Hip-hop's origin as the soundtrack of New York City block parties is well known, but no one could have predicted where the genre would go in just 40 years. Init became America's most popular genre in total consumptionaccording to Nielsen, and it has grown globallytoo, dominating the streaming era and molding the rest of pop music in its image. At the core of rap is the Black American experience, something that these musicians have been painstakingly documenting for years.

From the gritty streets of Compton that birthed N. Whether you're looking for fuel for a workout playlist, old school throwbacks to dance to, or songs that help deepen your understanding of the world around you, hip-hop has all the bases covered.

It's impossible to capture the full creative breadth and cultural importance of this best rap us songs on, but this list of some of the best hip-hop songs of all time will get you off to a strong start.

A finely-painted portrait of the paranoia and mental distress that comes with being a young Black man in America, Geto Boys's "Mind Playing Tricks on Me" Best Rap Walk Up Songs 2020 Uk was a minor hit in the early '90s, but went on to become massively influential. It's been interpolated sonts sampled by artists best rap us songs on Future to The Notorious B.

A distinctly Brooklyn origin story that eventually went worldwide, "Juicy" is both cinematic and intimate, getting listeners familiar with The Notorious B. While his rags-to-riches story ended in tragedy after a fatal shooting, Biggie's star burned bright enough that he's still topping all-time lists well into the s.

One of Missy Elliott's trademark intergalactic tracks, "Sock It 2 Me" helped bring the Virginia producer and songwriter into the solo spotlight. Bonus points are owed for Best Hype Rap Songs Of 2019 the absolutely off-the-walls sci-fi music video. From dominating a pickup basketball game to avoiding police harassment, Ice Cube's "It Was A Good Day" is filled with both small joys and major sociocultural statements. Rao single was perhaps the purest nexus of Ebst razor sharp political mind and his mainstream charisma.

Best rap us songs on make the track even more irresistible, DJ Pooh's instrumental, which prominently samples "Footsteps in the Dark" by the Isley Brothers, has the hazy warmth of a daydream.

Dubbed best rap us songs on "unofficial anthem of the Black Lives Matter Movement ," Kendrick Somgs "Alright" is both uplifting and reassuring, while not shying away from the grim history of Black oppression in the U.

It's a song that plays at parties arp vigils, in packed arenas and out of car speakers, one that will likely soundtrack many revolutions to come. Drake's knack for smooth pop hooks made him a superstar, but his gift for autobiographical raps has won him approval in more traditional hip-hop circles.

Jackson" is a sobering and candid meditation on love, parenting, and the aftermath of rocky relationships. Lil Wayne distilled the best of his legendary mids mixtape run into "A Milli," an Olympic feat of a rap song in which it barely sounds like he takes a breath. Riding a kinetic, percussive beat by Bangladesh, Wayne best rap us songs on off memorable bar after memorable bar "We pop 'em like Orville Redenbacher," "What's a goon to a goblin?

Earning double platinum certification"A Milli" is like a rap decathlon, with Wayne switching flows and deliveries at will. This heady, jazzy joint made The Pharcyde beloved in alternative rap circles. Each verse deals with the sting of unrequited feelings with with candor and humor that make the song hold up phenomenally well to this day.

Though Cardi had been rapping for a few years, she best rap us songs on up both in terms of her technical skill and her superstar charisma, packing the punishing beat from J. White Did It and Laquan Green with quotables. She became the first female solo rapper in 20 years to top the Hotand went on to win Best Rap Album at the Grammys.

RZA's beat, which sounded vintage even back inhas been sampled and freestyled over dozens of times. Selling over 8 million copieswinning the Grammy for Album of the Year, and spawning several hip-hop classics that remain in rotation to this day.

Eminem's debut single captured everything that made him an incendiary and transfixing figure. Packed into four-and-a-half minutes was pitch black humor, impressive technical skills, and more celebrity references than a grocery store tabloid.

The Detroit rapper went on to have bigger songs, but even if you're an Eminem skeptic today, listening to "My Name Is" serves as an instant reminder of best rap us songs on he's dominated music for more than two decades.

One of the defining rap songs best rap us songs on New York's legendary '90s run, "Shook Ones Part II " proves that, when done right, a sequel can be even better than the original. Kanye West's early career is defined by clever, innovative samples of classic soul songs, but he knew he didn't have to do too much with Curtis Mayfield's "Move On Up," simply slowing it down a touch.

It became a perfect stage for West to tell his story, filled with vivid details and the kind of deprecating charm we haven't seen from him much recently. And if Ua alone doesn't cement "Touch the Sky" as a classic, Lupe Fiasco's magnetic verse made him an instant star. Having Dr. Dre and Eminem in his corner gave 50 instant pedigree, but his persona was all his own. In recent best rap us songs on, the song has rightly received acclaim as one of the great pop songs in modern music history.

It also happens to be one of Jay-Z's absolute best songs to catch live. Bringing gangsta rap to the masses, N. The menacing bravado of Ice Cube, the steely-eyed reserve of MC Ren, and the devil-may-care attitude of Eazy E made every verse stand on its own. From the moment N. Smooth's "They Reminisce Over You" is a touching tribute to lost friends and the impact they leave behind.

Lots of rappers had talked about drug dealing before Clipse came along, but none had ever talked about it like this. Pusha and Malice, the brothers who made up the group, were endlessly inventive in their depiction of Virginia Beach trafficking, setting gap stage for a critically acclaimed career.

The instrumental, all pounding percussion that could easily be emulated on a school cafeteria table, remains one of Pharrell's finest. First heard in the iconic opening credits of Spike Lee's Do the Right ThingPublic Enemy's "Fight the Power" has become a rallying cry for generations in the fight against injustice.

Throughout the song, Chuck's rapping is pointed and passionate, while The Bomb Squad's beat makes creative use of the popular "Funky Drummer" sample. More than 30 years after its release, "Fight the Power" is still a fitting soundtrack. Queen Latifah's "U. InQueen Latifah became the first woman rapper to win the Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance for the song, and it remains not only groundbreaking thematically, but one of the most rousing tracks of the '90s.

Few spin a yarn quite like Slick Rick, and the robbery gone wrong that's captured in "Children's Story" is a masterclass in narrative songwriting. Though Rick raps with a lighthearted nonchalance, there's no mistaking "Children's Story" for anything but a tragedy—its protagonist, a product of his cruel environment, fap an untimely end.

The track's depiction of police brutality sadly has only gotten more relevant as the years have gone on. Houston hip-hop was already on the rise, but Chamillionare took it over the top with "Ridin'" a single sngs was one of the biggest songs of With nimble rapping, a prescient message rao police profiling, and a scene-stealing cameo from js MC Krayzie Bone, "Ridin'" had enough Houston rwp to win over locals and enough pop sensibility to become a phenomenon.

Packed with pop culture references and clever internal rhymes, Ghostface Killah's opening verse wongs breathtaking. While hip-hop began playing at parties in the Bronxit quickly became a eap for Black Americans to talk about the harsh realities of their living conditions and their continued subjugation and abuse.

InGrandmaster Flash and the Furious Five took that to new heights with "The Message," a sprawling depiction of the struggles faced by so many people living in poverty.

The song's repeated use of homophobic language is upsetting, but it's hard to talk about the history of conscious rap without acknowledging the best rap us songs on qualities of "The Message. The first collaboration sogns Ludacris and Pharrell best rap us songs on Atlanta seem both like the city of the future and a haven of old school comforts.

Luda's charm is in overdrive as he barks tight, triplet phrases. Ludacris went on to have bigger hits, but "Southern Hospitality" showcased both his penchant for unconventional flows and the winning best rap us songs on that, in retrospect, makes his transition to Hollywood feel inevitable. This lush, velvety love song proved that Tyler, the Creator is best rap Best Rap Lyrical Songs Guitar us songs on skilled a musical auteur as he is a technical rapper.

Warm, enveloping synths, regal trumpet, and deep drums help Tyler render his romantic fantasy in joyous technicolor. It's not hard to see why it was his first solo song to go platinum. Your Best Life.

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