Dodge Hellcat Twins: The Biggest Stars in Hip Hop
In the age of Soundcloud rap, six-figure supercars can’t top the swaggering cool of a fast Mopar.
Jay-Z raps about Mercedes-Benzes. Cardi B likes her Lamborghinis. In the Kanye West song Mercy (about the Lamborghini Murcielago, naturally), 2 Chainz raps “rain rain pourin’/all my cars is foreign.” To say that the hip hop world loves Europe’s finest cars is an understatement. But for a rising generation of rappers, the Old World is old news. Today, the undisputed champion in hip hop is the Dodge Hellcat.
A recent article by Sheldon Pearce on the music blog Pitchfork takes a deep dive into this very cool phenomenon. Of course, in songs by artists like Lil Uzi Vert, 21 Savage, Quavo, and others, they don’t really specify whether they’re talking about a Charger or a Challenger. But while the big sedan has a higher top end speed, the classic muscle car look of the Challenger seems to be the favorite.
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When you think about it, it makes sense. The Hellcat is foreboding, exclusive, and it isn’t easily topped. As Pearce writes: “There is power in having your engine proclaim your looming entrance, and it can be as much a symbol that you’ve Made It.” The Hellcat is a force to be reckoned with, and its 707-horse V8 makes a statement long before you even catch a glimpse of it.
With every example Pearce gives, it almost feels like the Hellcat was tailor-made for today’s hip hop set. “Rappers have gravitated to the car for reasons between the two poles—their power and their speed, their ability to help you make a grand entrance or make your escape,” he says. It’s an instant outlaw car right out of the dealership, which is something that can’t be said of most six-figure supercars out there.
The Ferraris and Bugattis that have been rapped about for decades are quick, exclusive, and undeniably impressive. But they lack the danger that Hellcats convey.
“But a lot of cars are fast; a few even have more horsepower. Rappers aren’t drawn to these muscle cars just because of their specs, because they can outperform other muscle cars or can be remodeled to resemble a beast from the past,” said Pearce. “They are drawn to them because, as a package, they signify a devil-may-care fearlessness, a fire walker’s confidence. It’s the machine the abyss spat back up, a fiend built only for a kindred spirit. As Kodak Black put it: ‘[I’m] In a Hellcat ‘cause I’m a hell-raiser.’ When revved and roaring, rappers imagine they’re beast masters reining in a force of nature.”
So the Hellcat isn’t just a force to be reckoned with on the streets or at the strip. It’s a car that’s captured the collective imagination of a generation of rappers. If you ask us, that’s pretty damn cool.
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