15 Best Bass Rap Songs You’ll Love (But Your Speakers Won’t)
There’s nothing better than a late-night drive in the summer, with the wind whipping through the open windows and the bass of your favorite song bumping in the breeze. And nothing provides you with more bass than a great rap song.
But what are the best bass rap songs of all time? Well, in this article, I’m going to provide you with some of my favorite bass heavy rap track. And hopefully by the end of this article, you’ll have discovered a few new songs to add to your playlist!
Rap Songs with a Lot of Bass
Let’s begin with a song by Childish Gambino.
You See Me by Childish Gambino (2011)
The first song on our bass-filled adventure through rap music is a classic by rapper Childish Gambino. Released in 2011, this song has been a hype anthem filled with bass for over a decade now. The song begins with a bass-snare pattern with a deep, resonant bass drum. This is followed by the roar of heavy low brass.
The low brass instrumentation emphasizes beats one and two every measure in eight bar phrases. On beats three and four when the low brass cuts out there is limited bass, and this really helps focus on the lyrics and accentuates the extreme bass when it is present. You See Me is a perfect song to blast on late-night summer drives with the windows down.
Venus vs Mars by Jay-Z (2009)
If you’re looking for an intoxicating and virtually hypnotic rap song with bass, well, you definitely have it here on “Venus vs Mars.” This song is all about the complicated dynamic between men and women when it comes to dating and relationships. And the beat is just a sophisticated as the subject matter.
When you turn this track up, trust me, your subwoofer is going to deserve some overtime pay for all the extra work its doing.
Power by Kanye West (2010)
This is such a thumping, relentless anthem of a song. In fact, it’s such a triumphant sounding track, I’m still amazed that it’a not a track you hear featured on at sports stadiums or even in movie trailers.
Between the bass sounding like a repeating track, and Kanye’s repeated lyrics of “no one man should have all this power,” the song “Power” remains one of the more memorable beats Kanye has produced—and he has a long, highly memorable list of great beats.
Humble by Kendrick Lamar (2017)
Humble, by Kendrick Lamar, is one of the most notable songs in recent years that uses a strong bass performed by a keyboard-based instrument. This song has a quick introduction that is already filled with bass notes, emphasizing beats 1 and 2 of all four measures of the intro.
The bass line has the depth and a bit of warmth typically associated with a string bass; however, the notes are accented by a keyboard with a forceful start to each note. The bass line uses a mix of steady on-the-beat notes and syncopated notes over a two-measure ostinato. The intensity and consistency of the bass line bring an added layer of hype and allow Lamar to have more freedom with the lyric content.
Gospel by Rich Brian, Keith Ape, and XXXTENTACION (2017)
The second song on our list is this 2017 single, Gospel. The edgy nature of the single’s album cover is very representative of the nature of the song. The 12 second intro is filled with the sustained hum of a middle range pitch and a series of higher, descending notes from the piano.
This intro is relatively quiet, and calm compared to the rest of the song, which can only be described as a hype anthem. The pounding bass drum is emphasized by a low drone, which at points cuts out completely to match the flow of the lyrics.
The bass notes are emphasized by the sharp hit of the snare, alternating rhythmically with the bass. The aggressive style of the lyrics and ad libs add to the hype produced by the elements of the bass.
Higher by Eminem (2020)
A part of Eminem’s most recent albums, Music to be Murdered By and Music to be Murdered By – Side B, Higher is rap song with a notably consistent bass pattern. The song has a relatively thin texture with just the solo rap line by Eminem, which is more laid-back for the usually hyper-aggressive rapper, and the repeating four-beat bass and snare pattern.
During the chorus Eminem adds vocal harmonies to the texture but the bass is still extremely clear. The thin nature of the song’s texture makes the bass an extremely apparent portion of the song.
There have been other songs by Eminem with a strong bass but often the bass is overwhelmed by sound effects, other vocal lines, or a more hyper-aggressive rap by Eminem. Despite the laid-back nature of the rap, the consistently assertive bass drum brings this song to a higher level of hype.
I Love It (& Lil Pump) by Kanye West and Lil Pump (2018)
This song is known for the steady sting bass line that is present under the intro, the raps, and the chorus. This bassline is emphasized in various portions of the song by the strong presence of a percussive bass pattern.
The percussive bass pattern is syncopated for much of the two-minute song while the string bass line is more often on the beat. This song has a mix of solo vocal lines and vocal lines above ad libs and additional sounds, but the strong bass line easily comes through the texture during the entire song.
You Can Do It by Ice Cube (1999)
There are so many great Ice Cube tracks to pick from for this list. But I decided to go with probably one of the more light-hearted ones from his catalog.
And it’s ironic, then, that the most fun track Cube has produced hits the hardest from a sound and bass perspective. The bass on this track is thumping, so much so that you’ll worry the vibration it causes in your room will shake the speaker off the stand and cause it to crash to the floor.
Blazin’ by Nicki Minaj and Kanye West (2010)
This song is a bit sneaky with its bass, as the song both equally goes low and high at the same time.
While the bass is what keeps your head nodding on this song (well, that and the fact that this track features a Nicki and Ye collab), this is a song that also has soaring highs, which makes for a very unique listening experience.
Man by Skepta (2016)
A 2016 hit by the British rapper Skpeta blends many different forms of bass into the chorus. The intro contains an ostinato performed on mid-range notes, but a strong percussive bass comes in during the first verse. It is pitched a bit higher than the usual bass, but not nearly as high to be a snare nor is it resonant enough to be a tom.
Beginning in the first rendition of the chorus, a swath of bass sounds are introduced. The original percussive bass is continued, but this time emphasized by a deeper, more aggressive bass drum sound. On a separate rhythmic line, emphasizing beats where the depth of the bass drum doesn’t cover, lies a series of low brass instrument sounds.
These low brass sounds add warmth to the resonance of the song’s bass sounds. The sheer amount of different bass sounds in this song portrays a hype in and of itself, even without the lyrics.
Put You on the Game by The Game (2005)
Listen, there are so many great songs with equally great beats full of bass—it’s hard to choose just one. But I’ll say this, if you can’t throw “Put You on the Game” onto your turntable or Spotify playlist rotation and immediately start nodding your head involuntarily…well…we just might need to check your pulse.
The song has so much bass, you need to be careful with the volume. You don’t want to blow out your expensive set of bookshelf or car speakers.
NYC B*tche$ by Awkwafina (2014)
Awkwafina, prior to being the incredible actress that she is today, created a viral sensation in the rap world with her album Yellow Ranger. This song has a driving bass pattern primarily performed using percussive bass elements.
Throughout the song, there is a melodic, drone-like figure that is deep and creates a second bass element. The melodic bass element is more hidden yet is very consistent, as an ever-present low sound. Both bass elements, when combined, add to the hype of this song.
SICKO MODE by Travis Scott (2018)
SICKO MODE by Travis Scott has an exceptionally innovative use of bass. Rather than being a steady flow of bass throughout the song after a quick intro, the bass doesn’t sincerely come in until about a minute into the song.
The intro by Drake is a minute long and is performed essentially over an ostinato of two alternating chords. Toward the end of the introduction a fast-paced, descending pitched-snare gradually crescendos into a bass filled parts II and III.
The rap song has both resonant pitched bass notes performed by a synth and percussive drum hits. This rap song uses different types of bass sounds blended together to differentiate three distinct sections of the piece that are worked together to form the Billboard No. 1, SICKO MODE.
Smack a B**** by Rico Nasty (2018)
This two-verse mixes the booming, aggressive rap about female empowerment and the use of two different types of bass to create a hype anthem for women’s success. Like SICKO MODE by Travis Scott, Rico Nasty blends a bass percussion sound with a pitched bass sound.
However, Rico Nasty uses a pitched bass sound that is more electric and connected that that of SICKO MODE and the percussive bass is a bit less deep. This profanity-filled song also employs the use of the lower nature of Rico Nasty’s voice to fill the song with, and show, the depth of bass in female voices.
Start a Riot by Duckwrth and Shaboozey (2018)
This absolute masterpiece by Duckwrth and Shaboozey fills the room with bass whenever it is played. The bass begins with the very first notes of the song with an alternating series of pitched bass notes with an ominous feeling, at a relatively low volume, followed by the same pattern performed by low brass.
This is juxtaposed with the thundering bass of a deep bass drum, in addition to the pitched bass notes and the low brass. All the bass is cut off at the end of phrases to emphasize the hype of the transitions. Hype that is created by the bass is emphasized by the energetic nature of the rapping. This adrenaline-filled song is sure to make you extra enthused for even the most boring activities.
Conclusion
There is no genre with more intense, depth-filled, and wide-spread use of bass notes than rap music. From low brass sounds to synthesized drum pad beats, the variety of bass used in rap songs is impressive.
Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed this list of the best bass rap songs, and perhaps even discovered a couple new songs that’ll be great additions to your playlist.
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