The Essential List of Hip Hop Songs

I first need to thank everyone for their input and apologize that doing the final tabulating and research took a little longer than normal, but hey life has its twists and turns.

After gathering plenty of data from hip hop fans of different age demographics and different regional areas I have compiled the official list. Now to say the vote isn’t skewed a little would be a lie. A majority of the voters do hail from the Northeast, the birthplace of hip hop, and graduated high school in the 90’s. But I do think there was a good sampling of newer and older voters.

You will see where the songs lay mainly in that huge boom of hip hop from 1987-1997 I would say. It seems the newer hip hop music tastes are far spread out across different artists, but the song on this list are the ones that kept appearing over and over. And there are some songs on here where I made an editors choice. Two artists in particular kept appearing on the lists but with a staggering number of different tracks, so I chose what I thought was the artists most essential song. Those two artists were Run DMC and Eminem. But anyway, without further blabbering here is the list of 22:

22-The What, Notorious BIG & Method Man- A back and forth between two heavyweights which appeared at the end of Side A of Biggie’s debut the flow of these two masters cannot be matched

21- Insane in the Brain, Cypress Hill- Their first album was good but this debut track off of their second offering literally blew your mind. The nasally deliver of B-Real and rawness of Zenn Dogg along with the fabulous beat by Muggs makes for an essential at any hip hop party.

20- I need Love, LL Cool J- Probably the only artist at the time that could have gotten away with trying a love ballad on a hip hop track, and it worked in a big way. LL’s flawless bravado makes this appeal for a women not seem desperate but smooth.

19- Shadowboxin, The GZA feat. Method Man- Maybe Meth is best with other people singing with him as this track of the GZA’s solo debut demonstrates once again. The GZA and Meth having vastly different style but in this dark song it works well.

18- Dear Mama, 2-Pac Shakur- Much like LL singing a love ballad the troubled and late 2-Pac is able to sing a tribute to his mother while still remaining true to himself and his hardcore street image.

17- Big Pimpin, Jay-Z- One of the giants of the late 90’s Big Pimpin reflects the clear change in hip hop at this point and the braggadocious style of the new genre. Jay-Z epitomized this lifestyle in this song and others.

16- Umi Says, MOS Def- One of the most social conscious rappers of all time MOS Def lays down his unique style on this one of kind track. Def unique spoken word delivery is what makes this track so memorable.

15- Ladi Dadi, Slick Rick- The ruler spit more game on this track than most do ina lifetime. Accompanied most times only by a beat boxing Doug E Fresh Ladi Dadi and its beat is one of the most copied tracks of all time, everyone knows this tune.

14- Gin and Juice, Snoop Dogg- Always in the shadows of Dre’s dope producing Snoop burst out on his own with this debut track off his first solo album. It was total laid back west coast party hip hop at its finest.

13- King of Rock, Run DMC- The original Hip Hop trio had a string of great songs in the mid to late eighties. This song was their essential hard driving style and proved they were the rulers of their time.

12- T.R.O.Y. (They Reminisce), Pete Rock & CL Smooth- A classic DJ and Emcee master track wit the jazzy beats of Pete Rock as CL Smooth reminisces about fallen friends most importantly Troy Dixon a friend and dancer for rapper Heavy D.


11- All I need, Method Man feat. Mary J Blige- Again the master hip hop collaborater Meth spits this track out with the soulful Mary J behind him. Great as a solo track by Meth the addition of Mary J on the remix version added depth to this song.

10- Stan, Eminem- One of Em’s most personal tracks, he takes on his own persona and that of an obsessed fan writing letters back and forth to each other. All of this done over a masterfully produced track with the beautiful voice of Dido in the background Em created a unique hip hop classic.


9- Mind Playing Tricks on Me, Geto Boys- The Geto Boys are one of early hip hops forgotten groups, save for fans of the movie Office Space. This tale about life in the ghetto is raw and vivid like most of their songs, it epitomizes the group.

8- Paid in Full, Eric B. & Rakim- The master DJ/Emcee tandem at their very best. Rakim spitting the best lyrics over a simple beat but a song that has been quoted and reference over and over again.

7- The Bridge is Over, Boogie Down Productions- One of the fattest beats of all time laid down in the Boogie Down, the birthplace of hip hop. Then give the mic to KRS-One and let him spit the original battle track and you have a classic.

6- Shook Ones Pt. II, Mobb Deep- Strip down raw hip hop at its finest. Hardcore beats with wicked lyrics being spit in a dark fashion. This is one of the finest tracks from any hip hop artist and lasts the test of time.

5- Who got the Props, Black Moon- Coming out of Brooklyn as part of the Boot Camp Clik, Black Moon’s debut track proved to be their finest. A laid back smooth beat with hard lyrics being kicked by Buckshot Shorty and 5ft make this a classic on the east coast hip hop scene.

4- Juicy, Notorious B.I.G.- Biggy’s big middle finger back to anyone who doubted him. He basically lays out all the doubts people had about him when he was a young street hustler and now how his life as changed as a multi-platinum rapper, all done over a superior track laid out by Puff Daddy.

3- Fight the Power, Public Enemy- What much can be said about this song? The most powerful and influential of all hip hop groups with the best front man and lyricist ever laying down the ultimate protest track. Add it to the soundtrack of a groudnbreaking independent film and you have an unmatched classic

2- Scenario, A Tribe Called Quest feat Leaders of the New School- A great posse track it is an essential to round out any hip hop party. The dope beats with all the different styles of rappers on it makes it one of the most sung and memorable tracks of all time

1- Aint nutting But a G-Thang, Dr. Dre feat Snoop Dogg- As much as this song defined west coast hip hop it also someone united hip hop fans. That can be accredited to the masterful producing of Dr. Dre (still the best there is) and the undeniable loveable flow of the tall skinny laid back kid from Long Beach. Everyone can remember the first time the heard Snoop say “one, two, three and to tha four………….