Posse cut

A posse cut is a popular form of song in hip hop music that involves successive verses by four or more rappers.

Tracks described as posse cuts by Rolling Stone include A Tribe Called Quest's "Scenario", "Tha Shit" by The D.O.C., "Doin' Our Own Dang" by Jungle Brothers, and "Set It Off" by Snoop Dogg. Tracks described by Allmusic as posse cuts include "Wu-Gambinos" by Raekwon, "1, 2, 3" by Naughty by Nature, and "Head Banger" by EPMD.

History

Many classic early hip hop tracks, such as Afrika Bambaataa & the Soul Sonic Force's "Zulu Nation Throwdown", took the form of a posse cut. The posse cut became established in the eighties as a way for rappers to give exposure to their friends, or their posse. However, towards the end of the eighties and the start of the nineties, the posse cut began to be used as an "All-Stars" device to bring together rappers who had respect for each other's skills on the microphone, or a way to unite various well-known and respected artists to deliver an important message.

Notable examples

• "The Symphony" by Marley Marl, featuring Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap and Big Daddy Kane. Allmusic describes it as "one of the best posse cuts in hip-hop history", and "classic".

• "We're All in the Same Gang" is a 1990 single by the West Coast Rap All-Stars, a collaboration of West Coast hip-hop artists that assembled for this song that promoted an anti-violence message. Produced by Dr. Dre, the song featured rapped verses from: King Tee, Body & Soul (including Dee Barnes), Def Jef, Michel'le, Tone-Loc, Above The Law, Ice-T, Dr. Dre, MC Ren, Eazy-E of N.W.A, J.J. Fad, Young MC, Digital Underground's Money-B and Shock G/Humpty Hump, Oaktown's 3.5.7 and MC Hammer.

• "Live at the Barbeque" by Main Source, featuring Nas, Joe Fatal, Akinyele, and Large Professor, from their 1991 album Breaking Atoms. This song was the debut for Nas, and his verse was later sampled on "Genesis", the intro track to his debut album Illmatic (1994).

• "Scenario" by A Tribe Called Quest, featuring Leaders of the New School. Rolling Stone describes "Scenario" as "the ultimate posse cut", and in Allmusic's review of "Scenario" they say, "not only did Tribe make history on The Low End Theory by putting together one of the best hip-hop albums of all time, they also opened up a hole in the sky for the emergence of the ever-unique and talented genius of Busta Rhymes".

• "The Anthem" by Sway & King Tech, featuring RZA, Eminem, Tech N9ne, Xzibit, Pharoahe Monch, Kool G Rap, Jayo Felony, Chino XL, and KRS-One. The book How to Rap describes it as a "classic posse cut".

• "Swagga Like Us" by T.I., featuring Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Jay-Z.

• "Monster" by Kanye West, featuring Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross and Bon Iver.

External links

• Top 5 Posse Cuts of All Time by Angus Crawford