Hip-Hop 50: The Soundtrack of a Culture

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

1. Sugar Hill Gang – Rapper’s Delight
2. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five – Superrappin’
3. Lady B –  To the Beat Ya’ll
4. Spoonie Gee – Spoonie Rap
5. The Sequence – Funk You Up

1980

1. Funky Four Plus One – That’s the Joint
2. Kurtis Blow – The Breaks
3. Blondie – Rapture
4. Trickeration – Rap, Bounce, Rockskate
5. Jimmy Spicer – Adventures of Super Rhyme

1981

1. Doctor Ice – Calling Dr. Ice
2. Sugar Hill Gang – Apache
3. Treacherous Three – Put thee Boogie in your Body
4. Kurtis Blow – It’s Getting Hot
5. Kool Kyle the Starchild – It’s Rockin Time

1982

1. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five – The Message
2. Whodini – Magic’s Wand
3. Busy Bee Starski – Making Cash Money
4. Grand Wizard Theodore – Can I Get a Soul Clap(fresh out the pack)
5. Nairobi – Funky Soul Makossa

1983

1. Mellie Mel – White Lines
2. World’s Famous – Malcolm McLaren (Supreme Team)
3. Jonzun Crew – Space is the Place
4. The Fearless Four – Problems of the World
5. West Street MOB – Break Dance(Electric Boogie)

1984

1. Run DMC – It’s Like That
2. Fat Boys – Fat Boys
3. Whodini – Freaks Come Out at Night
4. Newcleus – Jam On It
5. Kurtis Blow – 8 Million Stories

1985

1. LL Cool J – Rock the Bells
2. Run DMC – King of Rock
3. Schoolly D – P.S.K. “What Does it Mean?”
4. LL Cool J – Rock the Bells
5. U.T.F.O – Roxanne, Roxanne

1986

1. Run DMC – Walk This Way
2. Doug E Fresh Ft Slick Rick – The Show
3. Afrika Bambaataa – Planet Rock
4. RUN DMC – My Adidas
5. Salt N Pepa – Push it

1987

1. LL Cool J – I’m Bad
2. Eric B & Rakim – Paid in Full
3. Ice T – 6 N in the Morning
4. BDP – South Bronx
5. MC Shan – The Bridge

1988

1. NWA – Straight Outta Compton
2. Slick Rick – Children’s Story
3. J.J. Fad – Supersonic
4. Juice Crew – The Symphony
5. MC Lyte – Lyte as A Rock

1989

1. Public Enemy – Fight the Power
2. Special ED – I Got it Made
3. The D.O.C. – It’s Funky Enough
4. MC Lyte – Cha Cha Cha
5. De la Soul – Me Myself and I

1990

1. Chubb Rock – Treat’Em Right
2. Digital Underground – The Humpty Dance
3. MC Hammer – U Can’t Touch This
4. LL Cool J – Mama Said Knock You Out
5. Biz Markie – Just a Friend

1991

1. MC Lyte – Poor Georgie
2. Naughty by Nature – OPP
3. Geto Boys – Mind Playing Tricks on Me
4. DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince – Summertime
5. A Tribe Called Quest – Scenario

1992

1. Pete Rock & CL Smooth – T.R.O.Y.
2. Wreckx-N-Effect – Rump Shaker
3. Digable Planets – Rebirth of Slick(Cool Like That)
4. Ice Cube – Today Was a Good Day
5. The Pharcyde – Passin Me By

1993

1. Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg – Ain’t Nuthin But A G-Thang
2. Onyx – SLAM
3. 2Pac – I Get Around
4. Salt N Pepa – Shoop
5. Naughty By Nature – Hip Hop Hooray

1994

1. Warren G ft. Nate Dogg – Regulate
2. Snoop Dogg – Gin & Juice
3. Bone Thugs – Thuggish Ruggish
4. Craig Mack – Flava in Ya Ear – Remix
5. OutKast – Player’s Ball

1995

1. Luniz – I Got 5 On It
2. Notorious B.I.G. – One More Chance -remix
3. Method Man & Mary J Blige – I’ll Be There for You
4. Scarface – I Seen a Man Die
5. Coolio – Gangsta’s Paradise

1996

1. Nas – If I Ruled the World
2. Outkast – ATLiens
3. LL Cool J – Doin It
4. The Fugees – Ready or Not
5. 2Pac – California Love

1997

1. Notorious B.I.G. – Hypnotize
2. Busta Rhymes – Put Your Hands
3. Missy Elliot – The Rain
4. Puff Daddy – It’s All About the Benjamins
5. Lil Kim – Not Tonight(Ladies Night)

1998

1. Jay-Z – Hard Knock Life
2. Outkast – Rosa Parks
3. Juvenile – Ha
4. Big Pun – Still Not a Player
5. DMX – Ruff Ryders

1999

1. Mobb Deep – Quiet Storm -remix
2. Lauryn Hill – Everything is Everything
3. B.G. – Bling Bling
4. Juvenile – Back That Azz Up
5. Busta Rhymes – What’s It Gonna Be

2000

1. Trick Daddy – Shut Up
2. Nelly – Country Grammar
3. Black Rob – Whoa
4. Dr. Dre – Forgot About Dre
5. Jay Z & UGK – Big Pimpin

2001

1. Eve – Let Me Blow Ya Mind
2. Jay – Z – Izzo (H.O.V.A)
3. Diddy – Bad Boy for Life
4. Ludacris – Area Codes
5. Outkast – Ms. Jackson

2002

1. Nelly – Hot in Herre
2. Lil Jon – Get Low
3. Snoop Dogg – Beautiful
4. Busta Rhymes – Pass the Courvoisier
5. Cam’Ron – Oh Boy

2003

1. Outkast – Hey Ya
2. Lil Kim – Jump Off
3. 50 Cent – In Da Club
4. Joe Budden – Pump It Up
5. Bonecrusher – Never Scared

2004

1. T.I. – Bring’em Out
2. Fat Joe – Lean Back
3. Kanye West – Jesus Walks
4. Jadakiss – Why
5. Snoop Dogg – Drop It Like It’s Hot

2005

1. Kanye West – Gold Digger
2. Lil Kim – Lighters Up
3. Three 6 Mafia – Stay Fly
4. Missy Elliot – Lose Control
5. Jeezy – And Then What

2006

1. Jim Jones – We Fly High
2. Jeezy – I Luv It
3. Chamillionaire – Ridin
4. T.I. – What You Know
5. Too $hort – Blow the Whistle

2007

1. Rich Boy – Throw Some D’s
2. UGK – Int’l Players Anthem
3. Kanye West – Can’t Tell Me Nothing
4. DJ Khalid – We Takin Over
5. 50 Cent – I Get Money

2008

1. Lil Wayne – Lollipop
2. Shawty Lo – Dey Know
3. T.I. – Swagga Like Us
4. Snoop Dogg – Sensual Seduction
5. Jeezy – My President

2009

1. Kid Cudi – Day N’ Nite
2. Gucci Mane – Lemonade
3. Drake – Forever
4. Jay Z – Empire State of Mind
5. Rick Ross – Magnificent

2010

1. Rick Ross – B.M.F,
2. Kanye West – Power
3. Wacka Flacka – No Hands
4. DJ Khaled – All I Do is Win
5. Snoop Dogg – I Wanna Rock

2011

1. Jay- Z & Kanye West – N****z in Paris
2. Wiz Khalifa – Black and Yellow
3. Tyler the Creator – She
4. Kanye West – All the Lights
5. DJ Khaled – I’m On One

2012

1. Meek Mill – Dreams and Nightmares
2. Nicki Minaj – Beez in the Trap
3. Trinidad James – All Gold Everything
4. Kendrick Lamar – Swimming Pools
5. Waka Flocka Flame – Round of Applause

2013

1. ASAP Rocky – Fuckin Problems
2. Lil Wayne – No Worries
3. French Montana – Pop That
4. J.Cole – Power Trip
5. Drake – Started from the Bottom

2014

1. Bobby Shmurda – Hot N***a
2. Rich Gang – Lifestyle
3. Nicki Minaj – Anaconda
4. T.I. ft. Young Thug – About the Money
5. TG ft Drake – Who Do You Love

2015

1. Future – March Madness
2. Nicki Minaj – Truffle Butter
3. Kendrick Lamar – Alright
4. Wiz Khalifa – See You Again
5. Fetty Wap – Trap Queen

2016

1. Rae Sremmurd – Black Beetles
2. YoGotti – Down in the DM
3. Drake – Controlla
4. Migos – Bad and Boujee
5. Fat Joe & Remy Ma – All the Way Up

2017

1. Goldlink – Crew
2. Kendrick Lamar – Loyalty
3. Future – Mask Off
4. Cardi B – Bodak Yellow
5. Jay-Z – Family Feud

2018

1. Migos – Stir Fry
2. Kendrick Lamar – All the Stars
3. Nipsey Hussle – Grinding All My Life
4. Cardi B – Bartier Cardi
5. Lil Baby & Gunna – Drip Too Hard

2019

1. Tyler the Creator – Earfquake
2. DaBaby – Bop
3. Dojo Cat – Juicy
4. J.Cole – Middle Child
5. City Girls – Act Up

For these classics and more, click HERE for Hip Hop Songs for the Summer playlist.