

Electro tracks such as ‘I’m The Packman’ by The Packman and ‘King of The Beats’ by Mantronix are a far cry from a song such as ‘Rapper’s Delight’, which is more groovy. The emergence of Electro on the Eastern Seaboard saw the warmness and soulfulness of funk taken out of hip hop and replaced by a more aggressive, raw and rugged sound that reflected the streets of New York far better than its predecessor. A self-explanatory term, electro saw hip hop become more electronic, with producers relying less on old funk records and instead turning to electronic drum machines such as the Roland TR-808 to create more brash, industrial-sounding records. The New York tri-state area was beginning to break away from funk and embrace a newer sound called Electro.

The 1980s was an exciting era in hip hop because the genre started to generate its own sub-genres after only a decade of existence. With this being the case, it is only fitting that we delve deeper into the 80s to see the figures that were dominating the decade and see if we can get to the top ten hip hop tracks of the 1980s. However, there were others all over America, you had the Geto Boys running the South in Houston, and other Chicago rappers were on the rise. On the East Coast, you had Run-DMC and LL Cool J running things, and on the West Coast, you were getting the emergence of Gangsta Rap with Ice-T and N.W.A.

From lighthearted raps about being misunderstood to political messages to daily accounts of life in New York, these tracks are now regularly sampled on modern tracks and considered true classics.īecause it was so early in the genre's creation, each song or album was breaking a record or innovating the style beyond the last, making it a time of great importance for rappers, hip hop artists, and all musicians to come.The 1980s was a golden age in hip hop. Some of the best hip hop songs of all time came from the 80s. The album was on, Escape, ended up being certified platinum by the RIAA, having sold one million albums on release. Their song “Friend” was one of their most successful singles, as it hit #4 on the R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart. This style is a fusion of dance and R&B music. The inclusion of R&B became influential for the foundation of the genre swingbeat. This hip hop group was notable for being an early rap group to include R&B in their music and for their elaborate live performances, which often included breakdancing. “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five “Critical Beatdown” by Ultramagnetic MCs.Masta Ace, Kool G Rap, Craig G, and Big Daddy Kane “The New Rap Language” by The Treacherous Three.“Cold Crush Brothers At The Dixie” by The Cold Crush Brothers.“I Don’t Need Your Love (Part One)” by The Sequence.“(Hey You) The Rock Steady Crew” by Rock Steady Crew.“Planet Rock” by Afrika Bambaataa and Soulsonic Force.“Parents Just Don’t Understand” by DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince.“Rapper’s Delight” by The Sugarhill Gang.“The Message” by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.
