Warning: irksome 90s nostalgia alert! It's the generic list post I've held off making for as long as possible: 100 best rap songs of the 1990s, imho. Let's do it like they did it on the .tv channel.
Too $hort - The Ghetto (1990)
Lord Finesse - Funky Technician (1990)
Ice Cube - Once Upon A Time In The Projects (1990)
Public Enemy - 911 Is A Joke (1990)
LL Cool J - Mama Said Knock You Out (1990)
Digital Underground - Packet Man (1990)
Master Ace - Me And The Biz (1990)
Compton's Most Wanted - Duck Sick (1990)
Gang Starr - Form Of Intellect (1990)
Above The Law - Murder Rap (1990)
Ice-T - New Jack Hustler (1991)
Eric B. & Rakim - Juice (Know The Ledge) (1991)
Big Daddy Kane - Nuff Respect (1991)
Black Sheep - Try Counting Sheep (1991)
N.W.A - Real N*ggaz Don't Die (1991)
Geto Boys - My Mind's Playing Tricks On Me (1991)
Main Source - Looking At The Front Door (1991)
Cypress Hill - Hand On The Pump (1991)
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - Summertime (1991)
Ultramagnetic MC's - Poppa Large (East Coast Mix) (1992)
Mac Dre - All Damn Day (1992)
Mary J. Blige ft. Grand Puba - What's The 411? (1992)
Redman - Tonight's Da Night (1992)
Diamond D - Freestyle (Yo, That's That Shit) (1998)
Onyx - Throw Ya Gunz (1992)
Pretty Tone Capone - Case Dismissed (1992)
Dr. Dre - Let Me Ride (1992)
Eazy-E - Still A N*gga (1993)
De La Soul - Breakadawn (1993)
A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight (1993)
KMD - What A N*ggy Know (1993)
Eightball & MJG - Armed Robbery (1993)
Digable Planets - Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat) (1993)
UGK - Pocket Full Of Stones (Port Arthur Remix) (1993)
Del Tha Funkee Homosapien - Wrong Place (1993)
Souls Of Mischief - 93 'Till Infinity (1993)
Kool G. Rap & DJ Polo - Ill Street Blues (1993)
Akinyele - I Luh Huh (1993)
Mac Mall - Sic Wit Tis (1993)
Big L - Devil's Son (1993)
PSK-13 - Headin' For My Trunk (1993)
Lil' Slim - Bounce Slide Ride (1993)
Slick Rick ft. Warren G - Behind Bars (Dum Ditty Dum Mix) (1994)
Thug Life - Pour Out A Little Liquor (1994)
Master P - Somethin' Funky For The Street (1994)
Scarface - G's (1994)
Big Mike ft. Pimp C - Havin' Thangs (1994)
The Beatnuts - Hit Me With That (1994)
DJ Quik - Dollars & Sense (1994)
Snoop Doggy Dogg - Murder Was The Case (Remix) (1994)
Tha Dogg Pound - What Would U Do? (1994)
Lady Of Rage - Afro Puffs (1994)
Nas - The World Is Yours (1994)
Craig Mack ft. Notorious B.I.G etc - Flava In Ya Ear (Remix) (1994)
OutKast - Crumblin' Erb (1994)
Bone Thugz-N-Harmony - Creepin' On Ah Come Up (1994)
Organized Konfusion - Keep It Koming (1994)
Odd Squad - Your Pussy's Like Dope (1994)
AZ - Doe Or Die (1995)
Luniz ft. Michael Marshall - I Got 5 On It (1995)
Raekwon - Incarcerated Scarfaces (1995)
ODB - Shimmy Shimmy Ya (1995)
GZA ft. Method Man - Shadowboxin' (1995)
Mystikal - Here I Go (1995)
Goodie Mobb - Cell Therapy (1995)
Junior M.A.F.I.A - Get Money (1995)
Mobb Deep ft. Raekwon, Ghostface & Noyd - Right Back At You (1995)
E-40 ft. B-Legit & Mac Shon - Sideways (1995)
Smif-N-Wessun - Still Don't Nuthin' Move But Da Money (1996)
Special Ed - Freaky Flow (DJ Premier Remix) (1996)
Common - The Bitch In Yoo (1996)
Lil' Kim ft. Lil' Cease - Crush On You (Remix) (1996)
Dru Down - Hustlin' Ain't No Thang (1996)
Busta Rhymes - Woo Hah!! (Got You All In Check) (1996)
Ghostface Killah & Raekwon ft. Cappadonna - Daytona 500 (1996)
U.N.L.V - Drag 'Em "N" Tha River (1996)
G-Depp - Head Over Wheels (1996)
M.O.P ft. Kool G. Rap - Stick To Ya Gunz (1996)
Do Or Die ft. Twista & Johnny P - Po Pimp (1996)
Big Noyd ft. Prodigy - Recognize & Realize (1996)
Young Bleed - A Fool (1997)
Juvenile - Solja Rag (1997)
Camp Lo - Krystal Karrington (1997)
Notorious B.I.G - Kick In The Door (1997)
Puffy ft. Bad Boy - It's All About The Benjamins (1997)
Ma$e - Feel So Good (1997)
Mia X ft. TRU & Mystikal - You Don't Wanna Go 2 War (1997)
Capone-N-Noreaga ft. Tragedy Khadafi - Neva Die Alone (1997)
The Firm - Phone Tap (1997)
Suga Free - I'd Rather Give You My Bitch (1997)
Godfather Don - Piece Of The Action (1997)
Black Attack ft. Al Tariq & Problemz - Verbal Attack (1997)
Soulja Slim - From What I Was Told (1998)
Noreaga - Superthug (1998)
Cam'Ron ft. Ma$e - Horse & Carriage (1998)
Cool Breeze ft. The Dungeon Family - Watch For The Hook (1998)
MF DOOM ft. DJ Cucumber Slice - Rhymes Like Dimes (1999)
Nelly - Country Grammar (Hot Shit) (1999)
Black Rob - Whoa (1999)
Where the fudge are songs by: Kool Keith/Dr Octagon, The Coup, Big Punisher, Xzibit, Outkast, Jeru the Damaja, Paris, The Roots, Roots Manuva, Lewis Parker, Blak Twang, PJ & Duncan and Zig & Zag?
ReplyDeleteOutKast are in there, so's Keith with the G.O.A.T Ultras song of the decade.
ReplyDeleteNever really listened to The Coup or Xzibit, can't stand Jeru or The Roots, don't like any Paris or Big Pun songs as much as these, UKHH doesn't qualify.
The unedited Country Grammar is pretty thugged out lmso
ReplyDeleteI can't really argue with any songs on this list but I'm surprised to see a DMX song on here cause you always made it pretty clear you can't stand his music
ReplyDeleteCheers, PG 👍
ReplyDeleteBen, I like 2 DMX songs - this one and N*ggaz Done Started Somethin'. The rest of his shit sucked to me.
Just wanna say I like DMX but the Fruit of Islam lad bodied Jay & DMX in that backstage freestyle n am sad he was a victim of Jays blackballing from his first interview. RIP, coulda been you kid
ReplyDeleteDamn, that's one comprehensive list. No '93 Wu-Tang cut? And do you think Here I Go is the definitive Mystikal cut?
ReplyDeleteGot 4 tracks by Wu-Tang solo members which is enough. Places are tight when you've only got an 100 song remit, and C.R.E.A.M has been overplayed at this point, imo.
ReplyDeleteDunno if Here I Go would be the definitive Mystikal track, but it's my favourite. It probably would be the definitive, since it's the one which people tend to remake or beatjack.
Need some Showbiz & AG.
ReplyDeleteKinda wish I'd managed to fit Skinz by Pete & CL + Puba in here somewhere.
ReplyDelete1993 gets 15 songs but 1991 only has 6 :(
ReplyDeleteThat's because 1993 was the year when regional scenes really started coming with with their own specific sounds.
ReplyDeleteLove all the 'but what about..but no?' comments. It's 100 songs from 10 years ffs.
ReplyDelete😄
ReplyDeleteI want to kill you for putting Nelly in here lol
ReplyDeleteI love the closing trifecta of this playlist: my fave song from one of my fave albums ever, and 2 of the biggest anthems of 2000 which actually dropped in the vinegar stroke months of 1999.
ReplyDeleteIt's not that black and white step, the reasoning for (not) including a track could be interesting.
ReplyDeleteI think those songs like that are kind of a given simultaneous inclusion and omission due to said overplayed-ness. They're obviously classics but don't really say anything about the list maker's personal taste if you put them in there
ReplyDeleteT.R.O.Y isn't even a top 3 Pete & CL tune anyway.
ReplyDelete*Drops mic*
Madness. T.R.O.Y is G.O.A.T
ReplyDeleteIt's almost like a blogpost writes itself, amirite?
ReplyDeleteThat gif tho
ReplyDelete'Hit Me With That' the best song from what for many years was my favourite ever rap album.
ReplyDeleteHad no idea you'd done this, it's the best I've felt since the Cool Britannia days.
Apropos of nothing in particular, how come nobody ever really talks about what a great year for rap music 1992 was?
ReplyDeleteI tinkered with this list a bit and feel compelled to add some honourable mentions:
ReplyDeleteKing Tee ft. Ice Cube & Breeze - Played Like A Piano
Chubb Rock - Treat 'Em Right
Pete Rock & CL Smooth - All Souled Out
Heavy D ft. everyone - Don't Curse
Percee P & Ekim - Lung Collapsing Lyrics
The Pharcyde - Officer
Dre Dog - Smoke Dope and Rap
C-Bo - Realer Than Real
Black Moon - Who Got The Props?
Casual - Me-O-Mi-O
Group Home - Supa Star
Coolio - Too Hot
Smoothe Da Hustler ft. Trigga Tha Gambler - Broken Language
Young Lay ft. Mac Mall & Ray Luv - All About My Fetti
Khayree ft. Mac Dre - Back 2 My Mission
D.I.T.C - Day One
Timbaland & Magoo ft. Missy Elliot - Up Jumps Da Boogie
DMX - Crime Story
Pacewon - I Declare War
DJ DMD ft. Lil' Keke & Fat Pat - 25 Lighters
Project Pat - North Memphis