Image via Complex Original
You can always expect Chris Rock to deliver comedic gold whenever the topic is rap. Ever since his days at Saturday Night Live, he has incorporated hip-hop and its artists into his work throughout his career, and rappers—at least the ones with a sense of humor—have subsequently shown love back. Like Jay Z using Rock's "grand opening, grand closing" line on "Encore." Or Lil Wayne referencing Rock on a number of occasions. It gives credence to the saying, real recognize real.
From his recent gig as host of the BET Awards—where he brought the house to tears with jokes about Rick Ross, Dr. Dre, and Hov—to making a memorable appearance on Kanye West's "Blame Game," Rock has established himself as a significant figure in the culture. In case you've missed out on his golden nuggets over the years, here are Chris Rock's Funniest Rap Moments.
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Chris Rock's parody of Luther Campbell on Saturday Night Live.
Year: 1991
Chris Rock's three-year run at Saturday Night Live was groundbreaking, with the rising talent from Bed-Stuy establishing himself as a sketch comedy master and a versatile character player. For one of the show's skits, "The Sinatra Group," Rock portrayed Luther Campbell. During the skit, he humorously shares his love for a woman's derriere and a secret he's been keeping. "I don't have any talent," he states. Hopefully Luke was tuning in on this particular Saturday night.
Chris Rock's "Your Mother's Got a Big Head" video.
Year: 1991
Chris Rock gave parody rap some new flavor with "Your Mother's Got a Big Head," a record that was included on his 1991 comedy album Born Suspect. The accompanying video was equally humorous, with Rock flipping metaphors at a laugh's pace.
Chris Rock's hip-hop mockumentary CB4.
Year: 1993
Chris Rock further parodied rap as the star of CB4, a satire film based around the newly-formed hip-hop crew Cell Block 4. The group primarily played off the gangster aesthetic of N.W.A., with Rock sporting a jheri curl akin to Eazy-E, who made a cameo in the movie. Other rappers like Ice Cube, Flavor Flav, and Ice-T also appeared in the film.
Chris Rock's "Champagne" video.
Year: 1997
Much like the rappers Chris Rock parodied, the comedian had a love affair with poppin' bottles, which began in 1997 with his record "Champagne." The accompanying video featured spoofs of The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Hypnotize" and Missy Elliott's "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)," as well as a key assist from Ajai Sanders. Leave it to Rock to exploit hip-hop in the most entertaining way possible.
Chris Rock's petition to rename a street "Tupac Shakur Boulevard" in Howard Beach.
Year: 1997
There's nothing funnier than a black man making white folks feel uncomfortable. Chris Rock did just that in a bit for his HBO comedy series The Chris Rock Show, where he traveled to Howard Beach with a petition to rename a neighborhood street "Tupac Shakur Boulevard." The inspiration for the bit came from the fact that "every black neighborhood has a Martin Luther King Boulevard or a Malcolm X Boulevard." And as expected, hilarity ensues.
Chris Rock's "No Sex (In the Champagne Room)" video.
Year: 1999
Chris Rock was giving out life lessons on "No Sex (In the Champagne Room)," with the music video depicting his spoken word piece to a T. From avoiding janky relationships to dealing with the homeless, Chris was on point with his humor. Plus, there's always this tidbit that will never go out of style: "Cornbread—ain't nothing wrong with that." Preach, pastor Rock. Preach.
Chris Rock's stand-up bit about the difficulties of defending rap music.
Year: 2005
The funniest moments can come in the form of truth, a methodology Chris Rock used for a bit on his comedy special Never Scared which highlighted the absurdity of rap music in the new millennium. He cleverly references misogyny, and the irony that takes place when listening to songs in question. "If you mention to a woman that the song is disgusting and misogynistic, they all give you the same answer: 'He ain't talking 'bout me.'" #True.
Chris Rock's outro on Kanye West's "Blame Game."
Year: 2010
Chris Rock's noteworthy appearance on the outro of Kanye West's "Blame Game" from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy brought a humorous side to an otherwise serious narrative, with the comedian role-playing as the new boyfriend who has benefited from West's breakup with a girl. Not to mention it turned #YeezyTaughtMe into a trending topic online, which became an inspiration for memes and t-shirts.
Chris Rock's epic rap battle with Supa Hot Fire.
Year: 2012
Those who frequented YouTube from 2011 to 2012 know Supa Hot Fire was all the rage for a brief period of time. The character was created and portrayed by Deshawn Raw, who parodied a battle rapper who claimed he didn't actually rap, yet he still won every one of his competitions. One of his victims was Chris Rock, who rapped under the moniker Tremendous Repeat in the fourth episode of the video series. In retrospect, Rock probably lost because of his head-to-toe Knicks gear. No shots.
Chris Rock's ether toward Rick Ross, Dr. Dre, and the infamous Jay Z/Solange fight as host of the 2014 BET Awards.
Year: 2014
Chris Rock hasn't been too active as of recent, which made his hosting duties at the 2014 BET Awards that much more exciting. His opening monologue set the tone, where he joked about pretty much anything and anyone relevant in hip-hop, with a lot of ether directed at Rick Ross. By the end of the night, it was clear: Chris Rock hasn't lost a step.
