The 100 Greatest Hip-Hop / Rap Songs Of All Time (40-21)
Oct 10 '09 (Updated Oct 12 '09)
The Bottom Line The 100 Greatest Hip-Hop / Rap Songs Of All Time (40-21)
We’re almost done folks. Today we present the 100 Greatest Rap Songs Of All Time, 40-21. We’re almost done and now is when we get to the real meat and potatoes of the rap game. Songs on here about politics, religion, dreams, nightmares, love, hate, passion and fighting the power from a whole cadre of artists. There are some songs on here that could be top 10 in anybody’s list, but man, the top 20 is definitely near-perfection, as are these, but those edge it out. Anyways, teck it out and enjoy!
40. Luniz - I Got 5 On It – Bar none - the greatest weed smoke track ever crafted - bar none folks. I couldn't count all the times that I well... let me not say.
39. Public Enemy - He Got Game – This song is immortal to me from the soundtrack of the film. Chuck D’s poetic and powerful lines (perhaps the most thought-provoking lyrics of his career) and the legendary sample from ”Somethin Happenin Here” is just perfect.
38. Killah Priest - B.I.B.L.E. - The final song on Gza’s Liquid Swords and a stellar cut from Priest’s debut album, there is no denying the legendary status of this song. Priest studied the word until his eyes turn red and did more homework than Chris Nowinski. Okay, maybe not THAT much.
37. Nas - If I Ruled The World - The biggest hit of Nas career as he fantasizes about what he thinks is a perfect world. Lauryn Hill’s haunting opening lines and signature chorus are amazing. Nas samples Whodini’s ”Friends” and kills it. Probably my favorite song from It Was Written.
36. Wu-Tang Clan - Protect Ya Neck - Perhaps the most legendary posse cut from the Wu-Tang Clan, and that’s certainly saying something considering that the majority of their stuff is great posse cuts. Seek out the rare “bloody version” with all the cursing put back in (unlike the album version which edits it for some reason).
35. 2pac - Me Against the World - 2Pac and Dramatycal come together for this awesome cut, the title track from Pac’s Me Against The World, his best album without question. Some consider this the best song on the album and damn is it close but… not quite.
34. Notorious B.I.G. - Everyday Struggle - Probably my favorite song from Ready to Die. Beautiful production by the Bluez Brothers production squad and Big’s borderline suicidal rhymes make this stand-out as easily one of Big’s top 5 songs despite it not being a single. Perhaps it should have been.
33. UGK - One Day - This was absolutely the best song from Ridin Dirty, UGK’s seminal third album. UGK’s powerful rhymes about living life to the fullest is way more introspective and advanced than your typical southern pimps and hoes topics.
32. Gangstarr f/ Total – Discipline - The best Gangstarr song of all time, and it’s totally due to Primo. Primo’s tremendously milky production is among the best of his career and Guru is… ehh.. good, but Primo’s greatness and Godliness covers that up well. Total sings their rear ends off on the hook too. One of the best hip hop songs ever.
31. Mobb Deep - Shook Ones Part II - Mobb gets you stuck off the realness from the classic The Infamous. The hook and chords on this song are a thing of legend as is about as close to a perfect hip hop street song as you can ask for. It’s haunting, cautionary, and the rhyming performances are sublime.
”your crew is featherweight… my gunshots'll make you levitate
I'm only nineteen but my mind is old
and when the things get for real my warm heart turns cold
another nigga deceased, another story gets told”
30. Bone Thugs & Harmony – Crossroads - It’s hard to disagree folks. I don’t think a lot of people remember just how HUGE this song was back in 1995. I remember when they performed this at the 1996 MTV awards (the same award show that would be 2Pac’s last televised appearance before he died). The Crossroads that you know is actually a remix from a song they recorded much earlier, and the new version is must better. A touching tribute to their fallen friends and family with a blend of rapid-fire rhyming and harmonic vocals made this a song even non-rap fans love.
29. Onyx - Last Dayz - All We Got Iz Us still stands as one of the best albums in the hip-hop genre. This opening track is a reason why. Fredro, Sticky, and Sonsee's angry hate-filled apocalyptic rhymes are so damn catchy and well-written that it was one of the few songs I memorized after just a few spins.
28. Wu-Tang Clan - C.R.E.A.M. - Perhaps the most infamous song from the Wu and probably the biggest single from Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). Inspectah Deck and Raekwon the Chef’s retrospective tales about growing up as a troubled youth seeking various means to make money, backed by Meth’s trademark hook and Rza’s haunting keys make this an untouchable classic.
27. AZ - Sugar Hill - A beautiful song about living the good life. This is like AZ’s version of Nas’ ”If I Ruled the World” about a fictional place where everything is perfect. AZ’s seemingly breathless flow is still one of the best in hip hop and this is the centerpiece of the Doe or Die classic.
26. Eazy E - Real Muthafuckin Gz - I don’t care what anybody says, this song completely craps on Dre Day. Eazy E completely ripped Dre and Snoop apart here, backed by one of the most defining g-funk chords – it’s a banger in every way. He also slaughtered Dre with these four lines, which are all about how despite Dre talking about his freedom, there was a clause in the contract where Eazy made money off Dre’s records despite what label he’s on. Death:
”(Damn E, they tried to fade you on "Dre Day")
But "Dre Day" only make Eazy's pay day
All of a sudden Dr. Dre is the "G Thang"
But on his old album cover he was dressed like a she thang”
25. Redhead Kingpin - Do the Right Thing - You’re probably thinking – who? Redhead Kingpin is a Vogue Crew hero and this song started as a joke until we said “holy shit, this song is hot!” This song is about focusing on your morals and living a good life, and strangely enough isn’t preachy and is a banger. Redhead, like Rakim, has a flow that is timeless, even for the 1980s and one of the most charisma emcees to ever touch a mic and it’s a shame he NEVER got his due. LISTEN to this and support Redhead!
24. Kool G. Rap f/ Nas - Fast Life - I mentioned AZ’s flow earlier and who can mention the word flow without Kool G. Rap and Nas and this was a great song from 1996’s 4, 5, 6 album. Kool G’s mafioso rhymes fit perfectly with the Nas Escobar persona, and everybody comes correct here. Don’t sleep.
23. Chamillionaire f/ Bun B - Picture Perfect - The same sample as UGK’s ”One Day”, but done even better even WITH Bun B. Chamillionaire’s positive smile and swag is awesome and Bun B rips the track. The best song from The Sound of Revenge, an album that you MUST own.
22. Common - I Used To Love H.E.R. - I gotta put this on the list, not just because of the beautiful metaphor, but because the song is a smash and one of the most brilliantly poetic songs in the game. Of course, everybody knows it's the extended metaphor about the journey of a girl who winds up being hip hop. This was the era when Common was making phenomenal hip hop records and this is the beautiful centerpiece of Resurrection.
21. LL Cool J - Loungin' - Anybody who knows me knows how much I love this song, but I’m sure most reading won’t understand. This is, to me, the bounciest and most fun LL song of all time, found on 1996’s Mr. Smith. The remix usually gets a lot of love, but the original is just perfect. His opening lines are lines that ANY red blooded hetero male can dig:
”Keep your chickenhead, I'm lookin for a dime (word up)
Get my swerve on, make it hot, word bond
I'm lickin on your ankle bracelet
We'll be sippin Moet with strawberries to chase it
I'm nasty, ask me, why I lick my lips
so in the darkness, I can run my tongue over your tits
It's all good sugary, you ain't leavin
Sit up on my face and help my stash grow even”
Only 20 more songs...
WHO WILL MAKE THE CUT !???!?
Stay tuned.
The 100 Greatest Hip Hop Songs Of All Time
The Foreword / Honorable Mentions
100- 81
80- 61
60- 41
40- 21
20- 1
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