Hip-Hop music has seen a plethora of great groups over the years, some who have stayed together and others that were able to make a huge impact in a short period of time before going their separate ways. In making this list, I factored in longevity, impact on the game, personal preference (since it is my list), and most importantly the music itself. There were some that were difficult to keep off this list, but I knew that would be the case going in. Narrowing thousands of hip-hop groups down to 20 is no easy feat. So let's take a look and let the debate begin. Here is the 20 Greatest Hip-Hop Groups of All-Time:
20. Brand Nubian
Brand Nubian
broke onto the scene in 1990 with the seminal One For All. The group provided social and political commentary on
the disc and grabbed our attention with the classic single, “Slow Down.” Grand
Puba left the group after the debut, but Sadat X and Lord Jamar released two
more solid albums in In God We Trust
which featured “Punks Jump Up To Get Beat Down” and “Love Me Or Leave Me Alone”
and Everything Is Everything which
featured “Hold On” and my favorite Brand Nubian song “Claimin’ I’m A Criminal.”
Puba returned to the group for 1998’s The
Foundation which featured the DJ Premier banger “The Return.” Their last
album dropped in 2007, giving Brand Nubian a 17-year run.
Top 5 Brand Nubian tracks: “Slow Down,”
“Punks Jump Up To Get Beat Down,” “Love Me or Leave Me Alone,” “Claimin’ I’m A
Criminal,” “Hold On”
19. M.O.P.
I considered
Mobb Deep, Black Moon and Atmosphere in this spot, but my personal love for
M.O.P. gave them the nod. These guys have worked with everyone and have made
every appearance count. When you get an M.O.P. feature, your song’s energy level
spikes through the roof. They enjoy their street anthems and gun talk, but the
fact is they are both really clever lyricists. M.O.P. has released solid
release after solid release with their grandest entry being 2000’s Warriorz. The highlight of their career
came with the success of “Ante Up” which eventually led to a deal with Jay-Z at
Roc-A-Fella Records (unfortunately no album followed, because I would’ve loved
a Just Blaze & Kanye produced M.O.P. album). They’ve got 18 years in the
game and have collaborated with the likes of Jay-Z, Gang Starr, Busta Rhymes, Kool
G. Rap, Pharoahe Monch, 50 Cent and Fat Joe.
Top 5 M.O.P. tracks: “How About Some Hardcore,”
“Stick To Your Guns,” “Handle UR Bizness,” “Ante Up,” “Cold As Ice”
18. Cypress Hill
“Insane In
The Brain” will always be the staple of Cypress Hill’s career, but they have
done so much more in the 21 years they’ve been in the game. Their self-titled
debut disc is a hip-hop classic and the follow-up, Black Sunday, proved there would be no sophomore slump for the
California weed lovers. B. Real’s voice is one of the most distinctive in
hip-hop history and DJ Muggs proved he’s among the best hip-hop producers to
ever do it. They have had huge crossover success, as even non-hip-hop lovers
have gotten behind their music. Cypress Hill was a part of the 1994 revival of
Woodstock, they’ve been a part of Lollapalooza and Smokin’ Grooves. There
aren’t many acts that can put similar accomplishments on their resume.
Top 5 Cypress Hill tracks: “How I Could
Just Kill A Man,” “Hand on the Pump,” “Insane In The Brain,” “Cock The Hammer,”
“I Ain’t Goin Out Like That”
17. EPMD
Erick &
Parrish Making Dollars. It’s a simple acronym, but it’s awesome all the same.
These two were the epitome of a hip-hop duo in the early ‘90’s. After a small
beef, the two reunited for 1997’s Back In
Business and continued to make music together for the next 11 years. They
have put out a slew of classic songs and are responsible for starting the
careers of Redman, Keith Murray and Das EFX.
Top 5 EPMD tracks: “You Gots To Chill,”
“Headbanger,” “Crossover,” “Da Joint,” “Never Seen Before”
16. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
In the mid
90’s Bone Thugs were among the top in the rap world. They were in the same
league as Wu-Tang in regards to popularity and they made a huge splash with the
success of “Tha Crossroads.” They also appeared on tracks with 2Pac and
Notorious B.I.G. in 1997 and you already know what that year means in regards
to the Pac and Biggie saga. Twista may be the fastest rapper on the planet, but
Bone Thugs were the first to make that style popular and bring it to the
attention of the mainstream audience.
Top 5 Bone Thugs-N-Harmony tracks: “No
Surrender,” “Thuggish Ruggish Bone,” “1st of tha Month,” “Tha
Crossroads,” “Down ‘71 (The Getaway)”
15. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious
Five
Pioneers of
hip-hop as we know it today, Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five brought
hip-hop music to a whole new level with “The Message.” Instead of another
upbeat, party record, Melle Mel painted a darker image of the streets and what
it meant to struggle in the ghetto. Grandmaster Flash is credited with
inventing the first crossfader, which had a huge impact on music and Melle Mel
is one of the dopest rappers to ever grace a mic. They were also the first
hip-hop group ever inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The only
strike against this group is longevity. “The Message” was released in 1982, but
the group had split up by 1983.
Top 5 Grandmaster Flash & The Furious
Five tracks: “Freedom,” “Superrappin’,” “The Adventures of Grandmaster
Flash On The Wheels of Steel,” “The Message,” “White Lines”
14. Geto Boys
When I think
of Southern hip-hop, the first person I always think of is Scarface, which then
brings you directly to the Geto Boys where ‘Face’s career began. If you don’t
think of the Geto Boys when you think of hip-hop pioneers, then you don’t know
your history. They combined gangster rap along with “horrorcore” before that
word even existed. They are the reason so many artists have made a name for
themselves coming out of the South. And they released one of the greatest songs
in hip-hop history with “Mind Playing Tricks On Me” (which also had a great
video). As the years went by, the group focused more on social, political and
personal topics and shifted away from shock value content they became famous
for and were able to make the transition seamless as we saw them all develop as
lyricists and MCs.
Top 5 Geto Boys tracks: “Mind Playing
Tricks On Me,” “Damn It Feels Good To Be
A Gangsta,” “Six Feet Deep,” “Yes, Yes, Y’all,” “G Code”
13. Gang Starr
We’ve seen
some great duos in hip-hop history and we’ll see another on here shortly. But
when you think of MC/DJ combinations it’s hard to come up with a better pair
than Guru and DJ Premier. With Gang Starr, you have arguably the greatest
producer of all time (I rank him No. 2) and possibly the most underrated MC of
all time in Guru (Guru and Black Thought might be 1A & 1B in that category
– sounds like an idea for another list). You can identify a Premo beat the
minute you hear it and you can pick Guru’s voice out instantaneously. That
monotone flow never sounded so good over a Premier banger. And Guru could spit
too. He had lyrics for days. The group had longevity as Gang Starr put out
albums from 1989-2003 and would probably still be in the game today if it
wasn’t for the untimely death of Guru.
Top 5 Gang Starr tracks: “Step In The
Arena,” “Ex Girl To The Next Girl,” “Code of the Streets,” “DWYCK,” “The
Militia”
12. The Fugees
After
hearing “Nappy Heads (Remix),” I was blown away. Lauryn Hill absolutely beasted
that track and Wyclef’s singing both on the hook and his Louis Armstrong
impersonation were excellent. Unfortunately their 1994 debut, Blunted On Reality, failed to live up to
its lead single. In fact the album was pretty lackluster. But two years later,
the talents of Hill and Wyclef were realized on the 1996’s classic The Score. L-Boogie’s vocals on “Killing
Me Softly” brought the Fugees a Grammy and made them a household name. From
there, all three went solo with ‘Clef delivering another classic with The Carnival, before Lauryn Hill owned
1998 with the 5-time Grammy winning album The
Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. From there the Fugees stayed apart (except for
a reunion at Dave Chappelle’s Block Party)
and haven’t delivered any classic material over the past decade-plus. But
1996-1998 delivered three classic from the group, Wyclef and Ms. Hill
respectively, a feat that is hard to top.
Top 5 Fugees tracks: “Nappy Heads
(Remix),” “Vocab (Remix),” “Ready or Not,” “Fu-Gee-La,” “Killing Me Softly”
11. Boogie Down Productions
The group
that launched the career of the “Teacha,” KRS-One, Boogie Down Productions is
responsible for countless classic records. BDP brought tales of street life, political
commentary and social matters to the table. KRS also repped his hood, beefing
with MC Shan over the birthplace of hip-hop (which resulted in MC Shan’s “The
Bridge” and “Kill That Noise” and BDP’s responses of “South Bronx” and “The
Bridge Is Over”) and lived and breathed the culture of hip-hop. The group put
out 5 albums over a six-year span starting with the critically acclaimed and
highly influential Criminal Minded.
KRS has gone on to have a long solo career and remains one of the brightest
torch bearers of hip-hop culture.
Top 5 Boogie Down Productions tracks:
“South Bronx,” “The Bridge Is Over,” “My Philosophy,” “You Must Learn,” “Love’s
Gonna Get’cha (Material Love)”
10. Beastie Boys
Every white
rapper can thank the Beastie Boys for paving the way for them. In a culture
dominated by urban life and street tales, the three white boys from Brooklyn
broke through with frathouse inspired party anthems that got the attention of
Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons and led to one of Def Jam’s greatest signings.
The Beastie Boys kicked the door down with 1986’s Licensed To Ill and had been a staple in music up until 2011,
before the passing of Adam Yauch (MCA) this past May. The Beasties matured
greatly from 1986, giving involved in political movements, bringing back their
punk and rock roots and using their music for more than just party anthems.
That’s not to say the Beasties didn’t still know how to make fun music or have
a good time, but their maturation and experimentation as a group speaks volumes
to their talent.
Top 5 Beastie Boys tracks: “Paul
Revere,” “(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party),” “Hey Ladies,” “So
What’cha Want,” “Sabotage”
9. Eric
B. & Rakim
Remember
when I wrote you’d be hard pressed to find a better MC/DJ combination than Guru
and Premier? Well, here it is: Eric B. & Rakim. Their debut album, Paid In Full, is the most quoted and
sampled record in hip-hop history. No, I don’t have statistical evidence to
back that claim up, but I’m confident that it is. Rakim changed the way MCing
was done, weaving internal rhymes inside his bars and deviated from the simple
rhyme patterns that earlier MCs developed. Every song on Paid In Full is jam packed with quotables and Eric B. matched Rakim
with some of the best samples you’ll ever find on a record. Eric B. & Rakim
would go on to release three more albums before splitting up.
Top 5 Eric B. & Rakim tracks: “I
Ain’t No Joke,” “Paid In Full,” “Eric B. Is President,” “Microphone Fiend,”
“Juice (Know the Ledge)”
8. De La Soul
If you want
to talk about consistency, look no further than De La Soul. The group that
launched the era of “hippie rap” or “alternative rap,” De La has been cranking
out great hip-hop for the past 23 years. De La has released eight albums over
their career and every one was on point. They delivered two classics with 3 Feet High and Rising and De La Soul Is Dead to start their career
and haven’t ever fallen off since. They collaborated with legendary producer
Prince Paul on their first few albums and of course helped launch the Native
Tongue crew alongside the likes of A Tribe Called Quest, Jungles Brothers,
Monie Love and others. Posdnous could also find his way on the most underrated
MCs list as he has delivered quotable after quotable over the years. You don’t
last 23 years in the game if you’re not doing something right and quite frankly
De La has never steered us wrong.
Top 5 De La Soul tracks: “Me, Myself
& I,” “Buddy,” “Ego Trippin’,” “Stakes Is High,” “Oooh”
7. The Roots
The greatest
live hip-hop group of all time and the best hip-hop group in the world today.
Think about it, what hip-hop group still recording music together is better
than The Roots in 2012? I’ll wait. They are the backing band for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, they were
the live band for Jay-Z’s unplugged performance, they’re Grammy award winners
and have consistently put out top notch material for the past 20 years. The
group has evolved steadily since its 1993 debut, Organix, dropping a classic in Things
Fall Apart and last year’s brilliant concept album, undun. Like De La Soul, the Roots have never released a
disappointing album and with the lyrical dexterity of Black Thought and the
musical genius of ?uestlove, I’m not sure they ever will disappoint.
Top 5 Roots tracks: “Proceed,”
“Clones,” “You Got Me,” “The Seed 2.0,” “Dear God 2.0”
6. N.W.A.
One of the
most controversial groups in music history, N.W.A. got everyone’s attention
thanks to a little song called “Fuck The Police” off their debut album Straight Outta Compton. And while that
song grabbed N.W.A. headlines initially, it’s the star power and storied career
of its members that sticks out 24 years later. N.W.A. consisted of Ice Cube,
Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, DJ Yella and MC Ren. That’s three of the biggest names in
hip-hop history in one group. Of course Cube left after the group’s debut and
went solo causing the remaining members to take shots at Cube over the course
of their 100 Miles and Runnin’ EP and
their second full-length, Efil4zaggin.
And then that was it for N.W.A. But gangsta rap, the G-Funk sound (which Dre
created on Efil4zaggin) and the
greatest West Coast group of all time was born thanks to the partnership of
Dre, Cube, Eazy, Ren and Yella. Not to mention one of the most influential
albums ever made in Straight Outta
Compton.
Top 5 N.W.A. tracks: “Straight Outta
Compton,” “Fuck The Police,” “Express Yourself,” “Dopeman,” “Alwayz Into
Somethin’”
5. Public Enemy
Political,
militant, unrelenting, menacing and powerful, Public Enemy created a sound all
to its own and left the party starting, fluff music for everyone else. You
won’t find a blatant attempt at radio play in Public Enemy’s catalog. They made
the music they wanted to make and spoke on the issues that mattered most to
them. Chuck D. has one of the greatest voices in hip-hop history and the Bomb
Squad is a legendary production team. Oh, and then there’s the best hypeman to
ever do it in Flavor Flav. P.E.’s run from 1987-1991 is among the best in the
game, as they put out classic records and unleashed the signature sound of the
Bomb Squad on the world. P.E. is the reason I became a hip-hop fan, so I will
always have some bias towards them, but their impact and influence on the genre
can’t be denied.
Top 5 Public Enemy tracks: “Rebel
Without A Pause,” “Fight The Power,” “Welcome To The Terrordome,” “Can’t Truss
It,” “Shut ‘Em Down”
4. A Tribe Called Quest
After
watching Michael Rapaport’s Beats, Rhymes
& Life documentary, I immediately wanted to throw a Tribe record on,
but I was also really sad that the group broke up. Tribe has put out some of
the biggest records of my childhood and teen years with songs like “Check The
Rhime” and “Scenario.” Q-Tip has one of the illest voices in hip-hop history
and was a true crate digger when it came to finding samples for his production.
Phife Dawg was the perfect complement to Tip on the mic, as the two outdid one
another song after song. The impact A Tribe Called Quest has had on hip-hop is
unquestionable and immeasurable. The group released three consecutive classic
albums to start their career. Who else can claim the same?
Top 5 A Tribe Called Quest tracks: “Can
I Kick It?” “Bonita Applebum,” “Check The Rhime,” “Scenario,” “Award Tour,” “
3. OutKast
Andre 3000
and Big Boi form the best duo to ever grace a mic. Throw in the production of
Organized Noize and you have some of the best hip-hop music ever created. They
started their career as teens on some true player shit for 1994’s classic Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, before
going to a futuristic sound on their sophomore disc, ATLiens. Then they combined the two styles for the best album of
their career, 1998’s Aquemini. Big
Boi and 3 Stacks followed that disc with another solid outing in 2000’s Stankonia, which included the greatest
‘Kast song you’ll find in “B.O.B.” Now the album that got the most attention
was 2003’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below,
which saw Big Boi tearing up the mic on disc 1, before Andre 3000 went the
funk/soul/R&B route on disc 2. The album won the Grammy for Album of the
Year, putting a feather in the storied career of OutKast. There have been talks
of a new OutKast album at some point, which would be incredible, but with Big
Boi’s second solo disc about to drop and Andre 3000 working on his solo effort,
we’ll have to wait and see if it ever comes to fruition.
Top 5 OutKast tracks: “Player’s Ball,”
“Elevators,” “Rosa Parks,” “Da Art of Storytellin’ (Part 2),” “B.O.B.”
2. Run-DMC
How do you
describe the impact Run-DMC had on hip-hop? They were the first true “rock
stars” of hip-hop music. Run-DMC is cited as an influence by everyone, their
rhymes are quoted by other rappers and in popular culture (watch Dogma and listen to Matt Damon singing
the hook to “Run’s House”). They had the world dressing up in tracks suits,
with thick gold rope chains, black fedoras and unlaced Adidas. They are the
first hip-hop act to go platinum and multiplatinum, the first hip-hop group to
have its videos aired on MTV, and the first to get a Rolling Stone cover. Run-DMC brought hip-hop to the masses and did
so with some of the best hip-hop music you’ll ever find. And let’s talk about
the music. Their debut album featured the classics “Rock Box” and “Sucker
M.C.’s” before dropping the classic Raising
Hell two years later with “Peter Piper,” “It’s Tricky,” “My Adidas,” “You
Be Illin’” and the crossover smash “Walk This Way” with Aerosmith. Not that
this weighed my decision in any way, but Run-DMC is also responsible for
“Christmas In Hollis,” the greatest hip-hop holiday song of all time.
Top 5 Run-DMC tracks: “King of Rock,” “Rock
Box,” “Sucker M.C.’s,” “It’s Tricky,” “Run’s House”
1. Wu-Tang Clan
How many
elite MCs can you put in one group? And then you add one of the greatest
producers to ever do it? That’s just not fair. But that’s the Wu, the illest
ensemble ever to grace the rap game. Method Man was the original star, while
Raekwon and Ghostface formed a tag team within the group, RZA laced the group
with some of the grittiest production we’ve ever heard, GZA threw lyrical dart
after lyrical dart, Inspectah Deck slayed every verse he was on, U-God brought
that baritone voice and wit and then Ol’ Dirty Bastard put a bow on the whole
thing with his off the wall antics and vocals. Then Masta Killa and Cappadonna
were brought along, providing even more lyrical onslaught. Enter The 36 Chambers is the greatest hip-hop album of all time. It
is No. 1 on my list and No. 1 on the list of many. Then you add Tical, Return To The 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Liquid
Swords and Ironman (each a
classic if you ask me) before the highly anticipated double-disc, Wu-Tang Forever. That’s 6 classic albums
in a four-year span. And if Wu-Tang
Forever was a single disc, you’d have 7 classics. Truly, Wu-Tang Clan ain’t
nuthin’ to fuck wit.
Top 5 Wu-Tang Clan tracks: “C.R.E.A.M.”
“Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthin’ To Fuck Wit,” “7th Chamber,” “Protect Ya
Neck,” “Triumph”
Honorable Mention: The Beatnuts; Mobb Deep;
Black Moon; Smif-N-Wessun; Jurassic 5; Blackalicious; People Under The Stairs;
Pete Rock & CL Smooth; The Alkaholiks; UGK; Atmosphere; Little Brother;
Dilated Peoples; Sugarhill Gang; Organized Konfusion; Reflection Eternal/Black
Star; The Artifacts; The Pharcyde; Onyx; The Clipse; Digable Planets; Naughty By
Nature; Black Sheep; Das EFX; Whodini; Capone-N-Noreaga; Goodie Mob; Nice & Smooth
