The Most Surprising Celeb Name Drops in Rap Songs

In honor of Kylie, Miley, and Bill O'Reilly

By Julia Hays Feb 04, 2016 9:22 PMTags
Kylie Jenner, Miley Cyrus, Bill O'ReillyGetty Images

Shout out to Kylie Jenner, Miley Cyrus, and Bill O'Reilly.

All three celebs get name dropped in Nicki Minaj's new verse on Yo Gotti's "Down in the DM" remix.

"Then he put his hands in my pants

Felt them thick lips and got wood

He said, 'Kylie wuss good?'

I said, 'Miley wuss good?'

I said, 'Could you pay my bills like O'Reilly? Wuss good?'"

Beyond the fact that all three rhyme, obvs, it's the O'Reilly reference that we weren't expecting.

Jenner's constantly in the media, and Cyrus and Minaj have some MTV VMAs history, so spitting a Fox News host's name after two young starlets is an interesting choice.

Rappers are constantly working pop culture references into their songs—and some of their picks really keep us on our toes (and send us on some Wikipedia deep dives.)

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Like when Action Bronson wanted to rap about marijuana and threw a Susan Sarandon reference into the mix.

On A$AP Rocky's "1Train" Bronson raps:

"You see us scramblin, sellin Susan Sarandon

the cloud of smoke like the Phantom."

Sarandon responded and took the name drop as an invite.

Isn't it fun finding out who your favorite rappers are a fan of, based on their name drops?

Like Drake with Guy Fieri.

 

Scott Brinegar/ Food Network

On his song "6 Man" Drizzy raps:

"Fieri, I'm in the kitchen, I'm a magician."

Now all we can see is Drake binge-watching Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, just like we do.

Kathy Hutchins/ZUMA Press

Kanye West told us in "Jesus Walks" which morning TV show was clearly his guilty pleasure.

"I'm just trying to say the way school need teachers

The way Kathie Lee needed Regis that's the way I need Jesus."

And the Wu-Tang Clan rapped about a throwback game show in "Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing Ta F' Wit":

"I be tossin', enforcin', my style is awesome

I'm causin' more Family Feuds than Richard Dawson!"

CNN screen grab

Some hip hop songs try to turn a celeb name into a larger cultural reference, like when Beyonce wanted to make Monica Lewinsky's name into a verb.

On her song "Partition," Bey says:

"He popped all my buttons and he ripped my blouse

He Monica Lewinski'd all on my gown."

For a song on a 2013 album, it's a bit surprising to hear a reference to a mid-'90s sex scandal.

Lewinkski also issued a correction to Queen Bey, via Vanity Fair: "I think you meant 'Bill Clinton'd all on my gown,' not 'Monica Lewinsky'd.'"

Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Though Eminem is the king of dropping celeb names into his verses, sometimes starting feuds as a result, one of our favorite surprise name drops (in the song "Ass Like That") isn't a person at all.

"I am Triumph, The Puppet Dog, I am a mere puppet

I can get away with anything I say and you will love it."

That's right, the rapper brought Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog into the mix, a character that debuted on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in the late '90s.

Because if you've already worked your way through so many celebs, why not turn to puppets?