14 Rap Songs With Heavy Bass

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If you still have doubts about the significance and presence of bass, then we are here to finally show you the truth and that without bass most of the music you hear today would fall apart.

The bass represents a link between the rhythm and the melody, it’s what connects the percussive elements with guitars, strings voices, and more, which gives it a very important spot as the foundation of the composition. Beyond its role, it’s thanks to the bass that you will be able to get that feeling in your body that makes you want to dance, and can even make things vibrate if you have a powerful subwoofer.

This sense of feeling is real since some of the frequencies produced by the bass aren’t even in the range of hearing for humans, which makes it perceptible by another sense as well.

Bass is very important in most genres but the topic today is hip hop, and there is no doubt that they put a lot of attention into making the best basslines that fit the beat, since a lot of the time the most essential thing about hip hop is the voice, the beat and the bass, once those essential elements are in place anything else goes.

So in order to celebrate the magnificence of basslines in rap and hip-hop history, we’ll go over some of the songs with the heaviest basses you can find.

Who Am I (What’s My Name?) – Snoop Dogg

Snoop Dogg is one of the biggest names in the music industry, establishing himself as one of the pillars of rap and hip hop of the 90s, thanks to the success of massive tracks such as this one.

It’s quite clear why this is a great example of a rap song with heavy bass, and if we try to imagine the song without a bass, we will immediately find that the whole track falls apart. It’s punchy, gritty, and very catchy, but most of all it’s the perfect bridge between the beat and Snoop’s rapping skills.

Big Poppa – Notorious B.I.G.

Another big name in the industry, Notorious B.I.G. had to be here, and while the bass is not as prominent as the previous one, it’s the perfect tone and sound that was achieved that makes it so special.

This is a good example of a bass that serves the beat in the best way possible, staying as close to the kick as it can while also giving it the melodic versatility that it needs.

We Dem Boyz – Wiz Khalifa

This song actually has a bit of everything in it, making it a bit of a blend of trap, EDM and more, but at the core, it’s a rap song with a very strong bass that is not necessary filling all the blank spaces but is setting the mood in the best way possible.

It’s a bass that holds the base of the song while the beat carries the voice and it works perfectly.

Nobody Speak feat. Run The Jewels

A lot of great hip-hop manages to take old forgotten gems from jazz, blues, and funk and bring them to a whole new universe, so this is a good example of how you do sampling.

From the beginning of the song, you get a very strong bass with a very natural clean sound that will make you feel a sense of stylish aggressiveness throughout the whole track, which only intensifies with the other instruments coming in with saxophones, guitars and simple but effective beat.

DNA – Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar is a big name today in the rap industry, thanks to his creativity when it comes to keeping things fresh and different, there is always something about his music that keeps you on your toes, and bass is one of those things.

Remember when we talked about feeling the bass rather than listening to it, well this is one of those songs, and more than that, the bass on this specific song is interesting because it sets the mood twice throughout the song, sort of like two acts.

This song managed to get to the 31st spot on Billboard the year it was released and it definitely deserves it.

Extra tip, if you have a good sound system with a subwoofer, try this song out, it will blow your mind with how good it sounds.

This is America – Childish Gambino

It takes a bit for the bass to show up but when it does, it just takes the song to a very aggressive dark place which is the whole idea of the song, and it’s one of the best examples of less is more.

As a bonus, watching the music video gives it another layer of intensity, with gunshots as a cue for the bass and Childish Gambino’s captivating dance skills along with expressive smiles and sarcastic eyes locked to the camera.

Ambitionz az a ridah

There was no way we were having a list involving rap and not have Tupac Shakur in it, this time the spot belongs to Ambitionz az a Ridah, which was released as a single from “All Eyez on Me”.

This is one of those cases where the bass takes the stage and manages to become a protagonist in the song, not only because of the composition but also in terms of the mix, as the bass has a very loud sound when compared to the other instruments.

This is something that is more common now, especially in trap where the rhythm doesn’t have a lot of low frequencies and it’s all the bass’ domain.

Still, no one did it like Tupac, and still to this day, his attitud and passion flows through his songs, the only difference is that now you know how important the bass was in order to do that.

Magnolia – Playboi Carti

If you want to enjoy a great party song that will blow up your speakers in the best party mood possible, then Playboy Carti might be your solution.

Magnolia was an incredible success in 2017, reaching up to over 500 million streams on Spotify and helping him gain a big audience all over the world.

While there is no otherworldly experience with the bass in this song, the mix ,agically brings out the best parts of the lower frequencies, making this track a great one to listen to on big stereo systems with a nice subwoofer.

No Type – Ray Sremmurd

Sometimes you don’t necessarily need a bass to blast your speakers with strong heavy low frequencies, in this case, a very well made kick is all it takes for a song to get recognized and played over and over everywhere.

These heavy low kicks are also used to make a good distribution of high and low frequencies, since Swae Lee’s voice is actually high.

What Happened ‘ Dope D.O.D.

Dubstep’s time in the limelight is over but some of its influence can still be felt to this day, even with slight inspiration when it comes to bass.

This 2011 track was released when dubstep was still a thing, and it hit the world like storm, so it was very interesting to hear the combination between dubstep heavy bass and aggressive rapping vocals.

This was a very hard hitting song but it also managed to be quite catchy, mostly because the sound was dubstep but the bass line itself was very hip hop.

Sicko Mode – Travis Scott

There are a few things in this song that set up a trend after it was released, including a lot of reverb, vocal techniques, autotune, and more.

This was a big hit in the 2010s and it has a simple but strong bass that goes closely with the kick, which is a very often thing to do, however the unconventional structure and great use of that bass sound makes this song stand out.

Cherry Bomb – Tyler the Creator

You may or may not agree with this song being on the list but the truth is that it’s a chaotic well made rap song, it just has a few screws loose that’s all.

Cherry Bomb definitely has some bass, but it’s filled with a lot of distortion and many elements all at once, so if you are looking for the definition of sound explosion, this could be close.

Rippin – Kid Sensation and Sir Mix-A-Lot

This a classic, and important songs like this ones deserve a spot even if they don’t pack the punch as some others do, because where would we be without humble but perfectly crafted beginnings?

In an interview with Kid Sensation he recalled when he made this song with Sir Mix-A-Lot:

I remember performing the first bass song Sir Mix-a-Lot and I made together, ‘Rippin’, on the Swass album,” he says. “I remember being in Sacramento, Miami, and other cities that loved bass music. I remember the way people reacted when we performed those songs. Most rappers rapped slow to beats that fast, but we chose to rap double time. People lost their minds, like “Yoooo…Who are these dudes going hard like this? They rap fast but clear!” Bass music was what we loved to listen to and create. It just felt good in a car with fifteens in the back, you could hear the boom from down the street.

Look At Me! – XXXTENTACION

Bass drops used to be something that was mostly used for techno but lately, it has been the ideal tool for allowing a rap track to go from chill to agressive in one second.

XXXTENTACION was known for using a lot of heavy bass on his songs, and this is a great example because he doesn’t abuse the presence of this bass and it works to maintain the energy from start to finish.

It’s a great base for his voice which slightly alternates between singing and rapping, so this is a track worth listening to.

Pete’s Jazz – Pete Rock

Maybe we’re cheating a bit with this song, since there is no rapping but it is pure raw hip hop, and one of the reasons this song is here is the genius ideas behind sampling and creating a beat that inspires and makes you learn to love hip hop due to its versatility.

The bass in this track goes very hard, and it goes to show you that the spirit of jazz and funk is very much alive in hip hop.

According to Brady Watt, a popular bassist and content creator, the first time he was really blown away by a hip hop bass line was with this song.

I don’t know if there was one in particular. There are some that stand out, but maybe not one in particular. Maybe “Pete’s Jazz” by Pete Rock. That’s one I learned early on. I just started learning all of them after a while. It’s a repertoire in itself. And they’re pretty easy. They’re not that hard to play. Hip hop is really good for beginners, actually.

It truly is a perfect example of classic hip hop bass.

Conclusion

After going through this list and listening to the songs we shared, you might have noticed the importance of bass for rapping and hip hop in general, not only does it give the groove to the track but it also sets the mood and in more modern rap, it makes your body feel the song rather than just hearing it.

A heavy bass is not just about pushing the limits of your subwoofer, it’s about giving that perfect balance of rhythm and harmony that will serve as the foundation for the lyrics and the other instruments.

On a side note, if you have a good sound system with a good quality subwoofer, you should try to play these songs, we guarantee you’ll enjoy the experience, but don{t get to carried away with the volume, especially with Cherry Bomb!