#1 pop song from the year you graduated high school
35 Of The Most Influential Hip-hop Songs In Music History
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Hip-hop is a nebulous label — always evolving, and difficult to define.
Since its birth in 1973, at a summertime bash in the Bronx, the art form has gone through too many transformations to track. But what's undeniable is the effect on every corner of music and pop culture, despite an uphill battle for recognition in an industry full of white gatekeepers.
Today, hip-hop is the most popular style of music in the US. In honor of the golden anniversary, take a look back at some of the songs that had a major impact on its legacy — whether it was breaking down a boundary, creating a subgenre, or inspiring future artists to follow suit.
1. 'Rapper's Delight' by Sugarhill Gang (1979)Though not the first hip-hop song ever — that title instead belongs to The Fatback Band's "King Tim III (Personality Jock)" — "Rapper's Delight" introduced the genre to a global audience.
Arguably the first hip-hop song to ever reach the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, the song opened the floodgates by proving to record labels that rap was commercially viable.
"When it came out, nothing was the same afterwards," hip-hop activist and journalist Harry Allen told NPR in 2000. "It made everything else possible."
2. 'The Breaks' by Kurtis Blow (1980)In early hip-hop nomenclature, the "break," or "breakdown," was the part of the song where most elements other than the percussion dropped out, allowing time for breakdancers to showcase their moves.
With that in mind, Kurtis Blow, a breakdancer himself, said "The Breaks" was made as a "tribute to all the breakers."
"I wanted to do a tribute song with many breaks so that the breakers could get down and do their thing," Blow told Songfacts. "We danced during the breaks of a song. That was our time to go off or to do our best moves."
3. 'Planet Rock' by Afrika Bambaataa & the Soul Sonic Force (1982)Legendary record producer and cofounder of Def Jam Recordings, Rick Rubin, called this "One of the most influential songs of everything," while speaking to Rolling Stone. "It changed the world."
Released in 1982 as a non-album single, the song, according to Rolling Stone, introduced Roland 808 beats — the type later used by the Beastie Boys and Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) — to hip-hop and "coined the sonic language" of modern dance music.
"It's as important as Willie Mitchell or Booker T. Were to the Memphis scene," Chuck D of Public Enemy told the publication. "There hasn't been a song like it in hip-hop since."
4. 'The Message' by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five (1982)As its title suggests, "The Message" is renowned for marrying classic rap with sharp social commentary. The lyrics wrestle with heavy topics, including generational poverty and over-policing in Black communities.
Twenty years after its release, "The Message" became the first-ever rap song to be inducted into the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry, which preserves art that is "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." It was also inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2012.
Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five during a photo shoot for their album "The Message" in 1981. Hemu Aggarwal/Getty Images 5. 'Sucker M.C.'s' by Run-D.M.C. (1983)When Joseph Simmons (aka Run), Darryl McDaniels (aka D.M.C.), and Jason Mizell (aka Jam Master Jay) formed Run-D.M.C. In Queens, New York, they quickly achieved icon status.
"Sucker M.C.'s" was released as the B-side for the group's official debut single, "It's Like That." What could've been doomed as a footnote in rap history (it peaked at No. 15 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs) became the foundation for an era known as "new-school rap."
In contrast to the genre's previous hits, which were flecked with R&B and funk influences, "Sucker M.C.'s" is powerfully minimalistic — stripped down to just B-boy vocals and an Oberheim DMX drum machine, hailed by Billboard as "the most famous hip-hop drum pattern in the history of the genre."
As music critic Nelson George wrote, the song was a springboard, "heralding the 808 as the foundation of hip-hop's future and Run-D.M.C. As the genre's new kings." George also argued that Run-D.M.C.'s first album marked "the first time that real hip-hop was pressed to vinyl."
Run-D.M.C. Performing in 1984. Raymond Boyd/Getty Images 6. 'Paul Revere' by Beastie Boys (1986)The Beastie Boys, who were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, gleefully joined the New York City rap scene in 1986 with "Licensed to Ill," the first rap album to hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Its commercial appeal also helped launch the success of Def Jam, which became one of the most coveted labels for hip-hop artists.
"Licensed to Ill" spawned several hit singles, including "Girls," "No Sleep till Brooklyn," and "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)."
But it was "Paul Revere," the sensationalized origin story of the Beastie Boys, that inspired fellow legends like Rick Ross, Missy Elliott, and N.W.A.
"'Paul Revere' just changed our life," Ice Cube recalled in 2019. "This is how we knew our style would work. We did a version of 'Paul Revere' at a show and the crowd went crazy. We changed the words, made it dirty, made it ours, and the crowd went crazy, and we knew, OK, this was our style."
7. 'I Know You Got Soul' by Eric B. & Rakim (1987)Despite their relatively brief run as a DJ/MC duo, Eric B. & Rakim cemented their legacy as tastemakers following the release of their debut album, "Paid In Full," which is widely recognized as a benchmark in hip-hop history.
The fourth track, "I Know You Got Soul," is a standout example of the genre's evolving complexity, as well as its long history with sampling, interpolating, and remixing — in short, transforming something old into something new, a skill that requires resourcefulness, innovation, and finesse.
Rolling Stone, which ranked "I Know You Got Soul" at No. 23 among the greatest hip-hop songs of all time, described it as "the sort of jam that disappeared once copyright lawyers stepped up their game."
"Eric B. Built this landmark 1987 track by looping a chunk of the James Brown-produced song of the same name," the magazine explained. "But turnabout is fair play: British mixmasters M/A/R/R/S built their hit 'Pump Up the Volume' around a sample of Rakim saying that phrase on 'I Know You Got Soul.'"
Eric B. & Rakim pose for a portrait session in 1987. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images 8. 'Parents Just Don't Understand' by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince (1988)In 1989, Jeff Townes and Will Smith (aka DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince) became the first hip-hop act in history to win a Grammy.
The inaugural award for best rap performance was presented to their hit single, "Parents Just Don't Understand," a cheeky teen anthem that peaked at No. 12 on the Hot 100.
However, Townes and Smith weren't there to accept the award. After learning the groundbreaking rap category wouldn't be televised, the duo refused to attend the ceremony in protest.
"We don't have the problem with the Grammy as an award or the Grammys as an institution, we just had a problem with the 1989 design of the awards show," Smith told Entertainment Tonight that same year. "We chose to boycott. We feel that it's a slap in the face."
9. 'Fuck tha Police' by N.W.A. (1988)N.W.A.'s protest anthem has one of the most powerful, revolutionary, and long-lasting legacies in the history of music.
In 2020, 32 years after its release, the song experienced a resurgence in popularity during a new wave of protests against police brutality.
"That song is still in the same place before it was made," Ice Cube, who was 19 when his group released the track, said in 2015. "It's our legacy here in America with the police department and any kind of authority figures that have to deal with us on a day-to-day basis."
"There's usually abuse and violence connected to that interaction, so when 'Fuck tha Police' was made in 1988, it was 400 years in the making," he continued. "And it's still just as relevant as it was before it was made."
N.W.A.'s MC Ren and Eazy-E performing in 1989. Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images 10. 'Bust a Move' by Young MC (1989)Young MC's signature hit "Bust a Move" represents a playful, nimble, genre-hopping side of hip-hop culture.
On top of the memorable Ballin' Jack sample, the song includes pieces of Bette Midler's disco record "Daytime Hustler" and even features Flea of The Red Hot Chili Peppers playing bass.
The song flooded the airwaves upon its release and won the 1990 Grammy Award for best rap performance — making Young MC the first solo rapper ever to win a Grammy. It was the first time a rap category was televised during the ceremony.
11. 'Fight the Power' by Public Enemy (1989)First released on the soundtrack for Spike Lee's seminal "Do the Right Thing," "Fight the Power" embodied the anger and frustration felt by the Black community in the face of systemic oppression and police brutality in the United States in the late '80s.
"If the government dictates who you are, then you're part of the power structure that keeps you down. We were going to fight that and say: 'Look at me as a human being,'" Public Enemy's Chuck D told The Guardian in 2016.
The track's bold and unapologetic lyrics ("Elvis was a hero to most / But he never meant shit to me you see") tackled racial inequality head-on and inspired a generation to stand up against injustice.
"Songs are like little earthquakes," Chuck D said. "After 'Fight the Power,' the fucking world shook."
12. 'I Left My Wallet In El Segundo' by A Tribe Called Quest (1990)Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and Jarobi White — collectively known as A Tribe Called Quest — have been widely celebrated for their Afrocentric, neo-soul approach to hip-hop.
"The rappers from Tribe were far from urban jungle warriors: They loved to read and wanted to smoke weed, not sell it. They wore their intellectualism lightly, but proudly, and they made hip-hop for people who were as interested in ideas as in rhymes," Touré wrote for the New York Times. "Questlove, the drummer for the Roots, told me that when he was a teenager, Tribe was critical to his seeing himself as someone who could be in hip-hop."
Indeed, A Tribe Called Quest has influenced a staggering array of artists, from André 3000 to Lorde to Pusha T.
"Just about anyone out here doing it — outside of anything hardcore or overly gangsta — you're a descendant of Tribe, whether you like it or not," Trent Clark, editor-in-chief of HipHopDX, told USA Today. "Benchmarks, blueprints, they set them all."
The group's enduring legacy was launched in 1990 with "I Left My Wallet in El Segundo," released as the lead single from their debut album.
13. 'U Can't Touch This' by MC Hammer (1990)Much like "Bust a Move," MC Hammer's catchy hit — which borrows heavily from the Rick James classic "Super Freak" — became a cultural touchstone and helped introduce hip-hop to more mainstream audiences.
In addition to its wins for best R&B song and best rap solo performance, "U Can't Touch This" was the first hip-hop song ever to earn a Grammy nomination for record of the year.
"U Can't Touch This" was released in 1990. MC Hammer/YouTube 14. 'Mama Said Knock You Out' by LL Cool J (1991)LL Cool J opened "Mama Said Knock You Out," the titular single from his fourth album, with one of the most iconic raps in history: "Don't call it a comeback / I been here for years."
The Queens native had previously received backlash for his third album, "Walking with a Panther," which had been described as over-the-top and out of touch.
"I definitely had a chip on my shoulder," LL Cool J recalled to Rock the Bells. "They looked at the diamonds, jewelry, and cars as a sign of me being disconnected. When in reality, I was just living out my hustler dreams and that's just what I always wanted to do."
The rapper also said he turned to his grandmother for support when he felt ostracized by the hip-hop community.
"I was already energized when we went to record, but her advice was in the back of my mind," he said.
The criticism became fuel for "Mama Said Knock You Out," which went multiplatinum and secured LL Cool J's first Grammy Award for best rap solo performance.
"Mama Said Knock You Out" remains an indelible piece of pop culture today, especially in the world of athletics. The song was recited by Serena Williams in a 2018 commercial and was recently remixed for the NBA In-Season Tournament soundtrack.
"That song stands the test of time because exactly what he's talking about," producer Marley Marl told Rock the Bells. "Everybody loves a great comeback story.
15. 'Let Me Ride' by Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Dogg (1993)Dr. Dre's debut album "The Chronic" was a game changer. It helped popularize the G-funk subgenre and launched Dre's solo career as a rapper and producer — as well as the career of Snoop Dogg, who was largely unknown at the time.
Their reggae-inspired collaboration "Let Me Ride" was promoted as the album's third single and earned Dre his first Grammy Award in 1994.
Although Dre continues to be celebrated in the music industry, he has also been accused of assault by Dee Barnes, a journalist and MC, who told Rolling Stone that she's been blacklisted by the music industry since speaking out against the mogul.
16. 'U.N.I.T.Y.' by Queen Latifah (1993)Queen Latifah became the first female rapper to receive a Grammy Award in 1995, winning best rap solo performance for "U.N.I.T.Y."
As with many of her signature songs, "U.N.I.T.Y." celebrates the resilience of women in a male-dominated world, explicitly condemning issues like sexual harassment ("I walked past these dudes when they passed me / One of 'em felt my booty, he was nasty") and sexist language in her own industry ("Instinct leads me to another flow / Every time I hear a brother call a girl a bitch or a ho / Tryna make a sister feel low / You know all of that gots to go").
Just this year, Latifah made history again as the first female rapper to join the National Recording Registry with the induction of her debut album "All Hail The Queen."
17. 'None of Your Business' by Salt-N-Pepa (1994)The 37th annual Grammys proved to be a historic night for women in hip-hop. After Queen Latifah accepted the award for best rap solo performance, Salt-N-Pepa became the first-ever female rap group to take home a golden gramophone.
Cheryl James (aka Salt), Sandra Denton (aka Pepa), and Deidra Roper (aka DJ Spinderella) won best rap performance by a duo or group for "None of Your Business," a sex-positive anthem that calls out misogynistic double standards. It was their third nomination in the category that had previously been dominated by men.
The song's parent album, "Very Necessary," was eventually certified multiplatinum — making Salt-N-Pepa the first female rap group to achieve the feat.
Salt-n-Pepa at the 1995 Grammy Awards. Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images 18. 'Gangsta's Paradise' by Coolio featuring L.V. (1995)"Gangsta's Paradise" didn't just spark a breakthrough in Coolio's career. It marked a turning point for hip-hop at large, in terms of radio play and mainstream appeal.
Originally recorded for the drama film "Dangerous Minds," the song is notable for its moody, melodramatic production. Combined with L.V.'s melodic chorus and Coolio's biblical lyrics — "As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death" is based on Psalm 23 — the song became easy to recognize and difficult to shake.
"Gangsta's Paradise" was the best-selling song of 1995 in the US and wound up topping charts in over a dozen countries. It was also the first hip-hop song to win single of the year at the Billboard Music Awards, an award that celebrates commercial success.
To this day, "Gangsta's Paradise" remains one of the most memorable and widely beloved hits from the '90s with over 1 billion streams on Spotify.
19. 'Hypnotize' by The Notorious B.I.G. (1997)"Hypnotize" was promoted as the lead single for The Notorious B.I.G's sophomore album, "Life After Death," which was released just 16 days after the Brooklyn legend was murdered.
The landmark song became Biggie's first No. 1 hit on the Hot 100, making him the only artist to posthumously top the chart since John Lennon in 1980. (Later that year, "Mo Money Mo Problems" also ascended to No. 1, making Biggie the only artist to top the Hot 100 posthumously twice.)
"Hypnotize" is still known as a crossover smash, a sure-fire party starter, partially thanks to its ingenious infusion of disco. The beat was crafted using a sample of Herb Alpert's "Rise," written by Andy Armer and Herb's nephew, Randy "Badazz" Alpert.
Randy later revealed that he'd been approached by several hip-hop artists to use the sample, including stars like Ice Cube and Easy E, but he was never convinced — until he heard Biggie's demo.
"There were probably 8-10 records between the late '80s through the early '90s that tried to sample 'Rise,' and I never liked them," he told Billboard in 2017.
After turning down a flood of requests, Randy's publisher convinced him to listen to the "Hypnotize" demo in late 1996.
"I remember when that thing came on… that was it, I'm done. It's great," he recalled. "I played that cassette over and over. I must've played it for half an hour, 45 minutes. I said, 'That's a fucking hit record.'"
"To this day 20 years later… like, I ask my twin 17-year-olds, and those 17-year-olds were not born when 'Hypnotize' came out, and were certainly not born when 'Rise' came out. But them and their friends love that record," Randy added. "There are certain artists that work through generations."
20. 'I'll Be Missing You' by Diddy featuring Faith Evans & 112 (1997)Before he leveraged his fame to build a business empire, Sean Combs (then known as Diddy) dominated the charts in the '90s and early 2000s.
In 1997 alone, Combs notched three No. 1 hits on the Hot 100: "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down," "Mo Money Mo Problems," and "I'll Be Missing You," a tribute to his labelmate, Christopher "The Notorious B.I.G." Wallace, who was murdered in March of that year.
The heartfelt single reigned atop the chart for 11 weeks, which remains one of the longest No. 1 streaks in Billboard history.
The following year, "I'll Be Missing You" won best rap performance by a duo or group at the 40th annual Grammy Awards. Combs also won best rap album for "No Way Out," making him the first rapper in history to receive multiple Grammys in a single night.
More recently, Combs was sued by his longtime partner and label signee Cassie, who accused him of perpetuating a "cycle of abuse." The case was quickly settled out of court.
21. 'Doo Wop (That Thing)' by Lauryn Hill (1998)After a celebrated career with the Fugees, "Doo Wop (That Thing)" was released as Lauryn Hill's solo debut single. It debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100, becoming the 10th song in history to achieve that feat.
It also led the charge for Hill's one and only studio album, "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill," on which she was the sole producer.
At the 1999 Grammys, Hill became the first hip-hop artist ever to win album of the year, in addition to awards for best new artist, best R&B album, best female R&B vocal performance, and best rhythm & blues song.
"Doo Wop (That Thing)" remains Hill's signature hit, inspiring a new generation of groundbreaking artists.
"Normally, you had other people singing the hooks — Nate Dogg, Ashanti. But Lauryn Hill was singing her own hook and spitting intricate verses," Lizzo wrote for Billboard in 2018. "I don't think people realize how amazing and incredible that is — and how difficult it is to pull that off."
"She set the bar," Lizzo continued. "I was always afraid of being a singer, but then when I heard Lauryn Hill, I was like, 'Maybe I can do both.'"
Lauryn Hill at the 1999 Grammys. Frank Micelotta Archive via Getty Images 22. 'Changes' by 2Pac featuring Talent (1998)Before his murder in 1996, Tupac Shakur built a reputation as an outspoken poet, rapping about an array of sociopolitical issues.
Although Shakur's music wasn't always "woke" by today's standards, "Changes" stands out as one of his most referenced and most prescient songs.
Originally recorded in 1992, "Changes" was released after Shakur's death as the lead single from his "Greatest Hits" compilation. It remains the only posthumous song to be nominated for best rap solo performance at the Grammys.
The lyrics reveal a devastating, first-hand account of racist systems in the US, particularly mass incarceration ("It ain't a secret, don't conceal the fact / The penitentiary's packed, and it's filled with blacks"), as well as generational poverty, police brutality, gun violence, and the disastrous war on drugs.
"'Changes' by 2Pac was the first hip-hop song I heard that stopped me in my tracks," Sampa the Great recently wrote in an essay for The Guardian. "I was 9 years old, living in Botswana as a middle child of five."
"Because Tupac was expressing human experiences, it made me connect," she continued. "And that was another note for myself: regardless of where I'm from, what language I speak or which culture I belong to, the human experience always resonates."
23. 'Get Ur Freak On' by Missy Elliott (2001)Missy Elliott's status as an innovator and trailblazer was well-established by the time she was ready to release her third studio album, "Miss E... So Addictive." But the album's lead single, "Get Ur Freak On," took Elliott's fame to new heights.
Cowritten and produced by Timbaland, the Grammy-winning song has been hailed as "the most iconic 21st-Century dance anthem" (BBC) and "one of the most deliciously freaky, gleefully experimental hip-hop songs ever" (Rolling Stone). Elliott's refusal to pander or follow trends has inspired everyone from Michelle Obama to Bad Bunny.
"I just wanted to cross the border with this album," she told Vibe magazine in 2001. "When was the last time somebody made records like Prince, or Rick James, or Marvin Gaye's 'Sexual Healing?' I wanted to do what everybody else is scared to do."
"Get Ur Freak On" was released in 2001. Missy Elliott/YouTube 24. 'Ether' by Nas (2001)Nas honed the art of the diss track with "Ether," released on his fifth album "Stillmatic."
Intended as a response to Jay-Z's "Takeover," the song made such a splash that its title became synonymous with public humiliation.
According to Merriam-Webster, the word "ether" — historically used to describe "the upper regions of space" — took on a new colloquial meaning thanks to Nas, one that's still popular today.
"The song, which finished second in a 2017 Rolling Stone Readers' Poll of the best diss tracks of all time, was received with great acclaim and is credited with revitalizing Nas' career," reads an article on the dictionary's website.
"Shortly after its release, 'ether' began to see use as a verb along the ranks of 'own,' 'savage,' and 'throw shade,' all of which refer to the act of leveling criticism to another in a public way that is intended to humiliate," Merriam-Webster continues. "'Ether' adds to that meaning the effect of leaving the target of such criticism at a loss for response. And now it's out there, in the air, for Jay-Z and everyone else to breathe in."
25. 'Lose Yourself' by Eminem (2002)Amid all of Eminem's accomplishments, "Lose Yourself" stands out as one of the most lauded hip-hop cuts of all time.
It was the inaugural winner of the Grammy Award for best rap song in 2004 and became the first rap song ever to be nominated for song of the year, a category that celebrates excellence in lyricism. Written for the soundtrack of "8 Mile," Eminem's film debut, it was also the first rap song to win an Oscar.
In 2014, "Lose Yourself" became the third song in history to be certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America.
26. 'Frontin'' by Pharrell featuring Jay-Z (2003)Today, Pharrell is known for smash hits like "Happy" and "Blurred Lines," as well as his illustrious career as a producer, which has yielded gems like Frank Ocean's "Pink + White," Beyoncé's "Blow," Justin Timberlake's "Rock Your Body," and Britney Spears' "I'm a Slave 4 U."
Pharrell has affected both pop and hip-hop culture in nearly incalculable ways — but before all that, "Frontin'" put him on the map as a solo star. Pharrell's debut single pushed him into the spotlight and expanded the reach of his influence, partially thanks to its brilliantly designed music video.
"The vision of a hip hop-driven, streetwear-inflected lifestyle presented by 'Frontin' in 2003 was basically the blueprint for everything that became cool in the 18 years since," Cam Wolf wrote for GQ. Pharrell also confirmed to Complex that its impact was "calculated."
Pharrell in "Frontin.'" Pharrell Williams/YouTube 27. 'Hey Ya!' by Outkast (2003)Outkast, the Atlanta duo that's widely credited for the rise of Southern rap, convinced everybody to shake it like a Polaroid picture (even though you're not supposed to do that) when they released "Hey Ya!" as the lead single for their multiplatinum album, "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below."
Written, produced, and performed by André 3000, the smash hit is most notable for its genre-defying, cross-generational appeal. Upon its release, the rap-funk-pop behemoth reigned at No. 1 on the Hot 100 for nine weeks and became the first song ever to be downloaded 1 million times on iTunes.
Indeed, "Hey Ya!" is probably the closest to "universally beloved" that any song can get. It's been described by critics as an "experimental masterstroke" (NME) and "one of the greatest unifying forces that pop music has given us this century" (Stereogum). In 2021, Rolling Stone ranked "Hey Ya!" as the 10th-best song of all time.
28. 'Super Bass' by Nicki Minaj (2011)Plenty of rappers enjoyed radio play before Nicki Minaj came along, but she may have perfected the formula for a crossover hit in the 21st century. "Super Bass" combined rapid-fire rhymes with irresistible hooks, establishing Minaj as a top-tier rapper as much as an international pop star.
Whether "Super Bass" is Minaj's best song is irrelevant; it poured gasoline on her career and allowed her to carve a unique path through the music industry.
Minaj redefined what it means to be a woman in hip-hop, to the point where you can no longer find a breakthrough star in the genre who hasn't sung her praises. ("Thank you Nicki," Doja Cat explicitly raps on her Grammy-nominated third album. "I love you!")
29. 'Marvin's Room' by Drake (2011)Since his debut in 2010, Drake has become the undisputed king of hip-hop's commercial appeal. One could argue that "Take Care" paved the way.
Drake's sophomore album is still widely considered his best work. Though it may seem like standard fare to newer fans, that's precisely because its influence was so vast. "Take Care" is credited with popularizing the emotive rap-sung style that took over hip-hop in the 2010s, and its lead single, "Marvin's Room," is the crown jewel of that subgenre.
"The easiest thing to do is be like, 'I'm the coolest guy, I get all the girls, I'm untouchable,'" Drake's longtime producer, Noah "40" Shebib, told Billboard in 2019. "The hard thing to do is be vulnerable and honest. ['Marvins Room'] opened the doors for artists in Drake's position to make music from their heart and not be so confined to self-imposed rules and regulations."
30. 'Alright' by Kendrick Lamar (2015)Kendrick Lamar is considered by many to be the greatest living rapper. Across his four studio albums, the lyrical wiz has racked up countless accolades, including 17 Grammys (out of 47 nominations) and a Pulitzer Prize.
Lamar's crowning achievement, however, is not his many awards or glowing reviews. It's the way he's inspired younger generations, especially in the Black community. His standout single "Alright" became a call for justice and an anthem for the Black Lives Matter movement, years before it was reignited by the death of George Floyd.
"When I'd go in certain parts of the world, and they were singing it in the streets," Lamar told the New York Times in 2015. "When it's outside of the concerts, then you know it's a little bit more deep-rooted than just a song. It's more than just a piece of a record. It's something that people live by — your words."
Kendrick Lamar in "Alright." Kendrick Lamar/YouTube 31. 'No Problem' by Chance the Rapper featuring Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz (2016)"No Problem," the most popular song from Chance the Rapper's third mixtape "Coloring Book," helped take down a longstanding barrier for hip-hop artists.
Even after he'd arrived on mainstream radars, Chance still refused to sign a major label contract, preferring to operate independently. Like many grassroots rappers, who find success on free platforms like YouTube or SoundCloud, Chance's music wasn't available to purchase, only to stream. This made him ineligible to be nominated for a Grammy Award — until the Recording Academy changed the rule, that is.
In 2017, the Recording Academy announced it would allow submissions of streaming-only albums for the first time. That same day, Chance was announced as the first streaming-only artist to receive Grammy nominations — including best rap song and best rap performance for "No Problem."
He won the latter during the preshow, in addition to two other awards, cementing his role as a key player in hip-hop's growing takeover.
32. 'Bodak Yellow' by Cardi B (2017)It's hard to remember a time when Cardi B wasn't a household name, but before she released "Bodak Yellow" as her major-label debut single, she was still best known as a meme-able character from "Love & Hip-Hop: New York."
The song had other plans. It reigned at No. 1 for three weeks — only the second time ever a female rapper had topped the chart unaccompanied — and catapulted Cardi B to Grammy-level reverence.
"Bodak Yellow" eventually became the first song ever by a female rapper to be certified diamond.
33. 'This Is America' by Childish Gambino (2018)Donald Glover (aka Childish Gambino) surprise-released "This Is America" with no explanation, save for an intricate and unnerving music video.
It became an overnight phenomenon. The enigmatic track inspired think pieces, sparked outrage among conservatives, and fueled discussions about racism and gun violence in the US.
Whatever Glover's intention was, the song's reach was indisputable; "This Is America" was awarded both song of the year and record of the year at the 61st annual Grammy Awards, becoming the first hip-hop song in history to win either.
Childish Gambino in "This Is America." Childish Gambino/YouTube 34. 'Old Town Road' by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus (2019)Lil Nas X's breakthrough single, which combines elements of trap, country, and industrial rock, first made headlines for suffering a setback: Billboard unceremoniously booted the viral hit from its country charts, citing indistinct "factors" that many interpreted as racist.
In response, Lil Nas X recruited Billy Ray Cyrus, a country legend he only knew from watching "Hannah Montana" as a kid.
It's no exaggeration to say that that decision changed the music industry. The new Cyrus-featuring remix of "Old Town Road" set a record for the longest streak at No. 1 on the all-genre Hot 100 (19 weeks) and became the fastest song in history to be certified diamond.
The song's runaway success signaled a shift away from genre lines and boundaries — a charge that hip-hop artists had already been leading for decades — and forced a long-overdue conversation about double standards for Black musicians.
35. 'Savage Remix' by Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé (2020)Megan Thee Stallion was already one of the brightest new stars in rap before her collaboration with Beyoncé made history.
At the 2021 Grammys, the Houston natives won best rap song for "Savage Remix," becoming the first-ever female duo to triumph in the category. Their win also meant that Beyoncé — who's dabbled in rap and hip-hop trends throughout her career — had officially become the most-awarded woman in Grammys history.
"But of course, the Queen is really here for a coronating co-sign of Megan Thee Stallion — the defining artist of a year that seemed a never-ending showcase for her bravado, poise and finely calibrated fury," Lindsay Zoladz wrote for the New York Times. "'Savage' is so much more than a meme, an Instagram caption, a TikTok dance: It is a joyous assertion of Black female personhood in a world that needed it as desperately as water."
Barnaby Lane contributed additional reporting.
Listen to the complete playlist on Insider's Spotify.
From Britney To Germán Bringas: The Best Old Music Our Writers Discovered In 2023
Slapp Happy – Sort ofSlapp Happy's 1972 debut album is a curious thing. It was recorded at Faust's Wümme studios, with the krautrock legends acting as backing band, but it sounds absolutely nothing like krautrock. It was intended as a joke – a sarcastic response to experimental musician Anthony Moore's record label demanding something more commercial – but carries no audible trace of the smug condescension that implies. Instead, it exists in an unplaceable space of its own creation. Its melodies stick with you – the fabulous Blue Flower was covered on Mazzy Star's 1990 debut album She Hangs Brightly – its air of oddness feels unaffected, Dagmar Krause's voice is a plaintive delight: pop music made by minds untethered to accepted notions of pop. Alexis Petridis
Wistful yet steely … WAT WAT – World According ToJust when you think there couldn't possibly be another early 80s band at the intersection of post-punk and new wave with tinny drum machines, aloof female vocals and guitars seemingly recorded in a public toilet, it turns out there's another – and the trio WAT, operational in Dutch city Eindhoven from 1983-1985, are a really good one. There's something of Young Marble Giants' Alison Statton to Ankie Keultjes' wistful yet steely vocals, but the arrangements are way more maximalist, clearly also drawing from the jangling British indie of the time – Thin Blue Notes is like a great lost Smiths song. Their best tunes were gathered up this year on a compilation by Belgian label Stroom (who just had an underground hit with the brilliant Voice Actor). Ben Beaumont-Thomas
Germán Bringas – Tunel Hacia TíOne of the best things about interviewing musicians from far-flung music scenes is asking them for local recommendations. After I spoke to Guatemalan cellist Mabe Fratti this autumn, I received a WhatsApp volley of enthusiastic tips from her adopted community in Mexico City – and discovered a new obsession in jazz multi-instrumentalist Germán Bringas (who also runs the club and improv cornerstone Jazzorca). Tunel Hacia Tí (tunnel towards you) is a compilation of his work from 1991 to 2000, and it spans parched spiritual vistas, lunar lounge music, squalling trumpet tantrums as dry as the desert earth, doomed kalimba hoedowns. It could live on ECM; it also variously summons visions of the intricacies of Beatrice Dillon's music put through Oneohtrix Point Never's warped filter. Wigged-out abstractions are followed by moments of sublime melody – I had to check that Caminatas, with its devastating, lilting, intensifying keys-and-trumpet refrain, wasn't a cover, it sounds that classic. Everyone I've introduced him to has become equally obsessed: welcome to the Germán hive. Laura Snapes
Britney SpearsI wasn't a Britney fan when she launched in 1999. Three years earlier, I'd been radicalised by the Spice Girls, and the lyrics to Born to Make You Happy offended my newly minted feminist sensibility. Recently, my return to the gym after a brief pause (2017-2023) has caused me to revisit her back catalogue. My favourite track is Stronger, which announces itself with a foghorn and only gets more demented from there, her hiccuping vocals declaring independence over a crunchy industrial beat. Where previous singles (… Baby One More Time) were passive, Stronger sees her fully empowered, and I credit its energising power with at least 70% of my lifting capabilities. She's stronger than yesterday; we both are. Joe Stone
Punch the air … Pulp perform in Mexico City. Photograph: Eduardo Verdugo/AP Pulp – Death Comes to TownIn his recent memoir, So It Started There, drummer Nick Banks calls Death Comes to Town "the greatest lost Pulp track ever". Written in their pre-fame 80s using a keyboard's "disco" setting, the song was mysteriously abandoned during the sessions for troubled third album Separations. A remix called Death Goes to the Disco appeared on the B-side of 1991's Countdown and the superior original eventually limped out on the album's 2012 reissue, but it deserves a wider hearing. The hook is instantly infectious, Jarvis Cocker's lyrics are a gateway to adventure ("Tonight's the night, open your door and I will come inside …") and the chorus and "la la las" are just made for giddily punching the air. Perhaps if they'd written it later, it would have been another Common People. Dave Simpson
Billy Idol – Rebel YellHas anyone ever displayed as much beauty as Billy Idol, shirtless on the cover of Rebel Yell? Maybe Bowie. Maybe. I ask because the image has been glued to my phone all year as I've played and hummed along to the eerie synth and pulsating bassline of Eyes Without a Face, the album's hit single. I first discovered it at my barber's, where tattooed Italians inexplicably subsist on a diet of early 80s new wave and golden era hip-hop – perfect. Gloriously, I've also been able to share my love of Idol with friends, as the track re-emerged on TikTok this year, allowing a new generation to enjoy this chunk of new wave perfection with ethereal French backing vocals and a rap-rock middle section to boot. It's as if Idol attempted to both condense – and pre-empt – the decade's defining trends into one heartbreaking tale of a deteriorating relationship. Sasha Mistlin
New wave perfection … Billy Idol at 2023's Glastonbury. Photograph: Guy Bell/Shutterstock Organic Grooves with William Parker and Hamid Drake – Black CherryEarlier this year, I was watching Moroccan gnawa master Majid Bekkas play. As he laid down an earthy groove on the three-string gimbri, it was his drummer Hamid Drake that caught my attention. Hitting fluid, minimal rhythms that held time often with just a single rimshot, Drake's rooted approach to the kit was unique. He has worked with jazz luminaries including Don Cherry and Pharoah Sanders, but it was Black Cherry – a remix album of a 1997 duet with free jazz bassist William Parker by production collective Organic Grooves – that soon moved on to regular rotation in my household. Through layering dub effects, sub-frequencies and electronic beats, Black Cherry amplifies Drake's meandering rhythms, giving them added weight for the dancefloor. Best played loud for full immersion. Ammar Kalia
MaanamAs the cliche goes; you don't know what you've got until it's gone. In July, after stumbling on a tribute marking the fifth anniversary of the death of Olga Jackowska – AKA Maanam's Kora – I delved into the Polish band's discography. They were mostly known for their gritty, energised, guitar-centric post-punk sound, embodied by their 1989 single Sie Ściemnia. But before that, they had softer, acoustic beginnings: from 1980, the seven-and-a-half-minute Szał Niebieskich Ciał offers crooning vocals, experimental synthesiser, edgy guitar riffs, and deeply emotional lyrics. Based on the blues scale but with a new wave flavour, it's sad yet somehow not depressing: Kora's warbling voice laments about the planets for the first five minutes, before a textured guitar solo takes you into a state of spaced-out wonderment. Aneesa Ahmed
Gillian Welch – Everything Is FreeI came across Everything Is Free via Father John Misty's cover in the Spotify Studio sessions. It's an ironic introduction for a song written and recorded by Gillian Welch in 2001, as a damning indictment of Napster and the then-emerging era of music piracy. Its lyrics leapt out at me for their ambivalence, and even anger: "Everything I've ever done, got to give it away … We're going to do it anyway, even if it doesn't pay." Twenty years later, streaming may be legal, but artists are still not fairly compensated, and Welch's song has emerged as a contemporary folk standard, covered by Courtney Barnett, Phoebe Bridgers and more. I love the turn in the song's final verse, where Welch threatens her withdrawal from an exploitative system: "I don't need to run around / I'll just stay home … If there's something that you want to hear, you can sing it yourself." Elle Hunt
Ahead of Metallica's "no repeats" double headliner duties at Download, a friend (and James Hetfield superfan) made me a playlist of songs beyond the band's obvious classics. One of them, Creeping Death, got me stuck on their ferocious second album. Nuclear war, biblical plagues, capital punishment, suicidal depression: Ride the Lightning harnesses full-body fears to generate breathtaking power. Charged by the nightmares of literary greats (including King and Hemingway), the 80s thrash metal classic is half bravado, half total terror, and still dangerously potent. Back in June, when Metallica hammered through the album's brutally claustrophobic title track, Ride the Lightning felt brand new. Katie Hawthorne
Breathtaking power … Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield of Metallica at 2023's Download festival. Photograph: Jason Sheldon/Junction10/Shutterstock The Mountain Goats – Dance MusicWhere to start with the Mountain Goats and their 971 albums: a concept album about goths, you say? An LP with alternative Swedish titles? I didn't know, so I wrote them off as too tough a nut to crack. More fool me. It was this tale of fear and loathing in San Luis Obispo that finally did it. John Darnielle rap-sings his way, Subterranean Homesick Blues style, through a real-life tale of domestic abuse, childhood anxiety and the struggles with hard drugs that followed. Within it he includes a perfect encapsulation of music's potential for escapism. As his stepfather hurls a glass at his mum and a screaming row ensues, Darnielle scurries upstairs to the safety of his record player and realises: "So this is what the volume knob's for." Tim Jonze
This article was amended on 27 December 2023 to remove the word aryan. Any insensitivity was unintentional.
Taking Back Sunday Teams Up With Tushar Apte On 'S'old' Remixes
Fresh off the release of their new album 152, beloved rock band Taking Back Sunday has again teamed up with producer Tushar Apte (Demi Lovato, Zayn Malik, and Nicki Minaj) to release two brand new versions of their single "S'old". Fans can check out "S'old (Springloaded Remix)" and "S'old (152 Remix)" now.
"I love the process of reimagining songs in different styles - I think it's the best way to see if a song is great when it can stand up and stand out in different audio lenses," shares Apte. "I think 'S'old' certainly does this and I hope fans and new listeners enjoy these remixes!"
The band adds: "When we met Tushar, we were working together on a collaboration with Steve Aoki. It was so much fun to blend our songwriting with theirs and see the layers that got added to it. Tushar is like a wizard with sounds and beats. Since we brought Tushar over to produce a rock record with us, we thought it would be fun to let him take a track and go wild with it and see where it ended up."
Taking Back Sunday released their latest album – and Fantasy Records debut – earlier this year. Produced by Apte and mixed by Neal Avron (Twenty One Pilots, Bleachers), 152 features 10 intensely vulnerable and absorbing new tracks delivered with fresh ambition and newfound purpose. Inspired by the long layoff and the cloud of uncertainty that blanketed the world these past few years, it stands among the most genuinely reflective and emotionally pure efforts of Taking Back Sunday's illustrious career. UK fans can catch Taking Back Sunday live this March in Manchester, London, and Cardiff. Afterwards the band will take on North America for their two-part headline tour from May 19th through August 18th, featuring support from Citizen. For a full list of upcoming shows, please visit www.Takingbacksunday.Com. About Taking Back Sunday They've been making music together as a band for more than 20 years, have sold millions of albums, and along the way, amassed a devoted, international fan base. But ask the members of Taking Back Sunday if they still feel a burning desire to make a powerful impact and connect in a big way, and there's not a moment of hesitation in the response. "I'm gonna try and conquer the world every time," says lead singer Adam Lazzara with a smile. Adds drummer Mark O'Connell: "When we're writing songs, the one thing we ask ourselves is, 'Will it make people feel something?' You try to make people feel emotion. That's the one goal we went in with, and I think we did it." This unrelenting pursuit of greatness lies at the heart of 152, Taking Back Sunday's long-awaited, thrilling eighth studio album (and Fantasy Records debut) out now. Written and refined over the course of several years, the group's first full-length offering since 2016's Tidal Wave is a passionate, melody-infused confessional from a band forever known for its honesty and vulnerability. When Taking Back Sunday first sat down together in late 2019 to begin working in earnest on what became 152, the band laid out some ground rules from the outset. They weren't out to simply add more songs to their already-storied catalog, but rather make a piece of art they could be proud of. To that end, so many of the songs that comprise 152 were workshopped like never before. As the band members explain, over the years they've learned to love letting a piece of music develop from its initial idea all the way to its sometimes drastically-different finished form. It's a journey they've undoubtedly been on many times before when making previous albums, but as they found out when making 152, it's one that continues to thrill them and keep things fresh. Lazzara gets animated as he describes how so many songs on 152 morphed over the multi-year writing and recording process. Whether it was "S'old" transforming from a punky, Green Day-style rocker into a slow-building, emotion-dripping plea for acceptance, or "I Am The Only One Who Knows You," which evolved from a galloping rock song into a beatific ballad, so many of the songs that comprise 152 found Taking Back Sunday continually surprising one another with musical ideas in new and exciting ways. Offers bassist Shaun Cooper: "If you can predict what each other is going to do, then it just becomes a job. It's not an artistic expression. You're not trying to grow." A major part of that growth is heard explicitly in 152's unguarded lyrics: 20-plus years into T
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