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The Best Rap Cameos On “The Simpsons”

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The Simpsons has been an American comedy institution for over thirty years. Over the course of 34 seasons, the show has hosted myriad cameos from celebrities of all walks of life. The most recent guest was Lizzo, who made her Springfield debut on the show’s 34th season finale.

From professional athletes to politicians, The Simpsons has shown no signs of stopping when it comes to working with famous folks. While Lizzo certainly made a splash with her appearance, she was by no means the first figure from the world of hip-hop to grace the show. Let’s look at some of the best cameos from rappers on The Simpsons.

6. Snoop Dogg, RZA & Common

A trio of rap iconoclasts made their debut on The Simpsons in 2017 during the show’s 28th season. Snoop Dogg, RZA, and Common were featured in “The Great Phatsby: Part Two.” The two-part episode centered around Mr. Burns seeking revenge on the rap mogul Jay G, voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson.

Mr. Burns, with help from Millhouse (Springfield’s local hip-hop head) attempted to produce a take down track against Jay G. Snoop, RZA, and Common were brought in help elevate the song. However, things didn’t shake out well for Springfield’s most famous miser. Jay G acquired a copy of the song before it could be performed, thus thwarting Burns’ plan.

5. Pharrell Williams

In the episode “Walking Big & Tall” it is revealed that several towns across the country have the same anthem as Springfield. It turned out that Hans Moleman was the former mayor of Springfield. During his tenure, he bought the song from a salesman who had also sold it to several cities. Moleman didn’t think it would be an issue since people from Springfield never traveled.

Lisa and Bart offer to compose a new anthem. However, in a hilarious cameo appearance, Pharrell Williams also proposes to write the song for Springfield. Of course, he was denied and banished from the town via being tied to a horse. Pharrell musically laments, “Shelbyville rules, Springfield drools!” as the horse gallops away.

4. Sir Mix-A-Lot

“Treehouse of Horror XVII” featured a trio of outstanding horror parodies. However, the most memorable segment was “Married to the Blob.” The tale centered around Homer becoming an insatiable, gelatinous monster and wreaking havoc on Springfield.

During his rampage, Homer gets a taste for eating heavy-set people. He hunts them down to a parody version of Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby Got Back,” appropriately titled “Baby Likes Fat.” Sir Mix-A-Lot did not appear in the episode, but he did record the tongue-in-cheek track. It was the kind of self-parody The Simpsons has always been known for.

3. Cypress Hill

The first rappers ever to cameo on The Simpsons were the hip-hop trio, Cypress Hill. Way back in the season 7 episode “Homerpalooza,” the group appeared along side other musical acts like The Smashing Pumpkins and Sonic Youth. However, Cypress Hill had the best gag in the episode.

The rap group was featured backstage of the show’s fictitious music fest, Hullabalooza. Cypress Hill’s gag centered around ordering the London Symphony Orchestra while they were high. The result was a unique version of “Insane In the Brain” that even got Marge bobbing her head.

2. 50 Cent

In the season 16 episode “Pranksta Rap,” Bart found his passion for hip-hop and tried his hand at being an MC. Marge and Homer forbade Bart from attending a benefit rap concert called Murder 4 Life. Bart (being Bart) snuck out to attend the show and found himself on stage with his favorite rapper, Alcatraaaz.

After impressing Alcatraaaz with his rap skills, Bart was taken back home in the rapper’s Hummer limo. During the trip, none other than 50 Cent rolled up next to them. In a wonderful exchange, 50 Cent delivered some self-deprecating humor and admiration for the fledgling MC.

1. Ludacris

“You Kent Always Say What You Want” was an episode about rehabilitating anchorman Kent Brockman after an on-air gaffe. However, the cold open of the episode featured the absolute best rapper cameo The Simpsons has offered.

Ludacris appeared as an anthropomorphic tube of toothpaste named Luda-Crest in an informational dentistry video called “Menace Tooth Society.” Luda-Crest fights off various tooth diseases and raps about oral health. It was as baffling as it was hilarious. Shortly after the video, Ludacris appears again as himself, threatening a dentist with legal action. Of all the rappers who’ve made a cameo on The Simpsons, Ludacris’ appearance was by far the most memorable.

Cypress Hill Is Bringing Their London Orchestra Joke From ‘The Simpsons’ To An Upcoming Real-Life Show

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Back in a 1996 episode of The Simpsons, Cypress Hill made a cameo at Hullabalooza, a music festival that Homer had attended. During their appearance, the band was also part of a funny joke that involved them hiring a live orchestra.

After Homer and the rest of the Simpsons family went backstage, they encountered a crew member trying to find out which act booked the London Symphony Orchestra. “Cypress Hill, I’m looking in your direction,” he said.

“I think we did,” Cypress Hill replied, asking the orchestra, “Do you know ‘Insane in the Brain’?”

Cypress Hill and the London Orchestra then performed that song live on stage, in cartoon form. Now, fans will have the opportunity to hear it in real life. The band replied to an Instagram throwback video of The Simpsons scene to announce the news.

“July in Denver with the Colorado symphony we are playing Black Sunday in its entirety to celebrate its 30 [year] anniversary. After that, we plan to make the gig with the London Symphony a reality. Salut to The Simpsons for birthing the idea,” they wrote, according to NME.

Over the years, they’ve been trying to put something together, teasing in a Twitter conversation from 2017, “Let’s make something happen for real.”

While it’s unclear when the London Symphony gig will be taking place, Cypress Hill fans have something to look forward to, and The Simpsons lovers have another show-to-reality prediction in their books.

Check out the original clip above.

Vevo Teams Up With Public Enemy’s Chuck D To Celebrate 50 Years Of Hip-Hop

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Chuck D

Video network Vevo teamed up with Public Enemy’s Chuck D to celebrate 50 years of hip-hop. There will be programming including “Legends In Concert,” “Hip-Hop International,” “2K Hip-Hop Legends,” and more. The world’s leading video network will also collaborate with a hefty, yet, impressive list of hip-hop artists with appearances throughout 2023 from legends such […]

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Ice Cube, Cypress Hill, Meth & Red Announced As ‘High Hopes’ Headliners

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West Coast hip hop legends Ice Cube and Cypress Hill announced as the headliners among a roster of classic rap acts for the upcoming annualHigh Hopes concert series in Ontario, California on November 19, in association with BobbyDee Presents and Dr. Greenthumb. The concert lineup includes Method Man and Redman, Xzibit, and The Doggpound.

MORE: Twitter Declares Ice Cube’s “No Vaseline” Best Diss Track Of All Time

“This is a legendary and iconic lineup,” said B-Real of Cypress Hill, aka Dr. Greenthumb in announcement press release. “High Hopes has curated the smoker’s ultimate playlist, and it’s a platform that I’ve supported since day one. This is the beginning of a new movement that Chang and I started with our Smoke Out. We’re excited to roll out even more surprises this year and in the future.”

High Hopes Concert Series features world-class artists, iconic headliners, and some of the most influential trailblazers in the music industry, coming together to support cannabis culture and celebrate the legalization of weed.

“We’re still in prohibition,” said Chang Weisberg, High Hopes Co-Promoter. “We have to keep up the fight for decriminalization, common sense tax reform, and safe access. High Hopes is a platform for music and medicine.”

MORE: Ice Cube Praises Lil Wayne, Says His “Metaphors Are Otherworldly”

High Hopes will begin at 7pm PT and end at 12am PT. General tickets are on sale now. Purchase tickets here.

In other news, it was announced this week that Ice Cube has taken over as CEO of his co-founded 3-on-3 basketball league, Big 3. Cube will be replacing recently appointed CEO, Chris Hannan, who was given the position February 2021. The BIG3’s Monster Energy Celebrity Game will be broadcast on CBS this Sunday at 4 p.m. ET. 

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Peloton Is Being Sued For Using Unlicensed Cypress Hill Songs

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Peloton
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You’d think Peloton would have figured out their music licensing rights deals by now. Considering the company has partnered with Beyoncé, Eminem, and David Bowie’s estate in the recent past, streaming music to play alongside their cycling workout programs ought to be a fairly straightforward setup, just as it is with any streaming service: The music gets used and royalty payment gets paid out to the copyright owners. Well, according to a lawsuit filed on behalf of DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill and his company Soul Assassins Inc., Peloton has been using Cypress Hill’s music and not paying for the rights to do so.

“Peloton’s use of [the songs] in its work-out videos without a license from Soul Assassins is an outrageous, willful infringement because Peloton was sued by a group of music publishers in March of 2019 for doing the exact same thing,” DJ Muggs’ lawyers wrote, in a court document obtained by Billboard. “Clearly […] Peloton knew unequivocally that it had no right to use any musical composition in its exercise videos without first obtaining a license for one hundred percent of the song.”

The 2019 claim cited above, is in reference to a $150 million suit filed by the NMPA, claiming that Peloton was using music by artists like Drake, Rihanna, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, and more, without securing the exclusive rights to do so. Now, Muggs claims that Peloton has used Cypress Hill tracks including “Insane In The Brain” and “Rap (Superstar)” without permission.

How Peloton is not locked into licensing deals the way TikTok or even Spotify are, is a bit mind-boggling. This feels similar to when podcasts were (and still regularly do) receiving takedown notices en masse for using songs without permission. Spotify as a podcast platform found a way to pay out royalties to those rights holders via their existing streaming agreements. It would serve Peloton well to enter into a partnership with a streaming service who can clear the usage rights for them so they don’t have to keep going on the defensive for what are very pricey lawsuits. Until then, Muggs and Soul Assassins Inc. are having none of it.

“Peloton is a textbook willful infringer,” the claim states. “Peloton fully understood what the copyright law required, having entered into sync licenses with certain other copyright holders, while trampling the rights of Plaintiffs by using their musical works for free and without permission.”

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Today In Hip Hop History: Cypress Hill Released Their Second LP ‘Black Sunday’ 29 Years Ago

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On this day in Hip Hop history, stoner trio Cypress Hill released their second and most popular album, Black Sunday. Selling 261,000 copies in its first week, Black Sunday was recorded as the highest Soundscan for a rap group at the time, peaking at #1 on both the Top R&B/Hip-Hop and Billboard 200 charts.

This album’s success came in large part from the project’s first single “Insane in the Brain,” which grew to be a crossover smash hit and a timeless relic of stoner culture. Thanks to Cypress Hill’s heavy metal aesthetic, the branding of this single appealed heavily to a fan base that wasn’t reached with their debut. The single’s crossover appeal led to promotion and praise of the album by both Hip Hop and Rock ‘n’ Roll publications.

Across the board, the album has been regarded by music critics and listeners. The album received outstanding reviews from all leading music publications and was even nominated for a Grammy. Singles from the project were used in popular films such as the cult classic How High, where Cypress had a cameo appearance. Commercially, the album is a classic, selling 3.4 million copies and being certified triple platinum by the RIAA.

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‘The Eric Andre Show’ Confirmed for New Season Featuring Lil Yachty, Jon Hamm, Blac Chyna, Waka Flocka, and More

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[WATCH] B-Real Says Cypress Hill and Onyx Got “Shorted” by Verzuz

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With all of the fanfare surrounding the previous VERZUZ battles, it was anticipated that the face-off between two of the most iconic Hip Hop groups to date, Onyx, and Cypress Hill, would be one for the history books. Still, instead, Triller didn’t even broadcast the battle live on their IG page as was done with the previous, unprecedented shows. CH’s B-Real says the two legendary groups got played by the sponsors, and he wants answers.

The battle, which was held this past weekend in Los Angeles at The Forum, was not streamed on Instagram but instead offered up on PPV to those who wanted to see Sticky Fingaz, Fredro and Co. go up against B-Real, Sen Dog, and Muggs if you were willing to pay. Allegedly, this was because there were many boxing matches on the card, but B-Real says that is a poor excuse for not laying out the red carpet for these two award-winning groups.

“I have to say, although it was great to rock w/ our brothers @ONYX_HQ in the Verzuz battle, I feel like [VERZUZ] shorted us all by not running it on Ig live like all other battles,” he wrote. “They made it a ppv event & made the battle a side show for the boxing matches instead. IMO.”

See what B-Real had to say below.

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