So, with Hip-Hop celebrating its 50 years of existence, it’s only right to spotlight the songs that voiced the culture. In a perfect world, it would be great to list a banger ballad for every year of the genre’s inception since 1973; however, most records weren’t technically Hip Hop created tunes but more so break-beat records used for the block and house parties. So for this list, it’s best to start when the first documented studio-created Hip Hop record was produced in 1979 until 2019, to make it even.
1979
- Sugar Hill Gang – Rapper’s Delight
- Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five – Superrappin’
- Lady B – To the Beat Ya’ll
- Spoonie Gee – Spoonie Rap
- The Sequence – Funk You Up
1980
- Funky Four Plus One – That’s the Joint
- Kurtis Blow – The Breaks
- Blondie – Rapture
- Trickeration – Rap, Bounce, Rockskate
- Jimmy Spicer – Adventures of Super Rhyme
1981
- Doctor Ice – Calling Dr. Ice
- Sugar Hill Gang – Apache
- Treacherous Three – Put thee Boogie in your Body
- Kurtis Blow – It’s Getting Hot
- Kool Kyle the Starchild – It’s Rockin Time
1982
- Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five – The Message
- Whodini – Magic’s Wand
- Busy Bee Starski – Making Cash Money
- Grand Wizard Theodore – Can I Get a Soul Clap(fresh out the pack)
- Nairobi – Funky Soul Makossa
1983
- Mellie Mel – White Lines
- World’s Famous – Malcolm McLaren (Supreme Team)
- Jonzun Crew – Space is the Place
- The Fearless Four – Problems of the World
- West Street MOB – Break Dance(Electric Boogie)
1984
- Run DMC – It’s Like That
- Fat Boys – Fat Boys
- Whodini – Freaks Come Out at Night
- Newcleus – Jam On It
- Kurtis Blow – 8 Million Stories
1985
- LL Cool J – Rock the Bells
- Run DMC – King of Rock
- Schoolly D – P.S.K. “What Does it Mean?”
- LL Cool J – Rock the Bells
- U.T.F.O – Roxanne, Roxanne
1986
- Run DMC – Walk This Way
- Doug E Fresh Ft Slick Rick – The Show
- Afrika Bambaataa – Planet Rock
- RUN DMC – My Adidas
- Salt N Pepa – Push it
1987
- LL Cool J – I’m Bad
- Eric B & Rakim – Paid in Full
- Ice T – 6 N in the Morning
- BDP – South Bronx
- MC Shan – The Bridge
1988
- NWA – Straight Outta Compton
- Slick Rick – Children’s Story
- J.J. Fad – Supersonic
- Juice Crew – The Symphony
- MC Lyte – Lyte as A Rock
1989
- Public Enemy – Fight the Power
- Special ED – I Got it Made
- The D.O.C. – It’s Funky Enough
- MC Lyte – Cha Cha Cha
- De la Soul – Me Myself and I
1990
- Chubb Rock – Treat’Em Right
- Digital Underground – The Humpty Dance
- MC Hammer – U Can’t Touch This
- LL Cool J – Mama Said Knock You Out
- Biz Markie – Just a Friend
1991
- MC Lyte – Poor Georgie
- Naughty by Nature – OPP
- Geto Boys – Mind Playing Tricks on Me
- DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince – Summertime
- A Tribe Called Quest – Scenario
1992
- Pete Rock & CL Smooth – T.R.O.Y.
- Wreckx-N-Effect – Rump Shaker
- Digable Planets – Rebirth of Slick(Cool Like That)
- Ice Cube – Today Was a Good Day
- The Pharcyde – Passin Me By
1993
- Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg – Ain’t Nuthin But A G-Thang
- Onyx – SLAM
- 2Pac – I Get Around
- Salt N Pepa – Shoop
- Naughty By Nature – Hip Hop Hooray
1994
- Warren G ft. Nate Dogg – Regulate
- Snoop Dogg – Gin & Juice
- Bone Thugs – Thuggish Ruggish
- Craig Mack – Flava in Ya Ear – Remix
- OutKast – Player’s Ball
1995
- Luniz – I Got 5 On It
- Notorious B.I.G. – One More Chance -remix
- Method Man & Mary J Blige – I’ll Be There for You
- Scarface – I Seen a Man Die
- Coolio – Gangsta’s Paradise
1996
- Nas – If I Ruled the World
- Outkast – ATLiens
- LL Cool J – Doin It
- The Fugees – Ready or Not
- 2Pac – California Love
1997
- Notorious B.I.G. – Hypnotize
- Busta Rhymes – Put Your Hands
- Missy Elliot – The Rain
- Puff Daddy – It’s All About the Benjamins
- Lil Kim – Not Tonight(Ladies Night)
1998
- Jay-Z – Hard Knock Life
- Outkast – Rosa Parks
- Juvenile – Ha
- Big Pun – Still Not a Player
- DMX – Ruff Ryders
1999
- Mobb Deep – Quiet Storm -remix
- Lauryn Hill – Everything is Everything
- B.G. – Bling Bling
- Juvenile – Back That Azz Up
- Busta Rhymes – What’s It Gonna Be
2000
- Trick Daddy – Shut Up
- Nelly – Country Grammar
- Black Rob – Whoa
- Dr. Dre – Forgot About Dre
- Jay Z & UGK – Big Pimpin
2001
- Eve – Let Me Blow Ya Mind
- Jay – Z – Izzo (H.O.V.A)
- Diddy – Bad Boy for Life
- Ludacris – Area Codes
- Outkast – Ms. Jackson
2002
- Nelly – Hot in Herre
- Lil Jon – Get Low
- Snoop Dogg – Beautiful
- Busta Rhymes – Pass the Courvoisier
- Cam’Ron – Oh Boy
2003
- Outkast – Hey Ya
- Lil Kim – Jump Off
- 50 Cent – In Da Club
- Joe Budden – Pump It Up
- Bonecrusher – Never Scared
2004
- T.I. – Bring’em Out
- Fat Joe – Lean Back
- Kanye West – Jesus Walks
- Jadakiss – Why
- Snoop Dogg – Drop It Like It’s Hot
2005
- Kanye West – Gold Digger
- Lil Kim – Lighters Up
- Three 6 Mafia – Stay Fly
- Missy Elliot – Lose Control
- Jeezy – And Then What
2006
- Jim Jones – We Fly High
- Jeezy – I Luv It
- Chamillionaire – Ridin
- T.I. – What You Know
- Too $hort – Blow the Whistle
2007
- Rich Boy – Throw Some D’s
- UGK – Int’l Players Anthem
- Kanye West – Can’t Tell Me Nothing
- DJ Khalid – We Takin Over
- 50 Cent – I Get Money
2008
- Lil Wayne – Lollipop
- Shawty Lo – Dey Know
- T.I. – Swagga Like Us
- Snoop Dogg – Sensual Seduction
- Jeezy – My President
2009
- Kid Cudi – Day N’ Nite
- Gucci Mane – Lemonade
- Drake – Forever
- Jay Z – Empire State of Mind
- Rick Ross – Magnificent
2010
- Rick Ross – B.M.F,
- Kanye West – Power
- Wacka Flacka – No Hands
- DJ Khaled – All I Do is Win
- Snoop Dogg – I Wanna Rock
2011
- Jay- Z & Kanye West – N****z in Paris
- Wiz Khalifa – Black and Yellow
- Tyler the Creator – She
- Kanye West – All the Lights
- DJ Khaled – I’m On One
2012
- Meek Mill – Dreams and Nightmares
- Nicki Minaj – Beez in the Trap
- Trinidad James – All Gold Everything
- Kendrick Lamar – Swimming Pools
- Waka Flocka Flame – Round of Applause
2013
- ASAP Rocky – Fuckin Problems
- Lil Wayne – No Worries
- French Montana – Pop That
- J.Cole – Power Trip
- Drake – Started from the Bottom
2014
- Bobby Shmurda – Hot N***a
- Rich Gang – Lifestyle
- Nicki Minaj – Anaconda
- T.I. ft. Young Thug – About the Money
- TG ft Drake – Who Do You Love
2015
- Future – March Madness
- Nicki Minaj – Truffle Butter
- Kendrick Lamar – Alright
- Wiz Khalifa – See You Again
- Fetty Wap – Trap Queen
2016
- Rae Sremmurd – Black Beetles
- YoGotti – Down in the DM
- Drake – Controlla
- Migos – Bad and Boujee
- Fat Joe & Remy Ma – All the Way Up
2017
- Goldlink – Crew
- Kendrick Lamar – Loyalty
- Future – Mask Off
- Cardi B – Bodak Yellow
- Jay-Z – Family Feud
2018
- Migos – Stir Fry
- Kendrick Lamar – All the Stars
- Nipsey Hussle – Grinding All My Life
- Cardi B – Bartier Cardi
- Lil Baby & Gunna – Drip Too Hard
2019
- Tyler the Creator – Earfquake
- DaBaby – Bop
- Dojo Cat – Juicy
- J.Cole – Middle Child
- City Girls – Act Up
For these classics and more, click HERE for Hip Hop Songs for the Summer playlist.