What is the greatest guest verse of all time?

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Educate me. No hip-hop requirement - any cameo qualifies. Tho I will probably continue to maintain that it is Capadonna's verse on Winter Warz.

― Tracer Hand, Wednesday, 6 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I can tell you the worst: Mel C's backing caterwauling on that Bryan Adam's song.

Doesn't really answer your question though, does it?

― DavidM, Wednesday, 6 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Paula Frazer on Cornershop's "It's good to be on the road back home again" (or whatever it's called). "Make way for a lady"

― Dr. C, Wednesday, 6 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

She does do a good job on that, doesn't she. But what would I nominate? Uh...*thinks*...I'll get back to you.

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 6 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

ice cube on the d.o.c.'s "grand finale"

"Muthafuckas I slaughter, blow em out the water Word to me, fuck the father"

and so on. ultimately, though, it's the d.o.c.'s album and he doesn't disappoint, but still, cube used to be really tight.

― fred solinger, Wednesday, 6 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Not a guest verse strictly, but the interplay between Missy and Mel B at the beginning of "Want You Back" is worth of mention:

Mel B: I'm the M to the E-L-B, you know me!

Missy: I'm the M-I-S-S-Y to the E!

Mel B: And I got many flows from overseas!

Missy: Well how can you BEEP BEEP with no keys?

Mel B: I got SPICE, I'm tight with my flows!

Missy: Well all my flows been known to throw BLOWS!

Mel B: Well let me hit this one before I go!

Missy: Well I'm gonna let you go if you say so-AH!

― Tim, Wednesday, 6 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

The chick on Teenage Dirtbag. Sure, why not?

― JM, Wednesday, 6 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Two words: Traci Lords. YOU figure out what I'm referring to.

― Ally, Thursday, 7 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

That woman who goes "Say WHAT!?" on Instant Funk's "Got My Mind Made Up".

― tarden, Thursday, 7 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Q Tip's completely indecipherable interjection in Deee-Lite's 'Groove Is In The Heart'.

― Momus, Thursday, 7 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

MC Skat Kat on Paula Abdul's "Opposites Attract" -- where is this talented feline today, I ask you?

― Nicole, Thursday, 7 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

"I wish that for just one day you could be in my shoes and just for that one moment I could be you I wish that for just one day you could stand inside my shoes you'd see what a drag it is to see you . " Bob "OZymandius" Dylan

― -- Mike Hanley, Thursday, 7 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I've always loved Busta Rhyme's appearance in "Scenario", but that's kind of an obvious answer. I also loved Chuck D's "appearance" on "Cool Thing".

― Dan Perry, Thursday, 7 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Momus, Nicole and Dan all have great picks I had completely forgotten about. And does anyone actually own the MC Skat Kat album? ;-)

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 7 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Doesn't Chuck D just go "yeahhhh... tell it like it is!" a couple of times on Kool Thing? I don't think that's a verse. Or if it is, it falls somewhat short of greatness. Since I'm American I don't know who the fuck Cornershop are. "Baby you'll see the funky side of me / Baby you'll see that rhythm is they key / Get get with it with it / can't can't quit it quit / Stomp on the street / when I hear a dope beat". I mean it's a very welcome addition to the song - keeps it on the real nahmean - but good for texture only really. Which I guess was your point/caveat about its being indecipherable, Momus. Traci Lords - I don't know WHAT you're talking about Ally. Are you referring to her "techno" album?

Didn't Ethan have an opinion on this one?

― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 7 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

ethan is very boring and thinks it is nas on raekwon's 'verbal intercourse', but was talking with josh earlier about big daddy kane and expressed his fondness for his guest shot on 'burn hollywood burn' (and utter hatred of ice cube's verse). i also love big pun on the beatnuts' 'off the books' (best verse pun ever did), nas again on main source's 'live at the bbq', mos def and common on the root's ' double trouble' and 'the love of my life' (and 'UNIverse at war'), respectively, practically every hot mc in the rap game on craig mack's 'flava in ya ear' and ll cool j's '4,3,2,1' (especially canibus) and a million more that i'll think of later on and hate myself for not naming. i don't really count inter-wu guest appearances, but there's a million of those too.

― ethan, Thursday, 7 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

My god I forgot about Kane's verse on Burn Hollywood Burn. Truly great. I'm wavering. I haven't heard many of those you cite. I LOVE the Nas appearance. But Capadonna just makes my jaw drop on that song (yr right, wu-crossovers are low-hanging fruit) - the whole song is about boasting and one-upmanship, and Capadonna takes it so far it sounds like he's suprising himself with what he comes up with. I think I'm responding to that feeling of an artist discovering his own powers. But God, Kane. Fuck. For those who saw "Driving Miss Daisy" or remember what the Aunt Jemima syrup bottle used to look like, check this out - but better, listen to it. Kane's voice on the final chorus sign-off sounds like he's about to lose it. Fucking awesome.

― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 7 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

like there was any doubt that ilm is feeling the juice crew. as for the other shit i listed, i really can't urge everyone enough to get on 'flava in ya ear'(i talked about it back on the remixes thread, which i refer to you only because i don't feel like writing all that stuff again. i spent like, ten minutes thinking up that shit) and '4,3,2,1' which are practically the best guest-dominated tracks ever just for sheer SKILLS. 'off the books' is essential if you ever wondered why people cared about big pun. can anyone think of good r&b/hiphop guest appearances? going both ways, mary j. was good on meth's and jay-z's singles, and redman on that d'angelo track, but they aren't hardly the greatest of anything. anyone who mentions timbaland on anything will get a smack.

― ethan, Thursday, 7 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Tracer, I am NOT referring to her techno album, she says, smugly keeping information to herself.

― Ally, Thursday, 7 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

All I could think of was Karen Finley on the 12-inch of Sinead O'Connor's "Jump in the River". And I've always loved Donovan on "Billion Dollar Babies", but I guess that's not really a guest verse, is it?

― Arthur, Thursday, 7 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

mark e smith on long fin killie's 'heads of dead surfers'.

― keith, Sunday, 10 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I can't believe no-one's mentioned Monica Queen.

― the pinefox, Sunday, 10 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

one year passes...

Tracer: the Traci Lords which Ally refers to is her spot on the manics' "Little Baby Nothing"

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Friday, 31 January 2003 20:39 (twenty-one years ago) link

of COURSE Watson! I was just testing you! now hand me my syringe and let's talk about unh... wha..? (perennial "guest" Watson potters off and solves the whole thing himself)

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Friday, 31 January 2003 20:47 (twenty-one years ago) link

Thinkin of a master plan
ain't nuttin but sweat inside my hand.

― Chris V. (Chris V), Friday, 31 January 2003 21:40 (twenty-one years ago) link

ethan is very boring and thinks it is nas on raekwon's 'verbal intercourse'

Actually, so do I.

― phil jones (interstar), Friday, 31 January 2003 22:02 (twenty-one years ago) link

When Lil' Kim asked if I wanted to bumble with bee, she AT LEAST made the top 20.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Friday, 31 January 2003 22:33 (twenty-one years ago) link

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