The Best Hip Hop Groups of All-Time*****The first blog we ever did at Grown Folks Hip-Hop focused on the Top 10 MCs of All-Time that MTV had selected and who we thought were worthy of that honor. In that discussion there were questions about the absence Run of Run DMC and Chuck D, to name a few. Those two legends weren't forgotten, but since the list was limited to solo artists only, Run and Chuck didn't qualify. There have been many great groups in Hip-Hop. From the early pioneers like Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5; Cold Crush Brothers and The Treacherous 3; to the groups of Hip-Hop's "Golden Age" like the aforementioned Run DMC, Public Enemy, Salt-N-Pepa, NWA, EPMD, Naughty, Tribe, Geto Boys; to the groups that continue to make major noise today after being in the game for years like Outkast and Mobb Deep. All these groups and many others have made their permanent mark in this culture, some more than others. So we would like to know what Hip-Hop duos or groups you would rank in your top ten and what they meant to you. It will be interesting to see the different top ten people have and what order they're in.
My Personal Top 10 Hip-Hop Groups of All-Time:
Run DMC
Public Enemy
Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five
Wu-Tang Clan
EPMD
A Tribe Called Quest
Pete Rock & CL Smooth
NWA
OutKast
Naughty by Nature
June 13, 2006
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4 comments:
1. Brand Nubians
2. Tribe
3. Leaders of the New School
4. De La Soul
5. Pete Rock & CL Smooth
6. Black Moon
7. UTFO
8. Salt n Pepa
9. Stetsasonic
10. EPMD
Ok- so these are the groups that immediately pop into my mind when I think back. Those sure were the good ole' days! Hip hop has indeed evolved, but I sure do miss the 'it-factor' (of the early days) that you just can't put into words!
1. Wu-Tang Clan- This group was collectively the greatest group ever assembled. They came in the game around the time when the west had it locked. They battled each other to get the spots on some of their cuts which kept every group member on the top of their game. Their beats, razor sharp rhymes, and individual personas not only produced two classic group albums (in my opinion the first two) but they had classic solo albums. The Wu may not be as solid now but from 95-99 they had the game on lock!
2. RUN DMC- They were on the first t.v. show dedicated to hip hop entitled "grafitti rock" and battled the treacherous 3(kool moe dee's group). Raising Hell was my first hip hop tape that I owned. They opened the door for many of the groups that will be named on your top ten lists. They came tougher (tougher than leather:) than their predecessors. They were blunt and skillful, with hard beats and powerful, literate, daring vocals, where Run and D.M.C.'s vocals overlapped, as they finished each other's lines. They were the first hip-hop artist to construct full-fledged albums, not just collections with two singles and a bunch of filler. It was something for everyone when you heard RUN DMC. I could name songs but I would be forever. Just a few songs to show their success though included "Walk This Way" which was the first hip-hop record to appeal to both rockers and rappers, as evidenced by its peak position of number four on the pop charts. In the wake of the success of "Walk This Way," Raising Hell became the first rap album to reach number one on the R&B charts, to chart in the pop Top Ten, and to go platinum, and Run-D.M.C. were the first rap act to received airplay on MTV -- they were the first rappers to cross over into the pop mainstream. Raising Hell also spawned the hit singles "You Be Illin'" and "It's Tricky."
One of the illest DJ's ever Jam Master Jay made this duo into a group. On some songs you could tell Jam Master Jay was doing backspins instead of the easy loop that we have nowadays. RIP JMJ.
3. N.W.A.- Their first CD was groundbreaking. Speaking of police brutality, inner city violence, money hungry women. Many people let the group name Niggas With Attitude distract them from the content of this album. But that's what they were. They were speaking from the stance of an angry black male. Even though Cube and Ren wrote the majority of the rhymes, each style and personality of the group members stood out. Ren seemed to have the best flow in the group but ice cubes rhymes were sick. The second album was more of a diss to ice cube, had dope beats, but the content became a little thin and more violent. Straight Outta Compton will forever be a classic and started the careers of Ice Cube-Rapper,Actor,Director,Writer etc. Although N.W.A. was not Dr. Dre's music industry debut, he helped assemble the group along with Eazy E and is a prominent producer and rapper not only for the west for the entire music industry. He also made a classic album to give the west coast the crown for the early 90's entitled the Chronic
That's all for now. My remaining groups that I will speak about another time are as follows:
4. P.E. 5. Outkast 6. Black Star 7. A Tribe Called Quest 8. The Original Murder Inc. (Jay Z, DMX, Ja Rule) 9. Children Of The Corn (Big L, Murda Mase, Killa Cam, McGruff) 10. E.P.M.D.
Just an idea. A lot of these groups are duos. What would be your top 5 in duos. I would consider a group more than two. How does anyone feel about that?
I played myself by not putting Brand Nubians in my Top Ten. I have the Best of Brand Nubian in my truck as I type this. I listed OutKast and NWA not so much for my personal taste, but for what these groups did for their respective regions. OutKast put ATL on the Hip-Hop map and NWA not only cracked open LA, but they (along with Schoolly D and Kool G Rap) helped put together the "Gangsta Rap" blueprint. I also bumped the Jungle Brothers; De La Soul & X-Clan (R.I.P. Prof. X) a lot when they were out. I remember going to see the Native Tongue crew and Red Alert at Sensations in Newark, NJ in like '89 or '90. Remember that joint "Girl I'll House Yu" by the JB? Crazy! I need to hear that now.
no one likes jedi mind tricks?
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