Inferno: 13 Songs Representing the 9 Circles of Hell | Playlist

First Circle: Limbo

Limbo is part of the Roman Catholic theology – it’s not part of other Christian beliefs.  According to Encyclopædia Brittanica, limbo is “the border place between heaven and hell where dwell those souls who, though not condemned to punishment, are deprived of the joy of eternal existence with God in heaven.”

1. Scotty McCreery, “In Between”

Seasons Change • Triple Tigers • 2018

“I can be a steel toe work boot / 40-hour blue collar, mud on my jeans / Then on weekend pack a bag / Disappear back on a white sand beach.” The song that represents the first circle of hell, limbo, is “In Between.” Disclaimer: this Scotty McCreery is a stretch. That said, when thinking about limbo in the context of Dante’s Inferno, or being “in limbo” in life, the sentiment is being “in between.”  Within the song, McCreery paints the picture of being two different people on different days of the week and different occasions. It’s the spirit of “In Between,” hence, that earns it a spot on this list.

“I’m a far cry from being
A one-night stand
But I ain’t ready
For a ring on my hand
I’m in between
Friday night wild
And quiet Sunday morning
Between
Done after one
And keep on pouring
Ain’t two high
Ain’t woo low
Just holding down the middle.”

Second Circle: Lust

According to deadlysins.com, lust is “an inordinate craving for the pleasures of the body.”

2. Tinashe, “Me So Bad”

Ft. Ty Dolla $ign & French Montana

Joyride • RCA • 2018

The incredibly naughty “Me So Bad” is chocked-full of mad sexual innuendo.  On the Joyride promo single, Tinashe encourages sex on the bright, exuberant, and repetitive chorus.

“You want some me so bad
You want some me so bad
Come get this body
You want me so bad
You want me so bad
Come get this body now.”

Featured guests Ty Dolla $ign and French Montana play into her lustful intentions.  Ty drops the sexual cliché “I want it face down, ass up,” while French Montanamakes it clear, “she ain’t want no safe sex,” later adding “she a savage.”

3. Prince, “Head”

Dirty Mind • Warner Bros. • 1980

“I’ll give you head till you’re burning up / Head till you get enough / Head till your love is red / Head love you till you’re dead.” Oh boy… In the 00s, the late, great Prince was much tamer musically, particularly regarding sex, compared to his 80s (into the 90s) heyday. While references to oral sex are much more rampant in contemporary music, particularly hip-hop and R&B, back in 1980 it was really pushing it. Imagine how Dante would’ve viewed this groovy Prince Jam.  In Dante’s eyes, would damnation to the second circle of hell be sufficient?

“You said ‘but I’m just a virgin and I’m
On my way to be wed
But you’re such a hunk
So full of spunk.’”

Third Circle: Gluttony 

According to deadlysins.com, gluttony is described as “an inordinate desire to consume more than that which one requires.”

Common expands upon gluttony on his song, “7 Deadly Sins.”

“Now the myth about the fifth: it only happens when we eat
It’s gluttony, this is how it happens on the street
It’s a dude that’s getting paid in full, cars and jewels
So his plate is full, but the way this n***a move
He is never full and he gon’ want your food
Don’t overdo it, that's an underrated rule.”

4. Machine Gun Kelly, “Can’t Walk”

Bloom • Interscope • 2017

“Y’all can’t see my eyes behind these shades… / I been fucked up for the last two days straight / I been fucked up for the last two days, dog / And I can’t walk, and I can’t walk…” Machine Gun Kelly is plagued by his demons on “Can’t Walk.”  While overindulgence in food doesn’t seem to be an issue for MGK, his gluttony comes in the form of various substances, not to mention sex (“Blurred lines, blurred lines, I just fucked for the third time”).

Here are some of the rapper’s demons in the song.

• Drugs, unspecified: “One bite, hit the drugs…” and “What did you just give me in this Ziploc?”
• Lean (Purple Drank): “Purple rain, purple rain feel in my cup, slurred rhymes.”
• Multiple drugs: “2 grams in the blunt…”

Fourth Circle: Greed 

Greed is described as “the desire for material wealth or gain, ignoring the realm of the spiritual,” according to deadlysins.com.

5. Cardi B, “Money Bag”

Invasion of Privacy • Atlantic • 2018

“While you hoes where sleepin’ on me, I made 40 bands by 4 PM.”  Throughout the course of “Money Bag,” a highlight from her highly-anticipated debut album Invasion of Privacy, Cardi B is incredibly confident.  She’s also incredibly rich.  It’s clear that the female rapper enjoys material things. In addition to bragging “I’m lookin’ like a money bag,” she gives some wealthy specifics.

“I do the Maybach on Monday, Ferrari Friday…
And I park my Bentley truck on my Versace driveway...”

 6. Offset & Metro Boomin, “Ric Flair Drip”

Without Warning • Epic / Motown / Capitol / Republic • 2017

Whenever one of the Migos is involved, expect a flex-fest.  On “Ric Flair Drip,” Offset flexes like a boss (about shallow, material things), while also paying ode to the legendary wrestler, Ric Flair.  Featured on another playlist, 10 Urban Songs That Either Drip or Drop, Offset exhibits greed as well as pride thanks to referencing luxurious clothes, cars, and watches.  Among the highlights include Audemars Piguet, Balenciaga, Rolls-Royce Wraith, and the faithful Patek Phillipe.

“Hopping in my Bentayga and her seat is a masseuse (hey)
Balenciaga, check my posture, Valentino boots (oo-oo)
It's the Boominati way, a lotta Lambs, a lotta Wraiths (Boominati)
Never hesitate to give a n***a yellow tape (grrt).”

Fifth Circle: Anger (Wrath)

Anger (wrath) is“manifested in the individual who spurns love and opts instead for fury,” according to deadlysins.com.

7. Bullet for My Valentine, “Over It”

Gravity • Spinefarm / Universal Music • 2018

“I know it hurts / I tried to help to ease your pain / I know these words / They won’t mean anything / I hope it hurts / You’ve only got yourself to blame / And I can’t take this anymore / I’m over it / So over it.” Welsh rock band Bullet for My Valentine returned in ferocious fashion on their 2018 single, “Over It”. Throughout the course of the record, frontman Matt Tuck delivers aggressive vocals.  The aggressive vocals match a theme of anger, or more accurately, frustration.

“After all this time
You still couldn’t recognize
That your problem lies within
In a vicious circle...
Why you’ve thrown it all away.” 

Sixth Circle: Heresy 

In the Encyclopædia Brittanica article Roman Catholicism, heresy is described as “the obstinate denial by a professed, baptized Christian of a revealed truth or of that which the Roman Catholic Church has proposed as a revealed truth.”

8. Marilyn Manson, “Tattooed in Reverse”

Heaven Upside Down • Loma Vista • 2017

“So, fuck your bible and your Babel / I made this psalm into my dirty bomb.” That’s some damned opening lyric, literally. It sets the unapologetic tone of “Tattooed in Reverse,” the second song from Heaven Upside Down.  Just think about the title of the album for minute and let that set in.  Clearly, Marilyn Manson, a self-proclaimed nonbeliever, paints the picture of a deviant, who is deranged and seemingly ‘built all wrong from the start.’ This ‘loose cannon’ doesn’t care about religion or God in the least, essentially reversing things into utter hellishness and evil.

The chorus is thrilling, capturing the suspect state of mind of this psycho:

“I’m un-stabled, I’m not a show horse
I can’t be bridled, of course
I’m un-scabbed and un-regretted
I got tattooed in reverse.”

Dante wouldn’t look favorably upon Manson to say the least.

9. The 1975, “If I Believe You”

I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It • Interscope • 2016

“I’ve got a God-shaped hole that’s infected / And I’m petrified of being alone now / It’s pathetic, I know.” It’s no secret that The 1975 frontman Matthew Healy isn’t a believer – he’s an atheist and humanist. Given his views, in the eyes of Dante, Healy would be damned to the sixth circle of hell, heresy. The gorgeous “If I Believe You”features gospel music cues, but ultimately questions putting faith and stock in God.

“And if I believe you
Will that make it stop?
If I told you I need you
Is that what you want?
And I’m broken and bleeding
And begging for help
And I’m asking you Jesus, show yourself.”

A personal favorite, “If I Believe You” has appeared on multiple playlists including 🎧19 Atheistic, Agnostic & Highly Skeptical Songs, 🎧Religiously Skeptical Gems 2.0, and 🎧Secular Songs That ‘Take You to Church’.

Seventh Circle: Violence 

The damned of the seventh circle of hell, Violence, according to Dante, included murderers, committers of suicide, blasphemers, and sodomites.

10. Future, “Draco”

FUTURE • Epic • 2017

Rap and violence often go hand in hand.  That’s certainly the case with “Draco,” a song by Future that appears on his 2017 self-titled album. “Draco”refers to the famous Romanian weapon, the Draco AK 47 Pistol.  Doesn’t that just scream violence? As prolific as Future is, his subject matter is typically limited. Finding records and guest features that reference guns and violence isn’t unusual in the least for the rapper.

“Draco season with the book bag
Rat tat, got a little kick back
Hundreds on hundreds got a good batch.”

“Draco” also makes an appearance on the playlist, 🎧14 Songs Referencing ‘Shooters’ in Various Contexts. “Draco” could be considered to be part of Ring 1, violence against neighbors.

11. August Alsina, “FML”

Ft. Pusha T

Testimony • Def Jam • 2014

“Even when I’m up, I’m feeling down, fuck my life.” On “FML,” August Alsina, assisted by Pusha T, exhibits his share of suicidal thoughts. According to Dante’s Inferno, the second round of the violent seventh circle of hell features those who committed suicide.

“Let me tell you ‘bout myself, I’m not scared to die
Been through so much shit, sometimes I wanna be in the sky
Wanna know how it feels to fly...
I’m scared of hello, I ain’t scared of goodbye.”

Alsina clearly has had his fair share of hard times (check out his backstory), and he expresses his struggles musically.  He also references suicide in another song, “Song Cry,” from his sophomore album, This Thing Called Life. “FML” also appears on the playlist, 🎧Songs Centered Around or Referencing Suicide, Vol. 1.

Eighth Circle: Fraud

Within Inferno, the eighth circle, fraud, is divided into Bolgias, where souls are damned for pandering, seducing, flattering, simony, false prophesy, political corruption, hypocrisy, thievery, and much more.

12. Accept, “Koolaid”

Rise of Chaos • Nuclear Blast • 2017

Veteran metal band Accept is perfectly suited to tackle the fraud of the eighth circle of hell.  Specifically, “Koolaid” fits into Bolgia 4, which encompasses false prophets.  The false prophet at hand? Jim Jones. Mike Tornillo and company focus on the horrid happenings at The People’s Temple in Jonestown, the infamous cult led by Jones. Tornillo takes on the character of an ex-member to portray the horrors.  He highlights the infamous mass suicide that occurred in 1978.

“He said
We’re gonna mix it up
Add the cyanide
Then we’ll drink it up
You’re gonna feel so fine.”

Naturally, Accept discourages his communion.

“Don’t drink the Koolaid
Don’t taste the holy water
Don’t drink the Koolaid
No matter what the preacher says.”

“Koolaid” has appeared on other playlists, 🎧10 Songs About Cult Leader Jim Jones & Jonestown and 🎧Religiously Skeptical Gems 2.0.

Ninth Circle: Treachery

The ninth circle of hell is clearly the most damned. In Dante’s eyes, the worst of the worst – the treacherous traitors – reside here.  That ultimately includes Satan himself, who’s in the center of hell.

13. Shinedown, “Devil”

Attention Attention • Atlantic • 2018

There are plenty of devilish songs, some of which we covered on the playlist 🎧 These 15 Songs Have the Devil in Mind.  On particular standout that appeared on that list was the song “Devil”, courtesy of hard rock band Shinedown.  The promo single for the band’s 2018 album Attention Attentionis fittingly set in a minor key. From the jump, the record hits you right in the chest. The guitars are incredibly heavy, the drums pummel, while frontman Brent Smith is filled with angst, fire, and the utmost grit.

“‘Cause it’s about to get heavy (Heavy, heavy, heavy, heavy)
It’s about to be on (Heavy, heavy, heavy, heavy)
Yeah, I’m bangin’ slingin’ napalm (Heavy, heavy, heavy, heavy)
So nobody move
'Cause I was sent to warn you
The devil's in the next room.”