20 of Hip-Hop’s Funniest Moments in 2016
There’s no doubt 2016 has been a crazy year for hip-hop. From awards show moments going viral to Internet beefs to record-breaking albums and legendary comebacks, rappers have kept us entertained even when they weren’t dropping music. Along with these many moments of triumph came plenty of epic fails, hilarious throwbacks and Internet-fueled jokes. The hilarious viral video of Rick Ross riding his horse for the first time (the jokes tell themselves), Wiz Khalifa calling out the paparazzi for blocking his mackin’ and Birdman telling the hosts of Power 105’s The Breakfast Club to “put some respek on my name” are just a few of hip-hop’s funniest moments this year.
Some of the year’s funniest moments didn’t even involve actual rappers but were inspired by the culture itself. On April Fool’s Day, Hamburger Helper dropped a surprisingly fire mixtape, Watch the Stove. The project gained more than five million plays on SoundCloud in a week and proved to be one of the most successful marketing gimmicks in the company’s history.
“We thought it was going to be funny for our followers and people get a couple of jokes off. We didn’t even put a ton of money behind it, this was a thing that got viral because people spread it around. It was crazy,” said the company’s Marketing Communications Planner, Liana Miller, in an interview with XXL.
Meanwhile, comedian Kevin Hart, also known by his rap persona Chocolate Droppa, dropped a mixtape in October, complete with big name features, all to promote his upcoming movie.
In a particularly hilarious year in hip-hop, check out 20 of the funniest moments 2016 had to offer.
1
Lil Yachty goes sailing for the first time.
Lil Boat earned his nautical stripes and XXL caught it all on camera.
2
Birdman wants “respek” on his name.
Birdman stormed out of his radio interview at Power 105’s The Breakfast Club, but not before telling the hosts to “put some respek on my name.”
3
Hamburger Helper drops Watch the Stove mixtape.
The marketing team behind Hamburger Helper had the genius idea to drop a mixtape on April Fool’s Day — and it turned out to be fire (fire emojis included).
4
Desiigner’s XXL Freshman freestyle takes over the Internet.
Desiigner’s XXL Freshman freestyle, unofficially dubbed the “Timmy Turner” freestyle, was a viral hit that got remixed aplenty by SoundCloud producers and fans online.
5
French Montana throwing Effen Vodka in the trash
An intoxicated French tossed a bottle of 50 Cent’s liquor brand, Effen Vodka, into an open trash can while at the Power 105 studio.
6
Fat Joe and Remy Ma play “Real Friends”
7
Lil Uzi Vert’s incites mobs at festivals
Lil Uzi Vert made his festival sets interesting this past summer when he would run through the massive crowds, which would then incite mob scenes around him.
8
Rappers react to Rich Chigga
Rappers like Ghostface Killah, the Flatbush Zombies, 21 Savage, Cam’ron and more react to 16-year-old rapper Rich Chigga’s viral video for “Dat $tick.”
9
Drake’s long lost letter to his mom
On top of having the best year in his career, Drizzy unearthed an old letter he wrote to his IOU back when he was grindin.
10
Bill Clinton memes at Made in America Festival
President Bill Clinton made a surprise appearance at Made in America Festival in Philly and when photos of him talking with Jay Z, Chance The Rapper, Travis Scott and more surfaced, the Internet went crazy making memes
11
Cam’ron Ethers Instagram Hater
When a commenter came at Killa Cam on Instagram, saying “this ain’t 94,” the Dipset MC ethered the woman with a clapback comment, saying she’s a sginle mom based on how bad she dresses her baby.
Eugene Gologurnsky, Getty Images
12
Rick Ross rides a horse for the first time
13
22 Savage confuses the Internet
22 Savage, a living parody of ATL breakout star 21 Savage, had the Internet seriously confused for a few days after World Star premiered his video.
14
The Mannequin Challenge takes over hip-hop
As the #MannequinChallenge took the Internet by storm, rappers took the challenge in stride. One of the best was executed by duo Rae Sremmurd, the creators of “Black Beatles.” Their track shot to No. 1 on the Billboard charts thanks to being attached to the Internet craze.
#Mannequinchallenge live ❄️ pic.twitter.com/y0aUTIfyTn
— Swae Lee Lee Swae (@iHipsterLee) November 4, 2016
15
Ja Rule makes fun of himself
Ja showed he doesn’t take himself so seriously in his hilarious Foot Locker commercial. The New York MC poked fun at his career by playing an Uber driver in the TV spot.
16
Drake and French Montana’s share the Snipe Commandments
There’s “guy code”…and then there’s this. French Montana and Drake have come up with 10 Snipe Commandments for bagging a girl, or a “ting” as they say.
17
Yung Joc gets dragged for his hair
Yung Joc got dragged on Twitter when he posted a pic of his new ‘do, which he claimed was for a movie role.
18
Wiz Khalifa yells at paparazzi for cockblocking
Wiz Khalifa was tight when a group of paparazzi’s blew up his chances of getting a “some buns” outside of an NYC club.
19
Chocolate Droppa releases a mixtape, ‘What Now?’
Kevin Hart a.k.a. Chocolate Droppa, has spent years making comedic raps. But in 2016, he dropped his first official mixtape via Motown Records. Features on the tape include Lil Yachty, Migos, Trey Songz and more.
20
Migos make a jingle for Rap Snacks
Rap Snacks have been around since 1994, but Migos members Takeoff and Quavo were naturals when it came to promoting their new Sour Cream With a Dab of Ranch potato chip flavor.
The Migos rap snacks lit ?? pic.twitter.com/jA8GABwQDn
— DJ Akademiks (@IamAkademiks) November 30, 2016
