ALL: Hip-Hop 2000s

The 100 Best Rap Singles of 2004

As rap teetered between pop corporatism, brilliance and malaise, the eccentric MF DOOM as well as exotic Southern sounds offered redemption.

Best Rap Singles: Class of 2003

In an era when hip-hop was at a commercial peak, it was common for vital new voices to spend years working towards international attention.

2003 Ads for Lost Albums

From Ras Kass to De La Soul, the year 2003 brought plenty of announcements for albums that never appeared in stores.

The 125 Best Rap Singles of 2003

As the industry slowly crumbled, action figures like 50 Cent and Lil Jon rolled off the assembly line with muscular, eardrum-popping sounds.

The 125 Best Rap Singles of 2002

While Missy Elliott and the Neptunes dominated 2002, the rise of 50 Cent, Dipset, and Southern rap promised to transform the culture.

The 125 Best Rap Singles of 2001

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

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.

On Quasimoto’s The Unseen

Twenty years ago today, Madlib released The Unseen as Quasimoto. This San Francisco Bay Guardian essay was published at its initial release.