Chords for Hip-Hop's Love For 'Dragon Ball' | Genius News

[Bm] Your friends are legendary.
_ [C] _ _
[Bb] _ Love [B] it.
[Bb] Hip-hop's love for Dragon Ball is no secret.
The long-running manga and anime
was originally created in 1984
by Japanese artist Akira Toriyama
and burst onto American screens in the late 90s
with its successor, Dragon Ball Z,
on Cartoon Network's afternoon programming block, [B] Toonami.
It's all over.
[N] Dragon Ball Z.
We date by 30.
Many of today's rappers grew up watching the show
and Adult Swim creative director Jason DeMarco
said that DBZ is quote, empowerment fantasy
and that many young minorities told him they loved the show
saying quote, I get why that same kid would become a rapper
and then rap about wanting to be like Goku
because you take your heroes where you can get them.
There are thousands of hip-hop lyrics
that reference Dragon Ball's characters and their strengths,
weaknesses, appearances, and personalities.
Here are a few. _ _
[F] _ Dragon Ball's main protagonist, Goku,
is a happy-go-lucky, kind-hearted alien called Saiyan.
[G] He's a defender of Earth
and arguably the universe's [C] top fighter.
[Cm] _ _ Rappers invoke Goku to indicate strength,
whether it's bravado, violence, or good drugs.
[N] ♪ I was eating wave for him sitting on the pro tools ♪
♪ All for [Gb] my vocals, make a nigga strong like [Bm] Goku ♪
♪ Big head highs, that white widow be hitting [Dm] on some Goku shit ♪
♪ Cruising on a flying Ember, [Ebm] 74 [Gb] pound [Fm] Goku's niggas leave hoes [Gb] ♪
♪ [Eb] Biggest [Bb] hoes, who's produce [Fm] sex shit [Em] ♪
♪ They do a G, feel like Goku ♪
[Fm] Goku's fellow Saiyan, Vegeta,
is self-absorbed, arrogant, and ruthless.
Welcome to the end of your life,
and I promise it's going to hurt.
Vegeta and [E] Goku go from rivals [Am] to allies,
and many of his mentions [E] deal with his superiority [A] complex
and his [B] cutthroat [Dm] nature.
♪ Head cup, [E] man, want me dead boy, [C] M on my head like Vegeta ♪
♪ Super [Bb] [Ebm] Saiyan, don't mess with Go, they calling me fool ♪
♪ You pussy [D] nigga, they call you Vegeta ♪
♪ I feel like Goku and he feeling [Eb] a beacher ♪
♪ I'm the strongest and second [G]-luckiest Vegeta ♪
♪ I've discovered that [Fm] no matter how hard I tried _ [Db] _ ♪
A warrior prince forever living in the shadow
of a low-level clown.
One of Dragon Ball's biggest themes
is the Super Saiyan transformation.
Now, when Saiyans undergo [C] extreme duress,
they turn to powerful beings,
characterized by yellow hair and a glowing golden [N] aura.
MCs sometimes use this as a way
to demonstrate lyrical prowess.
I'm a young Wayne, I go insane,
Luke Kang, Super Saiyan, whenever the Lutes be playing.
[Ab] Complaining [F] I be Super Saiyan shit
on the Pro-2s when they go, [G] go.
Super [Fm] Saiyan with ruthless [Gb] slayings,
eat puss, sweet puss, got my tooth decaying.
Goku first goes Super Saiyan
after seeing his best friend Krillin get killed by Frieza.
_ _ _ [Eb] _ _ _ _
[N] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ Although he's one of the strongest humans on Earth,
he's pretty weak compared to the regular alien adversaries.
[Bbm] Now, rappers are quick to highlight this
and poke fun at his massive head.
Got gang like Piccolo, you ain't talking money
then the [F] convo short like [G] Krillin though.
You're like the Genie Force, you're hella weak,
[C] you're sturdier than Krillin, you can't even [Gb] speak.
Five footer [D] killer, I'm [Fm] living a novella.
Got me losing hair, man, I'm turning into Krillin.
Frieza is one of the show's most iconic villains.
He's the destroyer of the Saiyan world, Planet Vegeta.
[G]
MCs [A] use him as a personification [G] of evil,
a frigid play on words, and even [Cm] jewelry.
Boy, it's [Fm] level two this month, I [Eb] feel like Frieza.
[Fm] Illest nigga to ever come out instead of speak us.
Everybody, [G] bro, this is not [Ab] for sale
and I keep the ghouls with me like Frieza though.
[Eb] I'm like Frieza, like I'm Frieza in this bitch.
[Db] Piccolo is the spawn of King Piccolo,
one of the earliest villains on the show,
[C] but grows into one of Goku's best friends.
His green color and purple blood
appear [Bm] often in rap lyrics.
Piccolo green is millions,
and the old money got [A] mildew.
Hey Piccolo, how you doing nigga green?
I be the purple like Piccolo,
and I say this one, I am always [E] a piccolo.
Gohan is Goku's half human, half Saiyan son,
who's had latent powers [C] since he was a child.
And 70, impossible for [F] a kid. _ _
Artists use him for strength
in the same vein as his father,
occasionally pointing out his inherent strength.
We [Gbm] got chemistry down to the [D] protons,
hidden potential like Gohan.
[A] You be like, now your [D] mama hear the press saying
[Ebm] that you gone [Bb] shoulda never went against Super Saiyan [Abm] Gohan.
We still try to go hunt,
thinking we make the most of it.
In my mind I know I was letting my dad down like [G] Gohan.
He doesn't thirst for battle and mayhem.
He's not a fighter like you.
_ _ _ [A] _ _
_ [Gm] _ Boo is one of the anime's most dangerous villains.
He's had many transformations,
but his consistent pink color
is something artists love to reference.
I'm inside that pink like Gotek, so I [Fm] call her boo.
I say you need a [Gm] white or pink like Majin [Bm] Buu.
[Em] That soft pink ladder, [A] _ [Gbm] _
_ [Bm] cotton candy, _ [B] _
Majin [Em] Buu.
_ _ _ [A] _ _
I'm Jacques Morel with Genius News,
bringing you the meaning and the [Ab] knowledge behind the music.
Peace.
_ _ _ [C] _ _ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [N] _