15 Rappers That Put In Work – XXL’s 9-to-5 Anthems

 •  News  •  by XXL Staff  •  27 Comments

Blu & Exile “Blu Collar Worker”

Some women are just high maintenance, not the ideal situation for broke and aspiring rappers. Cali wordsmith Blu details the struggles trying to maintain his relationship, while balancing his bank account. He pleads on the hook, “Please don’t take it personal/But I gotta go and work some more/And I know deep down it hurts your soul, but I’m a blu collar worker, girl.”

Atmosphere “You”

Seemingly, in an effort to pick up some waitresses while on tour, indie rap superstar Slug wrote a theme for the working girls to deal with all the slobs they’re forced to serve daily. Nice job.

dead prez “Hell Yeah”

M-1 and stic.man prove that hustlin’ is work, too. On the last verse to this track, stic spits about stealing money out the cash register and jacking merchandise from the stock room. “I’m not the one to kiss ass for the top position/I take mine off the top like a politician.” Looks like, crime does pay.

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  • http://TrackHustle.com Indy

    Great post!!!! That Dead Prez video is CRAZY!

    - TrackHustle.com

  • Q461

    love that Camron joint…shorty in the video is dope too…

  • NAPTOWNNUISANCE

    Rock bottom is hard as hell, he speaks the truth on how much it sucks havin a 9 to 5 and workin shitty jobs for lame pay.

  • NAPTOWNNUISANCE

    Actually IF I HAD on the Slim Shady lp is a better example of a song about workin. Rock Bottom is more about bein fed up and about to snap

  • Anonymous

    That Canibus joint is tough too

  • Wh?

    no first of the month?? the whole song is about sellin rocks on the first, thats a job too lol

  • allhiphop>xxlmag

    8 Mile shoulda been Em’s instead of Rock Bottom

  • Eire

    outkast – git up git out, cee lo’s verse is nice.

    • crease

      yeah thats an ill verse

  • Jamal7Mile

    Gotta love “The Vapors.” Devin’s “What a Job” is dope too. And good looks on the Dead Prez jawn. First time seeing a video for that track.

  • Bar

    Skyzoo – For What Its Worth

    • Ron P

      Good lookin Bar…. one of my favs off that LP

  • nz hip hop

    one song that you should check out is nz rap group Smashproof’s song ‘Ordinary Life’

  • Uh-oh

    Ludacris – Slap

  • http://www.youtube.com/thewaywardminds showersongs

    Mannnn….. There’s this rapper named Will Brennan from Florida that has a song called “I Hate My Job” that is wayyyyy better than any of these songs on this list. Don’t get me wrong, all these are good, but as far as explaining the plight of a WORKING MAN…this song kills it.

    Click on my name or just youtube “Will Brennan I hate my job.” Shit is dope.

  • Corbin

    man listenen to all this makes me fuckin depressed, fuck my life and my lame ass job. i ain’t got shit to show for all the work i’ve put in. damn

  • El Tico Loco

    Where’s Murs “Yesterday and Today”?

  • Anonymous

    Every day im hussalin Rik Ross

    • Anonymous

      That song aint about work, Its about a fake dude puttin in a fake hustle.Lame, I didnt care for it even before we found out he was a fraud.

  • Anonymous

    Phonte Last Day joint is classic

    • J-Dub

      I was thinking the same thing.

  • Redder

    The Cam joint describes me to a Tee! I hate my boss dude think he know it all/ But I know I know it all/ But I follow protocol!!

    That Kanye Joint is a close 2nd tho..

  • Vinylsaurus Wrecks

    What about Kool Moe Dee’s I go to work?

  • Chris S

    wow. Atmosphere made your list. i’m impressed. vote definitely goes out to “You”

    great song. great group. go order their new album

  • http://www.myspace.com/higuysimjordanclark jordan c

    i think the audio at the end of the slick rick song was ass rape correct me if im wrong

  • Dub

    TI- Doin my Job

    Sure its about sellin dope, but hey, thats work too

  • r2j

    Kanye West-Spaceship:

    Man, man, man
    If my manager insults me again I will be assaulting him
    After I fuck the manager up then I’m gonna shorten the register up
    Let’s go back, back to the Gap
    Look at my check, wasn’t no scratch
    So if I stole, wasn’t my fault
    Yeah I stole, never got caught
    They take me to the back and pat me
    Askin’ me about some khakis
    But let some black people walk in
    I bet they show off their token blackie
    Oh now they love Kanye, let’s put him all in the front of the store
    Saw him on break next to the ‘No Smoking’ sign with a blunt and a Mall’
    Takin’ my hits, writin’ my hits
    Writin’ my rhymes, playin’ my mind
    This fuckin’ job can’t help him
    So I quit, y’all welcome
    Y’all don’t know my struggle
    Y’all can’t match my hustle
    You can’t catch my hustle
    You can’t fathom my love dude
    Lock yourself in a room doin’ five beats a day for three summers
    That’s a different world like Kree Summers
    I deserve to do these numbers
    The kid that made that deserves that Maybach
    So many records in my basement
    I’m just waitin’ on my spaceship, blao.

    Devin The Dude-What A Job This Is:

    Drankin’ yet I’m thinking of another rhyme
    Smokin’ hoping that some bad news will come some other time
    Cause I’m trying to do what I love,
    I love what I do
    This music is something mo’ different than the weed and the brew
    That’s why we mashin’ we ain’t asking for nothing we working for it
    Push it peddle it to the people they can’t ignore it, this is for
    All the independents, a few major labels
    The big studios who still give niggas favors
    On the mixin’ and mastering, puzzlin’ and plastering the tracks together
    On tapes, CDs, wax or whatever
    This is for all the engineers who smoke weed
    Can’t forget about the production costs and all the hidden fees
    For another rhyme written, we spend time spittin’ in the booth
    Sometimes it’s like a pigeon coop.

    I went through a lot of this stuff back then and I’m going through it now. These are the type of songs that keeps hip-hop alive cause when you’re working, these are the kind of words and songs you want to listen to.