Rap has a noble history and a terrible reputation. What started as a way to resolve gang disputes in New York City has become... Well, don't let our critique influence your preferences. Suffice to say that rap artists put out plenty of clean rap music, so there's no need to criticise anyone's artistic expression. Here, we feature 15 of the best clean rap tracks.
| 馃幎 Song title | 馃帳 Rapper |
|---|---|
| Fancy | Iggy Azalea |
| Gettin' Jiggy Wit It | Will Smith |
| Dear Mama | 2Pac |
| On & On | Illy |
| Gangster's Paradise | Coolio |
| Rapper's Delight | Sugarhill Gang |
| Let's Get It Started | The Black Eyed Peas |
| Fifty in Five | Hilltop Hoods |
| Lose Yourself | Eminem |
| My House | Flo Rida |
| Home Is Where the Heart Is | Bliss n Eso |
| This Is How We Do It | Montell Jordan |
| Watch Me | Silent贸 |
| See You Again | Wiz Khalifa (feat. Charlie Puth) |
| Siick | Public Enemy |
Fancy - Iggy Azalea
We had to start our list off with Australian rapper Iggy Azalea. After all, we started our entire series on Australian songs for kids with Australian artists. However, her international breakout hit, Fancy, contains a few words and ideas not suitable for kids. Still, her song is a lot of fun and, as a bonus, it spoofs the American high school comedy Clueless. But those words!
Why mention the song if it doesn't have clean lyrics?
Because Iggy brought Australian rap to international attention.
Bonus Track: Handy - Weird Al Yankovic
Weird Al has made a career for himself spoofing the most popular songs. For his 'Fancy' spoof, he borrowed Iggy's music and rap style, but changed the lyrics. You won't hear a single naughty word in this hilarious rap. What a great track to play in Technical and Further Education (TAFE) classes!
Gettin' Jiggy Wit It - Will Smith
Before the Slap Heard 'Round the World at the 2022 Oscars, Will Smith could do no wrong. This rap proves his music bona fides. His first effort after breaking from his long-time collaborator Jazzy Jeff, Will sampled music from Sister Sledge and the Bar Kays to turn out this hit.
One might argue that that bass backdrop is more enticing than Will's rap. That's the part he borrowed from Sister Sledge, in case you're curious. It's a great dance tune to start school party!
Dear Mama - 2Pac
With this rap, 2Pac proves rumours that rap is all about (...) are false. 2Pac's touching tribute to his mother is autobiographical. In a sad and wistful tone, he shares details of his life growing up. But his love and respect for his only parent is obvious throughout.
2Pac's career and life were cut tragically short in 1996, when he was 25 years old. Some of the raps he turned out, like this track, make music lovers wonder how much more beauty this poet-artist could have gifted the world. As it is, he left us a great song to play while our students make Mother's Day cards.
On & On - Illy
Illy's been known to drop a few F-bombs in his raps but this one is clean through and through. In fact, it has the tone of happy teenagers exploring their world and possibilities. Which is great, because that's exactly what this song is about!
Gangster's Paradise - Coolio
Tell me why are we so blind to see that the ones we hurt are you and me?
Coolio, Gangster's Paradise
The 1995 film Dangerous Minds is a high school drama based on a true story about students growing up in dangerous conditions. Coolio's rap is a crucial part of the film's narrative arc.
This rap gives listeners a hint of Coolio's raw vocal power, as well as his sense of artistry. The ominous notes in the background underscore the fear and resignation he raps about.
As a testament to the popularity of Coolio's rap, Weird Al spoofed Gangster's Paradise.
Take a moment to listen to Amish Paradise for a good laugh!
Rapper's Delight - Sugarhill Gang
We are travelling back to the very beginning of mainstream rap with this track. By its release in 1979, rap had been a thing on New York streets for a couple of years. But this style of music had yet to break into the public consciousness.
That's what the Sugarhill Gang did with their fun rap. Of course, it took a few more years for wider audiences to embrace the genre. In 1979, disco was still popular, so you'll hear a few musical elements typical of disco music. But this rap, with its blend of scat, rap, and disco, gave the world a new music style to love.
Let's Get It Started - The Black Eyed Peas
Yanking ourselves back into the present, now... relatively speaking, at least. Fergie puts her stunning vocals to work, introducing this popular clean rap music track. A few seconds later, The Peas urge us to not pay attention to our failures, and encourage us to find a guide to help us get things started.
What should we get started? That's up to us. A new sport or hobby, a new school year, or the rest of our lives? This song is so motivating and inspirational - on top of being clean! It has featured everywhere, including in adverts, at sports events, and even to open other musicians' concerts.
Fifty in Five - Hilltop Hoods
History teachers across Australia must love this rap! Somehow, the Hoods manage to pack 50 impactful world events in a just-over five minute rap, minding all the lyrical rules that make for good music. Granted, they take artistic licence in presenting them, arranging the events to suit the rhyme rather than chronology.
Notably, US musician Billy Joel wrote a similar song, We Didn't Start the Fire, an equally school-appropriate pop song title that American history teachers love. Considering that, in Australia, rap music enjoys a relatively small - but dedicated! - following, and even fewer raps have clean lyrics, the Hoods' 5 in 5 is doubly amazing!
Lose Yourself - Eminem
If you had one shot, one opportunity, ... Would you capture it?
Eminem
Don't let the slow instrumental intro fool you; Eminem raps life advice and encouragement for almost five minutes in this track. Of course, he does that while telling a story - his story. Lose Yourself isn't a preaching session.
When he first broke into the rap scene, Eminem took a lot of flack for being a white rapper - the only one, at the time. He's since proved his mettle and has earned the respect of the rap community and the music industry. Let his clean rap stand as inspiration for any student afraid to be the first at anything.
My House - Flo Rida
Anyone looking for school appropriate rap songs could hardly go wrong with this track. It's relaxed tempo and simple lyrics make it ideal for even the youngest students. Maybe, especially for them! After all, their house is a large part of their internal geography. Wouldn't it be great to start a lesson on "Describe your house" by playing this song?
Home Is Where the Heart Is - Bliss n Eso
This partly autobiographical tune tells how this popular Australian rap duo got their start, before going on to describe what happened after their rise to fame. It's an exuberant rap, and a fan favourite in Europe as well as at home.
While not exactly a clean rap, B & E bleeps the lyrics' two naughty words out, leaving room for suggestion but not in-your-face outrage.
This Is How We Do It - Montell Jordan
Do you need some clean rap music to start a school assembly, a sporting event, or a dance? Let this one be it! Montell flexes his dynamic vocals throughout and the beat fairly demands that feet get moving.
One might argue that this tune is too lyrical to be a rap; maybe it should be classified as R&B (Rhythm and Blues) instead. You can shut down that argument; this one ranks among top clean hip hop songs. End of story.
Watch Me - Silent贸
This has to be the ultimate of clean hip hop songs for school. For one, the video was filmed in a school! And for two, you see a bunch of kids 'whipping' and 'nae-nae'ing around. If that's not proof that this song is clean, perhaps we don't know the definition of 'clean rap'?
Silent贸 (real name: Richard Lamar Hawk) released this hit in 2015, when he was 17 years old. The song itself didn't make much of a splash but the video garnered rave reviews, particularly for the dance moves.
See You Again - Wiz Khalifa (feat. Charlie Puth)
Let's hope our students never know the tragedy of losing someone while they're still so young! The haunting intro, with piano accompaniment, gives us the same feeling as the stirring Anzac Day tunes we hear every April.
This rap featured in the seventh The Fast and the Furious film, released in 2015. It is a tribute to that film franchise's star, Paul Walker, who died in an automobile accident in 2013. That explains Charlie Puth's soaring, yet mournful, vocals.
Siick - Public Enemy
We end our list with one of the most relevant clean rap songs for our time. Released in June 2025, Siick takes on the environment, the political culture, economic inequality, and gender and racial disparity. It does so with a heavy metal backdrop, as though to emphasise the urgency and anger we all feel about current conditions.
Despite their name, Public Enemy has always rapped about social consciousness issues. They don't resort to profanity or vulgarity to get their point across. The topics they rap about are plenty profane on their own. This is a great track to kick off a debate in a government studies or history class!
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