The Best Hip Hop Songs of the 80s

A look at the best hip hop songs of the 80s, including hits from Run DMC, Public Enemy, and N.W.A.

Introduction

The 80s was a golden era for hip hop, and many of the songs from that decade are still considered classics today. In this guide, we’ll count down the best hip hop songs of the 80s, starting with number 10 and working our way up to the greatest song of the era.

N.W.A. – Straight Outta Compton

In 1988, N.W.A. released Straight Outta Compton, which many consider the first gangsta rap album. The album was a huge success, despite its controversial nature. It featured explicit lyrics that talked about life in the ghetto, drugs, violence, and sex. The album caused a lot of controversy, but it also started a new genre of music.

Public Enemy – It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back

Public Enemy’s second album is not only one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time, it’s also one of the most important. It was an unapologetic call to arms, a album that took on the establishment with an unbridled fury. It’s still as relevant today as it was when it was released in 1988.

Boogie Down Productions – Criminal Minded

With the release of their debut album Criminal Minded in 1987, Boogie Down Productions ushered in a new era of hip hop. The album was a critical and commercial success, cementing the group’s place as one of the most important hip hop acts of the 1980s. The album’s gritty, streetwise vibe set it apart from the more light-hearted party rap that was prevalent at the time, and its hardcore aesthetic would go on to influence many subsequent artists. Boogie Down Productions’ music is as relevant today as it was when it first came out, and “Criminal Minded” is one of the most essential hip hop tracks of all time.

Eric B. & Rakim – Paid in Full

“Paid in Full” is a song by American hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim. It was released on July 7, 1987, as the lead single from their debut album Paid in Full. The song’s producers, Marley Marl and Mister Cee, sampled the Nina Simone song “Sinnerman” for its hook, and built the track around a sample of the Bruton Music Library track “The Edge” by David Snell. The song features Rakim’s rhyming style of inner-city streetwise epiphany.

EPMD – Strictly Business

Released in 1988, EPMD’s debut album Strictly Business is often credited with laying the foundations for East Coast hip hop, and is considered one of the most influential albums in the genre. The album’s simple, minimal beats and rhymes were a far cry from the extravagance of West Coast rap, and would go on to influence a whole generation of East Coast artists.

Run-D.M.C. – Raising Hell

Run-D.M.C.’s third album, Raising Hell, is widely considered one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time. The 1986 release features the group’s biggest hit, “Walk This Way,” which helped break down barriers between rock and hip-hop. Other standout tracks on the album include “My Adidas,” “It’s Tricky,” and “Peter Piper.”

Beastie Boys – Licensed to Ill

One of the most iconic Hip Hop albums of all time, “Licensed to Ill” by the Beastie Boys, was released in 1986. The album features classic tracks such as “No Sleep till Brooklyn” and “Fight for Your Right to Party”.

LL Cool J – Radio

LL Cool J – “Radio”
One of the earliest and most influential hip hop songs, LL Cool J’s “Radio” was released in 1985. It showcased the new style of rap that would come to dominate the genre, with its focus on rhyming and wordplay. The song was a huge hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop chart. It has since been included on numerous best-of lists and is considered one of the greatest hip hop songs of all time.

Slick Rick – The Great Adventures of Slick Rick

Slick Rick, born Ricky Walters, is a British-born American rapper. He began his career in the rap group Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew and went on to release a number of solo albums that achieved critical and commercial success. “The Great Adventures of Slick Rick” is his most famous album, and its title track is widely considered to be one of the greatest hip hop songs of all time.