This may come as a surprise, but ‘Hip Hop’ and along with it, rap, is actually one of the newer genres of music — having only been around since the 70s.
But despite being somewhat of a newbie on the music scene, hip hop has managed to transcend the popularity of most other genres which has led to what is now referred to as, “The Golden Age of Hip Hop.”
Or, as we like to call it, the 80s!
Rap artists such as NWA, Dr. Dre, and Run DMC are only a few examples of rappers who played a key role in leading America to possibly the biggest cultural shift in music history.
From relatable expressions and indisputable truths to bright, funky clothes and killer hairstyles, 80s rappers built AND opened a whole new door in the music world. One full of opportunity, culture, style, swagger, and flair.
In fact, it undoubtedly changed the entire game for American musical culture as we know it today.
With that in mind, we’ve decided to pay a bit of homage to the top rappers of the 1980s. Put on some headphones or fire up that dusty boombox in your dad’s garage and let’s take a walk down memory lane, shall we?
DISCLAIMER: After a few rap battles in the office, and some heated debates on who should be #1, we decided that we wouldn’t actually RANK the rappers in any particular order. Each deserves to be on this list for their own achievements and contributions.
We’ll leave it up to personal preference as to who rightly reigns supreme for this era in rap history …
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
If you think you’ve never heard of DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, then you’re wrong. This rap duo is straight out of West Philadelphia, born and raised, and on the playground is where they spent most of their days.
Sound familiar? Philly’s own Will Smith and DJ Jeff Townes came together and created one of the most well-known rap duos in history. Their hit songs “Summertime” and “Parents Just Don’t Understand” captured the attention of the younger generations, earning each of them their very first Grammy award. As their music skyrocketed through the charts, the duo wrote and produced the theme song to the beloved TV show, “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” which remains one of the most well-known songs ever written, even today! Audiences and fans embraced the upbeat vibes of their whimsical yet relatable lyrics over one-of-a-kind beats that, for the first time, were welcomed and adored by all.
The Sugarhill Gang
Moving on to hip hop trios is a New Jersey-based group called The Sugarhill Gang. If you aren’t quite brushed up on the culture of 80s hip hop, then The Sugarhill Gang is a great place to start. Their famous song, “Rapper’s Delight,” became the very first rap song in history to land a spot in the top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1979. Talk about a game-changer! Although this was their only single in America, “Rapper’s Delight” remained one of the top 40 hits through 1980, and was considered a breakthrough in musical history. And it’s a good thing they did — where would our favorite rappers be today without the musical breakthrough of The Sugarhill Gang?
Not only that, but thanks to the hype of Will Smith and Alfonso Ribeiro in Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, their next song entitled “Apache” became another hip-hop success. You may even remember the internationally known dance that goes with the song “Apache,” much like how the electric slide goes with the song of the same name. The Sugarhill Gang picked up a massive following in Europe and finished their last reunion world tour in 2006.
Salt ‘N Pepa
From Queens, New York comes yet another game-changing group called Salt ‘N Pepa. Known for being the First Ladies of hip hop and rap, Salt ‘N Pepa busted through the doors of hip hop, breaking several musical records in the music industry as a whole. That’s what I call girl power! The group name Salt ‘N Pepa is a bit deceiving as the group consisted of not two, but three extraordinarily talented ladies: Cheryl James (Salt), Sandra Denton (Pepa), and Deidra Roper (DJ Spinderella).
These superstars exceeded the limits of rap and hip hop and also received countless Grammy nominations for R&B and Soul music as well as several awards and recognitions for dancing. They were also recognized for being one of the best female rap acts, and because of their famous songs “Shoop,” “Push it,” and “Let’s Talk About Sex,” they are still seen as the best!
Dr. Dre
Born Andre Romelle Young, Feb 18, 1965, you know this man as Dr. Dre. He might not have an MD, but he has a Ph.D. in hip hop, topping the charts for decades and ranking as one of the industry’s most influential rappers and business moguls.
A businessman, entrepreneur, audio engineer, record producer, and yes, most notably, one of the best American rappers of all time, Dr. Dre is as talented as he is noteworthy.
Former co-founder and co-owner of the notorious Death Row Records, Dr. Dre went on to become the CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and later Beats Electronics, and is known as ‘the richest man in hip hop.”
But it is his career in the middle that earned him a spot on this 1980s top rappers list. His storied career began as a member of World Class Wreckin’ Cru in 1985, later going on to join the now infamous NWA rap group. In the 1990s Dre earned credit for his role in popularizing West Coast G-Funk.
He worked as a producer for his groups, then himself and also other artists and rappers such as Snoop Dogg, 2Pac, Mary J. Blige, and Eminem. Young was featured in several movies and produced a couple himself. In 2008, he released his brand of headphones called Beats by Dr. Dre and was eventually bought out by Apple for $3 billion. In addition to his countless contributions to the music industry, he has also donated millions of dollars to schools including Compton High School, which is near the area he grew up in.
Sir Mix-a-Lot
“Baby Got Back,” was by far the most popular song that was written, produced, and performed by the one and only, Anthony L. Ray. Or, as you may know him, Sir Mix-a-Lot. Although he may linger in some minds as a one-hit-wonder, those who lived through the golden 80s know that Sir Mix-a-Lot was more than just a performer. To put it shortly, he was actually more of an individual creator who received his praise and fame from exactly that.
Native to Seattle, Sir Mix-a-Lot worked his little Baby Got Butt off until he founded NastyMix Records with partners Nasty Nes and businessman Ed Locke. The most interesting thing about Sir Mix-a-Lot is that he never really wanted to rap, which is why he played with pitches and sounds that ended up creating some of the best hip-hop dance music that, of course, is still played in clubs today.
E-40
Born in 1967 as Earl Tywone Stevens Sr. (otherwise known by his stage name E-40), E-40 is an American rapper and founding member of ‘the Click’. E-40 has released 28 albums to date, making him one of the few rappers to stay relevant since his notable rise in popularity in the ’80s.
Originally from Vallejo, California, after his stint as a member of the hip hop/rap group called “The Click” (otherwise known as M.V.P.), he sought out a career on this own as a solo artist. He started performing and producing independently in 1993 and was the founder of Sick Wid It Records. During his time as an independent rapper, he appeared in several notable movie soundtracks and has made guest appearances on several rap albums. In 1998 and beyond, E-40 collaborated with mainstream rappers out of the San Francisco Bay area, peaking in popularity in 2006 with his hit single “Tell Me When to Go”, produced by Lil Jon.
His most recent album was released in 2019.
Run DMC
Arguably among the most notable and iconic rap groups of the 1980s is none other than Run DMC.
The rap group known as Run DMC started their journey in Queens, New York, and would go on to become rap legends, paving the way for new and emerging rap genres and artists to come.
The trio included Joseph “Run” Simmons, Darryl “D.M.C.” McDaniels, and Jason “Jam Master Jay” Mizell. Their first single released was in 1983 and was entitled, “It’s Like That/Sucker MCs”. Most of their hits came from their 1986 album, Raising Hell, including “Walk This Way”, “It’s Tricky”, “Peter Piper” and “My Adidas”.
While the groups achievements are many, of note is their self-titled album Run-D.M.C., which in 1984 earned them the claim of being the first hip hop group to achieve a ‘Gold’ record. The year that followed didn’t disappoint either, with their King of Rock album going Platinum in 1985, making them the FIRST hip hop group to achieve this as well.
N.W.A
Number 8, top 15 80s rappers of all time N.W.A stands for Niggaz Wit Attitudes and is comprised of members Arabian Prince, DJ Yella, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, and MC Ren.
The group originally formed in Compton, California and is known as one of the pioneers of “gangsta rap”. Their explicit lyrics caused significant controversy due to their frequent mentioning of sex, drugs, alcohol, crime, racism, and hatred of the police.
Their first compilation album called N.W.A. and the Posse came out in 1987, including popular singles such as “Boyz-N-The-Hood” and “Dope Man”, which instantly hit the charts. The debut studio album soon followed and came out in 1988, called Straight Outta Compton, which was the album of the popular singles “Fuck tha Police” and “Gangsta”.
After the release of those albums, internal tensions plagued NWA, with members slowly leaving the group. Several started independent careers as solo rap artists, some of which are included in this very list. Fans may remember the decade’s long feud between Eazy-E and Dr. Dre quite well.
Heavy D
Heavy D started in Mount Vernon, New York as Dwight Arrington Myers. This Jamaican-born American rapper started as the leader and sole rapper of a group called, “Heavy D & the Boyz”. Along with Heavy D, Eddie acted as the DJ and T-Roy and G-Wiz as dancers.
Their first two studio albums Living Large and Big Tyme experienced a high amount of success. Heavy D then started collaborating with big names such as Janet Jackson and Michael Jackson, which caused him to gain significant popularity. After several more albums with Heavy D & the Boyz, he started his solo career with multiple albums and also went into acting and broadway. Heavy D passed away in 2011 due to a pulmonary embolism (PE).
Ice Cube
O’Shea Jackson (Ice Cube) was born in Los Angeles, California. He gained fame and popularity by being a member of the N.W.A. and then left the group to start his independent solo career in 1989. His first few independent albums were AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted and Death Certificate that came out in the early ’90s.
He then got into film by starring in Boyz in the Hood and other movies and film series. His lyrics continued to address certain political and social issues such as racial profiling and rioting in Los Angeles. Ice Cube’s most recent album was released in 2018 and Ice Cube continues to explore other avenues of success including music producing, creating a clothing line (Solo by Cube) and raising his four children with his wife.
Too $hort
Todd Anthony Shaw (otherwise known as the stage name Too $hort or Short Dog) was born in Los Angeles, California. This top 15 80s rappers of all time could be categorized as the increasingly popular “gangsta” rap that talked frequently about sex, money, and drugs.
His first album Don’t Stop Rappin’ came out in 1985 and was one of the first hip hop records that had the word “bitch” in the lyrics. He also created a label called Dangerous Music with his high school friend Freddie B. Too Short’s most notable collaborations were with Tupac Shakur, the Notorious B.I.G., and Scarface. His twentieth album, The Pimp Tape, came out in 2018 and is alleged to be his final album.
2 Live Crew
Originally from Riverside, California, 2 Live Crew gained much of their popularity in Miami, Florida. Original group members included: Fresh Kid Ice, Brother Marquis, Mr. Mixx, Luther Campbell, and Verb. Fresh Kid Ice was one of the first well known Asian American in hip hop. Over the years, the group released many singles and several albums. Although many of the group members have left, others such as rapper Brother Marquis (Mark Ross) joined 2 Live Crew later. They were notorious for controversially sexually explicit lyrics such as in the songs “We Want Some Pussy” and “Me So Horny”. The group’s last single was released in 2016, although it did not include and was not limited to all of the original group members.
Geto Boys
Geto Boys (also known as Ghetto Boys) was an iconic hip hop rap group native to Houston, Texas. The original group’s members included: Raheem, Sir Rap-a-Lot, and The Sire Jukebox. Later Bushwick Bill, Prince Johnny C, and DJ Ready Red joined. Big Mike was the final member to join in 1993. Their first single was released in 1986 called “Car Freak” and their first album came out in 1988 called Making Trouble. The majority of their music touched on themes of murder, promiscuity, and violence.
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five was a rap group consisting of Grandmaster Flash, Keith Cowboy, Melle Mel, The Kidd Creole, Mr. Ness/Scorpio, and Rahiem. Their roots started in the Bronx, New York. Their turntable manipulation of music, as well as their descriptions of political issues in their lyrics, were a few factors that contributed to their international success.
They were one of the first rap groups in the New York City area before rap music had all of its popularity in the music industry. Their first single was released in 1979 called “Superrappin”. There were splits and disputes, ultimately resulting in two separate groups. These separate groups joined together for a legendary reunion performance for charity in 1987.
The Best Rappers of the 1980s
The ‘80s might have been mostly about hair metal bands and fast muscle cars for some, but for others, the world of hip hop offered an alternative lifestyle, vibe and way of expressing themselves.
The rappers in this list are true icons in their own right, paving the way for a new generation of rappers to achieve blockbuster success and take the rap genre to exciting new heights.
