Top 100 hip-hop songs

On this date in 1996, rapper Tupac Shakur was shot and mortally wounded on the Las Vegas Strip; he died six days later. Shakur is shown in this Dec. 16, 1993 file photo.   (AP Photo/Kevin Larkin)
Introduction “Straight Outta Compton,” the story of N.W.A., hits movie theaters this weekend. So what better time to rank the top 100 hip-hop songs of all time? Click through the gallery for WTOP’s Top 25, then see below for the full top 100 list. (ASSOCIATED PRESS/KEVIN LARKIN)
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On this date in 1996, rapper Tupac Shakur was shot and mortally wounded on the Las Vegas Strip; he died six days later. Shakur is shown in this Dec. 16, 1993 file photo.   (AP Photo/Kevin Larkin)
March 19, 2024 | WTOP's Jason Fraley & Marcus Moore salute hip-hop (Jason Fraley & Marcus Moore)

WTOP Top 100 Hip-Hop Songs

This list combines a variety of criteria, from impact to popularity to artistry.

100. Kid ‘n Play — “Rollin’ With Kid N Play”

99. Yo-Yo — “Can’t Play with my Yo-Yo”

98. Black Star (Mos Def & Talib Kweli) – “Definition”

97. Chubb Rock — “Treat ‘Em Right”

96. Busta Rhymes — “Woo-Ha! Got You All In Check”

95. Ol’ Dirty Bastard — “Brooklyn Zoo”

94. J.J. Fad — “Supersonic”

93. MC Lyte — “Paper Thin”

92. Wyclef Jean ft. Refugee All Stars — “We Tryin’ to Stay Alive”

91. Big Punisher ft. Joe — “Still Not A Player”

 

90. Master P ft. Silk, Fiend, Mia-x and Mystical — “Make ‘Em Say Ugh”

89. Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz ft. Ying Yang Twins — “Get Low”

88. Craig Mack, Rampage, Notorious BIG, LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes — “Flava in Ya Ear (Remix)”

87. Eric B and Rakim — “Don’t Sweat the Technique”

86. Heavy D. and the Boyz — “Now That We Found Love”

85. DMX — “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem”

84. Ice T — “Colors”

83. Lil’ Wayne ft. Juvenile, BG — “Tha Block Is Hot”

82. A Tribe Called Quest — “Check the Rhime”

81. Method Man ft. Mary J. Blige — “I’ll Be There For You/You’re All I Need to Get By”

 

80. Geto Boys — “Mind Playing Tricks On Me”

79. Ludacris ft. Shawna — “What’s Your Fantasy”

78. Puff Daddy, Mase, Notorious B.I.G. – “Mo Money, Mo Problems”

77. Black Sheep — “The Choice Is Yours”

76. Three 6 Mafia ft. Paula Campbell — “Hard Out Here For A Pimp”

75. Common — “I Used to Love H.E.R.”

74. UTFO — “Roxanne Roxanne”

73. Jay-Z — “Hard Knock Life” (Ghetto Anthem)”

72. 3(rd) Bass — “Pop Goes the Weasel”

71. Outkast — “B.O.B.”

 

70. Beastie Boys — “So What’chu Want”

69. 2 Live Crew — “Me So Horny”

68. Run-DMC — “It’s Like That”

67. EPMD — “You Gots To Chill”

66. Whodini — “Freaks Come Out at Night”

65. Funky 4 + 1 — “That’s the Joint”

64. The Roots — “The Next Movement”

63. Coolio — “Gangsta’s Paradise”

62. Queen Latifah ft. Monie Love — “Ladies First”

61. Pete Rock & CL Smooth — “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y)”

 

60. Notorious B.I.G. – “Big Poppa”

59. Lil’ Kim ft. Lil’ Cease — “Crush on You”

58. Jay-Z — “99 Problems”

57. Slick Rick — “Children’s Story”

56. Kanye West — “Jesus Walks”

55. L.L. Cool J — “I Need Love”

54. 2 Pac & Dr. Dre — “California Love”

53. Big Daddy Kane — “Ain’t No Half Steppin”

52. Digable Planets — “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)”

51. Roxanne Shante — “Roxanne’s Revenge”

 

50. Puff Daddy ft. Notorious B.I.G., Lil’ Kim and The Lox — “It’s All About The Benjamins

49. Ice Cube — “It Was A Good Day”

48. Tone-Loc — “Wild Thing”

47. Kool Moe Dee — “How Ya Like Me Now”

46. Arrested Development — “Tennessee”

45. Cypress Hill — “Insane In The Brain”

44. Eminem — “Stan”

43. Mobb Deep — “Shook Ones Part II”

42. DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince — “Summertime”

41. Warren G ft. Nate Dogg — “Regulate”

 

40. Nelly — “Hot In Herre”

39. 50 Cent — “In Da Club”

38. Missy Elliott — “Get Ur Freak On”

37. Sir Mix-A-Lot — “Baby Got Back”

36. Boogie Down Productions — “South Bronx”

35. Nas — “One Love”

34. Dr. Dre ft. Eminem — “Forgot About Dre”

33. Young MC — “Bust A Move”

32. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony — “Tha Crossroads”

31. Naughty By Nature — “OPP”

 

30. Kurtis Blow — “The Breaks”

29. Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew — “The Show”

28. Snoop Doggy Dogg — “Gin and Juice”

27. Biz Markie — “Just A Friend”

26. Audio Two — “Top Billin”

25. MC Hammer — “U Can’t Touch This”

24. A Tribe Called Quest — “Scenario”

23. Eric B and Rakim — “Paid in Full”

22. House Of Pain — “Jump Around”

21. Beastie Boys — “Paul Revere”

 

20. Outkast — “Hey Ya”

19. De La Soul — “Me, Myself, And I”

18. L.L. Cool J — “Mama Said Knock You Out”

17. Digital Underground — “The Humpty Dance”

16. Jay Z ft. Alicia Keys — “Empire State of Mind”

15. Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock — “It Takes Two”

14. Salt-N-Pepa — “Push It”

13. Eminem — “Lose Yourself”

12. Marley Marl — “The Symphony”

11. Wu-Tang Clan — “C.R.E.A.M.”

 

10. 2 Pac — “Keep Ya Head Up”

9. Notorious B.I.G. – “Juicy”

8. Doug E. Fresh & The Get Fresh Crew — “La Di Da Di”

7. Run-DMC ft. Aerosmith — “Walk This Way”

6. Dr. Dre ft. Snoop Dogg — “Nuthin But A ‘G’ Thang”

5. Afrika Bambaataa & Soul Sonic Force — “Planet Rock”

4. N.W.A. – “Straight Outta Compton”

3. Public Enemy — “Fight The Power”

2. Sugarhill Gang — “Rapper’s Delight”

1. Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five — “The Message”

 

March 19, 2024 | (Jason Fraley)
Jason Fraley

Hailed by The Washington Post for “his savantlike ability to name every Best Picture winner in history," Jason Fraley began at WTOP as Morning Drive Writer in 2008, film critic in 2011 and Entertainment Editor in 2014, providing daily arts coverage on-air and online.

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