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Writer's pictureCL Smooth
2 min read

50 Hip-Hop songs for your playlist

The Clear View Sound team and I could spend forever talking about our love for hip-hop and listing the many songs that have resonated and shaped who we are. This week's discussion centred on how much hip-hop has evolved since its inception in the late 1970s in New York City and how it has branched into numerous sub-genres, such as gangsta rap, mumble rap, and drill.


Then there's technology, which has reshaped and continues to reshape the way music is made, distributed, and consumed. (Sidenote: check out our blog on AI music and how it's reshaping the industry once again.) Okay, back on track— to honour this week's conversations, we've compiled 50 of our favourite hip-hop tracks spanning the decades. The challenge was to choose only one song per artist, although I think Kanye may have snuck in there twice.


Classic Hip-Hop (Late 1970s - 1990s)

  1. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five - "The Message" (1982)

  2. Run-D.M.C. - "It's Like That" (1983)

  3. LL Cool J - "I Can't Live Without My Radio" (1985)

  4. Public Enemy - "Fight The Power" (1989)

  5. N.W.A - "Straight Outta Compton" (1988)

  6. A Tribe Called Quest - "Can I Kick It?" (1990)

  7. De La Soul - "Me Myself and I" (1989)

  8. The Notorious B.I.G. - "Juicy" (1994)

  9. 2Pac - "California Love" (1995)

  10. Wu-Tang Clan - "C.R.E.A.M." (1993)


2000s Hip-Hop


  1. OutKast - "Ms. Jackson" (2000)

  2. Eminem - "Lose Yourself" (2002)

  3. Jay-Z - "99 Problems" (2003)

  4. 50 Cent - "In Da Club" (2003)

  5. Kanye West - "Gold Digger" (2005)

  6. Lil Wayne - "A Milli" (2008)

  7. Missy Elliott - "Get Ur Freak On" (2001)

  8. Nas - "One Mic" (2001)

  9. The Game - "Hate It or Love It" (2005)

  10. T.I. - "What You Know" (2006)


2010s Hip-Hop


  1. Kendrick Lamar - "Alright" (2015)

  2. Drake - "Started From the Bottom" (2013)

  3. Nicki Minaj - "Super Bass" (2010)

  4. J. Cole - "No Role Modelz" (2014)

  5. Travis Scott - "Sicko Mode" (2018)

  6. Cardi B - "Bodak Yellow" (2017)

  7. Future - "Mask Off" (2017)

  8. Migos - "Bad and Boujee" (2016)

  9. Chance the Rapper - "No Problem" (2016)

  10. Kanye West - "Runaway" (2010)


Modern Hip-Hop (2020s)


  1. Lil Nas X - "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" (2021)

  2. Megan Thee Stallion - "Savage" (2020)

  3. Roddy Ricch - "The Box" (2020)

  4. Doja Cat - "Say So" (2020)

  5. Jack Harlow - "Whats Poppin" (2020)

  6. DaBaby - "Rockstar" (2020)

  7. Pop Smoke - "Dior" (2020)

  8. Lil Baby - "The Bigger Picture" (2020)

  9. Young Thug - "Hot" (2019)

  10. Polo G - "RAPSTAR" (2021)


Additional Picks Across Eras


  1. Snoop Dogg - "Drop It Like It's Hot" (2004)

  2. Busta Rhymes - "Break Ya Neck" (2001)

  3. Common - "The Light" (2000)

  4. The Roots - "The Seed (2.0)" (2002)

  5. Lupe Fiasco - "Kick, Push" (2006)

  6. Logic - "1-800-273-8255" (2017)

  7. A$AP Rocky - "Praise The Lord (Da Shine)" (2018)

  8. Tyler, The Creator - "See You Again" (2017)

  9. Schoolboy Q - "Man of the Year" (2014)

  10. Joey Bada$$ - "Paper Trail$" (2015)


What is your all time favourite hip hop song? Leave it in the comment below. 


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