Giving props to the late, great Nirvana front-man, twenty years after his passing.
The grim anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death by shotgun blast is coming up tomorrow. It's hard to believe that 20 years have passed since the fateful day he took his own life at age 27, but he and his band left an enduring legacy.
After all this time, Nirvana's second and third albums, Nevermind and In Utero, stand as unqualified classics, while Cobain himself is still widely considered the "last real rock star." Part of this reputation is surely due to the power of the music he made with the pioneering grunge band Nirvana, while part of his reputation stems from public fascination with his tragic and mysterious demise. (His death was officially ruled a suicide, but some wild conspiracy theories circulate to this day.)
Not only is Cobain idolized by generations of aspiring rock musicians, but his live-fast-die-young biography has become the stuff of legend among many rap stars as well. Kurt may be gone but his memory lives on—through the words of these rappers who continue to draw inspiration from the former Nirvana front-man.
Giving props to the late, great Nirvana front-man, twenty years after his passing.
The grim anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death by shotgun blast is coming up tomorrow. It's hard to believe that 20 years have passed since the fateful day he took his own life at age 27, but he and his band left an enduring legacy.
After all this time, Nirvana's second and third albums, Nevermind and In Utero, stand as unqualified classics, while Cobain himself is still widely considered the "last real rock star." Part of this reputation is surely due to the power of the music he made with the pioneering grunge band Nirvana, while part of his reputation stems from public fascination with his tragic and mysterious demise. (His death was officially ruled a suicide, but some wild conspiracy theories circulate to this day.)
Not only is Cobain idolized by generations of aspiring rock musicians, but his live-fast-die-young biography has become the stuff of legend among many rap stars as well. Kurt may be gone but his memory lives on—through the words of these rappers who continue to draw inspiration from the former Nirvana front-man.
Lil Wayne Had "Teen Spirit"
In an interview with Canadian music savant Nardwuar, Weezy explained how a kid from Chopper City fell in love with the Seattle grunge band. "When I was young there was a show called The Box," he told Nardwuar. "And you used to call the station and order a video. And the 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' video would always be on. You had no choice but to get into it."
2Pac's Cobain Comparison
After being charged with felony rape and sodomy, Tupac told a reporter, "After this, the whole world gonna owe me an apology. Because I went through this and I didn't blow my brains out like Kurt Cobain. And I should. Cause this is a crazy, crazy mess." Pac would keep his head up for another two years before going out in a hail of gunfire at age 25—two years younger than Cobain was.
A$AP Rocky Reflects on Suicidal Thoughts
Everybody knows the A$AP Mob has love for the '90s—but that usually means '90s rap rather than grunge. However in a Rolling Stone Q&A, Rocky explained why Kurt Cobain received not one but two shout-outs on the Long.Live.A$AP album: "Throughout this whole thing, there has been a lot of scrutiny and rumors and antagonism," said Rocky. "On 'Phoenix,' I talk about thoughts of suicide and my whole life. It's called 'Phoenix' because it's talking about dying—but when a phoenix dies, it's reborn from its own ashes. I related to that."
Jay Z Kings Cobain
On these bars from a classic Hot 97 freestyle, which later emerged on the mixtape joint Most Kingz, Jay ponders the downside of amassing excessive amounts of money, power, and respect. In a verse that also name-drops Basquiat, Biggie, 2Pac, MLK, Malcolm X, and Michael Jackson, Cobain is the one caucasian who warrants a mention: "Most kings get driven so insane / That they try to hit the same vein that Kurt Cobain did."
In his book Decoded, Jay elaborates on the theme. "Cobain was like Basquiat," Jay wrote, quoting a passage from the late rocker's suicide note ("Why don't you just enjoy it?"). "It's amazing how much of a mindfuck success can be."
Freddie Gibbs Gives Praise
Asked about his favorite rock band, Gary Indiana rapper Freddie Gibbs gave it up for Nirvana without hesitation. "I didn’t really fuck with too much rock until that grunge shit. Those niggas were grimey. And they were following all these fuckin' guys singing ballads. Kurt changed it up. That's why it was such a revolution when he commited suicide. Plus, you mess with fuckin' Courtney Love, you're bound to kill yourself. But I love Nirvana. I still bump 'Smells Like Teen Spirit.' I used to listen to it before all my football games." No love for Courtney? You know Gibbs is a Str8 Killa.
Kid Cudi Pays His Respects
Like so many aspiring rock musicians before him, Kid Cudi was forced to grapple with the legacy of Kurt Cobain while he tried to roll out his own two-man rock band WZRD. During the Summer of 2011, Cudi and some friends visited Seattle's Viretta Park, by the house where Kurt Cobain lived and died. Tons of Nirvana fans will be gathering at the park tomorrow to mark the 20th anniverary, but Cudi passed through the parks wooden benches on a quiet day, and pulled out a Sharpie to leave his own personal tribute to Cobain. More recently he paid tribute via Twitter, recognizing Kurt's infamous Rolling Stone cover protest: "Corporate magazines still suck."
Tyler, The Creator's Tribute
Like Cobain and many other iconoclastic rockers and rappers, Odd Future's Tyler, The Creator has a somewhat prickly relationship with the mainstream music press. When asked how he plans to remember Cobain's legacy, Tyler spelled out his plans in a media-bashing Tweet.
Talib Kweli on Nirvana's Influence
"When Nirvana hit, you had black kids into hip-hop watching MTV for alternative videos, getting into Red Hot Chili Peppers," Talib Kweli told a Spin writer, in seeking to explain Nirvana's broad appeal. "Then Ice-T came out with Body Count. I think all that set the stage for Nirvana. And Nevermind was a damn near perfect album, like Bob Marley's Talkin' Blues or John Coltrane's A Love Supreme."
Prodigy Gives Props To Another Infamous Artist
"I'm a big fan of Kurt Cobain," P, who's currently touring to support his new album The Infamous Mobb Deep, told Complex. "I put a picture of him holding a gun on my Instagram for his birthday. He's definitely one of my favorite rock artists. 'Heart-shaped Box' is my shit. It was something different about him because he had a very challenged voice. They made a whole new movement—the indie rock, the grunge. He was like an amazing artist, man. The vocals, the lyrics, everything. When I heard about his death I didn't know who to believe. They tried to make it look like a suicide."
Trinidad James Ponders His Own Mortality
"Unfortunately I'm not as well versed on Kurt as I maybe should be," the 'All Gold Everything' rapper admits to Complex. "I find it strange though that he died at 27, like the other greats. I'm 26 so sometimes I wonder about that."
