Hip-hop has a special affinity for dogs. Snoop Dogg morphs into a Doberman Pinscher in his 1993 music video for “Who Am I (What’s My Name).” DMX—who has the name of his deceased pooch Boomer tattooed across his back—growls and barks like a dog on tracks every chance he gets. And Bow Wow remained on-brand with the titles of his first three albums, letting the doggone puppy puns fly (Beware of Dog, Doggy Bag, Unleashed). Rap has even co-opted best friend into a term of brotherly endearment (see: dawgs).
Cats get love in rap, too—although they’re often used as innuendo. “Freaky with the sticky icky/Baby give me kitty-kitty,” XXL Freshman alum Aminé raps on his 2016 song “Caroline.” Perhaps
→ Continue reading at XXL Mag
