Hip-hop has been the voice of young urban youth since the Sugarhill Gang laid the first rap record on wax 35e years ago. The genre and culture that many outsiders had initially thought to be a fad has turned into a billion-dollar industry and placed its influence on various facets of life, with a constant stream of rap stars leading the way.

During hip-hop's humble beginnings in the '80s, many of its participants were from some of the most economically disadvantaged neighborhoods in America and had dreams of making it big and overcoming their circumstances through a career in rap. Despite their bleak surroundings, rappers felt a sense of empowerment behind the mic, positioning themselves as bigger than their surroundings and just short of supreme beings. But beyond the bragging and boasting, one common denominator between a number of MCs was their love for comic books and superheroes.

While comics have been around for decades prior to the emergence of hip-hop, the '60s and '70s saw a new golden era in the world of superheroes, with notable characters like The Hulk, Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Thor, Black Panther, Punisher and Wolverine being introduced to the public. This period also coincided with the birth of many rap legends who grew up reading about the epic conquests of their favorite superheroes years before becoming one themselves.

Rap stars have become superheroes in their own right in the eyes of their fans. But that hasn't stopped them from name-dropping comic book characters in their verses throughout the years. We've dug up 20 of the best superhero-related rhymes from some of your favorite artists, past and present. Take a look at which rapper gives a shout to your favorite superhero below.

  • "Superman"

    Eminem

    "They call me Superman, leap tall hoes in a single bound, I'm single now/Got no ring on this finger now, I'd never let another chick bring me down/In a relationship, save it bitch, babysit? you make me sick/Superman ain't savin' shit, girl you can jump on Shady's dick."

  • "Ridiculoid"

    Cannibal Ox

    "Strapped like a marksman with raps that'll off kids mad high/Got my mind wrapped in a coffin resurrect thoughts in amorphous/Morph into Aquaman polyin in waters talkin' to dolphins."

  • "Problems"

    B.o.B

    "No lie on this mic, chillin' with habitual whores/Hit 'er with the hammer like Thor/This ain’t no boy, this a G4 ho, act like you been here before/Open up the suicide doors, like a Joe cut the window at the 25th floor/Ready for war, I came out the womb with a sword, cut my umbilical chord."

  • "Protect Ya Neck"

    Inspectah Deck

    "I smoke on the mic like 'Smokin' Joe' Frazier/The hell-raiser, raising hell with the flavor/Terrorize the jam like troops in Pakistan/Swinging through your town like your neighborhood Spider-Man."

  • "No Problems"

    Lupe Fiasco

    "Like 'Pac, so crazy/Silver Surfer, so wavy
    Beat Army, go Navy / So cool, go baby / Gold and blue, so navy / Old school, I'm so 80's / Drop verses, top earnin' / Convert a bird and I'm so Shady."

  • "Tour Bus Massacre"

    Skepta

    "Only want my brothers to hand around with me so I put JME on my neck/The last guy who try to take my chain got no respect/We can all start pumpin iron, just know I'mma do loads more reps/Strong like Conan the Barbarian, niggas can't walk in my creps/Thought a hundred grand would solve my problems/But I got loads more stress/The only thing thats changed/Now is I get loads more sex."

  • "Lyrics to Go"

    Q-Tip

    "Please proceed with caution cause the lyricist is fatal/I can kick your little monkey ass like Kato (yes dread, uhh)/Formulate your rhymes like a child forms Play-Doh (right)/Calm and serene like the study was Tao/Poetry machine with correct mechanisms/Immune to disease I defeat organisms."

  • "You're Gonna Get Yours"

    Chuck D

    "My 98 is tough to chase/If you're on my tail better watch your face/Smoke is coming when I burn/Rubber when my wheels turn/Tinted windows, so super bad/Looking like the car the Green Hornet had."

  • "Reset"

    Curren$y

    "You niggas is, cheap greens, artificial turf/Second in the presence of better, me first/Captain America vs Captain Planet, I control the larger area/Superhero, no cape/Delta force in the third grade."

  • "Blow It Out"

    Ludacris

    "It's time to saddle up the Tontos cause I'm the Lone Ranger/I eat dinner with Jews but don't talk to strangers/I'm just a few albums from filling your disc changer/If you ever think of stoppin' me/Blow it out ya ass."

  • "Kingdom Come"

    Jay Z

    "I'm from the bottom, so I still feel em from the bottom/Underdog before my cape, still couldn't stop him/Flash Gordon when recording, spark the light in the dark/Peter Park, Spider-Man, all I do is climb the charts."

  • "Ms. Fat Booty"

    Mos Def

    "She spot me like paparazzi, shot me a glance/In that catwoman stance with the fat booty pants, hot damn!/What's your name love, where you came from?/Neck and wrist laced up, very little makeup/The swims at the Reebok gym tone your frame up/Is sugar and spice the only thing that you made of?"

  • "Your World"

    Bas

    "Giving light to my dreams, I couldn't measure the scope/Turn that white into green, that's Incredible Hulk/Man I'm so fly I see the heavens approaching/The Pearl in them Gates, I'm burning a stogie, than pearling a jay/My memory fades, that's cool cause every day is a memory made."

  • "Suicide Bounce"

    Nas

    "Body viewings, at the wake/Nigga sit stiff in his Ferrari, no casket/With his eyelids still open, it's kinda spooky/Iceman watch on, the suit Gucci/I'm above the standard/But dudes is more zealous than Branford."

  • "Rhyme of the Year"

    Nino Bless

    "Achoo! Bless you/I chew through comp while I Hoodoo-hex dudes/I do what I choose, my rules, chess moves/Mind you, I fight with my own mind, I'm Deadpool/My crew is next, Nino, 'Batta, Ness too/ Haters? Hakuna Matata, we don't stress fools."

  • "Turbo Graphix 16"

    Jarren Benton

    "Riding through Decatur, show a way of haters/Bitch I'm so fresh I'm still in the incubator/I used to free style in the back of public transit/And pull a fake ass nigga's card like Gambit/Pussy nigga panic, call you an ambulance/Bitch get in the kitchen go and fetch me a sammich."

  • "Psycho"

    Cassidy

    "Snappin' a picture, you get stuck like the back of a sticker/I got bars like the factory manufacturing snickers / And I do crimes for the bread like croutons/With two nines i be layin' clowns down like futons/With the bullets in the rocket, my pockets is full of cream/I'm blowin' steam, keep the steel in my hands like wolverine."

  • "The Coolest"

    King T

    Yeah my stuff is funky, and I'm the rap junkie/Slammin' sucka punks like a Hurricane Bundy/And for the rap race place your bet on the King/I run like Quicksilver, fly like I had wings/To you it seems like that I'm braggin a lot/But I'm saggin a lot, because money I got."

  • "Christian Dior Denim Flow"

    Ryan Leslie

    "It’s time for a lesson in model behavior/Damn, look at all the bad bitches I gave you/Man I can see the flaws to your flavor/Look like Wonder Woman and still need a savior."

  • "4th Chamber"

    Ghostface Killah

    "'Cause I be ducking crazy spades/The kid hold white shit like blacks rock ashy legs/Why is the sky blue? Why is water wet?/Why did Judas rat to Romans while Jesus slept?/Stand up, you're out of luck like two dogs stuck/Ironman be sipping rum, out of Stanley Cups."

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