Best Rap/Hip-Hop Artists, Bands, or Groups of the Decades

[TVD]

Vanilla Ice

MC Hammer

2 Live Crew

all the rest fall in the shade.

And Blondie.

Debbie Harry invented rap. Did you know that. And Mike Skinner's keeping the faith.

Acually, Rap is a lot older than Hip-Hop itself.

Leana Horne once pointed out that back in the 1940's Jazz, they had this type of vocal performances call "scating". This was one of the earlier forms of rapping long before the word "rap" was thought of.

Plus, you can also trace American rap back to those old-time country hillbilly songs of the early 20th century that were normally use for "square dancing".
Even today, The Charles Daniels Band still use this kind of vocal performance for their song "The Night The Devil Came To Georgia".

And of course, the vocal technique known as "toasting" (normally use in reggae & dancehall) also predate rap by more than 40 years in Jamacica.

[vurt]

the word rapping was also used by ken kesey to describe a miced up vocal type session with the merry pranksters. circa late 50s early 60s
check the elktrick kool aid acid tests for more

furthur than you know

[aMUSEd]

Vanilla Ice

MC Hammer

2 Live Crew

all the rest fall in the shade.

And Blondie.

Debbie Harry invented rap. Did you know that. And Mike Skinner's keeping the faith.

Acually, Rap is a lot older than Hip-Hop itself.

Leana Horne once pointed out that back in the 1940's Jazz, they had this type of vocal performances call "scating". This was one of the earlier forms of rapping long before the word "rap" was thought of.

Plus, you can also trace American rap back to those old-time country hillbilly songs of the early 20th century that were normally use for "square dancing".
Even today, The Charles Daniels Band still use this kind of vocal performance for their song "The Night The Devil Came To Georgia".

And of course, the vocal technique known as "toasting" (normally use in reggae & dancehall) also predate rap by more than 40 years in Jamacica.

That's why I mentioned Gil Scot Heron and Patti Smith - both more what you would call "performance poets" (and what they might call themselves) perhaps but I suppose that's what Rap is really when you boil it down. Probably is as old as singing itself - maybe even older.

Should have mentioned Benjamin Zephaniah and Linton Kwesi Johnson as well - saw them both in Huddersfield in the early 80's. Both great performance poets.

[vurt]

benjamin zephania came and performed at our school with john hegley? about 15 years ago

cool day too
our english teacher was dead prim and proper and introduced BZ then he comes out and starts doin all this anti this n that poetry
then JH with his dry sarcasm (political back then ) she didnt know what the f**k had happened,as far as she was concerned "that was exactly how not to do poetry"

we of course loved it al the more

[splattabreakz]

blah

[TVD]

the word rapping was also used by ken kesey to describe a miced up vocal type session with the merry pranksters. circa late 50s early 60s
check the elktrick kool aid acid tests for more

furthur than you know

Try almost 500+ years old!!!

[vurt]

furthur is just a place name they had on the front of the bus

500 hahahahaha
try dawn of conversation we as primitive man used to communicate through guttural grunts and crotch grabbing as a show of strength.i give you hip hop in its earliest known form

[TVD]

furthur is just a place name they had on the front of the bus

500 hahahahaha
try dawn of conversation we as primitive man used to communicate through guttural grunts and crotch grabbing as a show of strength.i give you hip hop in its earliest known form

Talk about smack my bitch up:

Primitive men predate "gangsta" style!

[splattabreakz]

blah

[vurt]

crunkasaurus

[Stupid American Pig]

All of you will have your own opinions on this one. So play nice!!!

All answers can be male/female, solo artists/Groups/Bands, any skin color, hip-hop genres (read: mention crunk at your own risk!!!) from any locations around the world (yes, that include the U.K.).

Just organize your answers by decades:

1980's

1990's

2000's

Plus Bonus Question: To you, who is the best rapper ever?

Now answers to my own questions:

1980's: Run DMC, LL Cool J, Eric B. & Rakim, N.W.A., Public Enemy, The Geto Boys, A Tribe Called Quest, KRS-One, Big Daddy Kane, Heavy D, Salt 'N Pepa, Ice Cube, 2 Live Crew, DJ Magic Mike


1990's: 2pac, Busta Rhymes, Shoop Dogg, The Notorious B.I.G., Nas, Dr. Dre, Timberland & Missy

2000's: OutKast, Jay-Z, Eminem, The Neptunes (N.E.R.D.), The Black Eye Peas

I'll need Rakim, KRS-One, & 2pac to battle to help me decide who I think is the best rapper ever.

Now Tony- that is a post that I can wholeheartedly agree with

Let me see if there is anything I can add here-

60s(John lennon) just listen to glass onion- that is one of the first instances of a white person "flowin"

80s- Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap and the Juice Crew. Tribe called Quest. 3rd Bass, De La Soul, Stetsasonic(or anything that Prince Paul was doin then) Leaders of the New School(whatcha know about that P.T.A?!?!?) Too short. Beaties (but only for pauls boutique)

90s- The Alkaholiks, Das Efx, Vanilla Ice(hah! ), Scarface , funkdoobiest, Cypress hill, epmd, UGK (supertight was the shit).

00s- hip hop lost me right about the year 2000 or 01... there are still a few goo dsongs out there here and there, but nothing on a large scale like the 90s produced (and I dont think we will ever see a more prolific decade in that genre)

[Stupid American Pig]

speaking of older hip hop- I remember a song from the late 80s that I dont remember who did. The hook was "some people dont like the way, Sally walks" and had the sample of james brown saying 1-2-3-4 hit it. Anyone remember who that was?

[jones-y]

speaking of older hip hop- I remember a song from the late 80s that I dont remember who did. The hook was "some people dont like the way, Sally walks" and had the sample of james brown saying 1-2-3-4 hit it. Anyone remember who that was?

Stetsasonic: "Sally" from their 1988 album "In full gear"

[Stupid American Pig]

That was stetsasonic? I even used to have that tape

[grillo]

going from older to newer...

A tribe called quest
Gangstarr
Common (formerly common sense)
Mos Def

mid to late nineties east coast ny style (rawkus is the key label) was probably the richest period for hiphop music (but that's in the style i actually prefer) and pretty much every other week there was a new 12" single from an unknown which was killer.

For the 00's, i still dig Hi-tek's Hi-teknology, from 2001, on rawkus, has got talib kweli on it, some soulful tracks and sharp production values all around, yet nobody remembers it, also the cd is a bright yellow : )