The Devil spears his way into rap music incessantly, both hiding in its shadows and parading bewitchingly in plain sight.
Whilst an overwhelming number of rap artists hold some sort of Christian reverence, it’s possible that their guilty, God-fearing conscience is what provokes such untamed thought of the Devil and demonic possession to spew its torment throughout the genre.
From songs that highlight the devilish characteristics of rap music, such as narcissism, greed and dishonesty, to eerie tracks about being hunted and haunted by the Devil’s own gruelling voice, our playlist of rap songs about the Devil covers it all.
Rap Songs About The Devil
1. J.Cole ft. Lil Baby – p r i d e . i s . t h e . d e v i l
J.Cole and Lil Baby’s 2021 track, p r i d e . i s . t h e . d e v i l, is centred in a clean yet melancholy guitar riff. Its sparse sound is hypnotically cyclical, pulling you towards J. Cole and Lil Baby’s verses, each racing fast as if running away from the devilish message that haunts them.
P r i d e . i s . t h e . d e v i l draws the link between being rich with pride and rich with sin, whilst talking about the concept of ‘pride’ like one might think about demonic possession;
“Pride is the Devil, think it got a hold on me, pride is the Devil, it left so many R.I.P … Pride make a baby mama make shit harder than it gotta be, make you have to take the bitch to court to see your prodigy, make you have to use your last resort and pull a robbery.”
2. Seckond Chaynce – Rap Devil (Speed Demon)
This quirky track by Seckond Chaynce is as slick as it is mind-boggling, showcasing lyrical speed over legibility in his hellbent freestyle, Rap Devil.
Seckond Chaynce’s flow is like the wrecking speed of a Paganini piece; so inhumanly fast and strange that the rapper’s bright-burning talent seems almost conjured by the devil himself.
Turning words into an inaudible jumble of mere syllables, Rap Devil slides in references to ouija boards, beasts, fire and the breeding of evil, igniting the rap track with wicked imagery, disaster and sly amounts of skill.
3. Official TS – Satan 2.0
Satan 2.0 is a murderous 2020 grime track embodying every fragment of the devil’s evil energy.
Focusing on the blinding temptation of violence relentlessly taunting the youth, Official TS craft their lyrics around the hellfires they believe today’s kids are destined for in the afterlife as they mindlessly worship anything other than God.
This track’s chorus speaks as if straight from the mouth of the devil himself, as well as from the lost minds of the swathes of humans influenced by his brutal allure;
“When I wedge that shank in your chest, I promise you Ima lose control, watch your eyes roll back and you’re coughing out blood… Don’t try run, can’t escape the ghost, cry for help when we snatch that soul.”
4. C-Mob – Speak Of The Devil
C-Mob’s Speak Of The Devil is carried by a phantasmal piano track drowned in reverb, creating the ambience of a hazy, haunted midnight which C-Mob cuts to shreds with his gripping lyrical style and shuddering content.
Opening with an eerie sample of a young child fretting over a strange man in his bedroom, C-Mob’s story unfolds into a tale of being hunted by the devil’s restless horror.
The narrator’s curses are detailed with poetical morbidity, from his brother’s death failing to cease the devil’s chase, to the inability to seek help as a child for the voices in his head;
“My little brother didn’t know what was there, so I thought that it was me that it wants dead, come to find out the opposite, it kept visiting me, no stopping it, I shut the bedroom door, kept locking it, under the cover tryna hide.”
5. Rick Ross & Jay Z – The Devil Is A Lie
Rick Ross & Jay Z repel all hint of Satanic possession in their 2014 hit, The Devil Is A Lie.
Whilst every line is tied to a narcissistic characteristic resembling the devil’s golden psychopathy, Rick Ross & Jay Z highlight how their luxury lifestyle is concrete proof that the devil is a lie, otherwise their riches would be in ruins.
However, an alternative message is implied by their admitted participation in devilish activities like sleeping around and splashing out on mindless extravagance, subtly alluding to the fact that the devil is not the winged creature we’re led to believe, but walks among us in human form, parading as the temptation of mindless, tasteless wealth.
Perhaps their showcased devotion to greed and gluttony is what earned them the devil’s aid, not God’s.
6. Hippie Sabotage – Devil Eyes
Hippie Sabotage’s 2013 track, Devil Eyes, is carried by a wavy guitar track with a blue-skied effect, a captivating contrast to most rap songs about the devil. Perhaps this is because Devil Eyes isn’t actually about Satan, but rather a girl with the enchanting powers of the otherworld.
Hippie Sabotage crafts this peacefully lush track around the hypnotic allure of a girl’s eyes, substituting red hot fire for golden feelings of romance;
“You’ve got the devil in your eyes, you went and took me by surprise… Let’s just go and see the world and just show them what it really means to life life golden, yeah we’re golden, baby girl, we’re golden.”
7. Joyner Lucas – Devil’s Work
Joyner Lucas’s track Devil’s Work is compellingly powerful, raising an army of ghostly sentiments each anchored in pain and bereavement. The video pads his lyrical story beautifully, displaying a man crippling with despair in church, beckoning to God for answers with agonising rage.
Lucas draws the bold link between rappers dazed by the devil’s temptation, lost within an emotionless existence, “Tryna talk to these strippers but they keep dancing,” whilst listing the endless tragedies that have befallen his scene, from Aaliyah’s death to Tupac’s.
He masterfully mimics the devil’s cherry picking techniques surrounding celebrity deaths, controversially suggesting who to resurrect and who should fill their graves instead;
“Give us Biggie, give us Pun, give us triple X, take that n**** Trump with you, that’s a bigger threat … Give us back our loved ones and take the evil with you, send them suckers straight to hell, they don’t need a vigil.”