'80s Hip-Hop

It all started right in the middle of the '80s, when the stage was set for hip-hop's many sub-genres and scenes. We're talking about the Aerosmith-aided rap-rock of "Walk This Way", the bubble-popping electro of Afrika Bambaataa's "Planet Rock", the South Central L.A. narrative of N.W.A.'s "Straight Outta Compton", the heavyweight breaks of Public Enemy's "Don't Believe the Hype", the street-seasoned poetry of Eric B. & Rakim, and the hardcore-rap rhymes of Ice-T. Here, you'll find those pioneers alongside such major mic manipulators as Beastie Boys ("Fight for Your Right") and LL Cool J ("I Can't Live Without My Radio") . . . with the pop-funk-rock-rap of Blondie's "Rapture" filling out the picture. In Next Steps, you'll find a couple of British entries in the '80s hip-hop ledger.

Continuing with our crash course in hip-hop's golden age is another stack of boombox-bashing singles, including a couple contributions to the '80s playlist by home-grown artists — impresario Malcolm McLaren, keenly observing (and creating) the zeitgeist post-Sex Pistols, hooked up with the World's Famous Supreme Team after finding inspiration at a New York City block party, and astutely threw his hat into the scratch 'n' rap ring with "Buffalo Gals". Colourbox, meanwhile, took sampling to the next level in 1987 with "Pump Up the Volume", a track created in collaboration with dream pop duo AR Kane, and released under the moniker M/A/R/R/S. Take it back to the source of gangsta rap, in Deep Cuts.

You want to penetrate deep into the core of hip-hop? You've come to the right place, because we've lined up Schoolly D, who helped carve the template for gangsta rap with "P.S.K. What Does It Mean?", an early hardcore classic admired by everyone from Ice T (who 'fessed he was inspired to write West Coast anthem "6 in the Mornin'" after hearing this track) to Moby. The Cold Crush Brothers (formed in 1979) were one of the first hip-hop crews to break out of New York City into global markets and even masterminded a tour to Tokyo in 1983 (featuring a full complement of breakers and bombers), before scoring with seminal cut "Fresh, Wild, Fly and Bold".

Since hip-hop is pop music now, it's easy to forget the early days, as artists like Afrika Bambaataa, Kurtis Blow, Whodini, the Cold Crush Brothers, the Sugarhill Gang, and the Jungle Brothers defined the true meaning of "old school". Meanwhile, many decade-spanning careers were set in motion to the tune of dusty breakbeats and overheated samplers, including that of KRS-One (check out "9mm Goes Bang" from his stint fronting Boogie Down Productions), the Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, Run-DMC, and four A-list actors who also happen to flow like a butterfly and sting like a battle-ready bee: LL Cool J, Queen Latifah, N.W.A.'s Ice Cube, and Ice-T. And, hey, who could forget 2 Live Crew? We'll let them speak for themselves . . .