The Best Hip Hop Songs of 1980

Check out our list of the best hip hop songs of 1980. From old school to contemporary, these tracks represent the best of the genre.

Introduction

The hip hop genre has its roots in the late 1970s, when disco-influenced artists like Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa began to mix rap with other music styles. In the 1980s, hip hop became a mainstream force, with artists like Run-DMC, the Beastie Boys, and Public Enemy dominating the charts.

1980 is often considered to be the year when hip hop truly came into its own, with a number of classic songs and albums being released. Here are some of the best hip hop tracks of 1980.

Best Hip Hop Songs of 1980

In 1980, the sugar hill gang released “rapper’s delight,” which is widely considered to be the first hip hop song ever recorded. It was followed closely by grandmaster flash and the furious five’s “the message,” a song that painted a picture of life in the inner city and ushered in a new era of socially conscious rap music. Rap music continued to evolve throughout the 1980s, with artists like run dmc, public enemy, and N.W.A. pushing the genre in new and exciting directions. Here are 10 of the best hip hop songs of the 1980s.

1) “Rapper’s Delight” – Sugar Hill Gang
2) “The Message” – Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
3) “Walk This Way” – Run DMC feat. Aerosmith
4) “Fight the Power” – Public Enemy
5) “Straight Outta Compton” – N.W.A.
6) “Parents Just Don’t Understand” – DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince
7) “La Di Da Di” – Slick Rick
8) “The Breaks” – Kurtis Blow
9) “No Sleep till Brooklyn” – Beastie Boys
10) “Express Yourself” – Naughty by Nature

The History of Hip Hop

Hip hop music first emerged in the United States in the 1970s, when DJs began playing rhythmic tracks on the stage at block parties and other events. By the 1980s, hip hop had become a mainstream genre, with artists such as Run-DMC, Public Enemy, and N.W.A. gaining popularity both in the U.S. and internationally. In the 1990s and 2000s, hip hop continued to evolve, with artists such as Jay-Z, Eminem, and Outkast achieving commercial success. Today, hip hop is one of the most popular genres of music in the world.

The Culture of Hip Hop

The culture of hip hop is often associated with rap music, but it actually encompasses a wide range of musical genres, fashion styles, artistic expressions, and social movements. Hip hop began in the 1970s in the Bronx, New York City, as a way for African American and Latino youth to express themselves. By the 1980s, hip hop had become a global phenomenon, with artists like Run DMC, Salt-N-Pepa, and Public Enemy becoming household names. In the 1990s and 2000s, hip hop continued to evolve, with artists like Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. becoming legends in the genre. Today, hip hop is one of the most popular music genres in the world, with artists like Kendrick Lamar and Cardi B topping charts around the globe.

The Music of Hip Hop

In the 1980s, Hip Hop music began to emerge as a genre with its own distinctive sound and style. Rap, the musical element of Hip Hop, consists of rhyming lyrics spoken or chanted over a rhythmical backing track. This backing track is typically created using sampling – taking a section or “sample” of an existing piece of music and incorporating it into a new composition. DJs also play an important role in Hip Hop music, using turntables to create new sounds and rhythms by scratchng records or playing them backwards.

The Business of Hip Hop

In 1980, Hip Hop was still a relatively new genre and was just beginning to enter the mainstream. That year saw the release of some of the first commercially successful Hip Hop songs, as well as the rise of some of the earliest Hip Hop stars.

While Hip Hop would go on to become one of the most popular and successful genres of music, in 1980 it was still very much in its infancy. This was reflected in both the quality and quantity of Hip Hop music being released at that time. Nevertheless, there were a number of stand-out tracks that would help to define the genre and pave the way for its future success.

Here are 10 of the best Hip Hop songs from 1980:

1) “Rapper’s Delight” by The Sugarhill Gang
2) “The Breaks” by Kurtis Blow
3) “Funkytown” by Lipps Inc.
4) “Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen
5) “The Big Payback” by James Brown
6) “Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine” by James Brown
7) “Atomic Dog” by George Clinton
8) “(Not Just) Knee Deep” by Funkadelic
9) “I Know You Got Soul” by Eric B. & Rakim
10) “Fight The Power” by Public Enemy

The Future of Hip Hop

While the 1970s saw the rise of disco, funk, and rock music, the 1980s is when hip hop began to take form. This decade is when we saw the release of classic tracks like Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” and Kurtis Blow’s “The Breaks”. These songs would help lay the foundations for what would become one of the most popular genres of music in the world.

However, it wasn’t until the late 1980s and early 1990s that hip hop would truly come into its own. This is when we saw the rise of artists like Tupac Shakur, Biggie Smalls, and Dr. Dre who would help take the genre to new levels of popularity. From gangsta rap to conscious rap, these artists helped to define an entire generation of music.

As we move into the 2020s, it’s difficult to say where hip hop will go next. Will we see a return to the more conscious lyrics of the 1990s? Or will we see a continued focus on trap music? Only time will tell. However, one thing is for sure: hip hop has come a long way since its humble beginnings in the 1980s.

The Best Hip Hop Songs of the 80s

When it comes to hip hop, the 80s was a golden era. This was the decade that saw the genre explode in popularity, with artists like Run DMC, Public Enemy, and N.W.A leading the way.

And while there are too many great 80s hip hop songs to list them all here, we’ve put together a compilation of some of the best. From classic tracks like “Rapper’s Delight” and “Walk This Way” to more modern classics like “Straight Outta Compton” and “Fight the Power,” these are the songs that defined a decade.

The Worst Hip Hop Songs of the 80s

In the 1980s, hip hop music first achieved commercial success with songs like “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugarhill Gang and “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. But not every song that came out of the decade was a hit. In fact, some of them were downright terrible. Here are ten of the worst hip hop songs of the 1980s.

1. “Party All the Time” by Rick James
2. “MMMBop” by Hanson
3. “Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice
4. “Gangsta’s Paradise” by Coolio
5. “Baby Got Back” by Sir Mix-a-Lot
6. “Jump” by Kris Kross
7. “In Da Club” by 50 Cent
8. “My Humps” by The Black Eyed Peas
9. “Crank That (Soulja Boy)” by Soulja Boy Tellem
10. “Laffy Taffy” by D4L

Conclusion

In conclusion, the best hip hop songs of 1980 were:
-Rapper’s Delight by The Sugarhill Gang
-The Breaks by Kurtis Blow
-Funkytown by Lipps Inc.
-The Message by Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five