![]() Jay-Z’s retirement and 50 Cent’s monumental debut album were the two big stories of 2003. 2003 – “They say I walk around like I got a ‘S’ on my chest” ![]() Inspired and re-energised by a white Detroit rapper he just signed, Dre made his comeback with 2001 Mobb Deep scored their first platinum album (thanks to “Quiet Storm”), and while Nas was on the decline artistically, I Am… still featured some of his best rapping to date. The previous year hip hop saw Jay-Z emerge as the worthy heir to Biggie’s King of New York throne, and it was in ’99 where he cemented his position for the next five years. Meanwhile we had other New York rappers – Jadakiss and Beanie Sigel – making a name for themselves, while the South was starting to bubble up to the surface. Both rappers returned with some of their best work to date, but The Blueprint was one of the best rap albums of the 2000s and cemented Hov’s legacy as one of the best rappers of all time. Nas may have exposed a chink in Hov’s armour, but was no toppling of the king that year. The Wyoming sessions may have turned up some disappointing releases, but let’s not act like it wasn’t one of the most exciting times in hip hop history, especially with the Pusha vs. In the midst of all this, we had Kanye back soul-sampling and chopping up the beats. This was one of the greatest years for hip hop, with a great balance between huge commercial releases from Drake and Travis, as well as a slew of quality underground albums, spearheaded by the growing Griselda movement. From the influential 1988 to the groundbreaking 1994 to the sheer quality of releases in 1996, here are the top 25 greatest years in hip hop history. ![]() So, to celebrate this culture’s beautifully rich and diverse history, we’re going to look at some of the greatest years over the past five decades. Even though the culture has gone through a rollercoaster these past few decades, it’s still standing tall as the voice of the youth and the most exciting musical form right now. From music trends to production technique to slang to fashion, there is no music genre that has been as influential as hip hop in the past 50 years. And Mobb Deep’s Prodigy delivers on the threat with his astonishing first verse: “Rock you in your face, stab your brain with your nose bone…” It’s the kind of thing that should get you locked up for life.If we count hip hop’s official birthday as August 11th, 1973 – the same day DJ Kool Herc threw a block party at 1520 Sedgewick Avenue in the Bronx – it’s coming onto 50 years, practically still a baby.Īnd over the past few decades, hip hop has emerged as the number music genre and pop culture force. It’s the sound of a looming threat that could exist in any era. II” so timeless is that it’s also somewhat generic. II,” Mobb Deep’s Havoc combined three equally mercurial jazz samples: Herbie Hancock’s “Jessica,” “Daly-Wilson Big Band’s “Dirty Feet” and Quincy Jones “Kitty With The Bent Frame.” The songs are so obscure (at least to hip hop fans), their presence in the track remained somewhat of a mystery for a decade and a half. II.” That slow drum beat and those sirens seemingly ripped out of a horror film. There’s something immediately terrifying about “Shook Ones, Pt.
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