64 newyork| september14–27, 202011.
A Tribe Called
Quest, “Scenario”
(1992) This is peakNYC
Golden Era hip-hop.A
Tribe Called Quest and
Leaders of the NewSchool
deliver a dizzyingarray of
lyrical acrobaticsina way
that was still newtohip-
hop at that time,showing
limitless possibilitieswith
flows and rhythms.
12.
Craig Mack, “Flava
in Ya Ear” Remix
(1994) The formidable
additions of labelmatethe
Notorious B.I.G.,upcoming
rappers Rampage andBusta
Rhymes, and OGLLCool
J to Craig Mack’s“Flavain
Ya Ear” turned remixesinto
an event, poised B.I.G.for
launch, and handeda still
new Bad Boy thecrown.
13.
Public Enemy,
“Fight the Power”
(1989) Chuck D dissingElvis
and John Wayne,coupled
with Flavor Flav’sad-libsand
a frantic yet brilliantBomb
Squad production,madea
powerful statement.This
track’s addition totheDo
the Right Thing soundtrack
cemented its statusasoneof
the greatest protestanthems.
14.
Terror Squad,
“Lean Back”
(2004) After CubanLinkand
Triple Seis departedfrom
Terror Squad acrimoniously,
the reconstitutedBronx
squadron leaned intoFat Joe’s
pop tendencies andpulled
out a chart-toppingsmash.
The beat from ScottStorch
energized the cityanddid
big things for theproducer,
who subsequentlymadehits
for 50 Cent and Jadakiss.
15.
DMX, “Ruff
Ryders’ Anthem”
(1998) Ruff Ryders
established themselvesas
the direct oppositeofPuff
Daddy’s Bad Boy:They
ditched the shinysuitsfor
motorcycles, bandannas,
and pit bulls. “Ruff Ryders’
Anthem” took that rugged
aesthetic to a wholenew level.
16.
Big Pun ft. Joe,
“Still Not a Player”
(1998) Among themany
gifts with which Christopher
Rios, better knownasBig
Pun, blessed NewYorkCity,
dropping the biggestLatinx
hip-hop anthem ofalltime,
addres
Moren
and sw
17.
Lord Tariq & Peter
Gunz, “Déjà Vu
(1997) The jiggy era dealt in
brain-freezing excess—from
motorboat chase sequences
in music videos to samples
of disco hits that must have
cost a small fortune. “It’s
All About the Benjamins
(Remix)” epitomizes this
in its barrage of threats,
big-money bragging, and
that clever Jackson 5 flip.
It’ll light any tristate-area
party on fire to this day.
29.
Eric B. & Rakim,
“Paid in Full”
(1987) When Marley Marl
invited precocious teenager
Rakim into his home studio
and suggested he rap more
animatedly, the young MC
held firm, insisting that
steely cool was his greatest
asset. He was right:The
title track from Paid in Full
is a study in poise—and in
the labyrinthine internal
rhymes Rakim pioneered.
30.
Juice Crew,
“The Symphony”
(1988) A mic battle royal.
“The Symphony” established
the Juice Crew’s dominance
as a rap collective, but
producer Marley Marl
created a new rap art
form: the posse cut.
31.
Nas, “Ether”
(2001) Jay-Z vs. Nas was
a legendary war of words.
When Jay dropped “Takeover”
and Nas respondedwith
“Ether” (which debuted on
Hov’s birthday), theexchange
marked two great MCs
battling for N.Y. supremacy.
Thanks to Nas, no beef is
won unless you “ether” them.
32.
LL Cool J, “Mama Said
Knock You Out”
(1991) The Queens legend
was accused of being out of
touch in the era of Public
Enemy and N.W.A.LL
fired back with thisMarley
Marlproduced bomb, a
declaration of dominance
and creative focus as a
new decade dawned.33.
Cardi B,
“Bodak Yellow”
(2017) After beating out
Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop
(That Thing)” to have the
longest-running No. 1 by a
solo female rapper on the
Hot 100, Cardi B signaled
a new era for rap: There
could be more than one
female superstar at the top.
34.
The Diplomats,
“Dipset Anthem”
(2003) Jaws works because
you don’t see the shark
right away. Similarly,
“Dipset Anthem” is massive,
propulsive, driven by two
near-percussive verses. But
it’s Cam’ron’s turn in the
third verse—sly, playful,
sinister—that makes this
one of the most iconic
records of the early aughts.
35.
Lost Boyz, “Jeeps, Lex
Coups, Bimaz & Benz”
(1995) Lost Boyz mastered
the art of balancing
grimy street appeal with
infectious hooks, and they
showcase their winning
formula on this classic
single. It’s pure Queens.
36.
MC Lyte, “Ruffneck”
(1993) Salt-N-Pepa
normalized women who
rap, but Brooklyn’s own MC
Lyte came marching at you
from a rooftop overlooking
the Manhattan Bridge,
rapping about needing a
“dude with a attitude” who’ll
“ ‘smack it, lick it, swallow
it up’ style,” dressed from
head to toe exactly like
one of the boys she’s trying
to bed. Its superior swag
and male-gazing set the
standard for what women
were “allowed” to rap about,
and generations of New York
rappers followed her lead.
37.
Mobb Deep,
“Quiet Storm (Remix)”
(1999) “Quiet Storm”
appeared on MobbDeep’s
Murda Muzik, buttheremix
is an all-time great.Havoc’s
cavernous productionis a
perfect canvas forhisand
Prodigy’s crime bars,andLil’
Kim spits one of hermost
no-nonsense versesever.
38.
Busta Rhymes,“Put
Your Hands Where
My Eyes CouldSee”
(1997) You can’t discuss
Busta Rhymes without
talking about the music
videos. Inspired bythe
song’s African-sounding
drums, Busta payshomage
to the Eddie Murphy film
Coming to Americawith STEVEN FERDMAN/EVERETT COLLECTION/ALAMY (CARDI B);CardiB
atBarclays
Center,
2017.(Uptown Baby)”
(1997) There’s a sense in
which “Déjà Vu” is the
commercial promise of
hip-hop realized: Lord
Tariq and Peter Gunz lift
a Steely Dan song nearly
wholesale, rap pridefully
about how the Bronx can’t
be fucked with, and end up
with a top-ten hit. It still
signals the arrival of summer
from open car windows.
18.
Slick Rick and Doug
E. Fresh, “La Di Da Di”
(1985) Doug E. Fresh was
already a name when he
plucked a young Bronx-
by-way-of-Britain rhymer
named MC Ricky D to join his
Get Fresh Crew. This single
highlights their chemistry and
announced the storytelling
talent of the MC soon to
be known as Slick Rick.
19.
Gang Starr,
“Mass Appeal”
(1994) “Mass Appeal”
sounds like you’ve made
it to the final level of a
video game and the big
boss simply wishes you had
some dignity. Gang Starr
member Guru was one of
the most self-possessed
rappers to ever touch a mic.
20.
Onyx, “Slam”
(1993) Before Onyx, Queens
representatives such as LL
Cool J were swaggy and
cool. But then this group
from South Jamaica came
storming in with baggy jeans,
Timberlands, bald heads, and
infectious mosh-pit energy.
21.
Pete Rock & CL
Smooth, “They
Reminisce Over
You (T.R.O.Y.)”
(1992) Pete Rock and CL
Smooth dedicated this
Tom Scott–sampling song
to the late Trouble T Roy,
celebrating family and
friends, immortalizing
their fallen comrade, and
elevating the Mount Vernon
duo to legend status.
22.
Ol’ Dirty Bastard,
“Brooklyn Zoo”
(1995) Rhyming “Midol”
with “Lysol” for probably
the only time in rap history,
Wu-Tang’s rowdiest MC
created a haven for eccentrics
in the city’s rap landscape.
23.
Method Man ft. Mary
J Blige, “I’ll Be There
for You/You’re All
I By”
( minent love
s grimier
product on Method Man’s
Tical. By adding Mary J Blige,
mixes from both RZA and(then) Puff Daddy added
softness to balance the edge,
broadening the appeal from
the slums to the suburbs.
24.
Pop Smoke, “Dior”
(2019) Pop Smoke’s tragic
death earlier this year
shook N.Y. harder than his
meteoric impact on the scene
had done. His borderless
Brooklyn drill sound became
the defining music of New
New York. This summer,
“Dior” has become the city’s
movement music, finding
its way from dance floors
to the protests’ front lines.
25.
Lil’ Kim,
“Crush on You”
(1996) “Crush on You” made
it clear Lil’ Kim’s role was
not to follow a blueprint but
to stencil a new template—
joining forces with stylist
Misa Hylton to pair her and
Lil’ Cease’s lavishly bawdy
verses with richly pigmented
ensembles and visuals, down
to matching wigs. With one
video, Kim melded street
fashion with hip-hop on
the mainstream stage.
26.
Audio Two,
“Top Billin’ ”
(1987) Simple track, simple
rhymes: the components of
a foundational classic. The
“Impeach the President” flip
has remained a no-miss
sample over the years.
27.
The Diplomats,
“I Really Mean It”
(2003) Roc-A-Fella’s Just
Blaze was among the
producers revolutionizing
the sped-up soul samples
that became popular in
the aughts. The Diplomats
owned this sound, and
“I Really Mean It” is
Harlem’s rallying cry to
rep your hood proudly.
28.
Puff Daddy ft. Lil’
Kim, the LOX, and
the Notorious B.I.G.,
“It’s All About the
Benjamins (Remix)”