This list provides a guide to the most important hip hop albums, as determined by their presence on compiled lists of significant albums: see the "Lists consulted" section for full details. Inclusion on a list is indicated by numbering after each release. The brief accompanying notes offer an explanation as to why each album has been considered important. The organization of the list is by date of release, ranging from Run-D.M.C.'s eponymous debut in 1984 to Jay-Z's 2001 album, The Blueprint.

Since for the period of 1979–1983, hip hop was a music for 12" singles rather than albums,^[1] the absence of old school hip hop from the list has been compensated for by providing it with its own section of notable releases. Notable compilations of songs which contain important hip hop breaks (short percussive interludes used as the rhythmic basis for a hip hop song) are also included.

Breakbeats[link]

The break, the instrumental portion of a record (of any genre, though perhaps most often funk or rock) that emphasizes the percussive pattern, has been the fundamental unit of much of hip hop music. The collections below collect the original songs that contain some of the most popular breaks in hip hop.

• Super Disco Brakes (Winley) ^[2] Vol. 1 was released in 1979, making it one of the first releases connected to hip hop culture, and almost certainly the first breakbeat record.^[3]

• Ultimate Breaks And Beats Vols. 1–25 (Street Beat, 1985–1990) ⁵ This comprehensive and influential series began just as the sampler was taking a central role in hip hop music.^[4]

• Kurtis Blow Presents The History Of Hip Hop Vol. 1 (Rhino, 1997) ⁵ One of the few breakbeat collections not of dubious legality.^[4]

Old school hip hop[link]

• Live Convention '82 (Disco Wax, 1982) ¹ This is a bootleg of a live event at T Connection on which one can hear various extracts and breaks, and Grand Wizard Theodore cutting up "Do the Funky Penguin" with rap over the top.^[2]

• Wild Style (Animal, 1983) ^{1 3} The soundtrack to the movie Wild Style has historical weight and yet "still feels like now", in the words of Jeff Chang.^[5]

• Go-Go Crankin' (4th & B'way, 1985) ⁵ Go-Go Crankin' is a hard-to-find early compilation of the related genre go-go. See also Meet Me At The Go-Go (Sanctuary, 2003).^[6]

• The Best of Enjoy Records (Hot Productions, 1989) ^{3 5} Enjoy were responsible for some of the most essential old school recordings; some contained here are "Superrappin'", "The New Rap Language" and "Feel the Heartbeat".^[7]

• The Sugar Hill Story - Old School Rap To The Beat Y'all (Sequel, 1992) ⁵ This is the definitive collection pertaining to the earliest hip hop label, compiled for Sequel by David Toop.^[8]

• Street Jams: Electric Funk Vols. 1–4 (Rhino, 1992) ⁵ These are compilations of the sub-genre electro.^[9]

• Cold Crush Brothers: All The Way Live in '82 (Tuff City, 1994) ⁵ The Cold Crush Brothers were a direct inspiration for The Sugarhill Gang. This live 1982 recording obviously does not contain their 1984 single "Fresh, Wild, Fly and Bold", but it is an essential old school document. See also Cold Crush Brothers Vs. The Fantastic Romantic 5 (Tuff City, 1998).^[10]

• Pumpkin: The Tuff City Sessions (Old School Flava, 1995) ⁵ Pumpkin was the musician, percussionist and band leader behind many old school tracks for the Profile, Enjoy, and Tuff City record companies. This collection does not have his own "King of the Beat" (Profile, 1983) and suffers from poor sound quality, but captures some of his performances for Grandmaster Caz, Spoonie Gee and others.^[11]

• Spoonie Gee: The Godfather of Hip Hop (Tuff City, 1997) ⁵ Almost all of the best releases by "perhaps the first great MC" are compiled here.^[12] Not to be confused with The Godfather of Rap (BCM, 1988).

• Afrika Bambaataa: Looking for the Perfect Beat: 1980-1985 (Tommy Boy, 2001) ^{3 5} Bambaataa is one of hip hop's most important figures; this collection best preserves his legacy.^[13]

• Harlem World: The Sound Of The Big Apple Rappin' (Heroes & Villains, 2001) ⁵ MC and producer Spyder D's disco rap "Big Apple Rappin' (National Rappin' Anthem)", released on his own Newtroit Records in 1980, gives its title to this collection of early hip hop.^[14] See also Big Apple Rappin': The Early Days of Hip-Hop Culture in New York City 1979-1982 (Rhino, 2006).

• Mantronix: That's My Beat (Soul Jazz, 2002) ⁵ This compilation is notable for containing "Adventures of Super Rhymes" (Dazz, 1980) by the influential early MC Jimmy Spicer. It also contains the early Bambaataa Zulu Nation party favorite "Computer Games" by Yellow Magic Orchestra, and the important T La Rock single "It's Yours".^[15]

• The Third Unheard: Connecticut Hip Hop 1979-1983 (Stones Throw, 2004) ⁵ Writer Peter Shapiro describes The Third Unheard as an "impeccable" collection of "irrepressible" early music.^[16]

List of important albums[link]

1984[link]

• Run-D.M.C.: Run-D.M.C. (Profile, 1984) ^{1 2 3 6 7} Containing the early singles that saw off the old school, this is considered a superior rap album to any that preceded it.^[17]

1985[link]

• LL Cool J: Radio (Def Jam, 1985) ^{1 2 3 5 6 7} Hard, minimalist, self-assertive, and funky, this was a new school blueprint.^[18]

1986[link]

• Run-D.M.C.: Raising Hell (Profile, 1986) ^{1 2 3 4 5 6 7} Crossover hits like "Walk This Way" co-exist with the quintessential hip hop of tracks like "Peter Piper", "Perfection", "It's Tricky" and "My Adidas".^[17]

• Beastie Boys: Licensed to Ill (Def Jam, 1986) ^{1 2 3 5 6 7 9} Licensed to Ill was responsible, along with Run D.M.C.'s Raising Hell, for establishing the hip hop album as a fixture of the mainstream.^[19][20]

1987[link]

• Boogie Down Productions: Criminal Minded (B-Boy, 1987) ^{1 2 3 4 5 6 7} Minimalist and tribalist, this album contains the material that won The Bridge Wars.^[21]

• Eric B & Rakim: Paid in Full (4th & B'way, 1987) ^{1 2 3 4 5 6 7} Paid in Full is minimalist hip hop, with DJ tracks complimenting the precise, logical and influential style of Rakim's raps.^[22]

1988[link]

• Biz Markie: Goin' Off (Cold Chillin', 1988) ^{1 2 3 4 5} Biz Markie, in singular comedic style, beatboxes, holds forth on the topic of "Picking Boogers", and describes a certain kind of fair-weather friend phenomenon on "The Vapors". Production is by Marley Marl.^[23]

• Slick Rick: The Great Adventures of Slick Rick (Def Jam, 1988) ^{1 2 3 4 5 10} Slick Rick's roguish tales are noted early narratives in hip hop.^[24]

• EPMD: Strictly Business (Fresh, 1988) ^{1 2 3 4 5 6} The slow-moving funk of Strictly Business, with its loud bass and laid-back rapping, was a new sound in hip hop.^[25]

• Big Daddy Kane: Long Live the Kane (Cold Chillin', 1988) ^{1 2 3 4 5} Kane's exemplary boasting is backed by Marley Marl's excellent production.^[26]

• Public Enemy: It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (Def Jam, 1988) ^{1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10} Droning feedback, occasional shards of rock guitar, and James Brown horn samples distorted into discordant shrieks back the political rhetoric of lead rapper Chuck D and the surreality of Flavor Flav.^[27]

• N.W.A: Straight Outta Compton (Ruthless, 1988) ^{1 2 3 5 6 7} Powerful and uncompromising, both lyrically and sonically, Straight Outta Compton's first-hand representations of Compton, California life would set the tone for much of future hip hop.^[28]

• MC Lyte: Lyte as a Rock (First Priority, 1988) ^{1 2 3 4 5} The treatments Lyte gives rap competitors and ex-boyfriends in tracks like "10% Dis", "I Cram to Understand U" and "Paper Thin" make this debut one of the best albums of the era.^[29]

• Ultramagnetic MC's: Critical Beatdown (Next Plateau, 1988) ^{1 2 3 4 5 7} Critical Beatdown's abstract rhymes in strange syncopations laid on top of sampling experiments proved widely influential, from Public Enemy to gangsta rap to several generations of underground hip hop artists.^[30]

• Jungle Brothers: Straight out the Jungle (Idlers, 1988) ^{1 2 3 4 10} This debut was an original album containing fluid grooves and nods towards sexual and political egalitarianism.^[31]

1989[link]

• De La Soul: 3 Feet High & Rising (Tommy Boy, 1989) ^{1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 10} An eclectic yet inclusive collage of samples, a benevolent sensibility and an enormous sense of fun made this record a hip hop landmark.^[32]

• Beastie Boys: Paul's Boutique (Capitol, 1989) ^{1 2 3 5 6 7 9} " ... one of the high watermarks of the sampling era".^[19]

• Queen Latifah: All Hail the Queen (Tommy Boy, 1989) ^{1 2 3 5} Latifah's Afrocentric, charismatic, regal mien projected a new and original persona onto the world of hip hop.^[33]

• Jungle Brothers: Done by the Forces of Nature (Warner Bros. Records, 1989) ^{1 2 3 5} The second album by the Jungle Brothers is an inclusive outing: "the most all-embracing hip-hop ever made".^[34]

1990[link]

• Public Enemy: Fear of a Black Planet (Def Jam, 1990) ^{1 2 3 6 7} Fear of a Black Planet, containing the singles "Fight the Power" and "Welcome to the Terrordome", was the similarly incendiary follow-up to It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back.^[35]

• A Tribe Called Quest: People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (Jive, 1990) ^{1 2 3 10} Rich and infectious, this debut wore the worthy intent of its morality plays, allegories and explorations of ambiguity lightly.^[36]

• X-Clan: To the East, Blackwards (4th & B'Way, 1990) ^{1 2 4 5} X-Clan mixed a brand of Egyptology with their Islamic teachings, creating catchphrases still resonant in hip hop today in the process.^[37]

• Ice Cube: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (Priority, 1990) ^{1 2 5 7 10} The music keeps pace with the raps on Ice Cube's album of alienation and rage.^[38]

• Poor Righteous Teachers: Holy Intellect (Profile, 1990) ^{1 2 4 5} Mystic Islam offshoot The Nation of Gods and Earths had a strong presence in hip hop at this time; Holy Intellect had bouncing funk and ragga influences to sugar the pill of the messages.^[39]

• Brand Nubian: One for All (Elektra, 1990) ^{1 2 3 4} As above, this was another Five Percenter album that was an impressive work of sound.^[40]

1991[link]

• Gang Starr: Step in the Arena (Chrysalis, 1991) ^{1 2 3 10} Gang Starr was one of the most consistent groups in hip hop, and one of the greatest. DJ Premier's production here was a leap forward in hip hop techniques.^[41]

• De La Soul: De La Soul Is Dead (Tommy Boy, 1991)^{1 2 3 5 7} Following the success of their debut, De La Soul killed off their hippy image, producing this sometimes frustrated, sometimes uplifting album with rich grooves in both moods.^[42]

• Main Source: Breaking Atoms (Wild Pitch, 1991) ^{1 2 3 5} Breaking Atoms is noted for introducing both Nas and Akinyele, for its clever production (by Large Professor) and for its sophisticated storytelling in tracks like "Peace Is Not the Word to Play" and the metaphor for racism that was "Just a Friendly Game of Baseball".^[43]

• Cypress Hill: Cypress Hill (Ruffhouse/Columbia, 1991) ^{1 2 3 4 5} Sardonic and menacing, marijuana-toking Cypress Hill's debut had B-Real's unmistakable nasal-whine delivery and extraordinary beats on this commercially successful record.^[44]

• A Tribe Called Quest: The Low End Theory (Jive, 1991) ^{1 2 3 4 5 6 7} "The album demonstrated that hip-hop was an aesthetic every bit as deep, serious and worth cherishing as any in a century-plus of African-American music".^[45]

• Scarface: Mr. Scarface Is Back (Rap-A-Lot, 1991) ^{1 2 3 5} Scarface's skillful rapping about the thug and hustler lifestyles includes reflecting on their consequences.^[6]

1992[link]

• Redman: Whut? Thee Album (Def Jam, 1992) ^{1 2 4 5} Zapp and P-funk form the basis of beats that are tough, raucous fun, much like Redman's raps.^[46]

• The Pharcyde: Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde (Delicious Vinyl, 1992) ^{1 2 3 4 5 10} L.A.'s The Pharcyde made an album that was a carnival of fun and inventiveness that still made time for some disarmingly honest introspection.^[47]

• Dr. Dre: The Chronic (Death Row, 1992) ^{1 2 3 5 6 7 10} The era of wide-scale sampling would draw to a close in the wake of this hugely successful and hugely influential record, which used live band "interpolations" to create a slow, laid-back music, forming the background to raps of chilling violence.^[48]

1993[link]

• Souls of Mischief: 93 'til Infinity (Jive, 1993) ^{1 2 3 5} There were hazy jazz samples, a bohemian air and a torrent of rhymes on the classic debut record from Souls of Mischief of East Oakland, California.^[49]

• Wu-Tang Clan: Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (Loud, 1993) ^{1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8} One of hip hop's true landmarks, this ferocious, startling album rescued New York hip hop in a time dominated by the relaxed sounds of the West Coast.^[50]

• Snoop Doggy Dogg: Doggystyle (Death Row, 1993) ^{1 2 3 5} The star of The Chronic, with his laid-back drawl, made the best-selling debut album ever.^[51]

1994[link]

• Nas: Illmatic (Columbia, 1994) ^{1 2 3 5 6 7} As writer Peter Shapiro frames it, Illmatic demonstrated a fitting of production to lyrics worthy of It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, an analytical evocation of street life that matched the power of N.W.A., and a command of the microphone not heard since Rakim.^[52]

• Organized Konfusion: Stress: The Extinction Agenda (Hollywood BASIC, 1994) ^{1 2 3 5} Challenging but occasionally joyful music that demonstrates virtuosity even at its most difficult, this is noted not least for a gruesome narrative told from the perspective of a titular "Stray Bullet".^[53]

• Notorious B.I.G.: Ready to Die (Bad Boy, 1994) ^{1 2 3 5 6} This album's platinum sales, rap skills, and bleak vision mitigated by humor and funk, completed the revitalization of New York hip hop begun with the success of the Wu-Tang's debut a year before.^[54]

• Common Sense: Resurrection (Relativity, 1994) ^{1 2 3 4 5} "I Used To Love H.E.R." is an extended metaphor for hip hop that attracted much attention, while on tracks like "Resurrection" and "Watermelon" Common's style is warm and witty, the tracks full of wordplay and assured jazzy production.^[55]

1995[link]

• Mobb Deep: The Infamous (Loud, 1995) ^{1 2 3 4 5} " ... a bone-chilling classic of Rotten Apple hardcore".^[56]

• Raekwon: Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... (Loud, 1995) ^{1 2 3 7} Raekwon's grim street tales made for one of the best Wu-Tang solo records.^[57]

1996[link]

• The Fugees: The Score (Ruffhouse/Columbia, 1996) ^{1 2 3 4 6} Massive singles aside, this was a dark, downtempo album; it sold over 18 million copies worldwide and was widely respected.^[58]

• Jay-Z: Reasonable Doubt (Roc-A-Fella, 1996) ^{1 2 3 5 6} Jay-Z combined elements of the New York underground with a mainstream sensibility on his debut, proving himself a strong presence on the mic in the process.^[59]

1998[link]

• Lauryn Hill: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (Ruffhouse/Columbia, 1998) ^{1 3 5 7} Soaring music and Hill's voice, rapping or singing, made this among the most successful crossover albums of the hip hop era.^[60]

• Outkast: Aquemini (LaFace, 1998) ^{1 3 5 7} Critical, analytical and emotionally intelligent, Aquemini was ambitious and successful both musically and lyrically.^[61]

1999[link]

• Eminem: The Slim Shady LP (Aftermath/Interscope, 1999) ^{3 5 6 8} This contains some Dr. Dre productions and Eminem's deliberately offensive wordplay; the huge single "My Name Is" is an example of both.^[62]

2001[link]

• Jay-Z: The Blueprint (Roc-A-Fella, 2001) ^{3 5 6 7 8} Jay-Z was at the height of his talents here, over production by Kanye West, Just Blaze and others.^[63]

Lists consulted[link]

Lists 1–5 are exclusively hip hop publications by writers respected in the field. 6–9 are essentially rock publications, though with some breadth of coverage, obviously; 6–7 are American, 8–9, English. 10 is an English dance music publication that none-the-less had hip hop accounting for more than a fifth of its list. Albums that appear on any four lists or more have been included.

1. "Hip Hop's Greatest Albums By Year" in Sacha Jenkins, Elliott Wilson, Chairman Mao, Gabriel Alvarez & Brent Rollins. ego trip's Book of Rap Lists, New York: St. Martin's Press, 1999, pp. 331–337. ISBN 978-0-312-24298-5
2. "Top 100 Albums of All-Time", The Source, January 1998.
3. Oliver Wang (ed.) Classic Material, Toronto: ECW, 2003. ISBN 978-1-55022-561-7
4. Brian Coleman, Check the Technique, New York: Villard, 2007. ISBN 978-0-8129-7775-2
5. Peter Shapiro, Rough Guide to Hip Hop, 2nd. ed., London: Rough Guides, 2005. ISBN 978-1-84353-263-7
6. "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time", Rolling Stone, November 2003.
7. "100 Greatest Albums, 1985-2005", Spin, July 2005.
8. "100 Best Albums Of All Time", NME, March 2003.
9. "Top 100 Favourite Albums of All Time", Melody Maker, January 2000.
10. "Best Albums of All Time", Mixmag, 1996.

Notes[link]

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Rapping (also known as emceeing,^[1] MCing,^[1] spitting (bars),^[2] or rhyming^[3]) refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics".^[4] The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” (rhythm and rhyme), and “delivery”.^[5] Rapping is distinct from spoken word poetry in that it is performed in time to a beat.^[6][7]

Rapping is a primary ingredient in hip hop music and reggae, but the phenomenon predates hip hop culture by centuries. It can also be found in alternative rock such as that of Cake and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Rapping is also used in Kwaito music, a genre that originated in Johannesburg, South Africa and is composed of hip hop elements. Rapping can be delivered over a beat or without accompaniment. Stylistically, rap occupies a gray area among speech, prose, poetry, and song. The use of the word to describe quick speech or repartee long predates the musical form,^[8] meaning originally "to hit".^[9] The word had been used in British English since the 16th century, and specifically meaning "to say" since the 18th. It was part of the African American dialect of English in the 1960s meaning "to converse", and very soon after that in its present usage as a term denoting the musical style.^[10] Today, the terms "rap" and "rapping" are so closely associated with hip hop music that many use the terms interchangeably.

History[link]

The Memphis Jug Band, an early blues group, whose lyrical content and rhythmic singing predated rapping.

	The roots of rapping Deep Down in My Heart A spiritual performed by W. M. Givens in Darien, Georgia in 1926. Dollar Mamie A Southern work song performed by Judge "Bootmouth" Tucker and Alexander "Neighborhood" Williams in 1939.
Problems listening to these files? See media help.

Etymology[link]

Rap etymologically means "fast read" or "spoke fast". It may be from a shortening of repartee.^[11]

Roots[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2012)

Rapping can be traced back to its African roots. Centuries before hip hop music existed, the griots of West Africa were delivering stories rhythmically, over drums and sparse instrumentation. Such connections have been acknowledged by many modern artists, modern day "griots", spoken word artists, mainstream news sources, and academics.^{[12][13][14][15]}

Blues music, rooted in the work songs and spirituals of slavery and influenced greatly by West African musical traditions, was first played by blacks, and later by some whites, in the Mississippi Delta region of the United States around the time of the Emancipation Proclamation. Grammy-winning blues musician/historian Elijah Wald and others have argued that the blues were being rapped as early as the 1920s.^[16][17] Wald went so far as to call hip hop "the living blues."^[16] Jazz, which developed from the blues and other African-American and European musical traditions and originated around the beginning of the 20th century, has also influenced hip hop and has been cited as a precursor of hip hop. Not just jazz music and lyrics but also Jazz poetry. According to John Sobol, the jazz musician and poet who wrote Digitopia Blues, rap "bears a striking resemblance to the evolution of jazz both stylistically and formally."^[18] One of the main influences on Hip Hop artists was James Brown. James Brown is credited for inventing funk music in the middle '60s. The characteristic funk drum beat is the most common rhythm used for rap music. Two of the earliest recordings which have a funk beat and lyrics which are rhymed in rhythm over this type of beat were released by comedian Pigmeat Markham, "Here Come the Judge" which was released in 1968 by the Chess label and in 1969 another song about running numbers called "Who Got The Number?". "Here Comes the Judge" peaked at number 19 on the Billboard charts. While it was primarily a comical song about a Judge and his courtroom it is also notable for the political lyrics "I'm goin' to Paris to stop this war" and "I had a chat with Ho Chi Minh" both social commentary references about wanting to go to the Paris Peace Accord negotiations to stop the war in Vietnam.^{[citation needed]}

The spoken word jazz poetry of the United States was also a predecessor for beat poetry, as well as the rapping in hip hop music. Gil Scott-Heron, a jazz poet/musician who wrote and released such seminal songs as "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", "H2OGate Blues Part 2: We Beg Your Pardon America," and "Johannesberg," has been cited as an influence on many rappers. His collaborations with musician Brian Jackson (Pieces of a Man, Winter in America) have been cited as major influences on hip hop, in terms of sound and lyrical style. Similar in style, the Last Poets who formed in 1969 recited political poetry over drum beats and other instrumentation, and were another predecessor for rap music. They released their debut album in 1970 reaching the top ten on the Billboard charts.^{[citation needed]}

Precursors also exist in non-African/African-American traditions, especially in vaudeville and musical theater. One such tradition is the patter song exemplified by Gilbert and Sullivan but that has origins in earlier Italian opera. "Rock Island" from Meridith Wilson's "The Music Man" is wholly spoken by an ensemble of travelling salesmen, as are most of the numbers for British actor Rex Harrison in the 1964 Lerner and Loewe musical My Fair Lady. In musical theater, the term "vamp" is identical to its meaning in Jazz, gospel, and funk, and it fulfills the same function. Semi-spoken music has long been especially popular in British entertainment, and such examples as David Croft's theme to the 1970s' sitcom Are You Being Served?, the 1979 song Mickey as performed by Toni Basil in 1982, and the 1984 title song, "One Night in Bangkok" for the musical Chess have elements indistinguishable from modern rap. In the realm of classical music, semi-spoken music was popular stylized by composer Arnold Schoenberg as Sprechstimme, and famously used in Ernst Toch's 1924 Geographical Fugue for spoken chorus and the final scene in Darius Milhaud's 1915 ballet Les Choéphores.^{[citation needed]} Although these probably did not have a direct influence on rap's development in the African American cultural sphere, they paved the way for acceptance of spoken word music in the media market.

More directly related to the African American community were items like schoolyard chants and taunts, clapping games,^[19] jump-rope rhymes, some with unwritten folk histories going back hundreds of years across many nationalities. Sometimes these items contain racially offensive lyrics.^[20] A related area that is not strictly folklore is rhythmical cheering and cheerleading for military and sports.

During the mid-20th century, the musical culture of the Caribbean was constantly influenced by the concurrent changes in American music. As early as 1956,^[21] deejays were toasting (an African tradition of "rapped out" tales of heroism) over dubbed Jamaican beats. It was called "rap", expanding the word's earlier meaning in the African-American community—"to discuss or debate informally."^[22]

One of the first rappers in the beginning of the hip hop period, in the end of '70s, was also hip hop's first DJ, Kool Herc. Herc, a Jamaican immigrant, started delivering simple raps at his parties, inspired by the Jamaican tradition of toasting.^[23]

Old school rap[link]

Old school rap (1979–1984)^[24] was "easily identified by its relatively simple raps"^[25] according to Allmusic, "the emphasis was not on lyrical technique, but simply on good times",^[25] one notable exception being Melle Mel, who set the way for future rappers through his socio-political content and creative wordplay.^[25]

The golden age[link]

Golden age hip hop (cited as either just the late '80s^[26] or the late 80s to early 90s^[27]) was the time period where hip-hop lyricism went through its most drastic transformation – writer William Jelani Cobb says "in these golden years, a critical mass of mic prodigies were literally creating themselves and their art form at the same time"^[28] and Allmusic writes, "rhymers like PE's Chuck D, Big Daddy Kane, KRS-One, and Rakim basically invented the complex wordplay and lyrical kung-fu of later hip-hop”.^[29] The golden age is considered to have ended around '93–'94, marking the end of rap lyricism's most innovative period.^[27][29]

Flow[link]

	Rapping Planet Rock noicon Hip hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa mixed electro with old school rapping and beats. Bambaataa, the DJ, is also the rapper in this song; the first rapping in hip hop was done from behind the turntables.
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

'Flow' is defined as "the rhythms and rhymes"^[7][30][31] of a hip-hop song's lyrics and how they interact – the book How to Rap breaks flow down into rhyme, rhyme schemes, and rhythm (also known as cadence).^[32] 'Flow' is also sometimes used to refer to elements of the delivery (pitch, timbre, volume) as well,^[33] though often a distinction is made between the flow and the delivery.^[30][34]

Staying on the beat is central to rap's flow^[35] – many MCs note the importance of staying on-beat in How to Rap including Sean Price, Mighty Casey, Zion I, Vinnie Paz, Fredro Starr, Del The Funky Homosapien, Tech N9ne, People Under The Stairs, Twista, B-Real, Mr Lif, 2Mex, and Cage.^[35]

MCs stay on-beat by stressing syllables in time to the four beats of the musical backdrop.^[6][36] Poetry scholar Derek Attridge describes how this works in his book Poetic Rhythm – “rap lyrics are written to be performed to an accompaniment that emphasizes the metrical structure of the verse”.^[6] He says rap lyrics are made up of, “lines with four stressed beats, separated by other syllables that may vary in number and may include other stressed syllables. The strong beat of the accompaniment coincides with the stressed beats of the verse, and the rapper organizes the rhythms of the intervening syllables to provide variety and surprise”.^[6]

The same technique is also noted in the book How to Rap, where diagrams are used to show how the lyrics line up with the beat – "stressing a syllable on each of the four beats gives the lyrics the same underlying rhythmic pulse as the music and keeps them in rhythm... other syllables in the song may still be stressed, but the ones that fall in time with the four beats of a bar are the only ones that need to be emphasized in order to keep the lyrics in time with the music".^[37]

History of flow[link]

Old School flows were relatively basic and used only few syllables per bar, simple rhythmic patterns, and basic rhyming techniques and rhyme schemes.^[33][38] Melle Mel is cited as an Old School MC who epitomizes the Old School flow – Kool Moe Dee says, “from 1970 to 1978 we rhymed one way [then] Melle Mel, in 1978, gave us the new cadence we would use from 1978 to 1986^[39]... he’s the first emcee to explode in a new rhyme cadence, and change the way every emcee rhymed forever. Rakim, Biggie, and Eminem have flipped the flow, but Melle Mel’s downbeat on the two, four, kick to snare cadence is still the rhyme foundation all emcees are building on".^[40]

Artists and critics often credit Rakim with creating the overall shift from the more simplistic Old School flows to more complex flows near the beginning of Hip Hop’s new school^[41] – Kool Moe Dee says, “any emcee that came after 1986 had to study Rakim just to know what to be able to do^[42]... Rakim, in 1986, gave us flow and that was the rhyme style from 1986 to 1994^[39]... from that point on, anybody emceeing was forced to focus on their flow”.^[43] Kool Moe Dee explains that before Rakim, the term ‘flow’ wasn’t widely used – “Rakim is basically the inventor of flow. We were not even using the word flow until Rakim came along. It was called rhyming, it was called cadence, but it wasn’t called flow. Rakim created flow!”^[44] He adds that while Rakim upgraded and popularized the focus on flow, “he didn’t invent the word”.^[42]

Kool Moe Dee states that Biggie introduced a newer flow which “dominated from 1994 to 2002”,^[39] and also says that Method Man was “one of the emcees from the early to mid-’90s that ushered in the era of flow... Rakim invented it, Big Daddy Kane, KRS-One, and Kool G Rap expanded it, but Biggie and Method Man made flow the single most important aspect of an emcee’s game”.^[45] He also cites Craig Mack as an artist who contributed to developing flow in the ‘90s.^[46]

Music scholar Adam Krims says, “the flow of MCs is one of the profoundest changes that separates out new-sounding from older-sounding music... it is widely recognized and remarked that rhythmic styles of many commercially successful MCs since roughly the beginning of the 1990s have progressively become faster and more ‘complex’”.^[33] He cites “members of the Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, AZ, Big Pun, and Ras Kass, just to name a few”^[47] as artists who exemplify this progression.

Kool Moe Dee adds, “in 2002 Eminem created the song that got the first Oscar in Hip-Hop history [Lose Yourself]... and I would have to say that his flow is the most dominant right now (2003)”.^[39]

Styles[link]

There are many different styles of flow, with different terminology used by different people – stic.man of Dead Prez uses the following terms –

• “The Chant”, which he says is used by Lil Jon and Project Pat^[48]
• “The Syncopated Bounce”, used by Twista and Bone Thugs N Harmony^[48]
• “Straight Forward”, used by Scarface, 2Pac, Melle Mel, KRS-One circa Boogie Down Productions era, Too Short, Jay-Z, Ice Cube, and Snoop Dogg^[49]
• “The Rubik’s Cube”, used by Nas, Black Thought of The Roots, Common, Kurupt, and Lauryn Hill^[50]
• “2-5-Flow”, a pun of Kenya's calling code "+254", used by Camp Mulla^[51]

Alternatively, music scholar Adam Krims uses the following terms –

• “sung rhythmic style”, used by Too Short, Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five, and the Beastie Boys^[52]
• “percussion-effusive style”, used by B-Real of Cypress Hill^[53]
• “speech-effusive style”, used by Big Pun^[53]

Rhyme[link]

MCs use many different rhyming techniques, including complex rhyme schemes, as Adam Krims points out – “the complexity... involves multiple rhymes in the same rhyme complex (i.e. section with consistently rhyming words), internal rhymes, [and] offbeat rhymes”.^[47] There is also widespread use of multisyllabic rhymes, by artists such as Kool G Rap,^[54] Big Daddy Kane, and Eminem.

It has been noted that rap’s use of rhyme is some of the most advanced in all forms of poetry – music scholar Adam Bradley notes, “rap rhymes so much and with such variety that it is now the largest and richest contemporary archive of rhymed words. It has done more than any other art form in recent history to expand rhyme’s formal range and expressive possibilities”.^[55]

In the book How to Rap, Masta Ace explains how Rakim and Big Daddy Kane caused a shift in the way MCs rhymed: “Up until Rakim, everybody who you heard rhyme, the last word in the sentence was the rhyming [word], the connection word. Then Rakim showed us that you could put rhymes within a rhyme... now here comes Big Daddy Kane — instead of going three words, he’s going multiple”.^[56] How to Rap explains that "rhyme is often thought to be the most important factor in rap writing... rhyme is what gives rap lyrics their musicality.^[3]

Delivery/performance[link]

To successfully deliver a rap, a rapper must also develop vocal presence, enunciation, and breath control. Vocal presence is the distinctiveness of a rapper's voice on record. Enunciation is essential to a flowing rap; some rappers choose also to exaggerate it for comic and artistic effect. Breath control, taking in air without interrupting one's delivery, is an important skill for a rapper to master, and a must for any MC. An MC with poor breath control cannot deliver difficult verses without making unintentional pauses.

Raps are sometimes delivered with melody. West Coast rapper Egyptian Lover was the first notable MC to deliver "sing-raps."^[57] Popular rappers such as 50 Cent and Ja Rule add a slight melody to their otherwise purely percussive raps whereas some rappers such as Cee-Lo Green are able to harmonize their raps with the beat. The Midwestern group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony was one of the first groups to achieve nationwide recognition for using the fast-paced, melodic and harmonic raps that are also practiced by Do or Die, another Midwestern group. Another rapper that harmonized his rhymes was Nate Dogg, a rapper part of the group 213. Rakim experimented not only with following the beat, but also with complementing the song's melody with his own voice, making his flow sound like that of an instrument (a saxophone in particular).^[58]

The ability to rap quickly and clearly is sometimes regarded as an important sign of skill. In certain hip hop subgenres such as chopped and screwed, slow-paced rapping is often considered optimal. The current record for fastest rapper is held by Spanish rapper Domingo Edjang Moreno, known by his alias Chojin, who rapped 921 syllables in one minute on December 23, 2008.^[59]

Subject matter[link]

"Party rhymes", meant to pump up the crowd at a party, were nearly the exclusive focus of old school hip hop, and they remain a staple of hip hop music to this day. In addition to party raps, rappers also tend to make references to love and sex. Love raps were first popularized by Spoonie Gee of the Treacherous Three, and later, in the golden age of hip hop, Big Daddy Kane, Heavy D, and LL Cool J would continue this tradition. East Coast hip hop artists such as KRS One, Public Enemy, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Jay-Z, Nas, The Notorious B.I.G., and dead prez are known for their sociopolitical subject matter. Their West Coast counterparts include Emcee Lynx, The Coup, Paris, and Michael Franti. Tupac Shakur was also known for rapping about social issues such as police brutality, teenage pregnancy, and racism.

Other rappers take a less critical approach to urbanity, sometimes even embracing such aspects as crime. Schoolly D was the first notable MC to rap about crime.^[57] Early on KRS-One was accused of celebrating crime and a hedonistic lifestyle, but after the death of his DJ, Scott La Rock, KRS-One went on to speak out against violence in hip hop and has spent the majority of his career condemning violence and writing on issues of race and class. Ice-T was one of the first rappers to call himself a "playa" and discuss guns on record, but his theme tune to the 1987 film Colors contained warnings against joining gangs. Gangsta rap, made popular largely because of N.W.A, brought rapping about crime and the gangster lifestyle into the musical mainstream.

Materialism has also been a popular topic in hip-hop since at least the early 1990s, with rappers boasting about their own wealth and possessions, and name-dropping specific brands: liquor brands Cristal and Rémy Martin, car manufacturers Bentley and Mercedes-Benz and clothing brands Gucci and Versace have all been popular subjects for rappers.

Various politicians, journalists, and religious leaders have accused rappers of fostering a culture of violence and hedonism among hip hop listeners through their lyrics.^[60][61][62] However, there are also rappers whose messages may not be in conflict with these views, for example Christian hip hop. Others have praised the "political critique, innuendo and sarcasm" of hip hop music.^[63]

In contrast to the more hedonistic approach of gangsta rappers, some rappers have a spiritual or religious focus. Christian rap is currently the most commercially successful form of religious rap. Aside from Christianity, the Five Percent Nation, an Islamic esotericist religious/spiritual group, has been represented more than any religious group in popular hip hop. Artists such as Rakim, the members of the Wu-Tang Clan, Brand Nubian, X-Clan, Busta Rhymes, and Nas, have had success in spreading the theology of the Five Percenters.

Literary technique[link]

Rappers use the literary techniques of double entendres, alliteration, and other forms of wordplay that are also found in classical poetry. Similes and metaphors are used extensively in rap lyrics; rappers such as Fabolous and Lloyd Banks have written entire songs in which every line contains similes, whereas MCs like Rakim, GZA, and Jay-Z are known for the metaphorical content of their raps. Rappers such as Lupe Fiasco are known for the complexity of their songs that contain metaphors within extended metaphors.

Diction and dialect[link]

Many hip hop listeners believe that a rapper's lyrics are enhanced by a complex vocabulary. Kool Moe Dee claims that he appealed to older audiences by using a complex vocabulary in his raps.^[41] Rap is famous, however, for having its own vocabulary—from international hip hop slang to regional slang. Some artists, like the Wu-Tang Clan, develop an entire lexicon among their clique. African American Vernacular English has always had a significant effect on hip hop slang and vice versa. Certain regions have introduced their unique regional slang to hip hop culture, such as the Bay Area (Mac Dre, E-40), Houston (Chamillionaire, Paul Wall), Atlanta (Ludacris, Lil Jon, T.I.), and Kentucky (Nappy Roots). The Nation of Gods and Earths, aka The Five Percenters, has influenced mainstream hip hop slang with the introduction of phrases such as "word is bond" that have since lost much of their original spiritual meaning. Preference toward one or the other has much to do with the individual; GZA, for example, prides himself on being very visual and metaphorical but also succinct, whereas underground rapper MF DOOM is known for heaping similes upon similes. In still another variation, 2Pac was known for saying exactly what he meant, literally and clearly.

Freestyle and battle[link]

There are two kinds of freestyle rap: one is scripted (recitation), but having no particular overriding subject matter, the second typically referred to as "freestyling" or "spitting", is the improvisation of rapped lyrics. When freestyling, some rappers inadvertently reuse old lines, or even "cheat" by preparing segments or entire verses in advance. Therefore, freestyles with proven spontaneity are valued above generic, always usable lines.^[64] Rappers will often reference places or objects in their immediate setting, or specific (usually demeaning) characteristics of opponents, to prove their authenticity and originality.

Battle rapping, which can be freestyled, is the competition between two or more rappers in front of an audience. The tradition of insulting one's friends or acquaintances in rhyme goes back to the dozens, and was portrayed famously by Muhammad Ali in his boxing matches. The winner of a battle is decided by the crowd and/or preselected judges. According to Kool Moe Dee, a successful battle rap focuses on an opponent's weaknesses, rather than one's own strengths. Television shows such as MTV's DFX and BET's 106 and Park host weekly freestyle battles live on the air. Battle rapping gained widespread public recognition outside of the African-American community with rapper Eminem's movie, 8 Mile.

The strongest battle rappers will generally perform their rap fully freestyled. This is the most effective form in a battle as the rapper can comment on the other person, whether it be what they look like, or how they talk, or what they wear. It also allows the rapper to reverse a line used to "diss" him or her if they are the second rapper to battle. This is known as a 'flip'. Jin the Emcee was considered 'World Champion' battle rapper in the mid 2000's.

Social impact[link]

Race and class[link]

Derivatives and influence[link]

Throughout hip hop's history, new musical styles and genres have developed that contain rapping. Entire genres, such as rap rock and its derivatives rapcore and rap metal (rock/metal/punk with rapped vocals), or hip house have resulted from the fusion of rap and other styles. Many popular music genres with a focus on percussion have contained rapping at some point; be it disco (DJ Hollywood), jazz (Gang Starr), new wave (Blondie), funk (Fatback Band), contemporary R&B (Mary J. Blige), reggaeton (Daddy Yankee), or even Japanese dance music (Soul'd Out). UK garage music has begun to focus increasingly on rappers in a new subgenre called grime, pioneered and popularized by the MC Dizzee Rascal. Increased popularity with the music has shown more UK rappers going to America as well as tour there, such as Sway DaSafo possibly signing with Akon's label Konvict. Hyphy is the latest of these spin-offs. It is typified by slowed-down atonal vocals with instrumentals that borrow heavily from the hip hop scene and lyrics centered on illegal street racing and car culture. Another Oakland, California group, Beltaine's Fire, has recently gained attention for their Celtic fusion sound which blends hip hop beats with Celtic melodies. Unlike the majority of hip hop artists, all their music is performed live without samples, synths, or drum machines, drawing comparisons to The Roots and Rage Against the Machine.

Bhangra, a widely popular style of music from Punjab (India) has been mixed numerous times with reggae and hip hop music. The most popular song in this genre in the United States was "Mundian to Bach Ke" or "Beware the Boys" by Panjabi MC and Jay-Z. Although "Mundian To Bach Ke" had been released previously, the mixing with Jay-Z popularized the genre further.

The embedded lists in this section may contain items that are not encyclopedic. Please help out by removing such elements and incorporating appropriate items into the main body of the article. (March 2009)

Though the majority of rappers are male, there have been a number of female rap stars, including Lauryn Hill, MC Lyte, Lil' Kim, Missy Elliott, Queen Latifah, Da Brat, Eve, Trina, Nicki Minaj, Khia, M.I.A., Foxy Brown, and Lisa Lopes from TLC. As these all are hearing rap artists, there is also deaf rap artist Signmark.

See also[link]

Hip hop portal

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Paul Edwards; Kool G Rap (foreword) (December 2009). How to Rap: The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC. Chicago Review Press. p. 340. ISBN 1-55652-816-7. 
• Alan Light; et al. (October 1999). The Vibe History of Hip Hop. Three Rivers Press. p. 432. ISBN 0-609-80503-7. 
• Jeff Chang; D.J. Kool Herc (December 2005). Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation. Picador. p. 560. ISBN 0-312-42579-1. 
• Sacha Jenkins; et al. (December 1999). Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 352. ISBN 0-312-24298-0. 
• Kool Moe Dee; et al. (November 2003). There's A God On The Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs. Thunder's Mouth Press. p. 224. ISBN 1-56025-533-1. 

Kanye West
West at the SWU Music & Arts Festival, 2011
Background information
Birth name	Kanye Omari West
Born	(1977-06-08) June 8, 1977 (age 35) Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Origin	Chicago, Illinois, United States
Genres	Hip hop
Occupations	rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, music video director, film director, fashion designer
Instruments	Vocals, keyboards, sampler, percussion, synthesizer
Years active	1996–present
Labels	GOOD Music, Roc-A-Fella, Def Jam
Associated acts	Go Getters, Child Rebel Soldier, Jay-Z, The Throne, Common, John Legend, Kid Cudi, Rihanna, Jeff Bhasker, Pusha T, Mos Def, Mr Hudson, Talib Kweli, Big Sean, A-Trak, Pharrell, Lupe Fiasco, RZA
Website	kanyewest.com

Kanye Omari West ( /ˈkɑːnjeɪ/; born June 8, 1977)^[1] is an American musician, film director and fashion designer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and Janet Jackson. His style of production originally used pitched-up vocal samples from soul songs incorporated with his own drums and instruments. However, subsequent productions saw him broadening his musical palette and expressing influences encompassing '70s R&B, baroque pop, trip hop, arena rock, folk, alternative, electronica, synthpop, and classical music.^[2]

West released his debut album The College Dropout in 2004, his second album Late Registration in 2005, his third album Graduation in 2007, his fourth album 808s & Heartbreak in 2008, and his fifth album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in 2010. West released a collaborative album, Watch the Throne with Jay-Z in 2011, which is the duo's first collaborative album. His five solo albums, all of which have gone platinum, have received numerous awards and critical acclaim.^[3] As of 2012, West has won a total of eighteen Grammy Awards, making him one of the most awarded artists of all-time.^[4] All albums have been very commercially successful, with My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy becoming his fourth consecutive No. 1 album in the U.S. upon release.^[5] West has had 5 songs exceed 3 million in digital sales as of July 2011, with "Gold Digger" selling 3,086,000, "Stronger" selling 4,402,000, "Heartless" selling 3,742,000, "E.T." selling over 4,000,000 and "Love Lockdown" selling over 3,000,000^[6][7] placing him third in overall digital sales of the past decade.^[8][9] He has sold over 30 million digital songs in the United States making him one of the best-selling digital artists of all-time.^[10]

West also runs his own record label GOOD Music, home to artists such as John Legend, Common and Kid Cudi.^[11] West's mascot and trademark is "Dropout Bear," a teddy bear which has appeared on the covers of three of his five solo albums as well as various single covers and in his music videos.^[12] About.com ranked Kanye West No. 8 on their "Top 50 Hip-Hop Producers" list.^[13] On May 16, 2008, Kanye West was crowned by MTV as the year's No. 1 "Hottest MC in the Game."^[14] On December 17, 2010, Kanye West was voted as the MTV Man of the Year by MTV.^[15] Billboard ranked Kanye West No. 3 on their list of Top 10 Producers of the Decade.^[16] West has also been included in the Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world as well as being listed in a number of Forbes' annual lists.^[17]

Kanye will release the full-length album entitled Cruel Summer with GOOD Music signed artists sometime in 2012.