By now, the ghetto fabulous sight of Kanye walking the VMAs red carpet with Hennessy in hand should be burned in your brains. It was awfully surprising, given the caliber of artist of Kanye, to see him openly swiggin’ from the bottle—we expected something like this out of, say, Weezy or Juelz, although they’re known to be a bit more discreet with the contents of their Styrofoam cups.
But in hindsight, it shouldn’t be all that of shock. Rappers have always loved Hennessy and still do. Kanye just happened to glorify the phenomenon a bit too much-or he just forgot a flask, though I’m not sure they make ones in that size. As a result, we here at GIANT have chosen to explore rappers’ love affair with the cognac du jour.
Best Henny-Inspired Moment: Kanye Making Taylor Swift Cry
Well, obviously. Homey pulled an ODB and he wasn’t even dusted. Though Kanye can’t be justified in that Taylor’s video was probably more “for the children” than Beyonce’s, there was no video better than Bey’s, at least in the eyes of a guy who’s seen numerous females try their scantily-clad best to reenact said video. And technically, it was pretty on-point, too.
Best Overall Use of Henny by a Rapper: Uncle Murda’s Self-Medicating
When used in conjunction with menthols, Hennessy is the equivalent of world-class public private health care. Shot in the head early last year, Murda bragged during an interview with Wendy Williams that he was easing the pain with Newports and his favorite cognac.
Best Henny Name-Check in a Song: Mobb Deep, “Drink Away The Pain [Situations]”
My man P put me on to the shorty henn rock…
A classic cut from a classic album, Havoc continues the song-long metaphor of tasty beverages as golddiggin’ “bitches” (his words), but this time, it isn’t all fun and games, as Hav despondently raps:
But enough of that, I got the shake so I need that/
Son caught me stressed out I just be that…
Best Song Entirely About Henny: Mac Dre, “Bleezies-N-Heem”
Trust a Left Coaster (Bay Area head, no less) to somehow come up with “Heem” as gansgta code for Hennessy. They did give the world “Thizz,” after all. Mac Dre gets the nod because he’s dead now-and all dead rappers occupy GOAT-status once they die.
Best Phrase Involving Henny Coined By A Rapper: “Henny-head Mu’f**kas”
Because that guy up there said it.
