Fill your apartment with friends, neighbors and strangers; pour some drinks and dim the lights; start this playlist of new, cool and stylish songs; play it loud.
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.
Originating in the 1950s, bossa nova (Portugese for "new trend") combined harmonies and rhythms from American jazz with Brazilian samba. Now these songs have become standard jazz repertoire.
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.
Here's a playlist compiled by Girl Talk mastermind Gregg Gillis, featuring songs you "want to listen to while hanging out on your porch all afternoon."
You may not fill out a bikini like Mariah, or sport a six pack like LL, but none of that matters when you're partying to these classic hits on a hot summer day by the pool.
Hip·ster Hop (noun): 1. What you get when you pair an MC with progressive, often synth-heavy production. 2. The solution for bridging the musical gap between the indie kids and the hip hop heads at your next party.
Fill your apartment with friends, neighbors and strangers; pour some drinks and dim the lights; start this playlist of new, cool and stylish songs; play it loud.
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.
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.
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.