The 60 Best Rap Singles of 1984
March 24, 2024
Hip-hop in 1984 brought Fresh Fest superstars Run-DMC and Whodini, Melle Mel’s breakout year, and the beginning of the Roxanne wars.
ALL: Hip-Hop 1980s
The Best Rap Singles: Former Entries
December 21, 2023
The Best Rap Singles series began in 2020 and has undergone changes in the years since. This list of entries shows what’s been removed.
Best Rap Singles: Class of 1983
November 7, 2023
These nine artists were early sprouts of what would soon be called the “new school,” a generation of musicians who’d remake hip-hop culture.
The 60 Best Rap Singles of 1983
October 23, 2023
In a year defined by electro kingdoms and fresh wild styles, Run-D.M.C., Afrika Bambaataa and others sought to explore rap’s future.
The 50 Best Rap Singles of 1981
September 22, 2023
Most of the best hip-hop of 1981 didn’t appear on rap records — with Grandmaster Flash’s “Wheels of Steel” a gloriously historic exception.
Wham!
September 4, 2023
More than just a doc of an indestructible pop act, Wham! offers an instructive look at how early rap penetrated the mainstream.
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 50 Best Rap Singles of 1982: Wayne & Charlie
December 11, 2022
Wayne Garland and Charlie Chucks’ parody of Kurtis Blow’s “The Breaks” is largely notable for Jigsaw Inc.’s monster boogie-funk groove.
The 50 Best Rap Singles of 1982: Treacherous Three
December 11, 2022
The Treacherous Three’s single finds Clifton “Jiggs” Chase’s Jigsaw crew turning the Pointer Sisters’ 70s chestnut into an electro groove.
The 50 Best Rap Singles of 1982: The SD’s Featuring Sherry Richard
December 11, 2022
With Sugar Hill-style raps from soul singer Shelly Richard, this may be the first rap record to emerge from New Orleans.
The 50 Best Rap Singles of 1982: The Packman
December 10, 2022
This single finds Master Don and Frank Heller capitalizing on the first wave of video arcade madness with an impressive vocoder hook.
The 50 Best Rap Singles of 1982: Masterdon Committee
December 10, 2022
Today, Masterdon Committee is best known for a chant that Master P later made famous with “Make ‘ Em Say Uhh.”