The Top Ten Rap Songs About Four Loko

Rap music has had a long history of product endorsement, and although these tributes to the controversial malt energy drink Four Loko ("Loke" for short) may recall the St. Ides commercials of the early '90s, these songs follow more in the tradition of the Pack's "Vans." The next generation's Lil B and Young L don't appear to be lurking on any of these tracks, but they're still a great way to celebrate the delicious (arguably), mind-numbing (definitely), and legal (at least for now) alcoholic beverage that is Four Loko.

10. F.Y.I., "Four Loko"

F.Y.I. consists of four teenagers from St. Paul who write songs that make them sound like they're from L.A. Like a lot of jerk music, the lyrics are fun, but not technically impressive, and backed by sparse, elemental production. These rappers' motivations are relatable--a bad week has the first speaker "trying to get to the point where I can't make it home," a desire familiar to anyone who's ever gotten drunk--and their fun-spirited enough to compensate for their beats.

9. Chocolate City (feat. K. Nobles), "Four Loko"

"Four Loko" begins with two promising verses. The first spells out the entire word "inebriated," and the second not only narrates a game of Kings played with Loko but also breaks down all the ingredients and introduces the phrase "Livin da vida Loko." From there, the lines become as generic as the beat. The remaining verses are about being drunk, sure, but not about being Loked.

8. C-Stacks (Yung Lokogod), Varo Da Staro, Freakey Mal, C. Murda and Northshore, "Four Loko Freestyle Cypher 5th Ward (Pts. 1-8)"

Is this C-Murder? From No Limit? Making Loke rap? Seeing as he's currently serving a life sentence, probably not. Either way, this freestyle session is for Loke rap enthusiasts only. Its eight, video-recorded parts are as visually stimulating as when your iPhone 4.0 starts filming in your backpack; aurally, they're usually lacking any beat and featuring new rappers who keeping jumping in. Sadly, the 5th Ward Loko Cyphers are not the drink's answer to DJ Screw's legendary syrup-fueled freestyle sessions, but doesn't mean we'll be surprised if they end up appearing on Altered Zones someday.

7. Killah Kid Kriz, "Loko is My Liquor (Official Four Loko Theme)"

From Kriz's YouTube description: "OFFICIAL 4 LOKO THEME SONG. DROPPED THIS BACK IN FEBRUARY. BUT SINCE I SEE ALL THESE OTHA PEOPLE TRYIN 2 ACT LIKE THEY THE FIRST ONES TO MAKE A FOUR LOKO SONG. I HAD 2 LET EM KNOW KILLAH BEEN 4LOKO SIPPIN. I MEAN HELL I STARTED THE 4LOKO MOVEMENT. EVEN GOT A DEEP ASS SQUAD CALLED #TEAM4LOKOSIPPINSHAWTY"

6. Yung Trap, "4 Loko"

The production on "4 Loko" both the song to sixth spot in this countdown and prevents it from ever being the Four Loko anthem it aspires to be. The "My Hood" interpolation over minimalist drums is certainly creative, but because the track is overall unable to gather much energy, it could never fit the mood of party centered around a tallboy malt beverage jacked with caffiene, taurine and guarana. But Yung Trap win points for honesty ("Two cans got me knocked-out") in a micro-genre in which every rapper seems to have super-human Loko-drinking ability.