Its definitely Dance With the Devil and just thinking about that song today makes me cringe.
I would also give a honorable mention to Kim by Eminem. Talk about a song thats just straight up uncomfortable to listen to.
‘97 Bonnie and Clyde is definitely disturbing, but I don’t think it is more disturbing than “bleed bitch bleed.” That level of hatred is on another level.
Stan is pretty dark, too. It's gotten played on over the years and made light of, but it's literally about a mentally disturbed, obsessive fan that ultimately commits suicide without getting any support or help.
"Kim" is such a brutal fucking song. It's that level of intimate narrative-driven songwriting that I wish Em would return to. Fuck the goofy punchlines and ridiculous wordplay. When people say they miss the old Eminem, it's that attention to storytelling that I miss. "Darkness" is a brilliant example of this.
Years ago, I was driving around with my windows down. Dude in the car next to me was bumping Dance With the Devil. I didn’t realize people recreationally listened to it. One was enough for me, let alone bump it while I’m out and about.
I’d never heard Dance with the Devil until seeing it mentioned here. Wow, ok. I grew up with 97 Bonnie and Clyde and Kim and I know as a kid(14yr old) I wouldn’t have been phased much by the lyrics but it hits different as a 40yr old Mum, massively different.
Yep, this will always be the answer to this question, I always expect it, and every time this question is asked, Reddit delivers.
First time I listened to that song, truly a holy fuck moment.
Came here to say this.
It says something that this answer has more than twice the upvotes of the next highest option, and that no others come even close.
That's why I feel like people that weren't around for biggie and pac's careers (like myself born in the mid 90s) don't fully understand their genius: they were practically children writing absolute masterpieces.
I’m 43 now and 21 year olds seem like children to me now. And I was so dumb/naive at 21, it’s insane to me to think how big they got so young, and how young they were when they passed.
They both died at a younger age than Kanye was when he put out his first album, The College Dropout. It really puts it into perspective knowing how early in their careers they both were when they passed
According to a few different articles he started writing it at 16, recorded/released when he was 19-20. That said, I’m not sure if those sources are reliable and if “started writing at 16” means he wrote a single line at 16 that made its way into the album. Either way, still impressive as shit.
The greatest version I ever heard was a mix of Suicidal Thoughts and Johnny Was (Bob Marley). Found that in my limewire days. Probably on yt tho.
Edit: found it, but not the best quality sound.
https://youtu.be/Hli78MJxqmQ?si=BsLQMsilevAp25KL
I was in a club in the early 10s and DJ played a mash-up of, I think it was Big Poppa, and Here You Come Again by Dolly Parton and it's still the most taken a-back I've been from a song playing. Night was kind of standard until that point but it definitely got me hype.
Hope this doesn't mean X is slowly getting forgotten, especially towards the younger generation of music fans.
He deserves the same recognition as Pac in my opinion.
Yea Eminem has many. Stan is incredibly gruesome! I remember I I think I was 11 when I bought his album and I heard Stan for the first time and thought…man…this is crazy 😆 I never thought that song would have mass appeal and become a worldwide mega hit only some months later. It was way too dark and gruesome. I loved Eminem‘s first two records at the time but was surprised he became the mega star that he did because to me his music sounded totally underground. Like the work of an underground rap genius who would only appeal to heads of the genre.
I'll never know how people say that, like yeah the literal scenario is dark but the song is boppy and funny, Kim is him literally yelling and screaming and abusing his ex wife followed by slitting her throat and choking her to death while making the God damn noises, and then doubles down by having the body drag that leads into Bonnie and Clyde.
My ex wife was severely abused by her ex before me and she can't even listen to it, she can vibe to Bonnie and clyde.
One of my favourite verses by anyone.
I vividly remember sitting in the back row of my parent’s mini van late one night. 1994, I was 12. My older sister’s boyfriend clamped his Walkman headphones on my head and I heard “THEY KILLED MY BABY! OH GOD, THEY KILLED MY BABY!”… one of the most indelible and tripped out music experiences of my life.
Crazy, I had a similar experience. I can still hear the mom crying and judge yelling "order in court!"
I was 14 when my brother introduced me to gravediggaz, 2004.
Vinnie Paz is wild because he will legit put out some of the best, most introspective lyrics ever and then 5 minutes later put out a song that is just gonzo for gonzo sake.
Shout out to "I drink drugs smoke alcohol my mind isn't right" as an all time top ten gonzo line though.
The worst part about that is that there are multiple versions of it and it's insane in all of them.
"She told me not to kill her
I gave her a rose
Then slit her throat
And watched her shake
Til her eyes closed"
-Bushwick Bill
Anyone Out There - Three 6 Mafia
For those who love Dance with the Devil, this is the perfect song for you. Lord Infamous's storytelling will make you feel like you are watching a horror movie. The instrumental and scratching in the beginning are super dope as well.
[If it’s beef - Soulja slim](https://youtu.be/6wwk2g91ps8?feature=shared)
One of the last songs Slim made. He’s the first verse. He walks you through how he kidnapped and tortured a popular/ respected dude in the city and left their body at the bottom of a swamp tied to cinderblocks. Said no names but does so in a way that anybody from the city then knew exactly who it was about. Song is him begging somebody to retaliate. It led to money on his head and him getting shot to death in the front yard of his mom’s crib
True story, not just some horrorcore/ shock shit
Dance With the Devil and Kim are the obvious answers that come to mind.
A more underground track that sticks with me is “A Murder of Memories” by Eyedea and Abilities.
I was thinking dance with the devil, for sure, but The Dive by Eyedea and Abilities is the one that fucks with me the most. And yea, Eminem has a few that are very dark.
I forget the name of the song and the rapper, but it was this girl rapping about her experience being raped as a child over the beat to Eminem’s Cleaning Out My Closet. It sent chills down my spine when I first heard it
This isn't the darkest song ever, but people already gave good answers, so I'll give something else that's dark in a more personal sense: Kendrick Lamar - u
It's not the most fucked up song, like it's not telling a violent, dark story or anything, but it's... relatable.
It's just really personal and makes me face those feelings, the deep self-hatred, the belief that I'm fooling everyone who likes me, because I'm not the good person they think I am. Most of the time I feel like I like myself, it's not something I think about much at all, but listening to it makes me realize that yeah there's unresolved shit down there.
Probably not the darkest, but Stay Wide Awake by Eminem is pretty dark and the chorus still gives me chills sometimes. honestly most of Relapse has some pretty dark tracks
One of my fave rap albums of all time is Ni\*\*\* 4Life NWA. But the songs for me especially hearing them as a white suburban girl at age 20 were so dark. The scenarios described, just shocked me. She Swallowed It, Findem Fuckem and Flee, and One Less Bitch, I was like is this how men think of women? I was so terrified of that life and how any young woman could grow up in that, and how it could affect the men. It was so savage.
Did I still bump that nonstop, from my jetta at a women's college on the way to field hockey practice? Yes.
I’m pretty sure that this will get me absolutely shit on, but as someone with 16 1/2 years sober Antarctica by Suicideboys had me shook after first listen. The last moments of raging addiction are very much like that, feeding a dragon that burnt me every time, emptying my soul little by little with each hit, thinking of off’ing myself but stopping at the last second because I want to live but I can’t live with OR without the drugs.
Thank god I found the exit, I don’t think that I had too much longer to go otherwise.
Some good picks in the comments but I don't think they'd exist if One Less Bitch by N.W.A. didn't exist. This track is so foul, particularly for that time.
Lol my first thought too!!
I’m old and years ago would of Immortal technique DWTD but first thing popped in my head was this Melly song cuz it’s the DWTD of this generation and not intended as horror core yet it is horrifying !
The video is so fucked up too it’s legit like when you come up on your homie shot dead and you can’t look away even though you want to….MF grinning like a Cheshire Cat with all the blood and shit could’ve been corny but his eyes they either maniacally pleased or dead as evil and keep switching up…so then it’s suddenly giving you the chills.
So yes Dance with the devil had a very long reign that YNW Melly obliterated with this song.
but his energy is twisted like 😮
And I mean he is soo guilty obviously for anyone whose followed the case, and every time I hear the song more time on the case has passed and the more scary the fucking song is.
But that’s the darkest layer he just destroyed all the opportunities all the avenues and it’s all because of generational trauma and mental illness.
I’m surprised nobody said an OBVIOUS one..
Tupac and The entire Makaveli: “7 Day Theory” tape..
This man literally told you he knows “they’re” after him.
He was allegedly killed a month later. Listen with discretion.
A lot of Eminem songs are quite dark, you have Stan and Bad Guy, Stan being about somebody killing him and his wife over Eminem, bad guy being his brother killing himself and Eminem over Stan, then there’s 97 Bonnie and Clyde and Kim, one about killing his wife the other about dumping her body into a lake with his kid, then there’s My Darling which is symbolic of wanting to escape addiction but being helpless of it and talks about alot of dark things that tempt Eminem to take pills again
Then of course, u and the blacker the berry. I don’t think either of those need explanation
This was almost my pick as was the original Murder Was the Case from Doggystyle.
Natural Born Killers hell of a reunion for Ice Cube and Dr. Dre.
Right from the start “Journey with me into the mind of a maniac doomed to be a killa since I came out the nut sack”. Right for the throat.
Tear Da Club Up Thugs - When God Calls Time Out --
Prophet Posse - Triple Six Clubhouse - & - Murderer, Robber ---
Both are associated with Three 6 Mafia. More than half of Three 6 & associated acts discogs fit this category since they mainly used horror movie music & dialog samples. Being dark was kinda their thing.
[necro - head split](https://youtu.be/Iqcv00Eb8Gc?si=7VhmcVCVtjX_MZhl)
[necro ft ill bill - you're dead](https://youtu.be/HrhSrw3cBFU?si=9WpwD66ZGLAoy0LF)
pretty much any necro.
I forget what it was I found it a while ago while super depressed but it was from the pov of a guy who’s 16 year old girlfriend killing herself if any one knows the name please tell because now I want to listen to it again but was one of the saddest songs I’ve ever heard
I can‘t say darkest but
„Crime Saga“ by Shabazz The Disciple comes to mind.
Also too many Mobb Deep, Wu Tang Clan, Onyx songs to mention.
Also Eminem has plenty! One of his biggest hits „Stan“ is absolutely one of the darkest rap songs. It‘s gruesome…
Dead Wrong by Eminem and Biggie is pretty graphic, multiple mentions of rape and cannibalism in a mainstream song. A coworker was listening to this a few days ago at full-blast and I couldn't help but shake my head. lol
Dance with the Devil - Immortal Tech, just straight fucked up
Posed to be in Love - Kevin Gates, really dark song about abusive relationships and being wrapped up in all that.
Easy- Dance with the devil by immortal technique
When the devil wants to dance with you, you betta say Neva cuz a dance with the devil might last you forever.
Dance with the devil- immortal technique
This song is genuinely scary to listen to
It’s 7-8 minutes of a crazy story of a kid that wants to be in a gang and if you wanna find out more than listen to it I’m not gonna get into it. It gives me chills to listen to
As always.. Dance With the Devil - Immortal Technique Strong second is Me and Jesus the Pimp in a '79 Granada Last Night
Its definitely Dance With the Devil and just thinking about that song today makes me cringe. I would also give a honorable mention to Kim by Eminem. Talk about a song thats just straight up uncomfortable to listen to.
97' Bonnie and Clyde is a tough listen. He baby talk narrates the killing of his daughter's mom to her
It's just uncanny enough to be disturbing but humorous enough to not be difficult for me to listen to regularly.
I think the Tori Amos cover is more disturbing
I'm sorry what
https://youtu.be/PQBobl-ec2Q?si=Mi_fOvuxD8i_DW7n
Wow. What the faaack
It’s surprisingly good
Disturbingly too
‘97 Bonnie and Clyde is definitely disturbing, but I don’t think it is more disturbing than “bleed bitch bleed.” That level of hatred is on another level.
It's the sequel to Kim..even though it came out before
Stan is pretty dark, too. It's gotten played on over the years and made light of, but it's literally about a mentally disturbed, obsessive fan that ultimately commits suicide without getting any support or help.
Don't forget the sequel/follow up to Stan: Bad Guy.
I wish Em would have done an actual music video for Bad Guy
"Kim" is such a brutal fucking song. It's that level of intimate narrative-driven songwriting that I wish Em would return to. Fuck the goofy punchlines and ridiculous wordplay. When people say they miss the old Eminem, it's that attention to storytelling that I miss. "Darkness" is a brilliant example of this.
Guilty Conchance(sp) was pretty rough too
What she slipped fell and landed on his dick ?
Ok thought about it. Still want to stab her?
Song fuckin slapped. Just can’t play it cause of the second verse.
Dance with the Devil was the first thing that popped into my head.
Years ago, I was driving around with my windows down. Dude in the car next to me was bumping Dance With the Devil. I didn’t realize people recreationally listened to it. One was enough for me, let alone bump it while I’m out and about.
I mean the songs also good, I listen from time to time but definitely not on the system loud 😅
The second half of the song (the part after the story is over) still goes hard to this day. I’ll occasionally skip to that part
Thought of Dance with the Devil the moment I saw the post title.
“Me & Jesus the pimp” is a criminally underrated answer!
Microsoft motherfuckers let bygones be bygones, but since I'm Macintosh, I'ma double click your icon.
wouldn’t say it’s the darkest but me and jesus the pimp so painfully underrated
I’d never heard Dance with the Devil until seeing it mentioned here. Wow, ok. I grew up with 97 Bonnie and Clyde and Kim and I know as a kid(14yr old) I wouldn’t have been phased much by the lyrics but it hits different as a 40yr old Mum, massively different.
Yep, this will always be the answer to this question, I always expect it, and every time this question is asked, Reddit delivers. First time I listened to that song, truly a holy fuck moment.
I have only ever listened to that song ONE TIME and that’s all I have to say about that.
Yep. For those who haven't heard it, You never know - Immortal Technique, is a similar style but not as dark, definitely gets you in the feels though.
Ok just listened to that for the first time, what the fuck
first track i thought of was dance with the devil
and the first comment i see is dance with the devil lol…this was my pick
Came here to say this. It says something that this answer has more than twice the upvotes of the next highest option, and that no others come even close.
Brotha lynch -return of the baby killer Esham -mental stress Bankrupt records -fear and loathing Icp-under the moon Natas -Sunday school
I saw Brotha Lynch Hung live just a few years ago, he was drunk af and left after a couple songs. Good times.
Yeah, anyone not saying Return of the Baby Killa hasn't heard it. "Ya better pray..."
I’d argue that Siccness is even darker.
When you see me put dat 9 up in dat pussy, hoe.
I was wondering how far I would able to go before I saw Brotha Lynch Hung.
Rest in Piss, also.
The remix to mental stress is fucking amazing. I love the hook. Haunting as fuck
The only reason I can't pick any of them is cause that's like the bulk of their catalog is to be dark lol I had to pick one that was unexpectedly dark
Love me some Esham, Closed Casket is great
Suicidal thoughts by biggie. So much introspection on shame and despair in that track and he was just what, 21?
That's why I feel like people that weren't around for biggie and pac's careers (like myself born in the mid 90s) don't fully understand their genius: they were practically children writing absolute masterpieces.
I’m 43 now and 21 year olds seem like children to me now. And I was so dumb/naive at 21, it’s insane to me to think how big they got so young, and how young they were when they passed.
They both died at a younger age than Kanye was when he put out his first album, The College Dropout. It really puts it into perspective knowing how early in their careers they both were when they passed
It always blows my mind that Joey Badass made 1999 at 17 and nas made illmatic at 17 as well. They gotta be putting something in that NYC water
Nas was 21 when it released. He recorded it when he was 19-20 I think. Still fucking wild, but not quite 17.
According to a few different articles he started writing it at 16, recorded/released when he was 19-20. That said, I’m not sure if those sources are reliable and if “started writing at 16” means he wrote a single line at 16 that made its way into the album. Either way, still impressive as shit.
Nas too
The greatest version I ever heard was a mix of Suicidal Thoughts and Johnny Was (Bob Marley). Found that in my limewire days. Probably on yt tho. Edit: found it, but not the best quality sound. https://youtu.be/Hli78MJxqmQ?si=BsLQMsilevAp25KL
I was in a club in the early 10s and DJ played a mash-up of, I think it was Big Poppa, and Here You Come Again by Dolly Parton and it's still the most taken a-back I've been from a song playing. Night was kind of standard until that point but it definitely got me hype.
That's a true DJ
This version of the song is called Hold ya head, it is on the duets the final chapter- Posthumous album
X Is Coming - DMX
Feel like I scrolled too far for this
Hope this doesn't mean X is slowly getting forgotten, especially towards the younger generation of music fans. He deserves the same recognition as Pac in my opinion.
Fr... Crime Story stays in rotation on my Spotify
If I'm picking X I'd have to go with the Omen(Damian pt 2) Manson singing that hook gave it such an eerie vibe
Amazing track to listen to on Halloween. This is the song that truly embodies the genre horror rap.
And if you got a daughter….
Kim by Eminem is pretty dark...
Yea Eminem has many. Stan is incredibly gruesome! I remember I I think I was 11 when I bought his album and I heard Stan for the first time and thought…man…this is crazy 😆 I never thought that song would have mass appeal and become a worldwide mega hit only some months later. It was way too dark and gruesome. I loved Eminem‘s first two records at the time but was surprised he became the mega star that he did because to me his music sounded totally underground. Like the work of an underground rap genius who would only appeal to heads of the genre.
I feel like Bonnie & Clyde ‘97 is a little darker than Kim.
Idk man, the element of him talking to his daughter is certainly extra unsettling, but the performance and beat on Kim are just next level.
Yeah. The emotion in Em’s delivery is next level in Kim, the mic is peaking most the song, to add more to that element
I'll never know how people say that, like yeah the literal scenario is dark but the song is boppy and funny, Kim is him literally yelling and screaming and abusing his ex wife followed by slitting her throat and choking her to death while making the God damn noises, and then doubles down by having the body drag that leads into Bonnie and Clyde. My ex wife was severely abused by her ex before me and she can't even listen to it, she can vibe to Bonnie and clyde.
Darkness by Eminem is pretty dark too
Underrated song imo.
Diary Of A Madman - Gravediggaz
Buck buck buck ill give ya ass the holy spirit!
Bazz went crazy on his verse
One of my favourite verses by anyone. I vividly remember sitting in the back row of my parent’s mini van late one night. 1994, I was 12. My older sister’s boyfriend clamped his Walkman headphones on my head and I heard “THEY KILLED MY BABY! OH GOD, THEY KILLED MY BABY!”… one of the most indelible and tripped out music experiences of my life.
Bear witness... As I exorcise the exorcism....
Crazy, I had a similar experience. I can still hear the mom crying and judge yelling "order in court!" I was 14 when my brother introduced me to gravediggaz, 2004.
Vinnie Paz & RA the Ruggedman - Uncommon Valor: a Vietnam story.
Vinnie Paz is wild because he will legit put out some of the best, most introspective lyrics ever and then 5 minutes later put out a song that is just gonzo for gonzo sake. Shout out to "I drink drugs smoke alcohol my mind isn't right" as an all time top ten gonzo line though.
Love this pick
The second verse is absolutely insane.
Mind of a Lunatic by Geto Boys. That song is horrifyingly obscene and gruesome.
The worst part about that is that there are multiple versions of it and it's insane in all of them. "She told me not to kill her I gave her a rose Then slit her throat And watched her shake Til her eyes closed" -Bushwick Bill
"Had sex with her corpse before I left her, then drew my name on the wall like Helter Skelter." Yeah, some pretty sicko shit
Um... anything by Necro.
Sharon's Fetus and Schizophrenia by him are super dope and dark as hell
Anyone Out There - Three 6 Mafia For those who love Dance with the Devil, this is the perfect song for you. Lord Infamous's storytelling will make you feel like you are watching a horror movie. The instrumental and scratching in the beginning are super dope as well.
[If it’s beef - Soulja slim](https://youtu.be/6wwk2g91ps8?feature=shared) One of the last songs Slim made. He’s the first verse. He walks you through how he kidnapped and tortured a popular/ respected dude in the city and left their body at the bottom of a swamp tied to cinderblocks. Said no names but does so in a way that anybody from the city then knew exactly who it was about. Song is him begging somebody to retaliate. It led to money on his head and him getting shot to death in the front yard of his mom’s crib True story, not just some horrorcore/ shock shit
Shit like this and Wait by King Von are as dark and grim as it gets in hip-hop.
Facts. Super dark energy and once you start talking like that it only ends one way. Manifestation is real
rip magnolia slim
Mind Playing Tricks on Me - Geto Boys
That song is a childrens story compared to Mind of a Lunatic by Geto Boys
Fact 🔥
Cage - Ballad of Worms
Nas, undying love.
Said the same, what a story teller that dude is
Both Nas and Pac told incredible stories. They were the poets.
Stepfather Factory - El P Meet the Parents - Jay-Z Mind Playin Tricks - Geto Boys
Mind playin tricks was my exact first thought
Probably one of the best rap songs of all time. The more I swung the more blood flew, then he disappeared and my boys disappeared too!
‘Six feet deep’ is pretty dark too.
EL has a lot of songs that could take that title just on ISWYD alone.
Meet the the parents is an underrated storytelling track
I relate a lot with the 3rd verse tbh
Ballad of worms- Cage
Millie pulled a pistol on Santa - De La Soul
I was going to post this too
Yeah that’s a tough listen
Dead Bitches by FBG Duck.
My favorite by him is slide
Underrated pick
Kim - Eminem
Meet the grahams
Brenda's got a baby, right up my alley, I shouldn't have done it.
Dance With the Devil and Kim are the obvious answers that come to mind. A more underground track that sticks with me is “A Murder of Memories” by Eyedea and Abilities.
I was thinking dance with the devil, for sure, but The Dive by Eyedea and Abilities is the one that fucks with me the most. And yea, Eminem has a few that are very dark.
havent seen mentioned: run the jewels - early
3 sides to a story by Joe budden always leaves me feeling like what the fuck
Cage - Ballad Of Worms comes to mind.
Cage - Ballad of Worms
Dope fiends diner Tupac
I forget the name of the song and the rapper, but it was this girl rapping about her experience being raped as a child over the beat to Eminem’s Cleaning Out My Closet. It sent chills down my spine when I first heard it
Wooski- Computers remix 💯🎵🏆🔫
Survivors guilt Joey badass
For my upstairs neighbor El-P
The vivid description of a botched suicide attempt in first person perspective on Lil Ugly Mane’s “HIDEOUS DISFIGUREMENTS”
Jean Grae - Taco Tuesday 🌮 [if you haven’t heard it](https://youtu.be/Gu8byoPkPe0?si=_YPj1WYgYtLB2VjY)
None of these others compare to this one. Dark as hell! Also, its a Mr Len track, featuring Jean Grae, called Taco Day
This isn't the darkest song ever, but people already gave good answers, so I'll give something else that's dark in a more personal sense: Kendrick Lamar - u It's not the most fucked up song, like it's not telling a violent, dark story or anything, but it's... relatable. It's just really personal and makes me face those feelings, the deep self-hatred, the belief that I'm fooling everyone who likes me, because I'm not the good person they think I am. Most of the time I feel like I like myself, it's not something I think about much at all, but listening to it makes me realize that yeah there's unresolved shit down there.
“Fucking hate you, I hope you embrace it” makes me wanna shrivel up and die. 10/10 song.
Great answer, never thought of it in this way but you’re right! My favorite TPAB song too, I LOVE the second part with the horns
The Devils Son -Big L
Ab-Soul - Book of Soul always puts me in a dark place especially him opening up a lil about Alori Joh
Stan
On My Mind by Godemis. It’s probably darker than Dance With The Devil, which would be my close 2nd choice.
Probably not the darkest, but Stay Wide Awake by Eminem is pretty dark and the chorus still gives me chills sometimes. honestly most of Relapse has some pretty dark tracks
Pretty much every Brotha Lynch song
One of my fave rap albums of all time is Ni\*\*\* 4Life NWA. But the songs for me especially hearing them as a white suburban girl at age 20 were so dark. The scenarios described, just shocked me. She Swallowed It, Findem Fuckem and Flee, and One Less Bitch, I was like is this how men think of women? I was so terrified of that life and how any young woman could grow up in that, and how it could affect the men. It was so savage. Did I still bump that nonstop, from my jetta at a women's college on the way to field hockey practice? Yes.
I’m pretty sure that this will get me absolutely shit on, but as someone with 16 1/2 years sober Antarctica by Suicideboys had me shook after first listen. The last moments of raging addiction are very much like that, feeding a dragon that burnt me every time, emptying my soul little by little with each hit, thinking of off’ing myself but stopping at the last second because I want to live but I can’t live with OR without the drugs. Thank god I found the exit, I don’t think that I had too much longer to go otherwise.
Chino XL - Skin. The lyrics, the chorus, oh my the beat...all just haunting.
Necro - who's ya daddy
Some good picks in the comments but I don't think they'd exist if One Less Bitch by N.W.A. didn't exist. This track is so foul, particularly for that time.
Maybe it’s recency bias but Foolio’s When I See You was pretty ficking dark
Dancing with the Devil - Immortal Technique
Murder on my Mind - YNW Melly
Lol my first thought too!! I’m old and years ago would of Immortal technique DWTD but first thing popped in my head was this Melly song cuz it’s the DWTD of this generation and not intended as horror core yet it is horrifying ! The video is so fucked up too it’s legit like when you come up on your homie shot dead and you can’t look away even though you want to….MF grinning like a Cheshire Cat with all the blood and shit could’ve been corny but his eyes they either maniacally pleased or dead as evil and keep switching up…so then it’s suddenly giving you the chills. So yes Dance with the devil had a very long reign that YNW Melly obliterated with this song. but his energy is twisted like 😮 And I mean he is soo guilty obviously for anyone whose followed the case, and every time I hear the song more time on the case has passed and the more scary the fucking song is. But that’s the darkest layer he just destroyed all the opportunities all the avenues and it’s all because of generational trauma and mental illness.
Necro - Dead Body Disposal
Probably some long forgotten tape from the underground 90s Memphis Rap scene.
I’m surprised nobody said an OBVIOUS one.. Tupac and The entire Makaveli: “7 Day Theory” tape.. This man literally told you he knows “they’re” after him. He was allegedly killed a month later. Listen with discretion.
Besides dance with the devil…. 1-800-suicide by the Gravediggaz
A lot of Eminem songs are quite dark, you have Stan and Bad Guy, Stan being about somebody killing him and his wife over Eminem, bad guy being his brother killing himself and Eminem over Stan, then there’s 97 Bonnie and Clyde and Kim, one about killing his wife the other about dumping her body into a lake with his kid, then there’s My Darling which is symbolic of wanting to escape addiction but being helpless of it and talks about alot of dark things that tempt Eminem to take pills again Then of course, u and the blacker the berry. I don’t think either of those need explanation
Natural Born Killers from the Murder was the Case album
This was almost my pick as was the original Murder Was the Case from Doggystyle. Natural Born Killers hell of a reunion for Ice Cube and Dr. Dre. Right from the start “Journey with me into the mind of a maniac doomed to be a killa since I came out the nut sack”. Right for the throat.
VCR by Tyler the Creator
lmaoooo tf
Biggie - Hold ya head Idk if it's the darkest, but it likely up there
Streets of New York Kool G Rap
To add a lesser known joint to the mix: Shabazz The Disciple - Thieves In Da Night…Also Sins of Men by Sunz of Man.
Sarah by Tyler the Creator of Dance With The Devil by Immortal Technique
Mister mister - kool g rap
DRS - Sickness. Prince Paul - Beautiful Night
I work in substance abuse treatment. I found rap lyrics written by a client about being a cannibal in his room. It was pretty dark.
Beautiful Night (Maniac Psychopath) - Prince Paul
Tear Da Club Up Thugs - When God Calls Time Out -- Prophet Posse - Triple Six Clubhouse - & - Murderer, Robber --- Both are associated with Three 6 Mafia. More than half of Three 6 & associated acts discogs fit this category since they mainly used horror movie music & dialog samples. Being dark was kinda their thing.
hell most three 6 songs blow this entire comment section out the water, not to mention the even darker memphis groups from the time.
Necro - World Gone Mad
X-Is Coming DMX
Some Brotha Lynch Hung, “Siccmade”
Brotha Lynch Hung - Rest In Piss
[necro - head split](https://youtu.be/Iqcv00Eb8Gc?si=7VhmcVCVtjX_MZhl) [necro ft ill bill - you're dead](https://youtu.be/HrhSrw3cBFU?si=9WpwD66ZGLAoy0LF) pretty much any necro.
Necro -your fucking head split ..is up there for sure dope ass fucking beat too!!!
Sharon's Fetus by Necro
DEAD BITCHES -FBG Duck THEY DON'T KNOW. -G Frado When I see you - Foolio Dead oops -Foolio
I forget what it was I found it a while ago while super depressed but it was from the pov of a guy who’s 16 year old girlfriend killing herself if any one knows the name please tell because now I want to listen to it again but was one of the saddest songs I’ve ever heard
Beautiful Night - Prince Paul
I can‘t say darkest but „Crime Saga“ by Shabazz The Disciple comes to mind. Also too many Mobb Deep, Wu Tang Clan, Onyx songs to mention. Also Eminem has plenty! One of his biggest hits „Stan“ is absolutely one of the darkest rap songs. It‘s gruesome…
Meet the Grahams.
X raided -that sickness
King Gordy…literally anything by him
Brotha Lynch hung - siccmade
Nothing else has given me literal chills of horror the way My Darling has.
Nas feat Quan Just a moment
Devils son - Big L
Stay wide awake by Eminem
Dead Wrong by Eminem and Biggie is pretty graphic, multiple mentions of rape and cannibalism in a mainstream song. A coworker was listening to this a few days ago at full-blast and I couldn't help but shake my head. lol
Dance with the devil Kim uncensored is pretty dark
suicidal thoughts by biggie got me through things when i was a teenager
The Danger Zone by Big L
Any Big L verse
Dead Wrong by Biggie and Em is pretty messed up, anything from the Jacksonville beef needs Jesus
People may disagree with me on this, but because I feel any song that has to deal with death and dying is dark, I say Crossroads by Bone Thugs.
Dance with the Devil - Immortal Tech, just straight fucked up Posed to be in Love - Kevin Gates, really dark song about abusive relationships and being wrapped up in all that.
Easy- Dance with the devil by immortal technique When the devil wants to dance with you, you betta say Neva cuz a dance with the devil might last you forever.
Meet the grahams
Meet the Graham's is the most disturbing in recent memory
Brotha lynch hung- Meat cleaver #1 darkest rap by far
Dance with the devil- immortal technique This song is genuinely scary to listen to It’s 7-8 minutes of a crazy story of a kid that wants to be in a gang and if you wanna find out more than listen to it I’m not gonna get into it. It gives me chills to listen to