Awesome Rapper Quotes On An Unexpected Topic

When reading an interview with a rapper (or any musician for that matter), you’re typically waiting for him or her to drop some knowledge that you’ll be quoting for the next week. And for the most part, they’re waxing poetic on the music industry, their peers, their upcoming projects, or life on the road. But in certain cases, they’re sharing gems on topics outside of the norm and it’s these that end up being the most memorable.

Today, we’re taking a look back at a few of our favorite quotes related to poker. They work to both shed some light on how the rappers feel about the game itself along with showcasing the attitude of the MC in general. For example, how could a Ghostface Killah quote not display just how hilarious and over the top he can be in interviews? More on that later.

One of hip-hop’s most well-known poker players is proud St. Louis native Nelly. The quality of his output has fallen off a bit these past few years or so, but maybe that’s because he’s been too busy sitting at tables and gambling. Seriously, he’s even taken part in some notable events like the World Series of Poker and, most recently, the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open. He might not have taken home the multi-million dollar pot, but he did share a pretty great bit about whether or not he’s thought about making a song about poker:

“I have, but no. People been saying that every since I’ve been playing. They said it’ll sell, but it’s one of the craziest thoughts I’ve ever heard. Nah.”

It’s kind of funny to think that Nelly would pass on this particular idea after he’s done tracks about Air Force Ones and something as poppy as “Hey Porsche.” But hey, you have to stop the selling out somewhere right?

Back before Ja Rule got into legal trouble and spent some time behind bars. the Murda Inc rapper was known to be quite the poker player. He was interviewed by Bluff Magazine back in August 2006 about a slew of topics related to his affinity for the card game. And when he was asked who from the music industry he’d love to play against, he gave the following response:

“(Ja Rule): Well, let’s see. I’d definitely have to put [Irv] Gotti at the table, ’cause he’s a player. I see my man Joey Crack, Fat Joe at the table. I would put Jay-Z at the table, ’cause I don’t think he plays, and I would like a shot at his money (laughs). Who else? We need some fish at the table. (Calls over to Irv Gotti for assistance)

(Irv Gotti): Diddy! Definitely Diddy! (Laughs)

(Ja Rule): Diddy! For sure! We need his money in that game (laughs). Diddy plays a little bit; him and Security Paul…”

Ha! You have to respect Ja’s candid demeanor in wanting to make sure he can get the most money out of his opponents. That’s the point of gambling in the first place, right? Of course it is.

And finally there’s the always-colorful Ghostface Killah. In an interview with Riotsound, he let the expletives as part of a promotion for his then-new poker site. It would appear that the site is no longer available for use, though, and was taken down following the online poker boom of the early 2000s. Most of the bigger platforms stayed alive, however, with Betfair being one of the leaders through its collaborations with tournaments such as the aforementioned World Series of Poker. You can visit the site for more information.

But hey, just because his personal site folded (no pun!), it doesn’t make this quote any less amazing. In it, he’s responding to a question about how he used to wear a mask when he first started out in the Wu-Tang Clan and if that’s anything like how poker players have a “poker face” to hide themselves from their opponents. As you’ll see, Ghostface kind of veers off topic.

“Yea, we gonna do all that s**t, I’m hot on that s**t. I’ma be the f**king Don King of this s**t, the motherf**king Ric Flair of this s**t. When we come in we gonna make this s**t excitement. You might be able to call me Mr. Excitement in a minute, you know I what mean, because it’s gonna be going down son. I can’t really explain it, I don’t wanna give out too much information because I don’t want nobody to steal my ideas and sh*t. You know n****s always do that s**t.”

No one’s going to be able to top the hilarity of that quote, so let’s just end it there.