The 125 Best Rap Singles of 2002
September 7, 2023
While Missy Elliott and the Neptunes dominated 2002, the rise of 50 Cent, Dipset, and Southern rap promised to transform the culture.
ALL: Best Of
The 125 Best Rap Singles of 2001
August 6, 2023
While 9/11 and Jay-Z vs. Nas defined the year, global forces began disrupting the cloistered rap industry, whether it was ready or not.
The 125 Best Rap Singles of 2000
June 24, 2023
In the first year of the 21st century, hip-hop mutated in unusual ways, and a canyon grew between the haves and the have-nots.
The 20 Best Rap Singles of 1979
April 16, 2023
In 1979, hip-hop as a regional culture was irrevocably changed when “Rapper’s Delight” introduced it to the outside world.
The 125 Best Rap Singles of 1993
March 28, 2023
The year 1993 reflected the music industry’s “see if it sticks” approach to rap, resulting in a boundless variety of peaks and valleys.
Notable Hip-Hop Albums of 2022
December 27, 2022
These 50 notable albums of 2022 reflect an unsettled genre that was still driven by plenty of activity and slow, methodical change.
The 50 Best Rap Singles of 1982
December 18, 2022
The year brought classics like “Planet Rock” and “The Message,” and hip-hop seemed to grow out of its prepubescent phase overnight.
The 100 Best Rap Singles of 1992
March 17, 2022
The year marked the beginning of the second half of the “golden era,” when the genre’s greatest peaks and worst tragedies were just beyond the horizon.
Notable Hip-Hop Albums of 2021
December 28, 2021
Year two of the pandemic felt unsettled, with a dearth of vital artists to dictate the culture. Despite it all, good rap music still exists.
The 100 Best Rap Singles of 1991
October 9, 2021
Of all the years when rap music grew into a global movement – the golden age years – 1991 may be the most difficult to summarize.
The 50 Best Rap Singles of 1980
December 6, 2020
The first full year of recorded rap music was marked by novelty 12-inches, rapping deejays, and one 1979 smash that overshadowed them all.
The 100 Best Rap Singles of 1990
July 19, 2020
The 100 best rap singles of 1990 found the hip-hop nation reckoning with an audience that may have not fully appreciated Black culture.