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Old School Hip Hop
DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa. -
Sugar Hill Records founded
Joe and Sylvia Robinson founded "Sugar Hill Records" in 1979 which would later release tracks such as "Rapper's Delight" -
"Rapper's Delight"
The Sugerhill Gang released "Rapper's Deligt".
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcCK99wHrk0 -
"The Message"
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five released "The Message" in 1982.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4o8TeqKhgY -
Def Jam Records founded
Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons founded Def Jam Records which later would release it's first single "I Need a Beat" by rapper LL Cool J
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVkaN--0ld0 -
Golden Age of Hip Hop
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"A Tribe Called Quest"
The rap group "A Tribe Called Quest" is formed -
Parental Adivsory
The Recording Industry Association of America got introduced in 1985. -
N.W.A (Niggaz Wit Attitudes)
The legendary rap group N.W.A, short for Niggaz Wit Attitude, became to be in the year 1986 and consisted of members; Arabian Prince, MC Ren, Ice Cube, Easy-E, DJ Yella and Dr. Dre.
Mange of these being profound figures in rap to this day. -
"Walk This Way"
Run-DMC released the song "Walk This Way" together with rockband Aerosmith.
First hip hop track to Top 5 pop single and resulted in massive airplay on MTV.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B_UYYPb-Gk -
"Proud to be Black" - "Raising Hell"
Run-DMC released the album "Raising Hell" with the final "Proud to be Black". Being a voice for the black communities, Run-DMC express how they are proud to be black. -
"Licensed to Ill"
The Beastie Boys released their debut album "License to Ill"
A parody of this album cover was also used by popular rapper "Eminem" on one of the worst albums of this year: "Kamikaze". -
"2Pacalypse Now"
Legendary West Coast rapper Tupac Shakur released his debutalbum "2Pacaplyse Now". -
Mainstream Hip Hop
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"Ready to Die"
Legendary rapper The Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or just Biggie, released his debut album "Ready to Die" in 1994. -
Tupac gets shot
Tupac Shakur gets shot during a drive by shooting the night of September 7th 1996. He later dies while in intensive-care, due to his internal bleedings. -
The Notorious B.I.G. dies
In march 1997, The Notorious B.I.G. got shot and killed in a drive by shooting in Los Angeles, California. -
"Life After Death"
The Notorious B.I.G. released his sophomore album "Life After Death" in 1997. -
"The Slim Shady LP"
Ground breaking white rapper Marshall Mathers aka Eminem released his second album, produced by Dr. Dre, in 1999. His mix of Hip hop and horrorcore would greatly influence the sound of the new generation of rap music. This became his first commercially successful album. -
New Millennium Rap
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"Stan"
Eminem released the third single "Stan" from his third album "The Marshall Mathers LP" in late 2000. The song has been called one of Eminem's greatest, and Rolling Stones Magazine has ranked it #296 on their list of the 500 best songs of all time. -
"Lose Yourself" wins an Academy Award
Eminem's hit single "Lose Yourself" from the movie "8 Mile" became the first rap song to win an Academy Award. -
"The College Dropout"
Entrepreneur, fashion icon, designer, rapper, producer, and media personality Kanye West released his debut album "The College Dropout" in 2004. The album became a critical and commercial success, while differing greatly from the gangsta rap that was widely popular at the time. -
"808's & Heartbreak"
Kanye West released his 4th studio album in 2008. It was his first album to not be a part of his "College" series. The minimalistic electropop would go on to influence artists to this day. -
"To Pimp A Butterfly"
Lyrical and political rapper Kendrick Lamar released his famous and arguably best album "To Pimp A Butterfly" in 2015. Depicting politcal themes such as racism and culture, Kendrick Lamar has become a new prominent voice for the black minority in America.
