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Aug 8, 2023 · In honor of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop this year, GRAMMY.com is celebrating some of the genre's most impactful artists, producers and creators across the decades. From Drake to OutKast, Lauryn Hill to Lil Wayne, these pioneers and next-gen futurists shaped rap music over the past 50 years of hip-hop.
- Drake. Drake is one of the biggest rappers ever known for dominating the charts and blending singing with rap. After acting, Drake arrived in 2009 with So Far Gone.
- Future. Future is an Atlanta trap innovator who flooded the late 2010s with mixtapes and hits. After breakthrough hit “Turn On the Lights”, Future perfected an addictive melodic flow.
- Nicki Minaj. Nicki Minaj is a chart-topping rapper known for quick flows, pop crossover hits, and a flashy persona. Coming up with Young Money, she broke through with 2010’s Pink Friday.
- Young Jeezy. Young Jeezy is an Atlanta rapper who pioneered trap music in the mid-2000s. His debut Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101 took the rap world by storm in 2005.
May 20, 2024 · Our inaugural list acknowledged the Classic Hip-Hop and R&B Albums of the Streaming Era and featured timeless releases like Kendrick Lamar ’s DAMN., Future ’s DS2, Jay-Z ’s 4:44, and Travis Scott ’s AS TROWORLD, to na me a few.
- Jay-Z. “I will not lose.” Brooklyn’s Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter’s defiant-yet-confident declaration has proven true through his legendary career. History is also on his side: Hov has 14 Billboard 200 No. 1 albums (the most amongst solo acts), and over 140 million records sold.
- Kendrick Lamar. The Compton native has become one of music’s most influential artists thanks to his vivid, thought-provoking — and sometimes controversial — lyrics, fearless genre experimentation, and agile-yet-masterful flow.
- Nas. At this point, hip-hop purists know Nas’ path to greatness all too well. In 1991, Large Professor tossed him an alley-oop on Main Source’s posse cut “Live at the Barbeque,” and Escobar delivered a rim-rocker of a performance.
- Tupac. Poet, actor, activist, and rapper Tupac Amaru Shakur was the ultimate polymath in the ’90s. Once a tag-along member in Digital Underground, ‘Pac’s larger-than-life demeanor became too big to shelter.
- Outkast, ‘B.O.B’ Stankonia, 2000. Outkast greeted the 21st century with a single that’ll probably still sound ahead of its time in the 22nd: Big Boi and Andre 3000 air millennial anxieties over a genuinely insane beat of jackhammer drums, Hendrix-at-Monterey guitars and massed voices chanting “Power music, electric revival” like a gospel choir conducted by Afrika Bambaataa.
- Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, ‘Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel’ Non-album single, 1981. Using three turntables and a crossfader (a device he invented), 23-year-old Flash created a continuous party jam out of records by Chic, Blondie, Queen and more – showing off frenetic steel-wheels moves and establishing the DJ as a new kind of pop musician.
- Marley Marl, ‘The Symphony’ In Control, Volume 1, 1988. Wizardly producer Marley Marl dials up a beat for the ages – a ferocious drum break and Otis Redding piano loop – and summons the cream of his Juice Crew affiliates.
- Funky 4 + 1, ‘That’s the Joint’ Non-album single, 1980. Nearly 10 minutes and God knows how many bars of exhortations and boasts, sprawling across a hopped-up disco beat.
An overview of Hip-hop artists from A to Z. Hip-hop Encyclopedia is an online resource dedicated to chronicling the history, culture, and artistry of hip-hop music. It serves as a comprehensive guide, offering detailed information on artists, albums, and key events that have shaped the genre. Check out the Hip-Hop Encyclopedia.
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Jun 28, 2023 · Billboard counts down the best hip-hop groups ever in honor of the genre's 50th anniversary. By. Nefertiti Austin, Kyle Denis, Raquelle Harris, Carl Lamarre, Jason Lipshutz, Joe Lynch, Heran...
