Hip-Hop 101

Class is in session and — in the words of Boogie Down Productions MC KRS ONE — "you must learn." So, crack open your fold-up headphones and start listening. We've got Will Smith reminding us "Parents Just Don't Understand" over a wild and wooly DJ Jazzy Jeff production; Dr. Dre, N.W.A., and Snoop Dogg defining G-funk and gangsta rap; hip-hop's first wheels of steel superstar, Grandmaster Flash; and a couple platters of party rap from 50 Cent, the Beastie Boys, and Run-DMC.

Put your pencils down; it's time for a pop quiz. Question one: What Yonkers rapper's got the biting rhymes to back up his pit bull bark? That's right, DMX. Question two: What New Jersey-bred trio flipped a Roberta Flack classic over a heartbreaking drum break? Right again, the Fugees. Good luck with the remaining 23 questions, class, as it covers everything from a kung-fu-worshipping collective (Wu-Tang Clan) to a hotshot producer-turned-hotheaded MC (Kanye West).

You know, it seems like only yesterday when we first welcomed this year's graduating class into Hip-Hop 101. Considering how you've grown after hearing just 50 songs, we're going to give you this advanced-placement test just for fun. Some hints as to the answers below: They contain references to bookish, Brooklyn-based jams (Mos Def, Black Star), ominous, oppressive narratives (Cannibal Ox, El-P), and easygoing excuses to break dance and BBQ on blacktop (A Tribe Called Quest, Jurassic 5, Schoolly D).

At the heart of every hip-hop track are beats and rhymes, but it's the subtleties and samples of true crate-diggers and mic-slingers that separate sufficient singles from certified smashes. This crash course of 75 cuts celebrates more than 25 years of hip-hop's storied history, putting its ear to the underground, the streets, and the charts while sifting through the stone-cold classics of yesterday and today. To listen is to be transported to the ultimate block party, where Jay-Z's cooking burgers with Jurassic 5, and N.W.A. is chilling next to Nas and Nelly. Tap the keg — it's gonna be a long, sunny afternoon.