2008 Hip Hop Music: The Year in Review

2008 was a big year for Hip Hop music. Here’s a look at some of the biggest hits and biggest moments of the year.

Introduction

In 2008, Lil Wayne had the top selling album with Tha Carter III and Kanye West had the most successful single with “Stronger.” T-Pain was featured on more songs than any other artist, while newcomer Flo Rida scored the biggest hit of the year with “Low.” Hip hop music continued to be popular in 2008, with sales once again exceeding $1 billion. Here is a look at some of the biggest stories from the world of hip hop in 2008.

Best Albums of 2008

It was a great year for hip hop music, with a lot of great albums being released. Here are some of the best albums of 2008.

Lil Wayne- Tha Carter III

After years of anticipation, Lil Wayne finally released his long-awaited album Tha Carter III in 2008–and it did not disappoint. The album sold more than one million copies in its first week, making it one of the biggest releases of the year. It also won Wayne a Grammy for Best Rap Album, cementing his place as one of the best artists in the genre.

T.I.- Paper Trail

Paper Trail is the sixth studio album by American hip hop recording artist T.I., released September 30, 2008, on Grand Hustle Records and Atlantic Records. He began to write songs for the album after he was released from jail on weapons charges in mid-2007. Instead of combining music with politics like his previous album, T.I. decided he wanted the album to be more personal because he felt that he calculated much of his previous albums. The album featured guest appearances from several artists including Kanye West, Justin Timberlake, Lil Wayne, Common, Swizz Beatz and Robin Thicke; Paper Trail peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 chart upon its release though despite positive reviews from critics, the album was considered a commercial disappointment due to its significant drop in sales after its first week of release compared to his previous albums, which all debuted with high sales figures on their first week of release.

Jay-Z- American Gangster

American Gangster is the tenth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released on November 6, 2007, by Roc-A-Fella Records. It was recorded as a concept album—inspired by the 2007 film American Gangster—and features many references to the film. The album features production from Diddy & The Hitmen, Just Blaze, Jermaine Dupri, The Neptunes, Rick Rubin and will.i.am. Guest appearances include Beanie Sigel, Nas & Rakim among others. The first single for the album—”Blue Magic”, produced by The Neptunes—was released on September 20 and peaked at #47 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[1] upon its release, American Gangster received universal acclaim from music critics; it holds a Metacritic score of 91 out of 100 based on 28 reviews.[2]

Jay-Z had originally planned to release his ninth studio album The Black Album in 2003 but when finalized it was postponed because he believed that he could top it with one more effective hip hop album. After Def Jam purchased Roc-A-Fella pursuant to Jay-Z’s retirement announcement in early 2004,[3] American Gangster was conceived as his comeback album after a three year hiatus since The Black Album.[4][5][6] He began recording the album in 2005 and employed a “quasi-methodical songwriting process” that involved creating songs based upon real life experiences he deemed reflective of 1970s “Gangsterism”.[7][8]

American Gangster was made available for digital download on November 6; however, Def Jam opted against releasing promotional copies to reviewers in advance of its release date[9], instead sending out shipping notifications to select media outlets such as HipHopDX and XXLMag.com informing them copies of the album had been sent via FedEx overnight delivery.[10] Def Jam Recordings issued a statement on October 30 confirming the leak; however did not denounce nor support it because “it helps G Unit.”[11] In an interview with Blender magazine upon its leak, Jay-Z called American Gangster one of his best albums saying: “It’s going all over the place … This ain’t no fucking trunk music”.[12][13]

Best Songs of 2008

2008 was an excellent year for hip hop music. There were many great songs that were released this year. In this article, we will be discussing the best songs of 2008. This list is based on our opinion and is not meant to be a definitive list.

Lil Wayne- “A Milli”

Lil Wayne’s “A Milli” was one of the most popular songs of 2008. The song, which was released in February, quickly rose to the top of the charts and became one of the most played songs on radio. “A Milli” helped to cement Lil Wayne’s position as one of the most popular rappers in the world and also helped to boost the sales of his album, Tha Carter III.

T.I. ft. Rihanna- “Live Your Life”

This was the lead single from Paper Trail, and it became one of T.I.’s most successful songs. It peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and it won a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Performance. The song is about living life to the fullest and enjoying the moment.

Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys- “Empire State of Mind”

“Empire State of Mind” is a song performed by American rapper Jay-Z, with vocals by American singer Alicia Keys, from Jay-Z’s 11th studio album, The Blueprint 3 (2009). Produced by Al Shux, the song was released as the lead single from the album on September 8, 2009. “Empire State of Mind” peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, becoming Jay-Z’s fourth number-one single on the chart and Alicia Keys’ second. It spent five weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of 2010’s biggest hits. The song topped several Billboard charts including the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs for eight consecutive weeks.

The single has been certified quintuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and sold more than five million copies in the United States. In June 2014, Rolling Stone ranked “Empire State of Mind” 34th on its list of the “100 Greatest Songs of All Time”, which also featured Alicia Keys’ “Fallin'” at number 60. The song popularized the phrase “I’m from New York”, which itself has been used in songs by Busta Rhymes, Nas and Ja Rule; a documentary about hip hop music in New York City titled I’m From New York premiered in September 2009; and Empire State of Mind was used as an unofficial anthem for then Democratic candidate for Governor David Paterson during his 2010 run for office—the chorus is played whenever Paterson makes public appearances around New York City

Conclusion

In 2008, hip hop music continued to grow in popularity and influence all around the world. This was due in part to the success of mainstream artists like Kanye West, Lil Wayne, and T.I., but also to the growing popularity of underground and independent artists. 2008 was a great year for hip hop music, and it looks like 2009 is shaping up to be even better.