I pretty much know the lists have them. Well, I'll include some of the biggest hip hop-epics here.

"Stan", "Rapper's Delight", "The Message", more suggestions?

I'm probably extending the list a bit more so we can also include hip hop-songs, otherwise many 'essential' songs get away from the list...

Kanye West - Gone.

R. Kelly - Trapped In The Closet

But I don't think it's rap, so it's not rock...

"Kim" is an epic?

It pales in comparison with "Stan" but its topics and lyrics surely are storytelling and epic: "Eminem is both emotional and aggressive throughout the entire song, as the song portrays Eminem murdering Kim. The song begins with Eminem in Kim's home (after murdering her husband and her stepson). Eminem is talking calmly to their daughter Hailie Jade, who is sleeping. Eminem then starts to shout verbal abuse at Kim, which remains a common element throughout the entire song. In the second verse, the setting changes to Eminem and Kim in a car, while in the third, they are in the woods. The song continues with Eminem slitting Kim's throat, while screaming "Bleed, Bitch! Bleed!". The song ends in a prolonged outro during which the listener can hear the sounds of a body being dragged through the grass and placed in the trunk of a car. This same clip is played as the beginning of "97' Bonnie & Clyde," indicating the association between the two songs and the direct chronology of events." What do you all think, should this be included?

It is kinda hard to find epic hip hop-song by looking at the song composition: the lyrics and the story are more important while finding these. Of course, better suggestions are always welcome, I will be checking them!

I personally prefer "Kim" to "Stan", it's an incredibly visceral song. Almost like an actor giving the performance of a lifetime. I can't see either of them as epics though. One of them portrays a man having a complete mental breakdown and murdering his wife, the other portrays a crazed stalker's downward spiral. To be classified as an epic, a song requires some pomposity and grandeur imo... neither Kim nor Stan have that.

I'm not sure about "Kim" but "Stan" surely is one, really great storyline with some excellent lyrics and image-painting music! And epics aren't always so pompous, there are 'pompous' epics like "November Rain" and then there are these less-pompous ones like "Desolation Row" and "American Pie". Of course the pomposity adds to the criteria but isn't required to be an epic song. "Stan" doesn't have any climatic build-ups but its lenght and excellent, telling storyline could well be considered as an epic, imo! "Kim" and "Stan" are like "poor man's" versions of epic songs, the production or the pompousity don't give any epicness to them but their storylines and the styles how they are told are too bold and unique to be considered standard songs!

I love that there are two BLH songs among the greatest rock epics. Pussy guts all over the room.

How is Rapper's Delight an epic? It's not instrumentally complex, the lyrics are in no way storytelling, and it just happens to sound like a typical old school rap song. As good as it is, I can't even remotely see why it should be eligible for this list.

This is the problem with all the hip hop-songs: almost all of them feature no complexity. The lyrics are the most important thing with them. Still, "Rapper's Delight" probably doesn't feature 'epic' lyrics, you are right about it... It surely is lenghty and all but... Damn, this is hard. We need more opinions for the list, people!



Oops, I accidentally put two songs instead of one! And don't forget biting the skin rips!

Planet Rock

Bacon fried croquettes.

I'm not sure if it's already been suggested, but what about the Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want"? It's a fairly simple tune, though it's quite lengthy and features a pretty epic-sounding choir. Plus, it builds to an emotional climax.

Yeah, it sounds like an epic, to me.