopHardcore Hip Hop

#102 Ephelant The New Scum 2016 · Album · How to Sew Wounds with Words · Dirty Laboratory · USA

"The New Scum"

Themes: Agent Orange Laos Palestine My Lai Analogy Vietnam Analogy My Lai

Genres: ♪ Hip HopPolitical Hip Hop

Also in: ▤ My Lai & Lt. William Calley Songs▤ Vietnam as Comparison

#103 $uicideboy$ Hard to Tell 2017 · EP · Kill Your$elf Part XIII: The Atlantis $aga · G59 · USA

The song "Hard to Tell" (G59 Records) contained the Vietnam violence metaphor, comparing New Orleans to a war zone: "I'm from Vietnam, better known as New Orleans, the smell of death is so, so familiar" .

Themes: Violence Metaphor Guns City & Community Violence

Genres: ♪ Hip HopSouthern Hip Hop

#104 JAY-Z Blue's Freestyle/We Family 2017 · Album · 4:44 · Roc Nation # B0027184-02 · USA

The song "Blue’s Freestyle/We Family" (Roc Nation # B0027184-02), with his daughter Blue Ivy Carter, contained a Civil Rights message, noting the draft resistance of Muhammad Ali, who had asked why he should fight brown people in Vietnam when black people did not receive equal rights at home: "I feel like Ali, Viet Cong never done shit to me" .

Themes: Civil Rights Muhammad Ali Draft VC Draft Resistance

Genres: ♪ Hip HopGangsta Rap

Also in: ▤ Civil Rights Songs▤ Draft Songs

#105 Curly Castro Black Dahlia Smiled 2018 · Album · Tosh · Backwoodz Studioz # BWZ-754-D · USA

Curly Castro - East cost hip hop artist, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He released the protest song "Black Dahlia Smiled" (Backwoodz Studioz # BWZ-754-D), which referred to Bobby Seale during the Chicago '68 trials: "Bobby Seals...in the courtroom he was beaten, gagged, and chained" .

Themes: Bobby Seale Chicago Seven Anti-War Protest Analogy

Genres: ♪ Hip HopEast Coast Hip Hop

Also in: ▤ 1968 Chicago Seven / Eight Songs

#106 Lil Keed Ain't Seen My Face 2018 · Mixtape · Keed Talk to 'Em · Young Stoner Life · USA

Lil Keed, Pop Rap / Trap artist born Raqhid Jevon Render on 16 March 1998 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The song "Ain’t Seen My Face" (Young Stoner Life) contained a small reference to the My Lai massacre as a comparison to violence in the US: "chopper send a nigga sky-high... niggas burnt out, call 'em My Lai" - this was a disproportionate comparison, as the My Lai Massacre involved the mass murder of between 300-500 civilians in the South Vietnamese area known as "Pinkville", containing the hamlets, known as My Lai 4 and My Khe 4, and throughout the area of Song My, by US forces on 16 March 1968.

Themes: City & Community Violence Genocide Guns My Lai My Lai Analogy Violence Metaphor

Genres: ♪ Hip HopPop RapTrap

Also in: ▤ My Lai & Lt. William Calley Songs▤ Vietnam as Comparison

#107 Vinnie Paz Pray for Sleep 2018 · Album · The Pain Collector · Enemy Soil # ES-CD-1802 · USA

Another song from Vinnie Paz, "Pray for Sleep" (Enemy Soil Records # ES-CD-1802), which used Vietnam as a metaphor: "it's like a bomb, Vietnam" .

Show full lyrics (17 lines) ▾

Themes: Violence Metaphor City & Community Violence

Genres: ♪ Hip HopEast Coast Hip HopHardcore Hip Hop

#108 Yung Dmize Death Toll 2019 · EP · Doomshop · USA

Memphis Rap collaboration, featuring the song "Death Toll" (Doomshop Records) which used Vietnam as a metaphor for violence, noting "lyrical bullets guerrilla rap game Vietcong" . It referenced chemical weapon Napalm B - a jellied gasoline mixture, with polystyrene, benzene, and gasoline. Declared a war-crime since 1980, the US government extensively used this weapon during the Vietnam conflict, dropping 388,000 tons on Indochina between 1963 and 1973¹²³: "drowning you in napalm" . It also referenced the My Lai Massacre - the mass murder of between 300-500 civilians in the South Vietnamese area known as "Pinkville", containing the hamlets, known as My Lai 4 and My Khe 4, and throughout the area of Song My, by US forces on 16 March 1968: "fuckin with war crimes, massacre your people like the village of My Lai" .

Title track (1) of the 4-track EP Death Toll by Yung Dmize & DJ Akoza (Doomshop, 14 April 2019; DJ Akoza producer). [From Rate Your Music]

Themes: VC Napalm Genocide My Lai Analogy My Lai Civilian Casualties

Genres: ♪ Hip HopMemphis Rap

Also in: ▤ My Lai & Lt. William Calley Songs▤ Vietnam as Comparison

#109 Kendrick Lamar Before I commit suicide 2019 · Bootleg / Unauthorized · Before I Commit Suicide · Not On Label · USA

Another track from Kendrick Lamar, the song "Before I commit suicide" used Vietnam as a metaphor for violence: "guns drawn, bang motherfucker, bang, one man Vietnam" .

Themes: Violence Metaphor Rap Battle

Genres: ♪ Hip HopWest Coast Hip HopConscious Hip Hop

#110 Nas Queens Wolf 2019 · Album · The Lost Tapes 2 · Mass Appeal · USA

The song "Queens Wolf" (Mass Appeal) looked at growing up in Queens, New York, and contained a reference to Vietnam in the violence metaphor context: "I lit the corners up, it sounded, like Vietnam screamin'... them dudes is scared you gon' spray 'em" .

Themes: Violence Metaphor Drugs City & Community Violence

Genres: ♪ Hip HopEast Coast Hip HopConscious Hip Hop

#111 Eminem Stepdad 2020 · Album · Music to Be Murdered By · Shady # B0031746-02 · USA

In the song "Stepdad" (Shady Records # B0031746-02), Eminem took a different approach in using Vietnam as a metaphor for domestic home violence (rather than gang / community-related): "this fuckin' shit's like Saigon, neighbors called police on him... this is why I hate my stepdad".

Themes: Violence Metaphor Saigon

Genres: ♪ Hip HopHardcore Hip HopConscious Hip Hop

#112 Lil Wayne Wild Dogs 2020 · Album · Funeral · Young Money # B0030882-02 · USA

This album featured two tracks referencing the Vietnam War. The song "Wild Dogs" (Young Money Entertainment # B0030882-02) used Vietnam as a comparison to violence in the US: "bust up in your home... home sweet homicide... it's war like Vietnam" . The song "Bing James" , featuring Jay Rock (Gangsta Rap artist, born Johnny Reed McKinzie, Jr. on 31 March 1985 in Watts, California, USA) referenced Vietnam, used as a metaphor for flashbacks (usually associated with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - frequently referenced in post-war 1980s songs about US veterans, often connected in songs to stress, shell shock, flashbacks, nostalgia, and feelings and dreams related to an event: "we from the projects, we got that PTSD like some Vietnam vets" .

Themes: City & Community Violence Violence Metaphor Vietnam Analogy

Genres: ♪ Hip HopSouthern Hip HopGangsta Rap

Also in: ▤ Vietnam as Comparison

#113 Lil Wayne Bing James 2020 · Album · Funeral · Young Money # B0030882-02 · USA

Annotation: see “Wild Dogs” above (same release).

Themes: Vet PTSD Poverty

Genres: ♪ Hip HopSouthern Hip HopGangsta Rap

Also in: ▤ PTSD Songs

#114 El Arkeólogo Buenos días Vietnam 2020 · Album · Indiana Jones · JM World · Colombia

Hip-hop artist, based in Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia, born 20 September 1984, also known as Gambeta. The song "Buenos días Vietnam" (JM World Music) kicks-off with a sound-clip of Robin Williams from the film Good Morning, Vietnam, doing the famous introduction to his radio broadcast, set during the Vietnam War: "Good morning, Vietnam! They're out there, special song goin' out to you". The song compares contemporary Colombia with the Vietnam War, noting "in this jungle fear keeps us alive, now... freedom is nothing if you are safer being locked up" . The song ended with a quote from the Johnnie Wright song "Hello Vietnam", featured in the film Full Metal Jacket: "Kiss me, goodbye and write me while I'm gone, goodbye my sweetheart, hello Vietnam" .

Show full lyrics (111 lines) ▾

Themes: Good Morning, Vietnam Film Sound-Effects Jungle Violence Metaphor City & Community Violence

Genre: ♪ Hip Hop

Also in: ▤ Latin & Central American, & Caribbean Music

#115 Illa Ghee Vietnam Projects 2020 · Album · Mächtig · Smoke On # SOR-1041-1 · USA

Obscure Hip Hop collaboration between Illa Ghee (born Gregory Jackson in Brooklyn, New York, USA) and DJ D-Fekt (from Brazil). The song "Vietnam Projects" (Smoke On Records # SOR-1041-1) - based on the title, presumably compares city and community violence in the US to Vietnam.

Themes: City & Community Violence Violence Metaphor

Genres: ♪ Hip HopEast Coast Hip Hop

#116 Tech N9ne No See Umz 2021 · Album · Asin9ne · Strange Music # SMI-6051 · USA

The song "No See Umz" (Strange Music Incorporated # SMI-6051) continued the trend of using Vietnam as a metaphor for community violence in the US: "saying to myself, when I see him I'ma heat 'em because I can't stand bitching, Vietnam ambition" .

Themes: City & Community Violence Violence Metaphor

Genres: ♪ Hip HopHardcore Hip Hop

#117 Marpo Vietnam 2021 · Album · Backwoods Bred · Universal # 3884884 · Czech Republic

Marpo, born 29 January 1985 in Czech Republic, a Hip Hop artist. This album featured the song "Vietnam" (Universal Music # 3884884). Referencing the film First Blood (Rambo), the narrator uses Vietnam to describe contemporary violence, "Words are war, landmines... a little Rambo... run in the hood and charge the shotgun Vietnam, now it's going to be Vietnam" .

Show full lyrics (53 lines) ▾

Themes: Rambo Film Landmine City & Community Violence Violence Metaphor

Genres: ♪ Hip HopRap Rock

Also in: ▤ European Songs

#118 Pusha T I Pray for You 2022 · Album · It's Almost Dry · Good # B0034898-02 · USA

Pusha T, Gangsta Rap artist, born Terrence LeVarr Thornton on 13 May 1977 in Bronx, New York, USA. The song "I Pray for You" (Good # B0034898-02) referenced Vietnam, used as a metaphor for flashbacks (usually associated with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - frequently referenced in post-war 1980s songs about US veterans, often connected in songs to stress, shell shock, flashbacks, nostalgia, and feelings and dreams related to an event: "Vietnam flashbacks, I get triggered by a sniff" .

Themes: Violence Metaphor PTSD Drugs

Genres: ♪ Hip HopGangsta Rap

Also in: ▤ PTSD Songs

#119 Lil Darkie Vietnam 2025 · Album · USD · Not On Label · USA

"Vietnam" - Hip Hop

Show full lyrics (46 lines) ▾

Themes: PTSD Atomic Vet Mistreatment of Vet Korea Israel

Genres: ♪ Hip HopWest Coast Hip Hop

Also in: ▤ PTSD Songs▤ Vietnam as Comparison

#120 Monteleone, Genovese, Drago No Vietnam Single · MGD Prod. · USA

Unknown, obscure Pop Rap collaboration, credited to Monteleone, Genovese, Drago - from Hammond, Louisiana. Although no date on the record, the song "No Vietnam" was about the Saddam Hussein invasion of Kuwait in 1991, one of dozens of 90s songs inspired by the First Gulf War (1990-91), also referred to as Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm, the names of US operations against Iraq, directed by the US president George H. W. Bush. The title came from a speech by Bush regarding the intervention, which is sampled in the song: "this will not be another Vietnam" . The song argued for intervention to stop Saddam Hussein, arguing if not, it could lead to nuclear war: "Desert Storm had to be done, or Saudi Arabia would be the next one... we might all be under nuclear attack" - thus reviving the Vietnam-era domino theory. Taking a patriotic stance, it reassured those worried about a post-Vietnam intervention that: "this is not Da Nang in 1965" .

MGD Prod., P.O. Box 2453, Hammond, LA 70404, 504-345-8845; "No Vietnam" credited to Monteleone, Genovese and Drago on a red, white and blue banded label; "Recorded and Mixed at Bluff Road Studio". No catalogue number, writers or time printed. [From the record sleeve and labels]

Show full lyrics (53 lines) ▾

Themes: First Gulf War Iraq George H. Bush Da Nang Atomic K.I.A.

Genres: ♪ Hip HopPop Rap

Also in: ▤ US 'Patriotic' / Pro-Government / Anti-Protest Songs [War Years]▤ Vietnam as Comparison

#121 KRS-One What I Know Archival · Not On Label · USA

KRS-One (Lawrence Krisna Parker), born 20 August 1965 in Brooklyn, New York, USA, East Coast Hip Hop artist, who rose to prominence as a member of Boogie Down Productions. In 1989 he started The Stop the Violence Movement in response to violence in black communities, which brought together prominent hip hop artists. This came soon after the death of DJ Scott La Rock, another member of Boogie Down Productions. The song "What I Know" was unreleased, originally intended for his self-titled 1995 album. It referenced two students killed by Mississippi state and Jackson city police, at Jackson State college ("Jackson State Killings") on 15 May 1970, part of a Vietnam War and Civil Rights protest: "police killed two African students at Jackson State University" - as well as other instances of racial killings in the US, noting "for years America been killing us - sisters, brothers" . Note that Boogie Down Productions released the song Stop the Violence (1988), one of the first hip songs to mention Vietnam, discussed above.

Show full lyrics (17 lines) ▾

Themes: Jackson State Civil Rights KKK Police Brutality

Genres: ♪ Hip HopEast Coast Hip Hop

Also in: ▤ Civil Rights Songs▤ Kent / Jackson State Songs▤ Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs [War Years]