*** The 50 Greatest Hip Hop Songs Of All Time (UPDATED!!!) ***

[starvin harlem]

Well I think so . . . Yea so I'm back with another list . . . Got high and decided to make a playlist on my Ipod of the 50 greatest hip hop songs . . . Ifiguired it would be easy so I go through just pickin contenderd and end up with almost 2000 songs some as many as 30 years apart . . . I broke it down torelivence, impact, production, lyrics and OVERALL power of the track . . .

Last 10 songs out
Styles P Feat. Pharohe Monch - The Life
Mos Def - Umi Says (but thats not even rap)
Talib Kweli - Get By & Four Women
Sugar Hill Gang - Rappers Delight (as far as impact goes this is the best)
Run DMC - Sucker MCs (this belongs on the list the most of all the songs left out)
Joe Budden - All Of Me (he track is AMAZING)
Smiff & Wessun - Bucktown
Marly Marl - The Symphony
Jadakiss - Why
NWA - %$@! The Police



50. Queen Latifah - "Just AnotherDay" (Black Reign)

49. MC Eiht - Straight Up Menace (Menace II Society Original
Soundtrack)

48. Mos Def & Talib Kweli - Thieves In The Night (Black Star)

47. Black Moon - Who Got The Props (Enta DaStage)

46. Audio Two - Top Billin

45. DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince- Summertime

44. Nice & Smoothe - Sometimes I RhymeSlow

43. Dilated Peoples - Worst Come To Worst(Expansion Team)

42. Gang Starr - Mass Appeal (Hard To Earn)

41. Bone Thugs NHarmony - Dayz Of Our Lives

40. Ras Kass - Nature Of The Threat(Soul On Ice)

39. Freeway - What We Do (Philedelphia Freeway)

38. Naughty By Nature - Ghetto Bastard (NaughtyBy Nature)

37. Kanye West - Jesus Walks (The CollegeDropout)

36. 2Pac - Changes (Greatest Hits)

35. The Fugees - Fugee La (TheScore)

34. Eminem - Stan(Marshall Mathers LP)

33. Wu Tang Clan - Triumph (Wu Tang Forever)

32. Goodie Mob - Still Standing (Still Standing)

31. Nas - One Mic (Stillmatic)

30. Ice T - Orginal Gangster

29. EPMD - Please Listen To My Demo (Unfinished Business)

28. Dr Dre - Lil GhettoBoy (The Chronic)

27.ArrestedDevelopment - Tennessee (3 Years5 Months & 2 Days In The Life)

26. The Roots - What They Do (Illidelph Halflife)

25. Eric B & Rakim -In The Ghetto (Let The Rhythem Hit'em)

24. Mos Def - Travelin Man (DJHondi Hi)

23. LL Cool J - Mama Said KnockYou Out (Mama Said Knock You Out)

22. Wu Tang Clan - C.R.E.A.M. (Enter The Wu Tang 36 Chambers)

21. 2Pac - So Many Tears (Me Against The World)

20. Ice Cube - Today Was A GoodDay (The Predator)

19. Big Daddy Kane - Ain't No Half Steppin

18. GZA - B.I.B.L.E. (Liquid Swords)

17. Outkast - Aquemini (Aquemini)

16. Geto Boys - My Mind Is Playin Tricks On Me

15. 2Pac - Keep Ya Head Up (Strictly ForMy N.I.G.G.A.Z.)

14. ATribe Called Quest - Award Tour (Midnight Muraurders)

13. Mobb Deep - Shook Ones II (The Infamous)

12. Ghostface Killah - All I Got Is U (Ironman)

11. 2Pac - Dear Mama (Me Against The World)

10. Pete Rock & CL Smooth - T.R.O.Y.(Mecca & The Soul Brother)

9. Common - I Used To Love H.E.R. (Resurrection)

8. Nas - The World Is Yours (Illmatic)

7. A Tribe Called Quest - Scenerio

6. Boogie Down Productions - My Philosophy (By Any Means Necessary)

5. Notorious BIG - Juicy (Ready To Die)

4. Public Enemy - Fight The Power

3. Afrika Bambata - Planet Rock

2. Eric B & Rakim - Paid In Full(Paid In Full)







1. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5- The Message

This is what happens when you mix NT/Green/160GB ipod . . .

 

[allen3xis]

Nice list..

Joe Budden - All Of Me (he track is AMAZING)
Prob would be in my top 5 or 10..

 

[ThaxbyChamblis]

46. Audio Two - Top Billin

MC am I people call me Milk
When I'm bustin up a party I feel no guilt
Gizmo's cuttin, up for the
Suckers that's, down with meeee!!

One of my favorite songs of all time...."If ya girls outta place, its ya girl i'll slap" I was gonna make an appreciation post for this *!@$ last week....It just slipped my mind...

 

[illscan]

Good list. My top 50 would have O.C. - Times up in it though.

 

[addict4sneakers]

you dont/didnt listen to much west coast music i'm guessing

 

[ekin 75]

NO Mase, Nelly or Master P wack wack list

 

[sohi 23]

Originally Posted by Ekin 75

NO Mase, Nelly or Master P wack wack list

LOL WUT

 

[cquan05]

Originally Posted by Ekin 75

NO Mase, Nelly or Master P wack wack list

 

[maxelite]

NOTORIOUS BIG - SKY IS THE LIMIT

 

[fortheloveofthegame8]

No Jay-Z? NWA didn't crack the 50? ... There's a few others that I think should be up there, but it just boils down to opinion. Jay and NWA shoulddefinitely be included though ....

 

[jc08]

These top 50 lists seem so generic... It's like the same top 50 songs, with a few exceptions, but just rotated around in different orders. The list seemsto be based off reputation moreso than the actual song itself. For me, my favorite songs never appear on top 50 lists, like "Allure" and "GuessWho's Back" by Jay'z, "Clock With No Hands" by The Roots, etc...

 

[itsgettinhot]

Common - The Light?

 

[ezflash26]

ehh...

there is no actual wrong list cuz there's too many great songs to limit (or order), but...

'My Minds Playin Tricks On Me' > most-to-all of that list

edit, I didnt see ^ at 18, thats a good spot...I'll replace that then with Jay-Z "Where Im From" then...I'd have that over a grip of thesongs I see in there.

 

[starvin harlem]

So you'd take down one of these songs to put "Allure" on there . . . I mean I aint goin front before I shaved it down I had a lot of songs, therewas atleast 10 Jay Z tracks but it isn't my "Favorite", I know a lot of yous don't read anyway . . .

Scan, OC was one of the last 50 to go, along with a few Slick Rick tracks, BIG had like 8 up for consideration, Nas too, Wu had a bunch from group and solos, Ijust basically shaved it down to BEST possibilities, and pit tracks against one another that capture a similar feeling and or sound . . .

And I tried not to use an artist more than 3 times . . .

IMO each coast and or region is represented quite well . . .

"Guess Who's Back"

there's never an educated argument . . . Dead Presidents was up there, Can I Live, Can't Be Life, Allure, 99Problems a few others but they had to go . .. What can I say

 

[the lowa]

Biggie- My Downfall

Budden-All of me

2Pac- So Many Tears
I put them in my top 10 not sure what order

 

[no escapin this]

Scenario RMX > Original


...and about 10 songs I would replace from that list , some good choices though .

 

[kicks off]

how is this not on the list. check out Vincent Gallo aka Prince Vince...

 

[starvin harlem]

With the Jay Z "Where I'm From" I basically put it against Rakim's "In The Ghetto" because I feel they're more or less thesamething, I just feel universally Rakims joint had a bigger impact and with the exception of "The Message" it may be the VERY best description ofgrowing up in a "ghetto" . . . I mean there's prolly 12 different things you can rap about and each rapper maybe #+!@# with 3 or 4 at a time.

Basically this list is the 50 songs that embody everything hip hop stands for . . . If they was gonna put 50 songs in a vault never to be opened for 50 years,I think these 50 would be the best representation of hip hop from 78-08 . . .

But there's a legitmate 150+ songs that could be on the list without a doubt

A lot of %@%+ cancels eachother out . . . I had Outkast "Benz Or Beamer" vs "Know The Ledge" vs "Straight Up Menace" or"Skys The Limit" vs "Juicy" . . . A lot of %@%+ represents the same feeling or emotion, some song just end up more effective and ormemorable . . . Mos Defs verse on "Theives In The Night" is what I put in place of "Self Destruction" and "Mathematics","Resperation" and so on . . .

 

[wegotitforcheapiii]

DON'T KNOW BOUT THIS LIST

 

[Mound Raised]

some i agree with, some i dont
imo, more southern songs should be on there

 

[send one]

This is one of (if not the) best list I've ever seen.

I wouldve made a couple (literally, just a couple) of changes, but for the most part I agree with it.

Especially with "The Message" at #1

 

[b smooth 202]

24. Mos Def - Travelin Man (DJ Hondi Hi)
I got this song on Monday and gave it like 35 spins since

...I'm still a lil buzzed from blazin today and it sounds even better.

 

[starvin harlem]

That Mos joint is addictive . . . That gets me through trips outta town . . .

I'm a lil high listenin to the Ice T - "Orginal Gangsta" . . . The drums on here are CRAZY . . . Next time I'm on the freeway I'm hittin100 to this +$+@ . . . Might get some road rage tho

This +$+@ is HARD . . . (No Laney)

 

[north dade represent]

I hope it's ok to object to some of the list because that's what I'm going to do.

First of all, I like "Stan" being on the list. One of the underrated classics, it was just an ill song. But.....

Dwyck > Sometimes I Rhyme Slow
Check The Rhyme > Award Tour
It Ain't Hard To Tell > One Mic


Most importantly where is "Children's Story", "Ain't No Half Steppin", "Nuthin But A G Thang", "It Takes Two",and "Microphone Fiend"

 

[starvin harlem]

Not being on the list doesn't mean a song wasnt/isn't great and or important . . . But you can only have 50 songs on a 50 greatest list . . .

With "It Aint Hard To Tell" I think Ilmatic is represented better by "The World Is Yours", with "One Mic" its a flat out amazingsong . . .

I'd take "Award Tour" its whole body of work to me makes it better than "Check The Rhyme"

With the Slick Rick . . . I wanted to put "Hey Young World" or "Childrens Story" on there . . . Just didn't work out

he was one ofthe last 20-30 cut.

With Kane I had a joint of his . . . With Rakim he had 2 joints already, and Nas had like 3.

With "Nuthin But A G Thang" I think "Lil Ghetto Boy" is a overall better song (And so does Snoop) . . .