3. The D.O.C— “It’s Funky Enough”
The D.O.C.’s “It’s Funky Enough’ wasn’t on the gangster tip lyrically, but it’s a landmark moment in gangster rap nonetheless. The track, from D.O.C.’s Ruthless Records LP No One Can Do It Better, marked the start of the partnership between the Dallas transplant and the song’s producer, Dr. Dre. The pair would ultimately collaborate on the defining albums of the gangster rap era, including The Chronic (for which D.O.C. wrote Dre’s lyrics) and N.W.A.’s Efil4zaggin (ditto). And “It’s Funky Enough” is also a landmark moment in fake patois. It’s basically where everything else on this list derives from. When it comes to rapping in a put-on Jamaican accent, truly no one can do it better.