Godzilla:
From the depths of the sea, it's the King of the Monsters!
(Godzilla resides in the sea and thus is shown emerging from it in almost all of his movies. He is officially known as the "King of the Monsters", having first gained the nickname from Godzilla, King of the Monsters!, a 1956 Americanized version of 1954's Godzilla. "From the depths of the sea" is also a reference to Snoop Dogg's opening line on "Who Am I (What's My Name?)", which is "From the depths of the sea, back to the block".)
I'll chew you up, dawg. This Kong's getting conquered!
(Kong is the name of a line of toys for dogs to chew on, Godzilla says he will chew up King Kong in a similar manner, along with another reference to Snoop Dogg. He also makes wordplay out of "Kong" and "conquered".)
I roll with Rodan, Mothra, and the homies
(Throughout his many movies across the decades, Godzilla has befriended several other kaiju, who he refers to as his “homies”. These include Rodan (a biovolcanic pterosaur-like monster) and Mothra (a giant butterfly-like kaiju). Godzilla has managed to become friends with them either by defeating them in battle and demanding submission, (Rodan) or by sharing mutual interests (Mothra).)
For a social primate, you sure seem lonely!
(In contrast, Kong is often depicted as living in isolation in Skull Island with only his worshippers and no other members of his own species as company which, for Godzilla, implies that Kong is a lonely social outcast who can't make any friends. Godzilla finds this especially weird given that gorillas are highly social primates, who live together in groups known as troops.)
Your only friend is a damsel in distress
(Godzilla refers to the fact that King Kong's closest and most significant relationship is with Ann Darrow, a human woman who plays a key role in his story. Throughout the various iterations of the King Kong story, Ann is often portrayed as Kong's source of affection and Kong has protected Ann from the many threats on Skull Island. Godzilla is pointing out that Kong's only meaningful connection is with her.)
Who cringes while you sniff on her ripped-off dress!
(Godzilla accuses King Kong of being a pervert due to his fondness for Ann, saying he is so obsessed with her that he likely enjoys stripping her naked and sniffing on her dress even if it makes her uncomfortable. Kong did such in a scene in the 1933 film that was cut by censors, and wasn't restored until years later.)
You're a simp-anzee, I'm a lizard of thunder!
(Godzilla makes play on the words "chimpanzee" (an ape much smaller than gorillas) and "simp" (which, in 21st century slang, is typically a social outcast who goes out of their way to attract a romantic partner with no reciprocated feelings). Thus, by calling Kong a "simp-anzee", Godzilla is making fun of how Kong is a perverted monkey. "Lizard of thunder" refers to how Godzilla is a reptile with atomic breath, which can be interpreted as lightning or thunder. Being a reptile associated with lightning is much more intimidating and monster-like than Kong, who doesn't have any special abilities asides from the typical super strength, durability, speed, etc. (Though ironically, his first movie against Godzilla has him gain a boost in strength via lightning). "Lizard of Thunder" may also be a reference to a dinosaur that featured in the original King Kong film: Brontosaurus (which means "Thunder Lizard" in Greek). In several of his continuities, Godzilla is also stated to be a dinosaur that survived the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event on an island that subsequently became mutated by a nuclear explosion.)
When I'm "crushing on a girl", it means the foot she comes under!
(Godzilla makes a pun on the word "crush". While Kong has "crushes" on human women, as in romantic interests, Godzilla instead physically "crushes" women, by stomping on them with his feet. This contrast in destructiveness and lack of empathy for humans shows that Godzilla is more monstrous than Kong, which is fitting for his title as the King of the Monsters.
You're pathetic with the humans, enduring their abuse,
(Godzilla points out how King Kong is often subdued and abused by humans in his films, which he elaborates more on in the next line, and calls him pathetic for being unable to stop them. In comparison, most human attempts to stop Godzilla in his films fail.)
Getting chained up and roofied on some goofy berry juice!
(In most King Kong films, the titular monster is forcibly brought from Skull Island, his home, to New York, and chained up to serve as entertainment for people. In 1962's King Kong vs. Godzilla, Kong is fed red berry juice by the natives of Faro Island, which makes him fall asleep; Godzilla compares this to being roofied, or knocked unconscious by a spiked drink or drug. Godzilla uses these as examples of how humans are able to easily subdue Kong. This line incorporates an internal rhyme scheme with the words "roofied", "goofy" and "juice".)
I eat up a whole city like some Tokyoplait!
(Tokyoplait is a portmanteau of Tokyo and Yoplait, a brand of yogurt. Godzilla is known for attacking Tokyo, and he says he eats up Tokyo like some yogurt.)
You get spoon-fed hot lead like, "Here comes the airplane!"
(Parents often say "Here comes the airplane!" while spoon-feeding toddlers. "Eat lead" is a slang term meaning to be hit by bullets. In the climax of King Kong and its remakes, Kong is gunned down by literal airplanes, therefore "eating lead". By using a phrase that's associated with toddlers, Godzilla is degrading Kong by comparing him to a child.)
How did dropping off the Empire feel?
(After the previously-mentioned fight, King Kong ends up falling to his death from the top of New York City's iconic Empire State Building, which he climbs earlier in the films. Godzilla mockingly asks him how dropping from such a height felt given how he was killed in said fight.)
You're like Jussie Smollett, 'cept this beatdown is real!
(In 2019, American actor Jussie Smollett reported a hate crime committed against him. The police later found out that not only was this a hoax, but that Smollett had in fact hired two individuals to stage a fake hate crime against him. This scandal made Smollett lose his role in the Fox drama show Empire, where he was dropped from the show. Godzilla compares this to King Kong: Just like how Smollett was dropped from the show "Empire", Kong was dropped off the Empire State Building. However, unlike Smollett, Kong will actually get beaten up this time.)
I got this battle covered like a bento lid!
(A bento is a Japanese single-portion home-packed or take-out meal, that is packed in a small box with a tight lid to prevent spillage of food. The reference to this Japanese dish plays into how Godzilla was created in Japan.)
I'll make an ass out of you like Nintendo did!
(The Nintendo character Donkey Kong is inspired by King Kong; the name is said to be a play by his creators on the phrase "stubborn ape" according to an urban legend. Additionally, another word for donkey is ass. So by changing the name King Kong to Donkey Kong, Nintendo figuratively made an ass out of King Kong. This could also be a reference to the Universal vs Nintendo 1983 court case, where Universal, the company behind King Kong, attempted to sue Nintendo over allegations that Donkey Kong was trademark infringement, only to lose the case.)
King Kong:
(Oh!) The only game I play is Rampage, Lizzie (Oh!)
(In response to Godzilla's Donkey Kong line, Kong brings up Rampage, a classic Midway game where you play as three giant monsters who destroy various cities (one of the monsters is a gorilla inspired by Kong named George), implying Kong intends to wreak havoc in the battle like he does in the game. One of the characters in the game is Lizzie, a giant lizard creature who's often compared to Godzilla (though the game's developers confirmed she was inspired by the Ymir from "20 Million Miles to Earth"). On a bonus note, Kong's actor, EpicLLOYD, released a music video for a rap based on the video game 12 years prior to the battle and mentioned in the description that George was his favorite to play as. Following this line and several others, Kong can be heard making sounds similar to typical primate noises.)
It's beauty kills this beast, and you just ain't pretty! (Oh!)
(A famous line in King Kong is "It was beauty that killed the beast", often said after King Kong dies. Kong is saying that Godzilla isn't beautiful, and therefore isn't a threat. In this lines Kong makes a play on Beauty and the Beast, a popular folktale adapted into film twice by Walt Disney Pictures.)
No way your ass brain is hanging with these monkey bars!
(Children often play on monkey bars at playgrounds for exercise. Kong, an ape, is related to monkeys, which makes his raps "monkey bars". In the Heisei era of Godzilla films, Godzilla is said to have a second brain where his tail meets his torso, which would be near his ass (which was probably based on a now-discredited theory that the dinosaur Stegosaurus had a second brain near its hips). King Kong says that Godzilla is too unintelligent to be able to compete with his rap bars even with two brains.)
You ain't got punchlines, you barely even got arms!
(Godzilla's arms, in most iterations, are rather short, like a Tyrannosaurus rex's - which usually renders him unable to physically punch someone his own size. However, several incarnations of Godzilla have been depicted as being able to not only punch and claw foes, but fight hand-to-hand.)
You came off the bench for Frankenstein first time we made a movie,
(Willis O'Brien, the stop-motion animator who gave life to Kong in his first movies, originally outlined a story where the ape would fight a giant Frankenstein's Monster. He gave the outline to producer John Beck for development, but Beck, without his knowledge, gave the project to Toho Co. Ltd., who scrapped the original idea and instead developed King Kong vs. Godzilla. King Kong is saying Godzilla is a mere replacement for Frankenstein's Monster, much like how sports players are on the bench in case they need to be subbed in for teammates during a game.)
And I dunked on you like Barkley at the base of Mount Fuji!
(Godzilla battled Charles Barkley in a Nike commercial and comic book, which ended with Barkley dunking on Godzilla. King Kong also fought and defeated Godzilla in the 1962 crossover film King Kong vs. Godzilla which took place on the summit of Mount Fuji, and mentions this by continuing the sports metaphor and saying he figuratively dunked on Godzilla after he stepped in.)
Face facts, Cankles, you can't fill seats yourself!
(Cankles is a term used to refer to thick or wide ankles without clear definitions from the lower calves, which King Kong uses to mock Godzilla's large legs and build. King Kong also claims that Godzilla is unable to gain a profit himself, as he is seldom alone in any of his films...)
So they bring the mammal in to nurse your films back to health!
(...thus, in order for his films to profit, Toho brought in King Kong in 1962's King Kong vs. Godzilla, which worked out since it became the highest grossing Godzilla film in Japan until 2016's Shin Godzilla. Notably, this film came after Godzilla Raids Again, a sequel which is often regarded as highly contested in terms of reception. This could also be referencing the 2019 Godzilla: King of the Monsters film, another sequel that got mixed reception which was succeeded and outgrossed by Godzilla vs. Kong in 2021. This line makes a twofold reference: first, to "nurse [a living thing] back to health" is to care for something until it has recovered from a disease/condition that required intervention, as a nurse does; second, in contrast to reptiles, mammals possess milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young (known as "nursing"), which Kong likens to him being the reason Godzilla's reputation recovered.)
Don't you quote Snoop to me, I'm as old as Death Row!
(King Kong acknowledges that Godzilla is quoting Snoop Dogg's "Who Am I (What's My Name?)" with his introductory line "From the depths of the sea." Death Row Records is the label that Snoop Dogg was formerly signed onto. The concept of death row itself, meanwhile, originated in 1933 when Giuseppe Zangara was sentenced to death for attempting to assassinate Franklin D. Roosevelt and had to be moved to a separate cell as a result; 1933 was also the year the first King Kong movie was released.)
Repping RKO, and we don't love them ToHo's!
(This is a reference to the lyric from the Snoop Dogg song Gin & Juice, "We don't love them hoes". RKO Pictures was the company that owned the King Kong property before its dissolution in 1959. Toho is the entertainment company that created Godzilla and still owns the character. King Kong uses this to say that Godzilla and any other characters created by that company are hoes.)
The Eighth Wonder of the World, and the word when I rhyme!
(Carl Denham, the filmmaker who led the expedition to Skull Island and managed to abduct Kong, shackled him and presented the giant ape to the press as "Kong, Eighth Wonder of the World" (in reference to the real-life Seven Wonders of the World). By claiming to also be a wonder of the word, Kong establishes himself as a superior lyricist when compared to Godzilla.)
If you think your mind can compete with mine, here's your sign!
(King Kong finishes this punchline in American sign language. This is a reference to the Stanford educated gorilla, Koko, who was reportedly able to sign over 2,000 English words, and Godzilla vs. Kong where Kong learns how to use sign language from a deaf native girl named Jia. The phrase "here's your sign" is also a reference to a comedy routine, famously performed by Bill Engvall, in which Engvall proposes that all stupid people should be given signs to wear that inform others of their stupidity. King Kong asserts that being a primate, he is intellectually superior to Godzilla, and proves it by demonstrating language capabilities Godzilla doesn't possess. Ironically, Godzilla has actually spoken full words before in Godzilla vs. Gigan.)
Just like your bad English captions, your words don't match your actions (Oh oh!)
(A common point of mockery towards the Japanese Godzilla films is that the subtitles were mistranslated in their American releases, making them harder to understand. King Kong says that in a similar way, Godzilla's threats towards him don't match his actual actions, essentially saying that he has the bark but not the bite.)
You aren't even the bombest monster from the Sea, G, what's Kraken! (Uh!)
(The Kraken is a legendary sea monster which mythos exists since the beginning of the 18th century. To say something is "the bomb" means that it's very good. "What's crackin?'" is an informal greeting used by young people. An important part of Godzilla's story is his awakening and empowerment being caused by the nuclear radiation from the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Thus, Kong is saying that Kraken is a much cooler sea monster than Godzilla. Sea, G may also be a reference to CGI, which is how both characters are created in this battle as well as in media starting from the 2000s.)
So stay in your land of the rising cold fish and rice!
(Japan has the Western byname of Land of the Rising Sun, derived from the characters that compose its name in Japanese (日本 which is pronounced Nippon/Nihon). Sushi, dishes of rice and raw fish served cold, are a cultural and dietary staple of Japan.
Come to New York and King Kong will bing bong fuck your life!
(The "flipping finger" gesture is a nod to King Kong ripoff "A*P*E", where the titular ape flips the finger at the army trying to take it down. In 2021, the Instagram one-minute street show Sidetalk released an episode hosted by Brooklyn-based musician Gorilla Nems, where he interviewed citizens of Coney Island (which is in New York), with one of them shouting "Fuck your life! Bing bong!". The audio clip of this moment became a meme on TikTok. King Kong threatens to mess up Godzilla if he ever comes to New York; ironically, not only does the 1998 Godzilla film take place in the aforementioned city, but Godzilla also attacks it in the 1968 film Destroy All Monsters.)
Godzilla:
You must be from Hollow Earth, all your threats are empty!
(The Hollow Earth is a location in Legendary Pictures's MonsterVerse movies where Kong's species hails from, based on a popular conspiracy theory about life beneath the surface of the Earth. Godzilla is saying that Kong's threats are 'hollow'; that is, 'empty threats' that will not be carried out)
I can blow you out with one breath — don't tempt me, monkey!
(Godzilla's most iconic weapon is his atomic breath, a stream of neon-blue, fire-shaped, radioactive energy that can obliterate anything in its path. Even though this line may just seem like Godzilla claiming to be stronger than King Kong, it actually holds some truth in their recent movies. In the 2021 film Godzilla vs Kong, during a battle between these 2 in Hong Kong, Godzilla manages to land a shot of his atomic breath on Kong for a brief second, which manages to considerably damage him. If Kong had been hit by that atomic breath for any longer, he would've likely died in Hong Kong. This shows the contrast in power between the 2 titans, at least in the MonsterVerse. In addition, Godzilla calls Kong a "monkey", which is an insult to Kong since he is an ape.)
That was some shit you just threw!
(When stressed or need to display dominance, chimpanzees have the habit of hurling rocks or branches. In zoo environments, however, they are usually deprived of such small objects, instead hurling their own feces at the source of their frustration - the visitors of the zoo. Godzilla is essentially saying that Kong's lines were shit while further mocking Kong's status as a primate.)
Worst kaiju comeback since Pacific Rim 2! (Ooh!)
(This is a reference to the Pacific Rim franchise, whose story revolves around humanity building giant mechs named jaegers in order to combat massive kaiju invading Earth. While the first movie was very well received, its sequel, Pacific Rim Uprising, was heavily disliked by fans for lacking all of the enjoyable aspects of the first movie. Godzilla says that Kong's attempt at a comeback towards him with his verse was just as bad as the second Pacific Rim movie.)
This is kids' stuff, send in Minilla!
(Minilla is the adopted son of Godzilla, who first appeared in the aptly named 1967 movie Son of Godzilla. Godzilla insults Kong by claiming even a child of his species could defeat him.)
You couldn't measure up to the Shin of Godzilla!
(A play on the film Shin Godzilla [New Godzilla] and the noted height difference between the two. Godzilla says that King Kong is so short, he doesn't even reach Godzilla's shins, and that King Kong's popularity can't match the success and praise of Shin Godzilla either.)
Stick to tongue wrestling T. rexes and sea snakes
(King Kong fights a T. Rex (called Meat-Eater) in his 1933 film, and a giant snake in both King Kong Escapes and the 1976 remake of his original film. In addition, Kong also fights dinosaurs named V-Rexes in his 2005 film, where he rips off their tongues with his teeth. Tongue wrestling is a comedic way of saying kissing or making out. Godzilla insults Kong by saying that he should quit rapping and stick to making out with other monsters instead.
You're such a joke, Jack Black's in your remake!
(Jack Black, an actor and comedian known for appearing in many famous films, had a major role in the 2005 King Kong movie directed by Peter Jackson, which was well received but criticized for its 3-hour run time. Godzilla tells Kong that the fact that a comedian started in his remake indicates that he is well past his glory days has become a joke since then.)
King Kong:
Titan your fish lips around Tenacious Deez!
(Kong compares Godzilla's lips to a fish because he hails from the sea and his lips are bloated and unattractive. He also uses "Titan" as a pun for "tighten", since monsters in the MonsterVerse are called Titans. Also a possible reference to Titanosaurus, an aquatic monster from the film "Terror of Mechagodzilla". In response to Godzilla's diss on Jack Black, Kong makes a pun combining Jack Black's band, Tenacious D (which wrote the song "King Kong Jam" satirizing Black's performance in "King Kong"), and the "Deez Nuts" diss, essentially telling Godzilla to suck on his genitals.)
You ain't a Rap God-zilla. More like prey to me!
(Kong makes a pun on Godzilla's name by saying he isn't a rap god while also adding "zilla", referencing the rapper, Eminem's songs "Rap God" and "Godzilla" simultaneously. In most iterations, the natives of Skull Island worshipped King Kong as a deity. King Kong is telling Godzilla that he isn't a god, rather he should pray to Kong for mercy instead. King Kong is also calling Godzilla inferior by referring to him as his prey.)
In Japan, you were a metaphor for nuclear war
(The original Godzilla movie was released in October 27, 1954 nine years after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with the memory of those tragedies still fresh (it was reported that Japanese audiences cried after seeing the original Godzilla film). On top of that, in March 1, 1954, seven months before Godzilla's release, the United States performed the infamous Castle Bravo test of a thermonuclear bomb in Bikini Atoll, which poisoned not only the surrounding environment and people with radiation (rendering the atoll uninhabitable to this day) but also the crew of the Japanese fishing boat Daigo Fukuryū Maru, better known as the Lucky Dragon 5 (which is referenced in the 1954 film) and led to an international incident where the United States was forced to admit to its ability to produce thermonuclear weapons. According to director, Ishirō Honda, Godzilla's Tokyo rampage was intended to mirror the atomic bombings. Furthermore, producer Tomoyuki Tanaka stated, "The theme of the film, from the beginning, was the terror of the bomb. Mankind has created the bomb, and now nature was going to take revenge on mankind".)
But in Hollywood, they left your balls on the cutting room floor!
(However, when the original film was released in the United States on April 4, 1956 as Godzilla, King of the Monsters!, it was heavily edited to make it more appealing to an American audience. Among the changes made was that all references to the original film's anti-nuclear message were cut out (for which it, and all other American Godzilla films including those in the MonsterVerse series, have been criticized for). "Balls" can also mean courage, so it can also be said that Godzilla's "balls" (courage to criticize nuclear weapons in the original film) were removed when it was re-edited prior to its aforementioned American release, turning what was a film meant to be a critique of nuclear weapons into a less-serious film about a giant mutated dinosaur rampaging through a city. The line also refers to the fact that literally, when redesigning Godzilla for the Hollywood 1998 movie, Godzilla was originally going to have male genitalia modeled, until they were replaced with those of a female, matching how this incarnation lays eggs. Finally, this may also be a reference to the "No Dick, No Balls" meme, based on Godzilla YouTuber Goji Center's insinuation that the MonsterVerse Godzilla possesses no external genitalia.)
And then the '90s didn't make you any cooler
(This line is mostly referencing the aforementioned 1998 Godzilla movie, which is infamous for being an extremely inaccurate and heavily criticized adaptation of the titular monster.)
What kind of bumpy chump gets punked by Ferris Bueller?
(Continuing from the last line, Matthew Broderick, who played Ferris Bueller in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, played the 1998 film's protagonist Dr. Niko "Nick" Tatopoulos, who ultimately manages to escape Godzilla while he tries to chase him down and lives to see the monster get killed.)
So go ahead and glow blue, I'mma make you code blue!
(When unleashing it, the plates along Godzilla's spine glow the same color as his atomic breath, which is colored blue in most of his incarnations. A code blue is a medical emergency where a hospital's patient cannot be moved, such as cardiac or respiratory arrest. Both conditions involve lack of oxygen, and this leads to the punchline below.)
I'm an Oxygen Destroyer, and now you're O-2!
(The Oxygen Destroyer is the weapon that ultimately killed Godzilla in his first film, and has been reused in various other Godzilla media. By calling himself the Oxygen Destroyer, Kong is saying he will annihilate Godzilla just like how the weapon did. O2 is also the chemical formula for the diatomic oxygen molecule. When oxygen is found naturally, it contains 2 oxygen atoms bonded together to form a single molecule, unlike most other elements on the Periodic Table, which come in standalone, individual atoms. At the same time, Kong plays off of the word “O2” by claiming that the score between him and Godzilla is currently 0-2, meaning Kong has won both rounds so far in this rap battle.)
Godzilla:
Oh, you shouldn't try to talk about the atom
(Godzilla takes a jab at Kong reminding him that he (Godzilla) was a metaphor for nuclear war.)
With the beast The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms couldn't fathom!
(The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms is a 1953 monster movie with special effects by Ray Harryhausen, about a dinosaur that rampages through New York City. It is popularly believed to have heavily inspired Godzilla, which came out only sixteen months later. The word "fathom" can be used both as a unit of measurement, as in The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, or as a word for understanding or comprehension. Godzilla is saying that he is a creature beyond even a monster from 20,000 Fathoms' level of understanding.)
You could come at me with Iron Man and Thor, I'll still destroy ya!
(Godzilla faced off against Iron Man and Thor in a series of Godzilla comics published by Marvel. This is also a pun on Destoroyah's name, who is one of Godzilla's many enemies. This could also be a response to King Kong's atom line due to the fact that iron and thorium are elements in the periodic table.)
I'm Bigger than Bridges and I'm swinging digits in triplets like Ghidorah!
(Godzilla boasts about his size by saying he is bigger than bridges, while also saying he is more significant than actor Jeff Bridges, who starred in the 1976 remake of King Kong, which while commercially successful, still has mixed reviews to this day. The "bridges" part of the line could also be a reference to the 2014 Godzilla film where Godzilla emerges near the Golden Gate Bridge and eventually plows through it after the military attacks him. Godzilla's hands have three clawed digits and one opposable thumb, which he often swings as an attack. King Ghidorah is a three-headed dragon kaiju created by Toho, and is Godzilla's most popular nemesis; Godzilla compares his three digits to Ghidorah's three heads. This could also reference how Ghidorah was mutated from three creatures known as Dorats in the film Godzilla vs King Ghidorah. The triplets part of this line also reference the fact that the rhythm of this line is mostly in triplets. "Digits in triplets" could also be a reference to high box office earnings.)
My voice cuts deep like I'm rubbing on a double bass
(Godzilla's iconic roar was achieved via a leather glove soaked in pine-tar resin being rubbed down the strings of a double bass. By saying that his voice cuts deep, Godzilla is stating that his verses have been cutting deep wounds into Kong's skin (his insults have been more disrespectful and impactful), whereas Kong's verses have barely scratched Godzilla.)
I spit the verse to turn Skull Island into Pompeii!
(Godzilla threatens to destroy the island that Kong lives on, Skull Island, like how the 79 CE eruption of Mount Vesuvius destroyed Pompeii. In the comic series Godzilla: Rage Across Time, said eruption is depicted as having been caused by Godzilla emerging from the volcano.)
Serving up some animated rabbit fur flambé!
(The original stop-motion model for King Kong in his 1933 debut included rabbit fur. Godzilla is stating he will set Kong aflame, likely with his atomic breath, like flambé, a name for food that is set on fire as part of the cooking process.)
It's the saddest death of a gorilla since Harambe!
(In 2016, a gorilla named Harambe was shot and killed by a worker at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden where he was staying in after then-three-year-old Isaiah Dickerson fell into the gorilla enclosure. The moment of his death was recorded and went viral and paying respect to him became an internet meme. The killing became famously controversial over the choice of using lethal force against Harambe since some experts believed that Harambe was actually trying to help Dickerson. Godzilla is saying that once he's done rapping against Kong, Kong will have died such a miserable death that it will be comparable to the death of Harambe.)
Damn I despise you, you make weak tokusatsu
(Tokusatsu is a genre of Japanese film defined by actors in suits fighting monsters or robots, generally as superheroes, popularized by Ultraman, Kamen Rider, and Super Sentai, the last of which has had a successful run in the West as Power Rangers. However, the genre owes its roots to Godzilla itself. Kong has appeared on a Tokusatsu show by Toho, the obscure Go, Greenman!, where a very much deteriorating Kong faces the hero in a sumo match, of all things. Godzilla says King Kong's movies are weak attempts at the Tokusatsu genre, and that his suit's so weary, he can't even fight.)
Soft like some tofu; that's a Kaiju haiku!
(Once more, Godzilla alleges that Kong is "soft", i.e. weak against his raps, like tofu, a Chinese ingredient popular in East and Southeast Asia, including Japan. consisting of a soft, bland bean curd paste that can be molded into or blended with any dish. With the previous line, Godzilla's diss can be written as a 5-7-5 poem known as a haiku.)
Monkey-see me outdo you like I did to Mechani-Kong
(This is a play on the phrase "Monkey see, monkey do". Mechani-Kong is a robotic version of King Kong who first appeared in the 1966 animated series The King Kong Show and later returned in the 1967 movie King Kong Escapes, which was made by Toho. In 1974, Toho introduced Mechagodzilla, a robotic version of Godzilla who is generally regarded as one of his most popular foes. Godzilla boasts how Toho ended up one-upping Mechani-Kong with their own robotic duplicate of himself. Ironically, Toho considered a scrapped film pitting Godzilla against Mechani-Kong during the Heisei era.)
Fuck you and the balloons you rode in on!
(During the final act of King Kong vs Godzilla, the main characters strap air balloons on Kong while he sleeps to get him to fight Godzilla. This is also a reference to the common phrase "fuck you and the horse you rode in on". "Rode in" could also sound similar to Rodan, an aforementioned flying monster who serves as a frequent enemy to Gozilla.)
King Kong:
Anyways, that was more disappointing than your anime!
(The Godzilla anime trilogy was a series of animated movies telling the story of Godzilla Earth, a gigantic incarnation of Godzilla who grows over the course of 20,000 years. They are often regarded as being quite bad and disappointing, especially considering they were written by prolific writer Gen Urobuchi. This could also be a reference to the short-lived children's preschool anime Get Going! Godzilland! which depicted Godzilla's childhood on Monster Island and was much more sedate compared to the typical Godzilla fare, or a reference to Godzilla: Singular Point, a Godzilla anime TV series that was criticized by fans for having very few kaiju fights.)
Like '98, it's just another egg you laid
(Kong calls both the '98 film he criticized earlier and the anime total failures. While "laying [goose] eggs" is slang for failing, it also applies directly to Godzilla as the '98 version was capable of laying eggs.)
You ugly Mothra-fucker!
(Though Godzilla and Mothra have fought on several occasions, they've also been allies on different ones, particularily in 2019's "Godzilla: King of the Monsters", where the two have a symbiotic relationship. This has led to the Godzilla fandom shipping the two kaiju, which Kong makes fun of. Kong makes a pun on Mothra and "motherfucker".)
Still don't know how you got pregnant, your whole suit's a big rubber!
(As mentioned earlier, the '98 version of Godzilla was capable of laying eggs. Additionally, the 1978 illustrated short story, A Space Godzilla (which was based on an unproduced film), featured a female incarnation named Rozan who was pregnant throughout the story. Kong finds it odd that it happened given the earlier incarnations of Godzilla were portrayed by men wearing giant rubber suits, which he likens to condoms, which are made out of rubber and can be referred to as "rubbers" in slang.)
Got no fear of Gojira, I ain't hearing no Monster-verse!
("Gojira" is what Godzilla is called in Japan and his original name. The MonsterVerse is a series of movies produced by Legendary and Warner Bros. starring both Godzilla and Kong and have featured the two crossing over multiple times. Kong makes a pun out of this believing Godzilla's verses weren't "monster level".)
You're the only Honda vehicle that don't retain no worth!
(Ishiro Honda directed many Godzilla films, which would make Godzilla a vehicle for his career. This is also a reference to the Honda car company, which sells vehicles known to retain their value over time, unlike Godzilla, whom Kong calls worthless. Ironically, the most recent Godzilla film, Godzilla Minus One (which was released 4 months before the battle) was highly praised by critics, even winning the award for Best Visual Effects at the 2024 Academy Awards.)
There'll be no victory dance, your G-fans will leave upset
(In the 1965 film "Invasion of Astro-Monster", Godzilla infamously performs a dance popularized by the Osomatsu manga when King Ghidorah retreats during their fight on Planet X. "G-fans" is meant to refer to the Godzilla fanbase, but it could also be a reference to the G-FAN magazine, which is name-dropped in the Behind the Scenes video, or G-Fest, an annual convention related to kaiju.)
'Cause if you drop kick at me, I'll shove a tree down your neck!
(Kong references Godzilla drop kicking Megalon in Godzilla vs. Megalon and their original fight in the 1962 King Kong vs. Godzilla which featured Godzilla dropkicking Kong in a stop-motion scene, shortly followed by Kong shoving a tree down Godzilla's throat during their battle.)
I'm the Apex great ape, great with the ape ax
(In zoology, the "apex predator" is the animal at the top of the food chain in a given ecosystem; based on this, Kong acknowledges that he is the top ape. In the 2021 film Godzilla vs Kong, Kong receives a giant axe that allows him to fight on par with Godzilla. In the same film, a company named Apex Industries is responsible for creating the MonsterVerse incarnation of Mechagodzilla, who fights Godzilla and Kong at the end of the movie. This line utilizes clever wordplay by rearranging the word "apex" to "ape ax" and "great ape" with "great with the ape".)
Like All Monsters Attack, your raps are recycled crap!
(All Monsters Attack, a Godzilla film with very negative reviews, consisted mostly of stock footage and reused scenes from previous Godzilla movies. Kong is saying that Godzilla's raps are recycled like All Monsters Attack.)
This alpha gorilla won't be bringing no silverback!
(In zoology, the "alphas" in a group of animals are the most dominant male and female in an established hierarchy, usually earning their positions by way of competition. A troop of mountain gorillas is usually led by an elderly adult male gorilla, or "silverback". Silver medals are usually given to people who come in second in competitions such as the Olympic Games. Kong is saying that he will come in first as opposed to second. In the 2005 film, King Kong's design also highly resembles a giant silverback gorilla.)
'Cause just like Bryan Cranston, you've been dead since the first act!
(The 2014 Godzilla reboot featured Bryan Cranston, a critically acclaimed actor known for his performance as Walter White on Breaking Bad. The film heavily marketed Cranston's involvement, only to disappoint fans when his character was killed off early in the movie. Kong claims that Godzilla's chances at winning the rap battle have been dead since the beginning similar to Cranston's role in the 2014 film.)
