Genres: Rap

Listen to the most popular rap songs in America as determined by the Billboard charts.

Listen to the most popular hip hop and R&B songs in America as determined by the Billboard charts.

Updated weekly, these are the most popular tracks uploaded to the infamous hip hop blog, worldstarhiphop.com.

Just as scrappy and raunchy as their forbears, these freshman also possess a fondness for the art house. Expect DJ Screw-era pastiche, hard drugs and violent fantasies. Decidedly NSFW.

The 50 most popular rap songs of 2011, as ranked by Billboard chart placement.

Listen to the greatest hip hop songs of all time, as chosen by VH1 viewers.

From Magic City in Atlanta to King of Diamonds in Miami, gentleman's club DJs are now powerful tastemakers in rap and R&B music. This playlist features some of the dramatic and sexy sounds that pervade many of these popular urban haunts.

Born in Trinidad and raised in Queens, Nicki Minaj has stormed the charts with her double-take inducing talent. Here's every song that features Nicki Minaj, as well as the best from her own catalog.

A blend of hazy rap anthems from old heads and smoked-out upstarts. Roll one up.

Rick Ross is one of today's hottest -- and most prolific -- MCs. Listen to every great track the Teflon Don has guested on, as well as some of his own hits. "Huh!"

Can't get enough Weezy? Listen to these songs performed by and featuring Lil Wayne.

A bunch of songs produced by Yeezy from the last decade.

Whether it's a diva calling for some rhymes to spark up a remix or a hip-hopper adding some old-school sweetness to a bangin' track, these are the most authentic cross-genre collaborations ever recorded.

Who loves the reefer? Throughout the history of hip-hop, rappers have extolled the virtues of weed. Dig.

Marshal Bruce Mathers III, or Eminem to his fans, is one of the most verbally dexterous MCs to emerge since the genre's beginnings. Here is every song that Eminem has appeared on and produced, as well as those from his contemporaries and followers.

Songs and remixes written by, performed by, and featuring Drizzy.

Tailor-made for a summertime block party, this collection of rap classics is also perfect for relaxing by the pool or cruising top-down in a convertible. Play it loud.

When indie rock fans feel the urge to switch up their sound and listen to a blast of hip-hop music, these are the rappers and the anthems they inevitably turn to.

Early rap hits from the days when all a rapper needed was two turntables and a microphone.

Is every square-inch of useful storage space in your car devoted to amps and subwoofers? If so, then this playlist is for you.

Celebrating those glorious moments when a group of rappers team-up to spit on the same track, here are rap's ultimate posse cuts, from the Golden Age to today.

Let these laid back, southern-fried hip-hop grooves soundtrack your next good-time BBQ gathering. Slow your roll.

From crunk classics to modern baller anthems, this is the boisterous sound of southern rap songs that are guaranteed to tear the club up. Get low!

Heavy on the 808 drum machine beats and big synth riffs, these Southern rap anthems are guaranteed to get you motivated, not just for your next workout, but the one after that.

Nate Dogg was one of the best hook singers in the history of hip hop. This playlist highlights the best collaborations from his legendary career.

The baddest women in rap music, past and present.

Classic bangers from and inspired by the late '80s/early '90s golden age of gangsta rap. Both coasts represent.

Along with fellow heavy hitters DJ Premiere and RZA, Pete Rock helped to define the soulful, sample-based sound of '90s East Coast rap. Here is Pete Rock's oeuvre; from his work with CL Smooth to the hits he produced for Biggie, Common, and others.

Cited by countless rappers, journalists, and fellow producers as one of the greatest hip-hop producers of all time, DJ Premier has left an an indelible mark on the genre. Here are Primo's greatest beats.

Turn the bass way up for this collection of funky tracks by legendary hip-hop producer J Dilla.

The Neptunes produced some of the biggest hit songs of the late 1990s and early 2000s. These are the essential tracks that defined this production duo's raw, percussive sound.

N.W.A., 2pac, Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, G-Unit, Eminem: Dr. Dre's production resume speaks for itself. Listen to the greatest beats from hip hop's most influential producer.

Iowa-born hip hop producer Bangladesh has been making waves (and getting serious airplay) with his speaker-blowing productions for Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj. This playlist collects all of Bangladesh's beats from the last decade.

Really nasty rap (or r&b) songs. They just needed to be in one place.

One of the greatest hip hop groups of all time, the Wu-Tang Clan has proved timeless and astonishingly prolific. This mix takes you straight to the slums of Shaolin, covering the work of Wu-Tang's core members, outsiders, and everything in between.

Since its birth in the Bronx, hip hop has been interpreted in various ways by different cultures around the globe. See what happens when hip hop crosses the pond with this mix of the best French hip hop.

Explore this producer-focused style of hip hop, a combination of rap and electronica.

Rep the ATL, Chi Town, El Lay, D-Block and the Empire State, among others, on this collection of hometown hip hop anthems.

All right B-boys and B-girls, time to windmill over to the Planet Rock where these essential '80s electro hop breakdance jams can help keep your "airswipes" and "l-kicks" looking fresh.

Delicious Vinyl is the original west coast label from the golden age of hip-hop. From Young MC to J Dilla to The Brand New Heavies, Delicious Vinyl was on the forefront of rap and R&B and continues releasing great tracks from artist like Illa J, Chop Black and Frank Nitt.

This collection of heart-thumping hip hop beats will help you reach the next level in your cardio workouts.

James Brown is the most sampled artist in all of hip hop. Here are some of the best rap songs to build their funky beat on the back of the Godfather of Soul.

Listen to songs produced by and featuring one of hip hop's most successful music moguls: Sean "Diddy" Combs.

Go shawty, it's your birthday! No need to wait in line at Tao, Pure, Lavo, or Marquee -- pop some bottles and drop it like it's hot with the hottest club bangers of the '00s.

Commonly referred to as jazz hop or jazz rap, this subgenre combines jazz samples with hip hop beats.

Positive, uplifting hip hop from throughout the genre's history.

Starting in the early-mid '90, hip hop took on dramatic changes in sound as gangster rap and rich, soulful production became the dominant styles. These are the classic club anthems from that era.

Revisit the history of hip hop's most legendary record label, from the early mid-'80s classics through the dirty underground scenes of the '90s to their modern day superstars. No matter what the era, Def Jam supplies the hits.

Rappers love to eat! Whether bragging about dining out on lobster and shrimp, extolling the virtues of a healthy diet, or bigging up their favorite hole-in-the-wall chicken spot, these mighty healthy rap songs invoke food as inspiration.

Hip hop's most infamous disses, from the early days on the streets of The Bronx to today. From the ferocious to the hilarious, this is the sound of lyrical warfare.

Whether bigging up the five boroughs or paying tribute to the blocks they grew up on, pioneering rappers, neighborhood heroes and modern-day superstars love to pen odes to NYC. Here's a non-stop blast of Big Apple hip-hop pride.

The worlds of rap and sports have always collided. Here's a round-up of the best rap songs about sports, the tracks with the best references to sports stars, and even a few cases of athletes (Shaq!) stepping up to the mic themselves.

When rappers decide to get political, they don't pull punches. Hitting back against police harassment, calling for political payback, and speaking unflinchingly about society and media as a whole, these rappers take aim with an almighty righteous attack.

From Dr. Dre and Timbaland to Pharrell Williams and Kanye West, these are the greatest modern hip-hop super-producers who create rap superstars and pump out hip-hop anthems.

Hip hop started with the DJ. From the original turntable stylists of the late '70s and early '80s until now, we big up the art of DJing while tracing the evolution of turntablism.

New Jack Swing defined the urban music scene as the '80s became the '90s and R&B met hip-hop. Rediscover this era of sweet harmonies with a hint of swagger and unlimited style.

Warning: NSFW. These songs are the scariest, most disturbing, and outright hilarious horror rap and horrorcore songs.

Hip-hop producers DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Q-Tip and Large Professor helped make Nas's Illmatic a '90s hip-hop classic. Explore the best of the quartet's other work from the same era.

Atmospheric and ambient, this is the sound of hip hop producers left to their own devices. Without any vocal assists from rappers, the results are innovative, expressive, and sometimes more than a little trippy.

The best rap songs of 2011, as selected by the rap music blog Cocaine Blunts.

Nothing gets you through even the toughest mornings like these feel-good, contemporary hip hop and R&B jams. Face the day with soul and power!

The biggest chart-topping hip-hop hits from the last few years in their edited, curse-free format! Ideal when listening around kids or in a conservative workplace.

Hip-hop has always celebrated consumer culture. Making millions and then splashing the cash on cars, clothes and high-end liquor, these rappers celebrate materialism at its blingiest.

Emerging as an antidote to the glitzy-jiggy rap scene of the late '90s, underground artists started putting out uncompromising hip-hop on small independent labels. Look back on a sometimes underappreciated scene.

Cuddle up with your boo to the sounds of these hip-hop-meets-R&B love jams.

An intimate experience with some of rap's most compelling introspective and philosophical songs.

As a freshman, Derek Smith left college to focus on music production full-time. Today, as Pretty Lights, Smith runs his own record label and is headlining festivals around the country. Listen to the best tracks from Pretty Lights and his contemporaries.

A collection of music created by and/or featuring members of the Atlanta, Georgia based Hip-Hop/R&B/Soul musical collective, the Dungeon Family. Most notable members include Outkast, Goodie Mob, and Organized Noize Productions.

Funky and atmospheric instrumental works from the masters of trip hop, one of the hippest underground movements to emerge in the '90s.