The Best Hip Hop Music from the 2000s

In this blog, we’ll be taking a look at some of the best hip hop music from the 2000s. We’ll be discussing a variety of artists and albums, so if you’re a fan of hip hop, this is the blog for you!

The Best Hip Hop Songs of the 2000s

The 2000s were a great decade for hip hop music. There were a lot of different styles and sounds that came out of the 2000s. In this article, we will be discussing the best hip hop songs of the 2000s.

Jay-Z – “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)” (1998)

“Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)” is a song performed by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released on September 29, 1998, as the lead single from his third studio album Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life. The song samples “It’s a Hard Knock Life”, a song from the 1977 musical Annie, and features a children’s choir. It reached number fifteen on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number two on the UK Singles Chart.

Outkast – “Ms. Jackson” (2000)

“Ms. Jackson” is a song by American hip hop duo Outkast. It was released on October 3, 2000, as the second single from their fourth studio album, Stankonia. The song’s title refers to Erykah Badu’s mother, Katherine Jackson. It peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks from December 23, 2000, and remains the duo’s only Billboard pop charts number one hit to date.

Eminem – “Lose Yourself” (2002)

“Lose Yourself” is a song by American rapper Eminem from the soundtrack to the 2002 motion picture 8 Mile. The song was written by Eminem and produced by Eminem along with Jeff Bass and Luis Resto. It features bass guitar and piano in its instrumentation and is performed in the key of F♯ minor. “Lose Yourself” received critical acclaim, with many critics calling it Eminem’s best work, as well as one of the best hip-hop songs of all time. The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, making Eminem the first and only rapper to receive this award.

50 Cent – “In Da Club” (2003)

One of the most iconic Hip Hop songs of the early 2000s, “In Da Club” was 50 Cent’s breakout hit. It shot to the top of the charts and helped launch his career as a mainstream rap superstar. The song’s simple, yet catchy hook and bass-heavy beat make it an instant classic, and it’s still a mainstay on Hip Hop radio stations today.

Kanye West – “Jesus Walks” (2004)

“Jesus Walks” is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West. It was released on May 25, 2004 as the fourth single from his debut album, The College Dropout. The song contains a re-recorded sample of “Walk with Me” as performed by the ARC Choir. And features Mase rapping the second verse. Throughout the song, the production incorporates bhangra elements while remaining largely within a hip hop framework.

Thematically, “Jesus Walks” perhaps best represents Kanye West’s artistic mission statement: to infuse elements of gospel and faith into mainstream hip-hop music. Upon its release, “Jesus Walks” was met with both critical and commercial acclaim, with many lauding its innovative sound and theme. It was also a commercial success, peaking at number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and eventually being certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

The Best Hip Hop Albums of the 2000s

The 2000s were a great decade for hip hop music. Many iconic albums were released during this time. In this heading, we will countdown the best hip hop albums of the 2000s.

Jay-Z – The Blueprint (2001)

The Blueprint is the sixth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released on September 11, 2001, by Roc-A-Fella Records in the United States. Its release was set a week earlier than initially planned in order to combat bootlegging. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2001 at New York City’s Hit Factory Studios and Baseline Studios. The album is particularly notable for featuring artist such as Eminem, Nas, and Beyoncé on some of its tracks.

The blueprint received favorable reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, it received an average score of 87, based on 19 reviews. Reviewers praised Jay-Z’s lyricism and production choices. In December 2009, Rolling Stone ranked The Blueprint number297 on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Outkast – Stankonia (2000)

Released in 2000, Outkast’s fourth album Stankonia is often seen as a watershed moment in hip hop, helping to broaden the genre’s popularity and appeal. The album is a sonic and stylistic tour de force, boasting inventive production, sharp and witty lyrics, and unforgettable tracks like “Ms. Jackson” and “B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)”. Stankonia remains an essential piece of 2000s hip hop, and one of the best albums of the decade.

Eminem – The Eminem Show (2002)

The Best Hip Hop Albums of the 2000s

The Eminem Show is the fourth studio album by American rapper Eminem, released on May 26, 2002 by Aftermath Entertainment, Shady Records, and Interscope Records. The album features production from Dr. Dre, Eminem himself, and The 45 King, among others. The album was certified triple-platinum in the United States and sold 1.322 million copies in its first week, breaking US records for album sales at the time. It was Eminems third consecutive album to top the Billboard 200, and has since been hailed as one of his best albums by critics.

50 Cent – Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (2003)

50 Cent’s debut album was the perfect storm of bulletproof beats and magnetic raps. It made him an instant superstar and a pop culture icon, and changed the sound of radio forever.

Kanye West – The College Dropout (2004)

Kanye West’s debut album The College Dropout was released in 2004 to critical and commercial success. The album featured singles “All Falls Down” and “Slow Jamz” and the album’s success helped to launch West’s career.

The Best Hip Hop Artists of the 2000s

In the 2000s, we saw the rise of some of the most iconic hip hop artists of all time. From 50 Cent to Kanye West, the 2000s was a decade that saw the genre of hip hop explode in popularity. In this article, we’re going to countdown the best hip hop artists of the 2000s.

Jay-Z

Jay-Z is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. He is one of the best-selling musicians of all time, having sold more than 100 million records, while receiving 21 Grammy Awards for his work. He is married to American superstar Beyoncé. Jay-Z’s releases include Reasonable Doubt (1996), Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life (1998), The Blueprint (2001), The Black Album (2003), American Gangster (2007), Magna Carta Holy Grail (2013), and 4:44 (2017).

Outkast

Outkast is an American hip hop duo from Atlanta, Georgia, consisting of rappers André 3000 and Big Boi. Active from 1991 to 2006, they are often cited as among the most successful hip hop groups of all time. Outkast’s debut album, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, was released in 1994 to critical acclaim. The album steadily gained popularity over the next two years due to their hit singles “Player’s Ball” and “Elevators (Me & You)”. Their second album, ATLiens, was released in 1996 and reached platinum status thanks to the success of the singles “Elevators”, “ATLiens”, and “Jazzy Belle”. Outkast’s third album, Aquemini, was released in 1998 and was another commercial and critical success; it sold over two million copies and was certified diamond by the RIAA. The album’s popularity was reinforced by the singles “Rosa Parks” and “Skew It on the Bar-B”.

Eminem

One of the most commercially successful hip hop artists of all time, Eminem has had 10 number-one albums on the Billboard 200. He has sold more than 172 million albums, making him one of the world’s best-selling artists of all time. In addition to his solo work, he is a member of D12 and (with Royce da 5’9″) half of Bad Meets Evil.

50 Cent

50 Cent was one of the most popular and influential hip hop artists of the early 2000s. He rose to fame with his debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’, which was released in 2003. The album sold over 10 million copies and was certified diamond by the RIAA. 50 Cent’s second album, The Massacre, was released in 2005 and sold over 5 million copies. He has since released several more albums, including 2015’s Animal Ambition and 2016’s Street King Immortal. 50 Cent is also a successful businessman, with ventures in fashion, headphones, and boxing promotion.

Kanye West

Kanye West is one of the most influential hip hop artists of the 2000s. He first gained recognition for his production work on Jay-Z’s album The Blueprint, and later for his own solo albums, The College Dropout and Late Registration. West has since released a total of eight studio albums, includingWatch the Throne, a collaborative album with Jay-Z. He has also been involved in a number of fashion businesses, most notably as the creative director for Adidas’s Yeezy line of footwear and apparel.