Best Hip Hop Songs

Fans of hip hop music are sure to want to catch some of the songs off our list of best hip hop songs. Whether you enjoy early rap and hip hop or you're into some of the latest club tracks, great hip hop is timeless and enjoyable. Check and see how many of these hip hop songs you recognize and have in your CD collection.

1. "Fight the Power" by Public Enemy: One of the best hip hop songs of all time, Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" was released in 1989 and first appeared in the Spike Lee movie "Do the Right Thing." Considered Public Enemy's most famous song, this tune is mainly about black pride.
2. "Rapper's Delight" by Sugarhill Gang: The first rap song to ever make it into the US Top 40 countdowns, "Rapper's Delight" is considered to be one of the best hip hop songs of all time and has been referenced in several movies, as well as being used by other musical artists for sampling. A great example of this is Kid Rock's "Bawitdaba."
3. "Nuthin' But a G Thang" by Dr. Dre: One of the best hip hop songs to branch off and start a new movement known as Gangsta Rap, this song featured the first appearance of a young rapper by the name of Snoop Doggy Dogg.
4. "Walk This Way" by Run DMC ft. Aerosmith: A rap compilation between rappers Run DMC and the rock band Aerosmith, this song helped to bridge the gap between races and introduce rap music to white kids around the world. It's considered one of the best hip hop songs of the 80's.
5. "The Message" by Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five: Considered to be one of the most influential hip hop songs of all time, "The Message" was the most notable of the singles released by the album of the same name. "The Message first wowed audiences back in 1982."
6. "Straight Outta Compton" by N.W.A.: Considered one of N.W.A.'s most recognizable songs of all time, "Straight Outta Compton" was ranked as the sixth most popular hip hop song of all time by VH1. The opening verse is performed by rapper-turned-actor Ice Cube.
7. "Juicy" by Notorious B.I.G.: First released in 1994, "Juicy" is a song about Notorious B.I.G. and how he started out, chronically an unusual and unlikely rise up the charts and into rap history.  Considered one of the best hip hop songs of all time, it samples the song "Juicy Fruit" by Mtume.
8. "Gin and Juice" by Snoop Doggy Dogg: Produced by Dr. Dre, this 1993 track was released by the talented rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg. In the song, the two artists sing about gin and juice, and their preferences for parties that serve this concoction.
9. "Push It" by Salt-N-Pepa: One of the most popular hip hop songs of the 1980's, "Push It" was released in 1987 and consistently ranks as one of the best hip hop songs and most influential songs of all time. Salt-n-Pepa were considered one of the best-selling female rap acts of all time.
10. "The Breaks" by Kurtis Blow: "The Breaks" has the recognition of not only being one of the 10 best hip hop songs, but also being the first rap song to ever go gold. Selling over 500,000 copies, it was also the first rap album to ever be released on a major label, seeing as how he signed with Mercury Records.