100 Songs A Hip Hop Fan Should Hear Before They're Dead.

[linx]

18. Outkast - Elevators (Me & You)
http://www.zshare.net/audio/3667156b469d96/
Album: ATLiens (1996)

"One for the money yes uhh two for the show
A couple of years ago on Headland and Delowe
Was the start of somethin good
Where me and my nigga rodes the MARTA, through the hood
Just tryin ta find that hookup
Now everyday we look up at the ceiling
Watchin ceiling fans go around tryin ta catch that feelin
off instrumental, had my pencil, and plus my paper
We caught the 86 Lithonia headed to Decatur
Writing rhymes tryin ta find our spot off in that light
Light off in that spot, known that we could rock
Doin the hole in the wall clubs, this shit here must stop
Like freeze, we makin the crowd move but we not makin no G's"

 

[linx]

19. Canibus - Second Round Knockout
http://www.zshare.net/audio/3667228ce8aeba/
Album: Can-I-Bus (1998)

"You better give me the respect that I deserve or I'ma take it by force
Blast you with a 45 colt, make you summersault
Shock you with a couple hundred thousand volt thunderbolts
Before you wanted a war, now you wanna talk
It's about who strikes the hardest, not who strikes first
That's why I laugh when I hear that wack ass verse
That shit was the worse [pause] rhyme I ever heard in my life
cause the greatest rapper of all time died on March 9th
God bless his soul rest in peace kid
It's because of him now at least I know +What Beef+ is
It's not what I would call this (nah) see this is somethin different
A faggot nigga tryin ta make a livin offa dissin
Somebody that he gotta know is betta than him
but he feelin himself, cause he got more cheddar than him
Well lemme tell you somethin, you might got mo' cash then me
But you ain't got the skills to eat a nigga's ass like me
And if you really want to show off, we can get it on
Live in front of the cameras on your own sitcom
I'll let you kick a verse, fuck it, I'll let you kick em all
I'll even wait for the studio audience to applaud [cheers]
Now watch me rip the tat from your arm
Kick you in the groin, stick you for your Vanguard award
In front of your mom your 1st, 2nd and 3rd born
Make your wife get on the horn call Minister Farrakhan
So he could persuade me to squash it, I saw naw he started it
He forgot what a hardcore artist is
A hardcore artist is a dangerous man, such as myself
trained to run 20 miles in soft sand
On or off land, programmed to kick hundreds of bars off hand
from a lost and forgotten land, you done did it man
You done spitted some wack shittit
And probably thought that because it's been a minute I'll forget it
Fuck that, cause like Common and Cube I see +The Bitch In Yoo+
and I'ma make the world see it too, motherfucker"

 

[linx]

20. Fat Joe - Envy
http://www.zshare.net/audio/366728745e5d69/
Album: Jealous One's Envy (1995)

"I remember when we used to chill on a hill
When Forest Projects, used to be Godsville
Brothers was wilin, others was cool
Some hit the island, some smoked fools
Me I chose the life of crime since day one
13 years old, already trying to cop a gun
I never understood why my pops would beat me
No matter what I did, yo he'd still mistreat me
That's why I never listened to a thing he said
And I wasn't just mad when I used to wish him dead
Instead, me and Ma Dukes kept tight
Promised that one day everything would be alright
14 Years old, cutting mad classes
Puffing on a bone, breaking car glasses
Nothing but dreams of cream on my mind
Shook motherfuckers on the block droppin dime
Everybody knew Joey Crack represented
And if I told then I'd take your life
Hey Yo, I meant it
That's the way it goes
When you deal with the real fake jacks
And get your cap peeled"

 

[linx]

21. Tupac ft. Outlawz - Still I Rise
http://www.zshare.net/audio/36673244364644/
Album: Still I Rise (1999)

"Somebody wake me I'm dreamin, I started as a seed the semen
Swimmin upstream, planted in the womb while screamin
on the top, was my pops, my momma screamin stop
From a single drop, this is what they got
Not to disrespect my peoples but my poppa was a loser
Only plan he had for momma was to fuck her and abuse her
Even as a little seed, I could see his plan for me
Stranded on welfare, another broken family
Now what was I to be, a product of this heated passion
Momma got pregnant, and poppa got a piece of ass
Look how it began, nobody gave a fuck about me
Pistol in my hand, this cruel world can do without me
How can I survive? Got me askin white Jesus
will a nigga live or die, cause the Lord can't see us
in the deep dark clouds of the projects, ain't no sunshine
No sunny days and we only play sometimes
When everybody's sleepin
I open my window jump to the streets and get to creepin
I can live or die, hope I get some money 'fore I'm gone
I'm only 19, I'm tryin to hustle on my own
on the spot where everybody and they pops tryin to slang rocks
I'd rather go to college, but this is where the game stops
Don't get it wrong cause it's always on, from dusk to dawn
You can buy rocks glocks or a herringbone
You can ask my man he's a mind reader, keep my nine heater
All the time this is how we grind
Meet up at the cemetary then get smoked out, pass the weed nigga
That Hennessey'll keep me keyed nigga
Everywhere I go niggaz holla at me, "Keep it real G"
And my reply til they kill me
Act up if you feel me, I was born not to make it but I did
The tribulations of a ghetto kid, still I rise"

 

[linx]

22. Az ft. Nas - The Essence
http://www.zshare.net/audio/366736329d88af/
Album: Aziatic (2002)

* [N] = Nas, [A] = Az

"[N] What's today's mathematics?
[A] We had it, we let 'em hold it, we shoulda sold it
[N] We back it, we could grabbed it
[N] But fuck it, just let 'em have it
[A] Al 'Humdulillah
[N] Allahu Akbar
[A] God is the greatest
[N] Planet Mars, we carvin the faces
[A] You couldn't catch us in a car without the bangers
[A] Believe, I touched a couple of movie stars and entertainers
[N] Indeed, one in particular, almost started to name her (ha ha)
[N] I was there when you first pushed up and started to game her
[A] Been a long journey, certain shit just don't concern me
[N] They ain't hurtin shit; we flip, they hire attorneys
[A] Yo I'ma stay custom, 'til I'm old grey and rustin
[A] Reminiscin the number of chickens that claim we fucked 'em
[N] Bet some badda hoes than them other funky rappers chose
[N] I'm tryin to wife a chick, light a spliff (okay)
[N] This might be like another part to "Life's a Bitch"
[A] Write ya lips, who's nice as this? We righteousness
[A] No mic assists, it's murderous - granted the right to flip"

 

[linx]

23. Mr. Cheeks (Lost Boyz) - Renee
http://www.zshare.net/audio/3667434d41e86d/
Album: Legal Drug Money (1996)

"Here's a tune about this honey named Renee
That I met one day
On my way back from John Jay
I'm peepin' shorty as she's walking to the train
I tap her on her shoulders
Excuse me Miss, but can I get your name
She said my name is Renee
I said I got a whole lot to say
So may I walk you to your subway
She said if you want
So yo, we started talking
I brought two franks and two drinks
And we began walking
I had to see where that head was at
Because the gear was mad phat
So we must chat about this and that
She told me what she was in school for
She wants to be a lawyer
In other words shorty studies law
I'm telling shorty I'm a writer
And as she's looking for the token
She drops a package of the EZ Rider
Covers her mouth with her name ring
I said, yo don't sweat the technique shorty rock
I do the same thing
But yet I use Philly Blunts
She said I never dealt with Philly Blunts
Because I heard that's for silly stunts
I said, nah they burn slower
Right now I really don't know ya
But maybe later on I can get to show ya"

 

[linx]

24. EPMD - You're A Customer
http://www.zshare.net/audio/36674738bb6a75/
Album: Strictly Business (1988)

"[Erick Sermon]
Knick knack patty whack give a dog a bone
Yo, don't give him nothing but a microphone
Don't stop, I'm not finished yet
You said I'm not the E, you wanna make a bet?
Remember this: Lounge, you in the danger zone
I figured you would, now leave me alone
You pick and you wish on a four-leaf clover
To be the E double E over and over
You're intrigued by the way I do my thing
(Do what?) Pick up the mic high and make it swing

[PMD]
I have the capability to rap and chill
Cold wax and tax MC's who tend to act ill
It's like a Diggum Smack
Smack me and I'll smack you back
I get goosebumps when the bassline thumps
A sucker MC arrives, now it's time for lunch
When I'm cooling on the scene, I notice one thing
I'm not Bounce, so sucker MC's cling
I consider myself better than average
Yo, I rock the mic like a wild beast savage"

 

[linx]

25. Common - The 6th Sense
http://www.zshare.net/audio/36675440ac3e2a/
Album: Like Water For Chocolate (2000)

"The perseverence of a rebel I drop heavier levels
It's unseen or heard, a king with words
Can't knock the hustle, but I've seen street dreams deferred
Dark spots in my mind where the scene occured
Some say I'm too deep, I'm in too deep to sleep
Through me, Muhammed will forever speak
Greet brothers with handshakes in ghetto landscapes
Where a man is determined by how much a man make
Cop Cognacs and spit old raps with young cats
with cigarettes in their ear, niggerish they appear
Under the Fubu is a guru, that's untapped
Want to be in the rap race but ain't ran one lap
Ran so far from the streets that you can't come back
You tripping with nowhere to unpack, forgot that"

 

[linx]

26. Dr. Dre ft. Snoop Dogg - Fuck Wit Dre Day
http://www.zshare.net/audio/3683351444d735/
Album: The Chronic (1992)

"Now understand this my nigga Dre can't be touched
Luke's bendin over, so Luke's gettin fucked, busta
Musta, thought I was sleazy
Or though I was a mark cause I used to hang with Eazy
Animosity, made ya speak but ya spoke
Ay yo Dre, whattup, check this nigga off loc
If it ain't another ho that I gots ta fuck with
Gap teeth in ya mouth so my dick's gots to fit
With my nuts on ya tonsils
While ya onstage rappin at your wack-ass concerts
And I'ma snatch your ass from the backside
To show you how Death Row pull off that whoride
Now you might not understand me
Cause I'ma rob you in Compton and blast you in Miami
Then we gon creep to South Central
On a Street Knowledge mission, as I steps in the temple
Spot him, got him, as I pulls out my strap
Got my chrome to the side of his White Sox hat
You tryin to check my homey, you better check yo self
Cause when you diss Dre you diss yourself, MOTHERFUCKER"

 

[linx]

27. Proof - Kurt Kobain
http://www.zshare.net/audio/3683555d83480e/
Album: Proof's Best Sessions (2006)

"I put my soul through the ink
Bless a path with thoughts at my thoughts
Before I grow extinct
My back-bone disowned by zone
Why roam? called home
But now on I'm all alone
Just Proof, no shine, no friends, just fans
No wonder my hands, tight where the Internet ends
I take back most of the flack
The stress smokes, press me close to the crack
Like my pops, the ghost of my past
Thyme and Mudd, Jay Dee and Stuckey
Lately I'm lucky, I don't hate me to touch me
Maybe I'm ugly inside, but smiling to make it
I love y'all dawg, and that's how ever you take it
The fame is an illusion, I'm still losing
In this game, with the rules and..
I feel clueless, the streets with the hills blue less
Cops knocking at the door, got me looking real foolish
But I still do this, like I love it, even though I thug it
Keep flossing lights in public, the subject y'all don't know
Stars won't grow, who would dream that scars would show?
Minus the MTV videos with slim
"Up in Smoke" D-12, and many shows with Em
It's still me dawg, no change for change
It's strange, when it pours it rains
I take it back.."

 

[linx]

28. Jay-Z - Can't Knock The Hustle
http://www.zshare.net/audio/3683705f749572/
Album: Resonable Doubt (1996)

"Yo, I'm makin short term goals, when the weather folds
just put away the leathers and put ice on the gold
Chilly with enough bail money to free a big willie
High stakes, I got more at stake than Philly
Shoppin sprees, copin three
Deuce fever IS's fully loaded, ah yes
bouncin in the lex luger, tires smoke like buddha
50 G's to the crap shooter, niggaz can't fade me
Chrome socks beamin
Through my perephreal I see ya schemin
Stop dreamin, I leave your body steamin
Niggaz is fiendin, what's the meanin?
I'm leanin on any nigga intervenin
with the sound of my money machine-in {*brrrr*}
My cup runneth, over with hundreds
I'm one of the best niggas that done it, six digits and runnin
Y'all niggas don't want it, I got the Godfather flow
The Don Juan DeMarco; swear to God, don't get it fucked up"

 

[linx]

29. Black Moon - How Many MC's
http://www.zshare.net/audio/36841333140888/
Album: Enta Da Stage (1993)

"Im takin ya back come follow me
on a journey to see a for real MC
the mind tricks the body
body thinks the mind is crazy
but when I get the slazy
keep my flow Im swayze
I break..you take
whatever type of shit the nigga Buckshot makes
the incredible lyical and original
You can kill a bull if you wanna take it cool
Whatever I see I attack(tack)
Fuck up the back black/nigga fuck that
The devil lurks in my heart yearns for it well
Look into the eyes of a nigga who fell
I hit my head on the concrete to beat defeat
(GUNSHOT)Another dead nigga in the street
Bullseye direct hit dont miss..
but How Many MC's Must Get Dissed"

 

[linx]

30. Big Punisher ft. Fat Joe - Twinz (Deep Cover)
http://www.zshare.net/audio/3683897037bd33/
Album: Capital Punishment (1998)

"Ready for war Joe, how you wanna blow they spot
I know these dirty cops that'll get us in if we murder some wop
Hop in your Hummer, the Punisher's ready; meet me at Beatles'
with Noodles, we'll do this dude while he's slurpin spaghetti
Everybody kiss the fuckin floor, Joey Crack, buck em all
If they move, Noodles shoot that fuckin whore
Dead in the middle of Little Italy little did we know
that we riddled some middleman who didn't do diddily"

 

[linx]

31. Wu-Tang Clan - Triumph
http://www.zshare.net/audio/3683649300210d/
Album: Wu-Tang Forever (1997)

"I bomb atomically, Socrates' philosophies
and hypothesis can't define how I be droppin these
mockeries, lyrically perform armed robbery
Flee with the lottery, possibly they spotted me
Battle-scarred shogun, explosion when my pen hits
tremendous, ultra-violet shine blind forensics
I inspect you, through the future see millenium
Killa B's sold fifty gold sixty platinum
Shacklin the masses with drastic rap tactics
Graphic displays melt the steel like blacksmiths
Black Wu jackets queen B's ease the guns in
Rumble with patrolmen, tear gas laced the function
Heads by the score take flight incite a war
Chicks hit the floor, diehard fans demand more
Behold the bold soldier, control the globe slowly
Proceeds to blow swingin swords like Shinobi
Stomp grounds and pound footprints in solid rock
Wu got it locked, performin live on your hottest block"

 

[linx]

32. BlackStar - Re-Definition
http://www.zshare.net/audio/3683606594551c/
Album: Talib Kweli & Mos Def Present - Blackstar (1998)

"REEFinition, turning your play into a tragedy
Exhibit level degree on the mic, passionately
Niggaz is sweet so I bet if I bit I'd get a cavity
Livin to get high, you ain't flyer than gravity
We Die Hard like the battery done in the back of me by the mad MC
who think imitation is the highest form of flattery, actually
Don't be mad at me, I had to be the one to break it to you
You get kicked into obscurity like judo, no Menudo
cause you pseudo, tryin to compete with reality like Xerox
Towards destruction you spiraling like hairlocks, wipe them teardrops
Chasing stars in your eyes, playing games with your lives
Now the wives is widows soakin up pillows, weepin like willows
Still mo' blacks is dyin, kids ain't livin they tryin
"How to Make a Slave" by Willie Lynch is still applyin
Regardless, the Mos is one of my closest partners
Rockin ever since before Prince was called The Artist
Rocker before Funkmaster Flex was rockin Starter
When 'Pac and Biggie was still cool before they was martyrs
Life or death, if I'm choosin with every breath I'm enhancin
Stop, there comes a time when you can't run"

 

[linx]

33. Nas - One Mic
http://www.zshare.net/audio/3683768a3d8a7b/
Album: Stillmatic (2001)

"Yo, all I need is one mic, one beat, one stage
One nigga front, my face on the front page
Only if I had one gun, one girl and one crib
One God to show me how to do things his son did
Pure, like a cup of virgin blood; mixed with
151, one sip'll make a nigga flip
Writin names on my hollow tips, plottin shit
Mad violence who I'm gon' body, this hood politics
Ackowledge it, leave bodies chopped up in garbages
Seeds watch us, grow up and try to follow us
Police watch us {*siren*} roll up and try knockin us
One knee I ducked, could it be my time is up
But my luck, I got up, the cop shot again
Bus stop glass bursts, a fiend drops his Heineken
Richochetin between the spots that I'm hidin in
Blackin out as I shoot back, fuck gettin hit! {*more sirens*}
This is my hood I'ma rep, to the death of it
'til everybody come home, little niggaz is grown
Hoodrats, don't abortion your womb, we need more warriors soon
Sent from the star sun and the moon
In this life of police chases street sweepers and coppers
Stick-up kids with no conscience, leavin victims with doctors
IF YOU REALLY THINK YOU READY TO DIE, WITH NINES OUT
THIS IS WHAT NAS IS BOUT, NIGGA THE TIME IS NOW!"

 

[linx]

34. De La Soul - Me, Myself And I
http://www.zshare.net/audio/36839934c38b5d/
Album: 3 Feet High And Rising (1989)

"Glory Glory Hallelu
Glory for Plug One and Two
But that glory's been denied
By concensing dookie eyes
People think they diss my person
by stating I'm darkly packed
I know this so I point at Q-Tip
and he states, "Black is Black"
Mirror mirror on the wall
Shovel chestnuts in my path
Just keep all nuts twistin up
so I don't get an aftermath
But if I do I'll calmly punch them
in the 4th day of July
Cause they tried to mess with third degree
That's me myself and I"

 

[linx]

35. Notorious B.I.G. - Juicy
http://www.zshare.net/audio/3683525d128236/
Album: Ready To Die (1994)

"It was all a dream
I used to read Word Up magazine
Salt'n'Pepa and Heavy D up in the limousine
Hangin' pictures on my wall
Every Saturday Rap Attack, Mr. Magic, Marley Marl
I let my tape rock 'til my tape popped
Smokin' weed and bamboo, sippin' on private stock
Way back, when I had the red and black lumberjack
With the hat to match
Remember Rappin' Duke, duh-ha, duh-ha
You never thought that hip hop would take it this far
Now I'm in the limelight 'cause I rhyme tight
Time to get paid, blow up like the World Trade
Born sinner, the opposite of a winner
Remember when I used to eat sardines for dinner
Peace to Ron G, Brucey B, Kid Capri
Funkmaster Flex, Lovebug Starsky
I'm blowin' up like you thought I would
Call the crib, same number same hood
It's all good "

 

[linx]

36. NWA - Straight Outta Compton
http://www.zshare.net/audio/36838545714a74/
Album: Straight Outta Compton (1988)

"Straight outta Compton, crazy motherfucker named Ice Cube
From the gang called Niggaz With Attitudes
When I'm called off, I got a sawed off
Squeeze the trigger, and bodies are hauled off
You too, boy, if ya fuck with me
The police are gonna hafta come and get me
Off yo ass, that's how I'm goin out
For the punk motherfuckers that's showin out
Niggaz start to mumble, they wanna rumble
Mix em and cook em in a pot like gumbo
Goin off on a motherfucker like that
with a gat that's pointed at yo ass
So give it up smooth
Ain't no tellin when I'm down for a jack move
Here's a murder rap to keep yo dancin
with a crime record like Charles Manson
AK-47 is the tool
Don't make me act the motherfuckin fool
Me you can go toe to toe, no maybe
I'm knockin niggaz out tha box, daily
yo weekly, monthly and yearly
until them dumb motherfuckers see clearly
that I'm down with the capital C-P-T
Boy you can't fuck with me
So when I'm in your neighborhood, you better duck
Coz Ice Cube is crazy as fuck
As I leave, believe I'm stompin
but when I come back, boy, I'm comin straight outta Compton"

 

[linx]

37. Royce Da 5'9" - Malcolm X
http://www.zshare.net/audio/368408714294d4/
Album: Build & Destroy (2003)

"Yeah, what rap crew I gotta snatch up out the game (bitch)
Who must I smack for sayin my name?
Somebody gon' die, it's probably YOU
You couldn't fit Bizarre's body in my shoes
Niggaz quick to talk, all hood 'til I pop up
Plus, you just act tough cause Suge got locked up
I am above y'all, when you droppin your raps to diss me
I only recognize the top of your hats
And I don't like Proof punk-ass, he think he tough
He keep thirty niggaz with him, cause he weak as fuck!
I ever catch you by yourself, I'ma fuck you up
Snatch your little cheap-ass chain and piece you up
You better hope you and the white boy keep in touch
And be a good little hype man, or your lease is up
Since Slim signed 50, I don't see your teeth as much
That's good, cause you got a grill like a fuckin truck!
DAMN HOMIE, it's history, over, hang it up
Go somewhere and hang up some 50 posters, PUNK
You speak too late, y'all prolly gon' go up to them awards
and get yo' ass whooped by B2K
I just wish Eminem would stop tellin' everybody he ain't speakin' to me
Like I'm one of his hoes or somethin'
How 'bout this, I ain't speakin to you, chump
And I'ma keep pickin on your weak ass crew
You, BITCH, Bizarre you a fat stutterin fuck
You a joke, I choke whoever buttered you up
I've been ridin by your house, you don't come out too much
You hidin, when I find you I'ma snatch you out of that truck
and tie your fat stankin ass to your couch and just
FEED YOU, you already look like you about to bust
Nigga you can run or hide; I'll be on your porch
with a cheeseburger tryin to lure you outside!
'Cause he's in it, Bizarre say G-g-g-g-g-g-unit
I bet you throw some extra "g's" in it
Just like a stutterin' fool can't reach intelligence
He sweats when he raps, cuz he got a speach impediment
You, BITCH, Porky's pig and Porky's tomb
About to dig his own grave with a fork and spoon
You, BITCH, Denaun and Swifty please
Give it in, both y'all be rakin' 50's lease
What do I know, that other nigga y'all got in your group
I don't even know his name, but he can shovel my snow
You, BITCH, let's face it I gave it to y'all
My lil' sister got six puppies that's braver than y'all (barking sounds)
Niggaz is startin' the beef I'm 'bout to end with the quickness
I'm 'bout to end this quicker than Bizarre can finish a biscuit
Quicker than quick shit, y'all ain't felt the half
Quicker than Eminem can pinch Elton's ass
Don't call me, I ain't ready to squash it yet, kiss my ASS
I don't wanna talk to Hex, I am so sick I should be compared to cancer
Y'all thought y'all dudes don't swing like Fred G.? Sanford
I be makin' motherfuckers crash they heads when I rhyme
Y'all lil' niggaz crack ya heads then rhyme, go play;
you lil punk ass niggaz, y'all can scream and yell all you want
I feel like I'm battlin' Keenan & Kel
You, BITCH, none o' y'all can put in the card to kill
Paul better call me, like he called Benzino
Matter o' fact, I might even do a song with Ray
Sign with Murder Inc. and hit you with a song again"