Rap Parodies: Howl and Echoes has got you covered

The art of rap knows better than any how to run a trend into the ground. One minute everyone is rapping about chains, the next they are introducing a new dance move that will take the internet by storm only to disappear into obscurity. It is the often tacky nature of the hip hop game that leaves it susceptible to some genius parodies. Let’s walk you through some of the best.

Original: Waka Flocka Flame, Hard in Da Paint

Parody: Baracka Flacka Flames, Head of the State

I have been waiting for five years to embed this video into an article. I stumbled upon this gem during high school when I was first dabbling in the world of hip hop, and showed me that not all parodies need to be a carbon copy of the original track with no production value. There is something strangely refreshing about a spot on Barack Obama impersonator smoking weed on a porch with an Oprah lookalike. The lyrics here are given a very presidential spin, and it’s all the more appropriate given Waka Flocka’s bid for the 2016 White House race.

Original: Chedda Da Connect, Flicka Da Wrist

Parody: Freddy Kreuger, Flicka Da Wrist

This is a perfect example of what every parody should aim to do. Take a simple concept from the original track and morph it into an interpretation that was never considered. When Chedda Da Connect was penning his lyrical masterpiece (please note: sarcasm), he would never have envisioned that image of Freddy Kreuger flickin’ his wrist whilst the terrified cries of children echo throughout the suburbs. The production value here is sky high, with the costume topping off the nightmarish lyrics. Now we can only wait for the inevitable rap beef between Freddy and everyone’s favourite spitter Jason Voorhees.

Original: Chamillionaire, Ridin’

Parody: “Weird Al” Yankovic, White and Nerdy

You know you have made one heck of a parody when it starts to chart on its own merits. It would also be amiss for me not to include the king of the parody in this list. Weird Al has long reigned supreme atop the parody pyramid (there isn’t much competition, but hey) and I will sadly admit that I bought this song on iTunes back in the day. There, I said it. It was in this track that we learnt that the curly haired comedian has bars. His rap skills are truly on display here and as a young white male I can only relate to the struggles of being white and nerdy.

It’s not just tracks themselves that get the parody treatment, some of the individuals that we know and love have been impersonated into oblivion.