History of Hip Hop

This playlist, at something more than a hundred songs, is intended as a history of hip hop for my class on "Hip Hop and Politics," for Spring 2010 at Dickinson College. It is a compromise between trying to get items of definite historical significance and the songs and artists I actually like best to listen to. So, for example, Eminem and Immortal Techinique - whom I believe are the best mcs ever - are overrepresented, while perhaps Jay-Z and Nas are a bit underplayed, though present. I actually don't like listening to Public Enemy; they're pointedly abrasive just on the beat. But I admire their records, and they are the biggest single influence on world hip hop, and on the idea of hip hop as a political discourse. There's a lean toward the west coast in the war; I love Dre's tracks.

There is a pretty elaborate representation of underground hip hop - Immortal Technique, Brother Ali, Atmosphere, Aceyalone. I think this work is more important for early-2000s than, say, Ludacris, or 50 Cent. I tried to cover very poppy stuff - Salt n Pepa, e.g., or Eve - which shows the effect on the music in general. But I also have basically too-hard-for-the-radio stuff.

One reason to put this up is so people can tell me what has to be on here that isn't: either what you love or respect, or what you think is a movement or a moment or an artist that is under-represented. Well, the South is, for one thing. So tell me what my students have to hear. If one way or another you try to download this list, or otherwise assemble it, I'd also love to hear what you think about the overall effect. One thing is for sure: there is a shitload of amazing music on this list.

Some artists I listened back to, and didn't necessarily hear something that I felt needed including: Ice-T and Big Daddy Kane, e.g.

I'm going to put this in rough chronological order. There are anomalies and it's hard to represent very early hip hop because the artists didn't record, or recorded only later (Kool Herc, Cold Crush Brothers, Grandmaster Flash).  Also for the most part I've grouped all the songs by an artist together even where they have had long careers.

Hip hop is a cultural/aesthetic system in various media. Traditionally it has four elements: djing, rapping, graffiti, and break dancing. But it also encompasses styles of dress and comportment, body modification and festival, politics and substance abuse, gender and race. Jamaican dj and dub music is at the base of the form, not musically but in terms of technique and performance style and context, whereas the initial directly musical materials are provided by funk and disco. Defining features of hip hop as a musical form: The music is constructed to some or a large extent by sampling, using turntables or digital devices. This makes the instrumentation of hip hop coincide roughly with the entire history of recorded sound. The beat is 4/4 and rigid, characterized by pretty extreme repetition. The lyrics are for the most part chanted (rapped) rather than sung. It is the most text-heavy of all popular music forms, by a long way, which opens up the possibility of full-scale short stories, political speeches, and so on.

(1) Sugarhill Gang, "Rapper's Delight"
(2) Grandmaster Flash, "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel"
(3) Afrika Bambaataa and Soul Sonic Force, "Planet Rock"
(4) Spoonie Gee, "Love Rap"
(5) Sugarhill Gang, "8th Wonder"
(6) Kurtis Blow, "If I Ruled the World"
(7) Kurtis Blow, "Basketball"
(8) Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, "The Message"
(9) Run-DMC, "You Be Illin'"
(10) Run-DMC: "Walk This Way"
(11) Fat Boys, "Can You Feel It?"
(12) LL Cool J, "Rock the Bells"
(13) Whodini, "Five Minutes of Funk"
(14) Whodini, "I'm a Ho"
(15) Beastie Boys, "She's Crafty"
(16) Beastie Boys, "Fight for Your Right"
(17) Blondie, "Rapture"

Newcleus, "Jam On It"

(18) MC Hammer, "Can't Touch This"
(19) MC Hammer, "It's All Good"
(20) Vanilla Ice, "Ice Ice Baby"
(21) KRS-ONE, "You Must Learn"

Marley Marl and the Juice Crew, "The Symphony"

(22) Public Enemy, "Don't Believe the Hype"
(23) Public Enemy, "Fight the Power"

Ice-T, "Original Gangsta"

(24) NWA, "Straight Outta Compton"
(25) NWA, "Fuck the Police"
(26) Eric B and Rakim, "Soul"
(27) Eric B and Rakim, " "Paid in Full"
(28) Kool Moe Dee, "How Cool Can One Black Man Be?"

Heavy D and the Boyz, "Black Coffee"

(29) Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Dogg, "Nuthin' but a G Thang"
(30) Dr. Dre featuring Snoop, "Fuck Wit Dre Day"
(31) Warren G, "Regulate"
(32) Warren G, "Do You See"
(33) Snoop Doggy Dogg, "Tha Shiznit"
(34) Snoop, "Gin and Juice"
(35) Snoop, "Murder Was the Case"
(36) Coolio, "Gangsta's Paradise"
(37) Ice Cube, "It Was a Good Day"
(38) Wu-Tang Clan, "C.R.E.A.M."
(39) Rahzel, "Wu-Tang Live Medley"
(40) GZA the Genius (RZA), "Shadowboxin"
(41) Ghostface Killah, "Assassination Day"
(42) Ghostface Killah, "Fish"
(43) De La Soul, "Me, Myself, and I"
(44) Tribe Called Quest, "Can I Kick It?"
(45) Digable Planets, "Rebirth of the Cool (Cool Like Dat)"
(46) Salt-n-Pepa, "Shoop"
(47) Da Brat, "Funkdafied"
(48) Da Brat, "Fa All Y'all"
(49) Tupac, "Hit 'Em Up""
(50) Tupac, "Shorty Want to Be a Thug"
(51) Tupac, "Gangsta Party"

Tupac, "Death Around the Corner"

(52) Dr. Dre featuring Tupac, "California Love"
(53) Us 3, "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)"
(54) Notorious B.I.G., "Juicy"
(55) Notorious B.I.G., "Big Poppa"
(56) Jay-Z, "Hard Knock Life"
(57) Jay-Z, "Renegade"
(58) Jay-Z featuring Beyonce, "Pray"
(59) Jay-Z featuring Lil Wayne, "Hello Brooklyn 2.0"
(60) Gang Starr, "Work"
(61) Fugees, "Fu-Gee-La"
(62) Fugees, "Ready or Not"
(63) Wyclef Jean, "Apocalypse"
(64) Wyclef Jean, "Staying Alive"
(66) Black Star featuring Black Thought, "Guerilla Monsoon Rap"
(68) Talib Kweli, "Move Somethin'"
(69) Talib Kweli, ""This Means You"
(70) Mos Def, "Ms. Fat Booty"
(71) Mos Def, "Got"
(72) Nas, "If I Ruled the World"
(73) Nas, "Life's a Botch"
(73) Nas, N.I.G.G.E.R."
(74) Kid Rock, "Paid"
(75) Kid Rock, "Early Mornin' Stoned Pimp"
(76) Eminem, (several obscure downloaded freestyles)
(77) Eminem, "My Name Is"
(78) Eminem,  "The Real Slim Shady"
(79) Eminem, "Square Dance"
(80) Eminem, "Business"
(81) Eminem, "Lose Yourself"
(82) Eminem, ""My Mom"
(83) Nelly, "Country Grammar"

Timbaland, "Luv 2 Luv U"

Eric Sermon, "Music"

(84) The Roots, "Proceed"
(85) Self-Scientific, "Love Allah"
(86) Self-Scientific, "Return"
(87) Jedi Mind Tricks, "Trinity"
(88) Jedi Mind Tricks, "Exertions"
(89) Jedi Mind Tricks featuring R.A. the Rugged Man, "Uncommon Valor: A Vietnam Story"
(90) Beatnuts, "Se Acabo"
(91) Spooks, "Other Script"
(92) Eve, "Let Me Blow Ya Mind"
(93) Everlast, "What It's Like"

Outkast, "Sorry Ms. Jackson"

(94) 7l and Esoteric, "Operating Correctly"
(95) Atmosphere, "Scapegoat"
(96) Atmosphere, "God Loves Ugly"
(97) Aceyalone, "Cornbread"
(98) Murs, "Murs Rules the World"
(99) Demigodz, "Captivate/Deactivate"
(100) Brother Ali, "Three-Day Journey"
(101) Brother Ali, "Soul Whisper"
(102) Delinquent Habits, "Here Come the Horns"
(103) Cool Calm Pete, "Cloudy"
(104) J-Live, "Not Satisfied"
(105) Non-Prophets, "Fresh"

Big L, "Put it On"

UGK, "Front Back Side to Side"

Dead Prez, "Police State"

(106) Immortal Technique, "Obnoxious"
(107) Immortal Technique, "Freedom of Speech"
(108) Immortal Technique, "The Cause of Death"
(109) Immortal Technique, "Obnoxious"
(110) Immortal Technique, "The Point of No Return"
(111) Immortal Technique, "Peruvian Cocaine"
(112) Immortal Technique, "Hollywood Drive-By"
(113) Immortal Technique, "Golpe de Estado"
(114) Immortal Technique, "Payback"
(115) Collie Buddz, "Come Around"

Third Mind, "Sold Your Soul"

The Streets, "Prangin' Out"

Li'l Wayne, "Fireman"