80s Hip Hop

How this sound was built

25 essential tracks

Listed in release order. Tap a title to play it, or play all 25 in a row.

1. 1. The Breaks — Kurtis Blow (1980)

   Kurtis Blow was the first rapper signed to a major label, and this playful song about bad luck became one of the first rap singles certified gold. Its funky live band and call-and-response hook show the party style of the old school.

2. 2. The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel — Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five (1981)

   Grandmaster Flash cut and scratched between records by Chic, Queen, Blondie and others live on three turntables. It was the first record to capture a hip hop DJ's mixing skills, and it showed the turntable was an instrument. Every scratch DJ since owes something to it.

3. 3. It's Like That — Run-D.M.C. (1983)

   Run-D.M.C.'s debut single had nothing but a stark drum machine beat and Run and D.M.C. trading lines about hard times. Its B-side, "Sucker M.C.'s", was just as influential. The stripped-down sound ended rap's disco era almost overnight, and it put Hollis, Queens, on the rap map.

4. 4. White Lines (Don't Don't Do It) — Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel (1983)

   An anti-cocaine song with a huge bassline, credited to Grandmaster Flash although Melle Mel made it without him. It was a big club and UK hit, reaching No. 7 there in 1984, and it has been sampled and covered many times.

5. 5. Roxanne's Revenge — Roxanne Shanté (1984)

   UTFO's "Roxanne, Roxanne" was about a girl who turned them down. Fourteen-year-old Roxanne Shanté answered it over the same beat with producer Marley Marl, and her record sold hundreds of thousands. Dozens of answer records followed in the "Roxanne Wars".

6. 6. Friends — Whodini (1984)

   A mid-tempo rap about who you can trust, over a smooth R&B groove by producer Larry Smith. Whodini were one of the first rap groups to mix rap with soulful R&B, and their album Escape went platinum. Its opening question about how many real friends we have is still quoted today.

7. 7. Rock the Bells — LL Cool J (1985)

   LL Cool J was 17 when Radio, the first album on Def Jam, came out. Rick Rubin's beat is almost all drums and cowbell, and LL's confident, aggressive delivery made him rap's first solo teen star. He would still be having hits in the 90s.

8. 8. The Show — Doug E. Fresh & The Get Fresh Crew (1985)

   Doug E. Fresh, "the Human Beat Box", made drum sounds with his mouth while MC Ricky D, later known as Slick Rick, rhymed. The B-side, "La Di Da Di", became one of the most sampled rap records ever, borrowed by everyone from Snoop Dogg to Miley Cyrus.

9. 9. My Adidas — Run-D.M.C. (1986)

   A tribute to the sneakers they wore without laces. After Run-D.M.C. had fans hold up their shoes at a Madison Square Garden concert, Adidas signed them to an endorsement deal, the first between a hip hop act and a sportswear company.

10. 10. South Bronx — Boogie Down Productions (1986)

    KRS-One and DJ Scott La Rock answered MC Shan's claim that hip hop started in Queens, starting the "Bridge Wars". The track insisted on the Bronx as hip hop's birthplace. Scott La Rock was shot and killed in 1987, soon after their debut album.

11. 11. Paul Revere — Beastie Boys (1986)

    A tall tale of how the Beastie Boys met, over a drum machine beat that was famously played backwards. It came from Licensed to Ill, produced by Rick Rubin, which in 1987 became the first rap album to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

12. 12. Boyz-n-the-Hood — Eazy-E (1987)

    Ice Cube wrote it, Dr. Dre produced it, and Eazy-E rapped it on his own Ruthless Records. Its matter-of-fact tales of life in Compton became the template for West Coast gangsta rap and led directly to N.W.A. A remixed version later appeared on N.W.A and the Posse.

13. 13. Push It — Salt-N-Pepa (1987)

    First released as a B-side, it took off after a remix by a San Francisco DJ. Its buzzing synth riff and dance beat took it to No. 19 on the Hot 100, and it was nominated for the first Grammy for Best Rap Performance. Salt-N-Pepa became the first big female rap group.

14. 14. Paid in Full — Eric B. & Rakim (1987)

    Rakim's calm, intricate rhymes over Eric B.'s bass-heavy beat changed what an MC could sound like. The British duo Coldcut's "Seven Minutes of Madness" remix turned it into a UK dance hit. The album Paid in Full is on most lists of the greatest rap albums.

15. 15. How Ya Like Me Now — Kool Moe Dee (1987)

    Kool Moe Dee, an old-school veteran, took shots at LL Cool J and the new generation, and the album cover showed a Jeep crushing a red Kangol hat like LL's. Their feud was one of the decade's most famous rap rivalries.

16. 16. Rebel Without a Pause — Public Enemy (1987)

    The Bomb Squad built it around a screeching horn sample from The J.B.'s, James Brown's band, with Chuck D's booming voice and Terminator X cutting on the turntables. It was the first sign of the dense, noisy sound of It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back.

17. 17. Straight Outta Compton — N.W.A (1988)

    The title track of N.W.A's debut introduces Ice Cube, MC Ren and Eazy-E over Dr. Dre's fast, hard beat. MTV refused to play the video, and radio avoided the group, yet the album sold millions and put Los Angeles on the rap map.

18. 18. Ain't No Half-Steppin' — Big Daddy Kane (1988)

    Big Daddy Kane, from Marley Marl's Juice Crew, combined smooth charm with fast, complex rhymes. Built on a sample of The Emotions' "Blind Alley", this is the highlight of his debut, Long Live the Kane. Kane was known for his sharp suits and slick stage moves.

19. 19. Paper Thin — MC Lyte (1988)

    MC Lyte tells off an unfaithful boyfriend with cool, cutting rhymes. Her Lyte as a Rock is often called the first full-length album by a solo female rapper, and she became one of the most respected MCs of the era.

20. 20. Children's Story — Slick Rick (1988)

    Slick Rick tells a bedtime story about a teenage robber whose life goes wrong, voicing every character himself. From The Great Adventures of Slick Rick on Def Jam, it is one of rap's greatest story songs and has been sampled many times.

21. 21. Parents Just Don't Understand — DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince (1988)

    Will Smith's comic stories about embarrassing parents won the first Grammy for Best Rap Performance. Because the award was not shown on TV, the duo boycotted the ceremony. Smith went on to star in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and became one of the biggest film stars in the world.

22. 22. Wild Thing — Tone Lōc (1988)

    Tone Lōc's gravelly voice over a Van Halen guitar sample, with lyrics co-written by Young MC. It reached No. 2 on the Hot 100, and his album Loc-ed After Dark went to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 1989.

23. 23. Me Myself and I — De La Soul (1989)

    De La Soul, with producer Prince Paul, brought humour and colourful, collage-like samples to rap. Built on Funkadelic's "(Not Just) Knee Deep", it went to No. 1 on the R&B chart. Their album 3 Feet High and Rising is a landmark.

24. 24. Bust a Move — Young MC (1989)

    A friendly, funny song about finding your nerve on the dance floor, with Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers on bass. It reached No. 7 on the Hot 100 and won Young MC the Grammy for Best Rap Performance.

25. 25. Just a Friend — Biz Markie (1989)

    Biz Markie sings the chorus badly on purpose, a joke that made it one of the most loved rap songs ever. It reached No. 9 on the Hot 100. The song borrows its melody from Freddie Scott's "(You) Got What I Need".

Where to go next

• The best 80s rap songs
• 80s dance music
• 80s R&B and funk
• The 80s hits mix
• Build your own 80s hip hop playlist

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