(June 20, 2020). As many of the blog’s readers know, SiriusXM has been running genre-specific, all-time Top 1000 countdowns on channel 177 for the past several weeks.
This week it’s the Top 1000 hip-hop songs – a ranking compiled by the satellite radio company (likely by the various program directors for its hip-hop stations, which span the SiriusXM dial from Channel 43 to 47, in case you’re interested).
SiriusXM is touting it as “three decades of hard rhymes and dope beats.” It’s really four decades – dating back to the oldest song on their list, 1979’s “Rapper’s Delight,” and hundreds of ‘80s classics, but who’s counting?
I gave the countdown a listen in its first airing, which ran from June 17 through early Saturday morning, June 20, and had the following quick reactions. Note: SiriusXM ran a Top 500 Hip-Hop countdown back in April on Channel 30, and the top half of the chart likely duplicates that one.
(Spoiler alert: a ranking of the Top 250 songs follows the reactions, so if you’re planning to listen and want to be surprised, stop reading. The countdown airs twice more between now and June 24.)
One. There’s Drake, Drake and too much Drake.
Everyone knows that Drake has been the No. 1 rapper – heck, the No. 1 artist, period – over the past decade, and he has the record for the most charting songs on Billboard’s Hot 100 list with more than 210 entries there. That success definitely translated to this countdown, where he easily has 40-plus entries, including more than two dozen as a lead artist and more than 20 in the top 500 alone. That’s ridiculous, because no artist should be represented that many times in a greatest of all time countdown with so many other songs and artists from which to choose.
Two. No Love for Nicki.
Nicki Minaj is the woman with the most Hot 100 chart entries – hip-hop or otherwise – but this countdown didn’t show her much love. In the top quarter of the list, from No. 1 to 250, she’s only represented once: as a feature on Migos’ “Motor Sport” at No. 219. A feature! Her highest ranking solo entry is “Starships” at No. 499. The rap Barbie may consider herself the Queen of Hip-Hop, but on this list, she’s a mere pauper. Ouch!
Three. Speaking of women, where are they?
Everyone knows that hip-hop is a male-dominated world but, damn, only eight songs by all-female acts in the Top 100 of this countdown (with Lil Kim, Queen Latifah and MC Lyte not among them)? The women who did make the upper ten percent are led by Salt-N-Pepa who rep with three songs in the Top 100: “Push It” being the highest by any female act at No. 10, with “Whatta Man” featuring En Vogue at No. 87 and “Shoop” close behind at No. 94. The other women in the Top 100: Missy Elliott, Eve (with Gwen Stefani), Roxanne Shante, and Cardi B. To further show how scarce women are, the first woman isn’t even heard in the countdown until No. 964 (“B*tch From Da Souf” by Mulatto ft. Saweetie & Trina).
Four. Atlanta rappers are some bottom dwellers.
That heading may be a little misleading, as there are Atlanta artists sprinkled throughout this countdown. But they’re not shown much love at the top of the list, with only one act – OutKast – representing the ATL as a lead act in the entire top 80. The ATLiens have four songs in that portion, with “Ms. Jackson” leading the way at No. 23 and three other southern hip-hop jams at Nos. 27, 43, and 68 (Atlanta’s 21 Savage is listed as a featured artist at No. 29 on J. Cole’s “Middle Child”).
But the bottom of the countdown is a different story entirely, with ATL artists representing 25 of the first 50 songs from No. 1000 to 951. This includes tracks by Future, Jeezy, B.o.B, Big Boi, T.I., and others. Notably, Future has six songs in the bottom 50 positions, versus zero in the entire Top 100.
Five. That’s not really rap!
When SiriusXM ran its Top 1000 R&B Songs Countdown earlier this month, it made a conscious effort to exclude rap tunes. Of course, several Drake tracks made it on the list anyway, further illustrating the industry’s irrational love for all things Drizzy. But to include several songs that were clearly NOT rap in this countdown is inexcusable. Among the chief offenders are the Fugees’ “Killing Me Softly With His Song” (No. 85), Lauryn Hill’s “Ex Factor” (No. 241), and R. Kelly’s “Fiesta” (320), all of which feature the lead artists singing, not rapping. You could probably throw some of those Drake tunes in this paragraph as well.
Six. These are too new to be among the greatest of all time.
The current No. 1 song in the U.S. Hot 100 (as of this typing) is “ROCKSTAR” by DaBaby ft. Roddy Ricch (not to be confused with the other “Rockstar” by Post Malone, which was No. 1 just two years ago). They’re both on this list (DaBaby’s song is at No. 965, Posty’s is at No. 82). The fact that a song currently topping the charts is on this list of GOATs is questionable, as most songs need to be time-tested before they can be given such a weighty honor. Other current-year No. 1s on this list include Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage,” Roddy Ricch’s “The Box,” The Scotts’ “THE SCOTTS” and Drake’s “Toosie Slide,” of course. Decent songs, maybe…but GOATs?
Seven. The classics do dominate though.
Except for one song by Drake (2018’s “In My Feelings” all the way up at No. 4…why?), the top ten is comprised of songs that were all released before 2000. The oldest among them – Sugar Hill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” from 1979 – is also the oldest one on the entire Top 1000. It placed at an interesting No. 3 on this list, behind hits by Dr. Dre (No. 1) and pioneers Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five (No. 2). Those are joined in the top ten by fellow legends Salt-N-Pepa, LL Cool J, Run-DMC (wrong song though), 2Pac and Biggie.
Eight. Tupac vs. Biggie.
You know the blog had to go there. The East-vs-West battle has been dead for decades, but the debate over 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G. continues. Both artists have a song in the top ten, with 2Pac outranking Brooklyn’s finest. Pac’s “California Love” is at No. 5, while Biggie’s “Hypnotize” is at No. 8. The two songs are symbolic in that “California Love” was 2Pac’s ode to the west coast and his only No. 1 hit (coupled with “How Do You Want It”) – which occurred just months before his death in 1996.
“Hypnotize,” was released just before Biggie made that fateful trip to California, and it became his first No. 1 just a month after his murder in March 1997. As far as numbers of songs on the list, the two artists are about even with roughly two dozen songs each when you include tracks where they were lead artists as well as those they were featured on, including group efforts (like Junior M.A.F.I.A. for Biggie). A glaring omission from the Top 1000 was the “Stay With Me” remix of Biggie’s “One More Chance,” feat. Faith Evans, which clearly should have ranked higher than the No. 159 rank of the original version.
Nine. Quality control took a hit (again).
There were at least half a dozen instances of songs being repeated in this countdown, including Jay-Z’s “‘03 Bonnie & Clyde” (with Beyoncé) at No. 253 and 996; Eminem’s “Love the Way You Lie” ft. Rihanna at No. 416 and at No. 815; Ludacris’ “Move Bitch” at No. 74 and again at No. 197; and Ice Cube’s “It Was a Good Day” appearing at No. 18 and again at No. 410. DMX’s “Ruff Ryder’s Anthem” appeared twice also (Nos. 124 and 252), although one version was a remix. And those were just the ones the blog caught. Clearly, it’s a difficult prospect to create a list of 1000 songs and avoid duplication, especially if multiple people are involved. But this is an issue that dogged all three of the Top 1000 lists DJROBBLOG covered, making us wonder if anyone bothered to do a quality check of these lists before going to air. Hmmm.
Ten. “Nuthin’ But A ‘G’ Thang” at No. 1? Well, okay.
I think it’s very symbolic that a song from the 1990s – and one from the West Coast – topped this list. Nineties hip-hop is viewed by many to be the genre’s best era, so it’s not a stretch that a song from the decade’s expansive years is at No. 1. “Nuthin’ But A ‘G’ Thang” is viewed by many as the song that cemented the west coast’s stronghold on mainstream hip-hop in 1992/93 and it made Dr. Dre a household name – both as a solo artist and as a producer. You can debate whether it belongs at the very top of the list, especially with so many great (older) classics around it. But there’s no doubt that the song touched a collective nerve during its peak (plus it introduced many of us to Snoop Dogg, the charismatic rapper who is represented at least a dozen more times on the list himself).
So those are the blog’s reactions to this countdown, which you can still catch (through June 24) by clicking here. Below is a list of the top 250 on the list. We will provide a link to the entire Top 1000 at a future date.
The top 250 of SiriusXM’s Top 1000 Hip-Hop songs of all time:
- “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang” – Dr. Dre ft. Snoop Doggy Dogg
- “The Message” – Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five
- “Rapper’s Delight” – Sugar Hill Gang
- “In My Feelings” – Drake
- “California Love” – 2Pac ft. Dr. Dre
- “King of Rock” – Run-DMC
- “Straight Outta Compton” – N.W.A.
- “Hypnotize” – The Notorious B.I.G.
- “Mama Said Knock You Out” – LL Cool J
- “Push It” – Salt-N-Pepa
- “Lose Yourself” – Eminem
- “HUMBLE.” – Kendrick Lamar
- “Children’s Story” – Slick Rick
- “(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)” – Beastie Boys
- “Hip Hop Hooray” – Naughty by Nature
- “No Role Modelz” – J. Cole
- “Big Pimpin'” – Jay-Z ft. UGK
- “It Was A Good Day” – Ice Cube
- “Gold Digger” – Kanye West
- “Gin and Juice” – Snoop Doggy Dogg
- “God’s Plan” – Drake
- “Paid in Full” – Eric B. & Rakim
- “Ms. Jackson” – OutKast
- “Fight The Power” – Public Enemy
- “Get Ur Freak On” – Missy Elliott
- “The Humpty Dance” – Digital Underground
- “The Way You Move” – OutKast ft. Sleepy Brown
- “Party Up (Up In Here)” – DMX
- “Middle Child” – J. Cole ft. 21 Savage
- “Summertime” – DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince
- “Bodak Yellow” – Cardi B
- “It Takes Two” – Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock
- “Rock The Bells” – LL Cool J
- “Big Poppa (Remix)” – The Notorious B.I.G.
- “Check Yo Self (Remix)” – Ice Cube
- “C.R.E.A.M.” – Wu-Tang Clan
- “Me, Myself and I” – De La Soul
- “Regulate” – Warren G ft. Nate Dogg
- “Have A Nice Day” – Roxanne Shante
- “Planet Rock” – Afrika Bambaataa & the Soulsonic Force
- “Swimming Pools (Drank)” – Kendrick Lamar
- “Work It” – Missy Elliott
- “So Fresh, So Clean” – OutKast
- “Around the Way Girl” – LL Cool J
- “Hot in Herre” – Nelly
- “Jump Around” – House of Pain
- “It’s Tricky” – Run-DMC
- “Dre Day” – Dr. Dre
- “La-Di-Da-Di” – Slick Rick ft. Doug E. Fresh
- “It’s Like That” – Run-DMC
- “DNA.” – Kendrick Lamar
- “Drop It Like It’s Hot” – Snoop Dogg ft. Pharrell Williams
- “Doin’ It” – LL Cool J
- “Mo Money, Mo Problems” – The Notorious B.I.G. ft. Mase & Puff Daddy
- “O.P.P.” – Naughty by Nature
- “Express Yourself” – N.W.A.
- “Lollipop” – Lil Wayne ft. Static Major
- “Forgot About Dre” – Dr. Dre ft. Eminem
- “Back That Azz Up” – Juvenile ft. Lil Wayne & Mannie Fresh
- “The Boomin’ System” – LL Cool J
- “Insane In The Brain” – Cypress Hill
- “SICKO MODE” – Travis Scott
- “Still D.R.E.” – Dr. Dre ft. Snoop Dogg
- “In Da Club” -50 Cent
- “Dear Mama” – 2Pac
- “Just A Friend” – Biz Markie
- “Beautiful” – Snoop Dogg ft. Pharrell & Uncle Charlie Wilson
- “Hey Ya!” – OutKast
- “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)” – Digable Planets
- “The Real Slim Shady” – Eminem
- “Tennessee” – Arrested Development
- “Keep Ya Head Up” – 2Pac
- “Unforgettable” – French Montana ft. Swae Lee
- “Move Bitch” – Disturbing the Peace ft. Ludacris & Mystikal & I-20
- “Ice Ice Baby” – Vanilla Ice
- “P.I.M.P.” – 50 Cent
- “Let Me Blow Your Mind” – Eve & Gwen Stefani
- “Boyz -N-The-Hood” – Eazy-E
- “Freaks Come Out At Night” – Whodini
- “Slam” – Onyx
- “Can I Get A…” – Jay-Z ft. Amii & Ja Rule
- “rockstar” – Post Malone ft. 21 Savage
- “Got Your Money” – Ol’ Dirty Bastard ft. Kelis
- “U Can’t Touch This” – MC Hammer
- “Killing Me Softly With His Song” – Fugees
- “The Next Episode” – Dr. Dre ft. Snoop Dogg
- “Whatta Man” – Salt-N-Pepa ft. En Vogue
- “Bad and Boujee” – Migos ft. Lil Uzi Vert
- “Goosebumps” – Travis Scott ft. Kendrick Lamar
- “Ready or Not” – Fugees
- “Jump” – Kris Kross
- “Peter Piper” – Run-DMC
- “Who Am I? (What’s My Name)” – Snoop Doggy Dogg
- “Shoop” – Salt-N-Pepa
- “Look Back At It” – A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie
- “Me And My Girlfriend” – 2Pac (Makaveli)
- “Walk This Way” – Run-DMC ft. Aerosmith
- “Always On Time” – Ja Rule ft. Ashanti
- “Stand Up” – Ludacris ft. Shawnna
- “Let Me Clear My Throat” – DJ Kool
- “ZEZE” – Kodak Black ft. Offset & Travis Scott
- “Put It On Me” – Ja Rule & Vita
- “All Eyez On Me” – 2Pac
- “Juicy” – The Notorious B.I.G.
- “Rump Shaker” – Wreckz-N-Effect
- “Both” – Gucci Mane ft. Drake
- “Still Not A Player” – Big Pun ft. Joe
- “What’s Your Fantasy” – Ludacris ft. Shawnna
- “How I Could Just Kill A Man” – Cypress Hill
- “No Sleep Til Brooklyn” – Beastie Boys
- “Taste” – Tyga ft. Offset
- “Plug Walk” – Rich the Kid
- “People Everyday” – Arrested Development
- “Brass Monkey” – Beastie Boys
- “(Hot Sh*t) Country Grammar” – Nelly
- “I Got A Man” – Positive K
- “If I Ruled The World (Imagine That)” – Nas
- “Mind Playing Tricks On Me” – Geto Boys
- “2 Phones” – Kevin Gates
- “Live Your Life” – T.I. ft. Rihanna
- “I Need Love” – LL Cool J
- “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” – Jay-Z
- “Going Back To Cali” – The Notorious B.I.G.
- “Ruff Ryders Anthem” – DMX
- “The Choice Is Yours” – Black Sheep
- “Tipsy” – J-Kwon
- “No Problem” – Chance the Rapper ft. Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz
- “What’s My Name?” – DMX
- “Changes” – 2Pac
- “Wasted” – Juice WRLD ft. Lil Uzi Vert
- “I Can’t Live Without My Radio” – LL Cool J
- “Rebel Without a Pause” – Public Enemy
- “Ghetto Superstar (That Is What You Are)” – Pras Michel ft. Ol’ Dirty Bastard
- “New Freezer” – Rich the Kid ft. Kendrick Lamar
- “Loungin’ (Who Do Ya Luv)” – LL Cool J
- “Doo Wop (That Thing)” – Lauryn Hill
- “Dilemma” – Nelly ft. Kelly Rowland
- “Lucid Dreams” – Juice WRLD
- “Hard Knock Life” – Jay-Z
- “Let Me Ride” – Dr. Dre
- “E.I.” – Nelly
- “Tha Crossroads” – Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
- “The London” – Young Thug ft. J. Cole & Travis Scott
- “Don’t Believe the Hype” – Public Enemy
- “Gz and Hustlas” – Snoop Doggy Dogg
- “I’m Bad” – LL Cool J
- “It’s A Vibe” – 2 Chainz ft. Ty Dolla $ign, Trey Songz & Jhené Aiko
- “Joy and Pain” – Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock
- “Xo Tour Llif3” – Lil Uzi Vert
- “Antidote” – Travis Scott
- “Smooth Operator” – Big Daddy Kane
- “Low” – Flo-Rida ft. T-Pain
- “Shake Ya Ass” – Mystikal ft. Pharrell
- “Look Alive” – Blocboy JB ft. Drake
- “Whatever You Like” – T.I.
- “Nonstop” – Drake
- “Doggy Dogg World” – Snoop Doggy Dogg
- “Paul Revere” – Beastie Boys
- “One More Chance” – The Notorious B.I.G.
- “I Ain’t Mad At Cha” – 2Pac
- “B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)” – OutKast
- “Bust A Move” – Young MC
- “F*ck Tha Police” – N.W.A.
- “Congratulations” – Post Malone ft. Quavo
- “Get Low” – Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz ft. the YingYangTwins
- “I Got 5 On It” – Luniz
- “Jam On It” – Newcleus
- “911 Is A Joke” – Public Enemy
- “Can’t Deny It” – Fabolous & Nate Dogg
- “Better Now” – Post Malone
- “Strictly Business” – EPMD
- “Drip Too Hard” – Lil Baby & Gunna
- “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” – Jay-Z
- “Now That We Found Love” – Heavy D & the Boyz
- “Baby Got Back” – Sir Mix-A-Lot
- “Down In The DM” – Yo Gotti
- “Deep Cover” – Snoop Dogg
- “My Adidas” – Run-DMC
- “Close Friends” – Lil Baby
- “Ride Wit Me” – Nelly ft. City Spud
- “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down” – Puff Daddy ft. Mase
- “Suge” – DaBaby
- “I Just Wanna Love U” – Jay-Z ft. Pharrell
- “I’ll Be Missing You” – Puff Daddy ft. Faith Evans & 112
- “Between Me & You” – Ja Rule ft. Christina Milian
- “Cold Rock A Party” – MC Lyte
- “Slippery” – Migos ft. Gucci Mane
- “Dopeman” – N.W.A.
- “Here Comes the Hotstepper” – Ini Kimoze
- “Hit ‘Em Up” – 2Pac & Outlawz
- “I Wish” – Skee-Lo
- “Apache” – Sugar Hill Gang
- “I Know What You Want” – Busta Rhymes ft. Mariah Carey & Flipmode Squad
- “Money In the Grave” – Drake ft. Rick Ross
- “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” – Missy Elliott
- “You Can Do It” – Ice Cube
- “Move Bitch” – Disturbing the Peace ft. Ludacris & Mystikal & I-20
- “How Do U Want It” – 2Pac ft. K-Ci & JoJo
- “Ain’t No Fun (If The Homies Can’t Have None)” – Snoop Doggy Dogg ft. Kurupt
- “Going Bad” – Meek Mill ft. Drake
- “Alright” – Kendrick Lamar
- “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You” – Lauryn Hill
- “All About You” – 2Pac
- “Going Back To Cali” – LL Cool J
- “Lodi Dodi” – Slick Rick
- “You Know How We Do It” – Ice Cube
- “Deja Vu” – J. Cole
- “Lean Back” – Terror Squad ft. Fat Joe & Remy
- “Gangsta’s Paradise” – Coolio ft. L.V.
- “Can I Kick It?” – A Tribe Called Quest
- “Eazy-Duz-It” – Eazy-E
- “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” – Naughty by Nature
- “Mask Off” – Future
- “Keep Their Heads Ringin'” – Dr. Dre
- “So What’cha Want” – Beastie Boys
- “The Breaks” – Kurtis Blow
- “They Reminisce Over You” – Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth
- “Empire State of Mind” – Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys
- “Motor Sport” – Migos ft. Nicki Minaj & Cardi B
- “Right Thurr” – Chingy
- “My Name Is” – Eminem
- “Parents Just Don’t Understand” – DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
- “The Way I Am” – Eminem
- “I Need A Girl, Part 2” – P. Diddy ft. Ginuwine & Mario Winans & Loon & Tammy Ruggen
- “Baby” – Quality Control, Lil Baby & DaBaby
- “Gossip Folks” – Ludacris & Missy Elliott
- “6 In the Morning” – Ice-T
- “Fantastic Voyage” – Coolio
- “Get Money” – Junior M.A.F.I.A.
- “I’ll Be” – Foxy Brown ft. Jay-Z
- “Poetic Justice” – Kendrick Lamar ft. Drake
- “What’s Luv?” – Fat Joe ft. Ashanti
- ”Bop Gun” – George Clinton/Ice Cube
- “Bow Down” – Westside Connection
- “It’s All About the Benjamins” – Puff Daddy ft. The Notorious B.I.G. & Lil’ Kim
- “21” – DaBaby
- “Can’t Get Enough” – J. Cole ft. Trey Songz
- “Wow” – Post Malone
- “They Want Efx” – Das Efx
- “Boombastic” – Shaggy
- “Ex Factor” – Lauryn Hill
- “Oh Boy” – Cam’ron ft. Juelz Santana
- “Work Out” – J. Cole
- “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See” – Busta Rhymes
- “Vivrant Thing” – Q-Tip
- “Bonita Applebum” – A Tribe Called Quest
- “Feel Me Flow” – Naughty by Nature
- “Frontin’” – Pharrell ft. Jay-Z
- “Highest In the Room” – Travis Scott
- “Mary, Mary” – Run-DMC
So what do you think? It’s likely we all have different views about this list, and many who think it’s off the mark probably think so for different reasons. What are yours? Feel free to leave comments either here or in the blog’s social media feeds.
DJRob
DJRob is an African-American freelance blogger from Chicago who covers R&B, hip-hop, pop and rock genres – plus lots of music news and current stuff! You can follow him on Twitter @djrobblog.
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