“If He Was Still Alive, A Lot Of The Talib Kweli’s & Nas’ Would’ve Done Songs W/ Him”

Written By S. Samuel

In light of his John Lennon-inspired Sometime In New York City, Vol. 1 EP release, SOHH hit up Brooklyn rapper Ciph Boogie about the connection between The Beatles member and hip-hop.

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Boogie believes Lennon should recieve accolades as a hip-hop pioneer, in the same regard as  DJ Kool Herc.

“He’s really had a big impact on hip-hop,” Boogie told SOHH, referring to Lennon. “I feel like if he was still alive, a lot of the Talib Kweli and Nas‘ would have done songs with him. I think if he was still alive, they’d do songs with him. He stood for a movement. He was such a dope artist. It’s like, how could you not? The songwriting, the honesty, the choruses, he was really about rebellion. Lennon was everything that hip-hop stands for. How could you not see that? He’s really like what hip-hop embodies, like close to what Kool Herc is. I hope I don’t get shot for [saying] that. He embodies what hip-hop is, it’s the whole rebellion against a system mentality. I couldn’t think of anybody else to get a bigger inspiration from.” (SOHH)

Lennon is heavily referenced on Lil Wayne and Rick Ross‘ current single,”John”.

Lil Wayne surprises fans by dropping “John,” previously titled “If I Die Today,” a reworked version of Rick Ross’ album cut “I’m Not a Star” from last year’s Teflon Don. Weezy adds his own deadly verses to the Bawse’s original hard-hitting record produced by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League. “If I die today, remember me like John Lennon/ Buried in Louis, I’m talking all brown linen,” raps Tunechi on the hook, throwing it to a grunting Rozay, who flaunts his Teflon Don status. “Rip you apart, then I put myself together/ YMCMB, Double M, we rich forever.” (Rap-Up)

Last fall, Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA celebrated Lennon’s 70th birthday.

RZA famously sampled the Beatles’ ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ on the Wu-Tang Clan single ‘My Heart Gently Weeps,’ Now, he’s ready to pay more respect to the biggest band of all-time. The hip-hop veteran will take part in a tribute to Beatles guitarist John Lennon in Los Angeles on Oct. 1 and 2, where he will share the stage with John Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono, Lady Gaga, Iggy Pop and more. The shows, headlined by Ono’s We Are Plastic Ono Band, will take place at L.A.’s Orpheum Theater a week before what would have been John Lennon’s 70th birthday (October 9). (The Boom Box)

Rappers Nas and Pitbull both laid their verses down to Lennon’s 1971 record, “Imagine.”

Salaam Remi got Nas on a song with John Lennon’s “Imagine” as the sample and while they waited to get sample clearance from Yoko, the song somehow fell into Pitbull’s lap and Pitbull released his own remix of it. (The 305)

John Lennon was fatally shot on December 8th, 1980.

Check out Nas & Pitbull’s “Imagine That” below:

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Written by S. Samuel

Steven Samuel is the co-founder of SOHH.com.

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