From August 11th, 1973 in the Bronx, NY to now -- Audacy marked the 50th anniversary celebration of Hip-Hop with a countdown of the Top 50 Hip-Hop Songs of All Time.
Listen to Hip-Hop Made: 50 Years of Hip-Hop and more on the free Audacy app
From The Sugarhill Gang to Cardi B, Audacy took on the task of making our very own Top 50 Songs list as voted on by you — the listeners, so check out who made the cut.
Kicking off the first hour strong with numbers 50-41, we brought you the breakout hits from Cardi B, Fetty Wap and the Migos with "Bodak Yellow," "Trap Queen" and "Bad and Boujee." And we gave you some real throwback vibes with the GRAMMY Award winning, booty-shaking anthem -- Sir Mix-a-Lot's "Baby Got Back."
In the second hour, bringing you number 40 to 31, we had everyone's favorite song to play on Mother's Day, Tupac's "Dear Mama" at number 37. Taking things back to the near beginning, Grand Master Flash & The Furious Five's "The Message" landed at 35 and the party classic "Humpty Dance" at 34.
Give it up for the ladies that landed in top 30 -- Missy Elliot's "Get Ur Freak On," Salt-N-Pepa's "Push It," and Lauryn Hill's feature on "If I Ruled The World."
What did mama say? That LL Cool J's 1991 single, "Mama Said Knock You Out," landed at number 19 beating Eminem's GRAMMY Award-winning "My Name Is." But both placed under Bone Thugs N Harmony's "Crossroads," that nearly slipped the top 10.
And in the fifth and final hour, we dropped numbers 1-10, of course hitting "Rapper's Delight," the record that started it all, with number one. Without the Sugar Hill Gang, all of the songs following wouldn't be here. Biggie's "Juicy" ranked at number two, with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg landing at three. Check out the full list 1-50 below.
Top 50 Hip-Hop Songs of All Time
1. "Rapper's Delight" - Sugar Hill Gang
2. "Juicy" - Notorious BIG
3. "Nuthin But A G Thang" - Dr Dre ft. Snoop Dogg
4. "La Di Da Di" - Doug E Fresh and Slick Rick
5. "I'll Be There For You" - Method Man and Mary J Blige
6. "They Reminisce Over You" - Pete Rock and CL Smooth
7. "Summertime" - Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince
8. "California Love" 2Pac
9. "C.R.E.A.M" - Wu Tang Clan
10. "Hey Ya" - Outkast
11. "Tha Crossroads" - Bone Thugs N Harmony
12. "Can't Touch This" - MC Hammer
13. "Regulate" - Warren G and Nate Dogg
14. "Planet Rock" - Afrika Bambaataa / Soulsonic Force
15. "Mind Playing Tricks On Me" - Geto Boys
16. "King of Rock" Run DMC
17. "In Da Club" - 50 Cent
18. "It Takes Two" - Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock
19. "Mama Said Knock You Out" - LL Cool J
20. "Hi My Name Is" - Eminem
21. "Get Ur Freak On" - Missy Elliott
22. "It Was A Good Day" - Ice Cube
23. "Ice Ice Baby" - Vanilla Ice
24. "Back That Ass Up" - Juvenile
25. "Push It" - Salt N Pepa
26. "Ni**as In Paris" - Jay-z and Kanye West
27. "Children's Story" - Slick Rick
28. "If I Ruled The World" - Nas and Lauryn Hill
29. "Alright" - Kendrick Lamar
30. "Big Pimpin" - Jay-Z and UGK
31. "Hot In Herre" - Nelly
32. "O.P.P." - Naughty By Nature
33. "Doo Wop (That Thing)" - Lauryn Hill
34. "Put You Hands Where My Eyes Can See” - Busta Rhymes
35. "The Message" - Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five
36. "Fight The Power" - Public Enemy
37. "Dear Mama" - Tupac
38. "Scenario" - A Tribe Called Quest
39. "God's Plan" - Drake
40. "Gangsta's Paradise" - Coolio
41. "Empire State Of Mind" - Jay-Z and Alicia Keys
42. "Whoomp There It Is" - Tag Team
43. "Trap Queen" - Fetty Wap
44. "Paid In Full" - Eric B and Rakim
45. "A Milli" - Lil Wayne
46. "Mask Off" - Future
47. "Hotline Bling" - Drake
48. Baby Got Back" - Sir Mix A Lot
49. "All I Do Is Win" - DJ Khaled
50. "Bodak Yellow" - Cardi B
Leading up to our Top 50, each week a themed 1-hour Top 10 countdown has been featured on your favorite Audacy Pop or Hip-Hop station, hosted by Audacy’s biggest names in Hip-Hop including Greg Mack, Ed Lover, Big Tigger, Sir Mix-a-Lot, Cipha Sounds, and Miss Jones.
Week 1 served up the Top 10 Songs By Female Emcees, Week 2 the Top 10 Party Songs, Week 3 Top 10 Collabs, Week 4 Top 10 Songs by Groups, Week 5 the Top 10 90s Songs, and finally the Top 50 Hip-Hop Songs of All Time.
Stay tuned as Audacy continues to celebrate the birth and trailblazing influence of Hip-Hop all year long. Follow Hip-Hop Made through 2023 and listen to your favorite music on Audacy's Hip Hop Made suite of stations, as well as Conscious Hip Hop, Hip Hop Uncut, Women of Hip Hop, and more.
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