50 Years Of Hip Hop: The Rankdown Part 1 (COMPLETE)

[Soulsista]

47. The New Style - The Beastie Boys

The Beastie Boys consisted of "Mike D" Michael Diamond, "MCA" Adam Yauch, and "Ad-Rock" Adam Horovitz, and actually got their start as members of the punk band the Young Aborigines. They switched to hip hop after achieving success locally with the single "Cooky Puss". After touring with Madonna, they recorded and released their debut album Licensed To Ill. While "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)" was the biggest overall hit from that album, "The New Style" was the most successful on the soul chart, peaking at #22 in 1986.

Sadly, MCA passed away from cancer in 2012.


Points: 340
Average: 36.83
Standard Deviation: 11.661 (15th highest)

emerald - 16
dremolus - solarpunk - 16
American Idiot - 19
#LisaRinna - 19

khan - 21
gonecountry - 29

wrip - 31
willapted33 - 32
BB🌕 - 33
chanman - 34
Ivy Leegue™ - 36
Optical Apex - 39

annoymous1 - 42
rowellfarm490 - 43
aerodynamite - 44
wyckyd - 44
312999 - 46
singingrulebritannia - 47
🇯🇲 dollybaby 🇯🇲 - 47
B-Boy - 48
jtd Thee Stallion - 49
beyoncelover - 49
Soulsista - 50
SHOOTER - 50

Observing
samo🦕
mamooshka


Another Top 10 goes down with the next reveal. Seven bottom 5s will also be lost.

[Soulsista]

46. Roxanne, Roxanne - UTFO

UTFO, which stood for Untouchable Force Organization, consisted of Kangol Kid (Shaun Fequiere), Educated Rapper (Jeffrey Campbell), Doctor Ice (Fred Reeves), and Mix Master Ice (Maurice Bailey). Their first charted single, "Roxanne, Roxanne", produced and co-written by Full Force, was released in 1984 and peaked at #10 on the soul chart. Over the course of a year it would spawn a series of answer song in what would become known as The Roxanne Wars.

Two of the members are no longer with us. Educated Rapper died from cancer in 2017, and Kangol Kid died from colon cancer in 2021.


Points: 361
Average: 35.96
Standard Deviation: 10.465 (25th highest)

Ivy Leegue™ - 7

gonecountry - 21
chanman - 23
willapted33 - 27
SHOOTER - 28
🇯🇲 dollybaby 🇯🇲 - 28
B-Boy - 29

Soulsista - 32
BB🌕 - 32
dremolus - solarpunk - 34
312999 - 34
jtd Thee Stallion - 37
khan - 37
American Idiot - 39
emerald - 40

wrip - 42
rowellfarm490 - 44
beyoncelover - 46
singingrulebritannia - 46
aerodynamite - 46
wyckyd - 46
annoymous1 - 47
Optical Apex - 49
#LisaRinna - 49

Observing
samo🦕
mamooshka

[Soulsista]

The remaining 45 songs:

2 Live Crew - Me So Horny
Afrika Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic Force - Planet Rock
Audio Two - Top Billin'
Big Daddy Kane - Ain't No Half Steppin'
Biz Markie - Just a Friend
Boogie Down Productions - The Bridge Is Over
De La Soul - Me Myself & I
Divine Sounds - What People Do For Money
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - Parents Just Don't Understand
The D.O.C. - It's Funky Enough
Doug E. Fresh & The Get Fresh Crew - The Show
Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde - Genius Rap
EPMD - You Gots To Chill
Eric B. & Rakim - I Ain't No Joke
The Fatback Band - King Tim III (Personality Jock)
Funky 4 + 1 - That's The Joint
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - The Message
Heavy D & The Boyz - Somebody For Me
Ice-T - Colors
J.J. Fad - Supersonic
Kid N' Play - Rollin' With Kid N' Play
Kool Moe Dee - How Ya Like Me Now
Kurtis Blow - The Breaks
LL Cool J - I'm Bad
MC Lyte - Paper Thin
N.W.A - Straight Outta Compton
Public Enemy - Fight The Power
Queen Latifah feat. Monie Love - Ladies First
Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock - It Takes Two
Rock Master Scott & The Dynamic Three - Request Line
Roxanne Shanté - Roxanne's Revenge
Run-DMC - King Of Rock
Salt-N-Pepa - Push It
The Sequence - Funk You Up
Slick Rick - Children's Story
Special Ed - I Got It Made
Stetsasonic - Talkin' All That Jazz
Stop The Violence Movement - Self Destruction
The Sugarhill Gang - Rapper's Delight
Tone Loc - Wild Thing
The Treacherous Three - The Body Rock
Whodini - Friends
The World's Famous Supreme Team - Hey DJ
Wreckx-N-Effect - New Jack Swing
Young MC - Bust a Move


Five more will be revealed tomorrow...we'll be losing our first Top 5!

SPOILER: Click to show

{Tags}jtd Thee Stallion B-Boy beyoncelover singingrulebritannia chanman khan rowellfarm490 aerodynamite SHOOTER American Idiot 🇯🇲 dollybaby 🇯🇲 willapted33 gonecountry BB🌕 wrip emerald Ivy Leegue™ dremolus - solarpunk 312999 Optical Apex wyckyd annoymous1 #LisaRinna samo🦕 mamooshka

[khan]

Beastie Boys deserve a little more respect than this smh

[B-Boy]

I almost had a heart attack once I saw “Turn Off The Lights” at #48. I thought it would be in the Top 30.

[singingrulebritannia]

Not sad to see any of these songs bottom 5. They're generally characterized by cringey, badly aged lyrics (especially "Nightmares" and "Roxanne Roxanne") and janky beats.

[Ivy Leegue™]

Mar 6, 2023 12:42:50 GMT -5 khan said:

Beastie Boys deserve a little more respect than this smh

I mean...Turn Off The Lights was NEVER a classic. Thank God Dre and Yella had the sense and self-respect to distance themselves from it so quickly, but...tanking the hip-hop legends The Beastie Boys and the hip-hop classic Roxanne, Roxanne just...says a lot.

[Optical Apex]

Mar 6, 2023 12:42:50 GMT -5 khan said:

Beastie Boys deserve a little more respect than this smh

I love the Beastie Boys, but I enjoyed alot of their other songs much better, especially from that same album.

[Optical Apex]

Interestingly enough, Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three (they did Request Line) had a Slick Rick, but he isn't the same person as the more well known Slick Rick with the eyepatch

[dremolus - solarpunk]

How tf did Me So Horny avoid the bottom 5

[312999]

Mar 6, 2023 23:37:48 GMT -5 dremolus - solarpunk said:

How tf did Me So Horny avoid the bottom 5

Well, I certainly helped it escape bottom 5, which I honestly am pleasantly surprised that it did escape the bottom 5. It's one of those so bad it's good songs for me.

[Soulsista]

Welcome back!

The next song leaving us has four Top 20s, five bottom 5s, and a perfect ranking.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Tags}jtd Thee Stallion B-Boy beyoncelover singingrulebritannia chanman khan rowellfarm490 aerodynamite SHOOTER American Idiot 🇯🇲 dollybaby 🇯🇲 willapted33 gonecountry BB🌕 wrip emerald Ivy Leegue™ dremolus - solarpunk 312999 Optical Apex wyckyd annoymous1 #LisaRinna samo🦕 mamooshka

[Soulsista]

45. Somebody For Me - Heavy D & The Boyz

Born in Jamaica, Dwight Myers (aka Heavy D) formed the group with DJ/producer Eddie F (Edward Ferrell) and dancers "Trouble" T. Roy (Troy Dixon) and G-Whiz (Glen Parrish). They were the first group signed to Andre Harrell's label Uptown. "Somebody For Me" was released from their 1989 sophomore album Big Tyme. It peaked at #8 on the soul chart and helped the album go platinum. Features vocals by Al B. Sure!


Points: 367
Average: 35.71
Standard Deviation: 11.102 (22nd highest)

#LisaRinna - 12
B-Boy - 16
beyoncelover - 20
Optical Apex - 20

Soulsista - 23
312999 - 24
🇯🇲 dollybaby 🇯🇲 - 25

willapted33 - 35
American Idiot - 37
dremolus - solarpunk - 38
chanman - 39
Ivy Leegue™ - 39
annoymous1 - 39
wyckyd - 40

emerald - 41
singingrulebritannia - 43
aerodynamite - 43
BB🌕 - 43
gonecountry - 45
jtd Thee Stallion - 46
rowellfarm490 - 46
wrip - 46
SHOOTER - 48
khan - 49

Observing
samo🦕
mamooshka


Someone will lose a Top 10 with the next reveal. Five others will shed a bottom 5.

[Soulsista]

44. King Tim III (Personality Jock) - The Fatback Band

Released in 1979, "King Tim III (Personality Jock)" is considered the first recorded hip hop single. With the rap done by Tim Washington, it peaked at #26 on the soul chart.


Points: 368
Average: 35.67
Standard Deviation: 10.294 (21st lowest)

Optical Apex - 8

khan - 17
aerodynamite - 20

wrip - 28
BB🌕 - 29

American Idiot - 32
B-Boy - 33
singingrulebritannia - 33
willapted33 - 33
312999 - 33
wyckyd - 34
rowellfarm490 - 37
annoymous1 - 38
gonecountry - 39
dremolus - solarpunk - 39
#LisaRinna - 39
jtd Thee Stallion - 40
SHOOTER - 40

emerald - 43
🇯🇲 dollybaby 🇯🇲 - 46
Soulsista - 47
Ivy Leegue™ - 48
beyoncelover - 50
chanman - 50

Observing
samo🦕
mamooshka


Our first Top 5 will go down with the next reveal. Four more will get rid of a bottom 5.

[Soulsista]

43. What People Do For Money - Divine Sounds

Formed in Brooklyn, Divine Sounds consisted of Disco Ritchie, Shelton D, and DJ Mike Music. Their biggest hit was "What People Do For Money", which peaked at #22 on the soul chart in 1984.


Points: 370
Average: 35.58
Standard Deviation: 12.991 (6th highest)

312999 - 5
#LisaRinna - 10

dremolus - solarpunk - 15
wyckyd - 17
annoymous1 - 17

Optical Apex - 28

beyoncelover - 32
khan - 36
BB🌕 - 36

singingrulebritannia - 41
rowellfarm490 - 41
aerodynamite - 41
gonecountry - 41
Soulsista - 42
American Idiot - 43
Ivy Leegue™ - 43
emerald - 44
jtd Thee Stallion - 45
chanman - 45
wrip - 45
B-Boy - 46
SHOOTER - 46
willapted33 - 47
🇯🇲 dollybaby 🇯🇲 - 48

Observing
samo🦕
mamooshka


Another Top 10 will be lost with the next reveal, along with four bottom 5s.

[Kelly's 10th Fan]

Dang, I was gone so long I even missed an extension. Following along anyway!

So far, Turn Off The Lights is the only song I'm disappointed to see leave this early, but even that probably wouldn't have ranked in the top half for me.

[Soulsista]

42. Roxanne's Revenge - Roxanne Shanté

Born Lolita Shanté Gooden, she got her big break in 1984 when, at the age of 14, DJ and producer Marley Marl recruited her to record an answer song to UTFO's "Roxanne, Roxanne". The result was "Roxanne's Revenge", the first answer song of The Roxanne Wars. It peaked at #22 on the soul chart and helped make Shanté one of the first female MCs.

Here's the original street version, which was recorded at Marley Marl's apartment in Queens.




Points: 374
Average: 35.42
Standard Deviation: 10.946 (23rd highest)

gonecountry - 10

khan - 16
Optical Apex - 17

Ivy Leegue™ - 25
jtd Thee Stallion - 26
beyoncelover - 26
Soulsista - 28
chanman - 28

SHOOTER - 34
B-Boy - 37
singingrulebritannia - 37
wrip - 39
aerodynamite - 40
American Idiot - 40

willapted33 - 41
rowellfarm490 - 42
emerald - 42
#LisaRinna - 43
312999 - 44
🇯🇲 dollybaby 🇯🇲 - 45
BB🌕 - 46
annoymous1 - 46
dremolus - solarpunk - 48
wyckyd - 50

Observing
samo🦕
mamooshka


The next reveal has the 4th lowest SD. Two top half rankings will be lost, taking with it three bottom 5s.

[Optical Apex]

The first hip-hop song ever already out? I wasn't expecting that, or Somebody for Me to be out this early. To be fair, King Tim III kinda feels more like a disco song than a rap song and may not have aged as well as Rappers Delight, but still. I'm still glad to see Roxanne's Revenge outlast the UTFO song. Also crazy is that Divine Sounds doesn't even have a Wikipedia page. My guess for #41? Maybe Request Line

[Soulsista]

41. New Jack Swing - Wreckx-N-Effect

Wreckx-N-Effect was formed in Harlem as Wrecks-N-Effect by Aqil Davidson, Brandon "B-Doggs" Mitchell, and Teddy Riley's brother Markell Riley. "New Jack Swing" was their first charted single, released in 1989 from their self-titled debut album. It topped the rap chart and peaked at #14 on the soul chart. Samples "Hector" by The Village Callers, "Tear The Roof Off The Sucker" by Parliament, and three songs by James Brown: "Funky Drummer", "Funky President", and "Soul Power".

B-Doggs was killed in a shootout in 1990, and the name of the group was changed to Wreckx-N-Effect in his honor.


Points: 377
Average: 35.29
Standard Deviation: 7.292 (4th lowest)

khan - 23
BB🌕 - 25
jtd Thee Stallion - 27
wyckyd - 28
dremolus - solarpunk - 29
annoymous1 - 29
aerodynamite - 30
gonecountry - 30
wrip - 30

rowellfarm490 - 34
willapted33 - 34
Optical Apex - 34
beyoncelover - 35
singingrulebritannia - 36
SHOOTER - 36
#LisaRinna - 36
emerald - 39

American Idiot - 41
chanman - 42
B-Boy - 43
🇯🇲 dollybaby 🇯🇲 - 43
Soulsista - 46
312999 - 48
Ivy Leegue™ - 49

Observing
samo🦕
mamooshka
Kelly's 10th Fan

[Soulsista]

The remaining 40 songs:

2 Live Crew - Me So Horny
Afrika Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic Force - Planet Rock
Audio Two - Top Billin'
Big Daddy Kane - Ain't No Half Steppin'
Biz Markie - Just a Friend
Boogie Down Productions - The Bridge Is Over
De La Soul - Me Myself & I
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - Parents Just Don't Understand
The D.O.C. - It's Funky Enough
Doug E. Fresh & The Get Fresh Crew - The Show
Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde - Genius Rap
EPMD - You Gots To Chill
Eric B. & Rakim - I Ain't No Joke
Funky 4 + 1 - That's The Joint
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - The Message
Ice-T - Colors
J.J. Fad - Supersonic
Kid N' Play - Rollin' With Kid N' Play
Kool Moe Dee - How Ya Like Me Now
Kurtis Blow - The Breaks
LL Cool J - I'm Bad
MC Lyte - Paper Thin
N.W.A - Straight Outta Compton
Public Enemy - Fight The Power
Queen Latifah feat. Monie Love - Ladies First
Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock - It Takes Two
Rock Master Scott & The Dynamic Three - Request Line
Run-DMC - King Of Rock
Salt-N-Pepa - Push It
The Sequence - Funk You Up
Slick Rick - Children's Story
Special Ed - I Got It Made
Stetsasonic - Talkin' All That Jazz
Stop The Violence Movement - Self Destruction
The Sugarhill Gang - Rapper's Delight
Tone Loc - Wild Thing
The Treacherous Three - The Body Rock
Whodini - Friends
The World's Famous Supreme Team - Hey DJ
Young MC - Bust a Move


Five more will be revealed tomorrow!

SPOILER: Click to show

{Tags}jtd Thee Stallion B-Boy beyoncelover singingrulebritannia chanman khan rowellfarm490 aerodynamite SHOOTER American Idiot 🇯🇲 dollybaby 🇯🇲 willapted33 gonecountry BB🌕 wrip emerald Ivy Leegue™ dremolus - solarpunk 312999 Optical Apex wyckyd annoymous1 #LisaRinna samo🦕 mamooshka Kelly's 10th Fan

[312999]

I don’t think I expected What People Do For Money to be out so early, dang. But yay at Me So Horny surprisingly escaping the bottom 10. Although at this point, maybe it isn’t unexpected after all.

[dremolus - solarpunk]

Okay but seriously Mr So Horny needs to go. Also What People Do For Me was robbed. A bit long yeah but that hook is really powerful. New Style was also a lot of fun though I get why people don't care for Beastie Boys' style

[khan]

The Roxanne songs led me to the Wikipedia page for the Roxanne Wars and that's the best thing I got out of this rankdown tbh. Such an interesting story!

[Ivy Leegue™]

People that hate Me So Horny hate hip-hop.

[Soulsista]

Welcome back!

The next reveal has three Top 20s, eight bottom 10s, and two perfect rankings.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Tags}jtd Thee Stallion B-Boy beyoncelover singingrulebritannia chanman khan rowellfarm490 aerodynamite SHOOTER American Idiot 🇯🇲 dollybaby 🇯🇲 willapted33 gonecountry BB🌕 wrip emerald Ivy Leegue™ dremolus - solarpunk 312999 Optical Apex wyckyd annoymous1 #LisaRinna samo🦕 mamooshka Kelly's 10th Fan

[Soulsista]

40. Rollin' With Kid N' Play - Kid N' Play

Formed in NYC, the duo of Christopher "Kid" Reid and Christopher "Play" Martin were originally known as The Fresh Force Crew. "Rollin With Kid N' Play" was the biggest hit from their debut album 2 Hype. It peaked at #2 on the rap chart and #11 on the soul chart in 1989. Samples Ripple's 1973 song "I Don't Know What It Is But It Sure Is Funky".


Points: 381
Average: 35.13
Standard Deviation: 10.364 (25th lowest)

B-Boy - 13
beyoncelover - 15
jtd Thee Stallion - 16

annoymous1 - 25
dremolus - solarpunk - 26
🇯🇲 dollybaby 🇯🇲 - 27
gonecountry - 28
312999 - 29

chanman - 36
Ivy Leegue™ - 37
American Idiot - 38
wrip - 38
aerodynamite - 39
wyckyd - 39
Soulsista - 40
Optical Apex - 40

#LisaRinna - 41
SHOOTER - 42
willapted33 - 43
singingrulebritannia - 44
khan - 45
emerald - 46
rowellfarm490 - 47
BB🌕 - 49

Observing
samo🦕
mamooshka
Kelly's 10th Fan


The next reveal has the highest SD. Three Top 10s will be lost, along with eleven bottom 5s.

[SHOOTER]

They never did much for me as a rap duo.

[Soulsista]

39. Me So Horny - 2 Live Crew

Formed in Miami, 2 Live Crew consisted of Luke Campbell, Fresh Kid Ice (Christopher Wong Won), Mr. Mixx (David Hobbs), and Brother Marquis (Mark Ross). They're best known for recording one of the most controversial songs in music history, "Me So Horny". Released in 1989 from the album As Nasty As They Wanna Be, the lyrics led to the group being charged with obscenity and the album being banned in Florida, which was later overturned on appeal. Fueled largely by sales, the song topped the rap chart and peaked at #34 on the soul chart and #26 on the Hot 100. It also topped the charts in The Netherlands and helped As Nasty As They Wanna Be go platinum.

"Me So Horny" was built on a sample of Mass Production's 1979 song "Firecracker", and also uses samples from two movies: Which Way Is Up? and Full Metal Jacket.


Points: 391
Average: 34.71
Standard Deviation: 16.265 (Highest)

chanman - 3
gonecountry - 7
312999 - 8

#LisaRinna - 15
Ivy Leegue™ - 18
beyoncelover - 19

B-Boy - 22
SHOOTER - 24
wyckyd - 24

🇯🇲 dollybaby 🇯🇲 - 37
khan - 38
willapted33 - 39

singingrulebritannia - 42
aerodynamite - 47
wrip - 47
Soulsista - 48
BB🌕 - 48
Optical Apex - 48
American Idiot - 49
jtd Thee Stallion - 50
rowellfarm490 - 50
emerald - 50
dremolus - solarpunk - 50
annoymous1 - 50

Observing
samo🦕
mamooshka
Kelly's 10th Fan


The next two songs are tied. The one leaving us now has five Top 20s and six bottom 10s.

[SHOOTER]

JAM!

[dremolus - solarpunk]

Yknow I really appreciate what 2 Live Crew have done for music censorship and artist free speech and that's all applaud worthy.

Song is still disgusting but I still commend their impact.