Notable Kurt Cobain Mentions in Hip Hop

Jay Z, Eminem and more pay homage to the Nirvana frontman.

Kurt Cobain - The body of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, who shot himself in the head after struggling with drug abuse and depression, was found on April 8, 1994.  (Photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)

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Rappers Love Kurt Cobain - Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain tragically took his own life 20 years ago on April 5, 1994, but the rocker still symbolizes the embodiment of rock. Known for his grunge style, drug-infused partying, and making the ladies swoon, Cobain remains a staple in the music industry, even in hip hop. From Jay Z to Pharell and Kanye West, some of rap's finest have paid tribute to the late great Cobain with mentions to him in their music. Keep reading to check out some of the best Cobain references in hip hop. —Dominique Zonyeé (@DominiqueZonyee)(Photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)

Jay Z, "Holy Grail" - Lyric: "Kurt Cobain, I did it to myself/ And we all just/ Entertainers/ And we're stupid/ And contagious."On the intro track to Magna Carta Holy Grail featuring Justin Timberlake, Hov borrows a line from Nirvana's critically acclaimed "Teen Spirit" track and drops a nod to KC's suicide.(Photo: Ron Smits/London Ent/Splash News)

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Jay Z, "Holy Grail" - Lyric: "Kurt Cobain, I did it to myself/ And we all just/ Entertainers/ And we're stupid/ And contagious."On the intro track to Magna Carta Holy Grail featuring Justin Timberlake, Hov borrows a line from Nirvana's critically acclaimed "Teen Spirit" track and drops a nod to KC's suicide.(Photo: Ron Smits/London Ent/Splash News)

Pharrell - Pharrell's big year ("Blurred Lines," "Get Lucky") would wrap up nicely with a hit with Ma$e. We're talkin' "Lookin' at Me," part two.(Photo: Mark Davis/Getty Images for BET)

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Pharrell, "The World Is Ours" - Lyric: "Up in mansion like the black Kurt Cobain/My n***a Ross said he's the boss, cause he works cocaine."The Grammy award-winning producer teamed up with MMG on Rick Ross’s 2012 Rich Forever mixtape for this one. Cobain died in his Seattle mansion from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.  (Photo: Mark Davis/Getty Images for BET)

Eminem, 'Rap God' - "My pen’ll go off when I half-cock it / Got a fat knot from that rap profit / Made a living and killing off it / Ever since Bill Clinton was still in office / With Monica Lewinsky feeling on his n**sack."(Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for YouTube)

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Eminem, "Cum on Everybody" - Lyric: "My favorite color is red, like the blood shed / From Kurt Cobain’s head, when he shot himself dead,"Eminem has mentioned the “Heart Shaped Box" singer on several tracks, including this cut off his Slim Shady LP, released in 1999.(Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for YouTube)

Game, "Hoodmorning" - A bit of a riff on Yeezy's "Good Morning," Game also sampled John's "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" on the Mars-produced track.  (Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images for Spike)

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Game, "My Life" - Lyric: "Take me away like I overdosed on cocaine / Or take me away like a bullet from Kurt Cobain."Compton rapper, Game goes for the drug reference in addition to reminding us of how Cobain died as he illustrates his own despair in this lyric off his third studio album, LAX. The complete song features Lil Wayne.(Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images for Spike)

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Kanye West, "White Dress" - Lyric: "You like Piña Coladas, gettin' caught in the rain/ Or rockin' flannels all summer, like Kurt Cobain"Leave it to the Louie Vuitton Don to focus on Cobain's fashion sense, which had every urban teen in the '90s wearing skinny jeans and flannel shirts wrapped around their waists.(Photo: 13thWitness/Getty Images for Samsung)

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50 Cent, "A Baltimore Thing" - Lyric: "I hung out with Marvin when he wrote Sexual Healing/Kurt Cobain, we were good friends, Ozzy Osbourne too"Like Cobain, 50 Cent had his own experiences with drugs on this track. While Fif brags about the perks of being a dealer, he mentions Cobain with a host of other artists who were the users.(Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Motorola)

Get Yo' Shine On - Lil Wayne and his YMCMB family helped out a lot of people after Hurricane Katrina hit his native New Orleans in 2005. Besides raising money and donating to the relief efforts, Weezy helped rebuild a park in his old community. He also hands out food and toys every year during Cash Money's annual Turkey Give Away. In addition to his charity-giving, he set up the nonprofit Tha Carter Fund, which generously supports quality after-school and out-of-school programs for underprivileged youth.(Photo: David Wolff - Patrick/Redferns via Getty Images)

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Lil Wayne, "Dipset 2" - Lyric: "Yeah, you know young Wayne in here/Smellin' teen spirit, like Kurt Cobain was here""Teen Spirit" was such a good song that artists in almost any genre can't help but have been influenced by. Weezy dropped this reference on Da Drought 3, a freestyle over Juelz Santana's "Santana Town."(Photo: David Wolff - Patrick/Redferns via Getty Images)

Kendrick Lamar, "Is It Love" - Lyric: "Give me vanity/Give me Kurt Cobain sanity"Kendrick, like Hov, nods to the cost of fame in his Cobain mention. This track from his self-titled EP, which K. Dot dropped before his critically acclaimed debut, good kid, m.A.A.d. city., features a sample from Angela McCluskey's "Don't Look Back."(Photo: Rick Diamond/BET/Getty Images for BET)

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Kendrick Lamar, "Is It Love" - Lyric: "Give me vanity/Give me Kurt Cobain sanity"Kendrick, like Hov, nods to the cost of fame in his Cobain mention. This track from his self-titled EP, which K. Dot dropped before his critically acclaimed debut, good kid, m.A.A.d. city., features a sample from Angela McCluskey's "Don't Look Back."(Photo: Rick Diamond/BET/Getty Images for BET)

Meek Mill – "I'm Leanin'" (feat. Birdman, Diddy & Travis Scott) - When not beefing with other rappers, Philly native Meek Mill is busy complimenting beautiful women in his music. Released late 2013, "I'm Leanin'" saw Mill collaborate with hip hop mogul Diddy, Cash Money frontman Birdman, and Texas rapper Travis Scott, comparing an attractive lady to Ms. Long, of course. Lyric: "Puffin' on strong, getting gold, bad b****** / Lookin' lke Nia Long, I mean it." (Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for BET)

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Meek Mill, "Levels" - Lyric: "Cocaine Mulsanne, young n***a blowing up — Kurt Cobain"Meek Mill parallels his own success with Cobain's celebrity on the final installment of his Dream Chasers trilogy. When Cobain died in '94 he was one of the most popular people in music.  (Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for BET)

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Big K.R.I.T., "The Vent" - Lyric: "And ask Kurt Cobain why, 'cause I need to know/ He stopped when he had such a way long to go."Prolific producer/rapper Big K.R.I.T. asks the question that we all are thinking: Why? Why did Cobain take his own life at the peak of his career? That is something we will never know.(Photo: Rick Kern/WireImage)

Photo By Rick Kern/WireImage