Top 10 80"s rap artists

[Nick the Cock]

Have a different opinion, let me hear it.

1) Run DMC
2) Ice T
3) LL Cool J
4) Beastie Boys
5) Boogie Down Productions
6) Whodini
7) Public Enemy
8) NWA
9) Fat Boys
10) Salt N Peppa

[FrogSlayer]

not rap but... It seems to me like Herbie Hancock should be on your list.

[biozombie]

I'm too lazy to make a list, but I'd drop off the Fat Boys and Salt & Peppa, throwing in Geto Boys & Eric B & Rakim, maybe even UTFO.

[biozombie]

Newcleus, definitely gotta throw them up in there.

[Nick the Cock]

Can't argue with your suggestions, but the Fat Boys revolutionized the human beat box. Without them, white guys in Kansas still wouldn't know what that term meant.

[EddieMoscone]

If I can use acts that had their debut album in 1989 (a VERY good year for Hip-Hop), there are a lot more choices (the buddays had this argument on the show once, do you belong to the decade you debuted or the decade you dominated).

Here's some you didn't name:

De La Soul
Kool G Rap and DJ Polo
EPMD
Eric B. and Rakim
Run DMC
Big Daddy Kane
Jungle Brothers
Nice and Smooth
Slick Rick
Biz Markie

[west milly Tom]

Africabambatta

[IamFogHat]

So commercial man.

Kidding.

Kind of.

[RobotPilgrim]

I'm no expert, but I listened to "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back" constantly. Tough to put any act ahead of PE in my opinion.

[monkfish]

Newcleus, definitely gotta throw them up in there.
Yep - them, Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel all have to be in contention.

Fat Boys get the boot.

[TheMojoPin]

From 1st to 10th:

Run-DMC
Public Enemy
Eric B. & Rakim
Boogie Down Productions
Slick Rick
De La Soul
NWA
LL Cool J
Beastie Boys
Stetsasonic

[Chigworthy]

Above the Law in 1989 helped to define the west coast sound that we heard until the late 90's. But most people thought it was all Dr. Dre.

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[Matty Fridays]

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[DiabloSammich]

From 1st to 10th:

Run-DMC
Public Enemy
Eric B. & Rakim
Boogie Down Productions
Slick Rick
De La Soul
NWA
LL Cool J
Beastie Boys
Stetsasonic



Mojo's list is so much better. The only I would do is switch Slick Rick with LL Cool J. And I'm not sold on Stetsasonic being number 10. I would probably slide Kool Moe Dee in at 10.

[instrument]

A tribe called quest anyone?

[EddieMoscone]

A tribe called quest anyone?

First album wasn't until 1990.

[Freakshow]

Blondie...






















Rodney Dangerfield...















The 1985 Chicago Bears...

[TheMojoPin]

Mojo's list is so much better. The only I would do is switch Slick Rick with LL Cool J. And I'm not sold on Stetsasonic being number 10. I would probably slide Kool Moe Dee in at 10.

I put Stetsasonic in there as an extension of Afrika Bambaataa and the Zulu Nation. Hugely influential to today, but I think the latter counter more as a 70's thing. Stetsasonic was like the 80's version.

Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel, Kool Moe Dee, Marley Marl, Queen Latifah, Ice T, Big Daddy Kane, Salt 'n' Peppa and Too $hort all just missed the cut.

[GregoryJoseph]

No love for Young MC?

[DiabloSammich]

No love for Young MC?



No.

[west milly Tom]

A tribe called quest anyone?

best rap act ever in my opinion, also not seen in this thread: 2 live crew

[benjamin]

Too Short probably needs be mentioned.

[instrument]

Special ed?

I seriously thought tribe was formed in the 80's.

[TheMojoPin]

Special ed?

I seriously thought tribe was formed in the 80's.

They did, but they didn't release anything until the 1990. An "80's artists" means they released music in the 80's that had a big impact creatively. Tribe didn't put out anything musically that decade that impacted anyone except those in their neghborhood. Hell, Wu-Tang is technically an 80's artist if you want to include Tribe under that definition.

[TheMojoPin]

also not seen in this thread: 2 live crew

Because they fucking suck.

[Crispy123]

Because they fucking suck.

they were better than LL

[TheMojoPin]

They aren't better than anyone. They're so bad they somehow manage to be worse than 2 Live Crew even though they are 2 Live Crew.

[Crispy123]

I cant take you seriously when you put the Beasties behind DLS.

[TheMojoPin]

I do that because 3 Feet High and Rising came out before Paul's Boutique (barely). It also brought Prince Paul to a new level, so it's like two for the price of one.

[Kublakhan61]

they were better than LL

LL was on top of his game back in the day. He was legit - to say 2LC was better then LL is to say you weren't paying enough attention to rap in the 80's.

[disneyspy]

LL was on top of his game back in the day. He was legit - to say 2LC was better then LL is to say you weren't paying enough attention to rap in the 80's.

are you sayin he was too legit to quit?

[Kublakhan61]

are you sayin he was too legit to quit?

You should have known to turn the radio off when hammer was on! Shame.

[EddieMoscone]

I cant take you seriously when you put the Beasties behind DLS.

As a pure Hip-Hop act, De La Soul is better than the Beastie Boys. As a musical act, Beasties are better. Does that make sense?

[Crispy123]

If you are just going by License to Ill id say OK but Pauls Boutique was released in 89 and that with L2I is a juggernaut. 3 feet high and rising is the shit but thats 1 album in the 80's, according to Wiki their 2nd album (with Prince Paul) came out in 91. So I stand by the Beasties being higher for 80's consideration.

[TheMojoPin]

LTI is basically a "Weird Al" album. I love the Beasties, but LTI wouldn't have been anything on its own except a joke except for like 3 songs if PB didn't come along. In terms of evaluating the Beasties as hip-hop artists it's almost like LTI doesn't even exist.

Besides, in the long run I think DLA had much of an impact on hip-hop itself. The Beasties helped draw in an assload of fans to the genre, but musically they're basically unto themselves. Hell, for better or for worse De La Soul essentially invented the hip-hop skit with 3FH&R. They kickstarted the whole Native Tongues movement. "Buddy" basically introduced A Tribe Called Quest a year before they came out with their first album.