VH1, the music cable channel who rose from its humble beginnings as a soft rock video pusher to becoming a powerhouse for questionable and tactless reality show programming, has declared Public Enemy's "Fight The Power" as the top hip hop song of all time. And you know what? I'm really not that mad. For once, a political song has nabbed the top spot, dethroning that bastion of previous hip hop countdowns, Sugar Hill Gang's "Rapper's Delight." For a while there it seemed that "Rapper's Delight" was the "Thriller" of all-time hip hop countdowns.
Rounding out the rest of the top 5 is
Dr. Dre's "Nuthin' But A G Thang,"
Run-DMC's "Walk This Way, and
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five's "The Message." Personally, I would have placed "The Message" at number one, but that's just me. While this initial list has calmed my side-eye down a bit, it went into instant "twerk mode" once I discovered that VH1 has also compiled the "
20 Greatest Weed Songs" and "
20 Odd Things" about the
VH1 Hip Hop Awards' host,
Tracy Morgan, to commemorate the awards show. Ahhh, yes ... side-eye twitching is back in effect.
Want to scream at your television screen for what may likely be a farce more than a
quality countdown? VH1's "100 Greatest Hip Hop Songs" countdown debuts September 29th. Full Top 20 list after the bounce.
1. Public Enemy "Fight The Power"
2. Sugarhill Gang "Rapper's Delight"
3. Dr. Dre "Nuthin But A 'G' Thang"
4. Run-DMC featuring Aerosmith "Walk This Way"
5. Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five "The Message"
6. N.W.A. "Straight Outta Compton"
7. Notorious B.I.G. "Juicy"
8. Snoop Doggy Dogg "Gin and Juice"
9. Salt-N-Pepa "Push It"
10. Kurtis Blow "The Breaks"
11. Jay-Z "Hard Knock Life"
12. L.L. Cool J "I Can't Live Without My Radio"
13. Wu-Tang Clan "C.R.E.A.M."
14. Tupac "I Get Around"
15. Eminem "Stan"
16. Missy Elliott "Get Ur Freak On"
17. Sir Mix-A-Lot "Baby Got Back"
18. 50 Cent "In Da Club"
19. Ice T "Colors"
20. Kanye West featuring Jamie Foxx "Gold Digger"
VH1 crowns "Fight the Power" as best hip-hop song [USAT]
Comments
i agree with almost all these comments...what were all these newbies doing in the top 20? and i don't agree with # 1 i think it should have been the message or sugarhill gang. and where was boogie down prod.? and blondie with fab five freddy? give all props and respect to all the ogs who even started hip hop!
jenny c | November 2, 2008 2:53 AM | PermalinkI second the comment on Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five's place on the countdown. Was I the only one who missed Gang Starr on the countdown?
Celeste | October 31, 2008 6:44 PM | PermalinkThis song sucks.....
Autumn | October 22, 2008 1:09 PM | PermalinkI never agree w/ VH1 "top" countdowns...
They're always sketchy.
Everything does NOT need to be categorized.
flwrpt. | October 2, 2008 3:21 PM | Permalink...and even though I don't go the mary jane thang...I would've included Mary J.'s "Mary Jane," Rick James "Mary Jane," Erykah Badu's "Back In The Day" and Isaac Hayes "Walk On By." It's something about that song that makes be feel blown.
WTF | September 26, 2008 7:46 PM | PermalinkOverall the list is pretty decent...sans Missy, Tupac, and Kanye. They all had better songs, but I would've put "The Message" or Commons "I Used To Love Her" numero uno.
WTF | September 26, 2008 7:42 PM | Permalink'I Get Around'...there are a handful of other Tupac songs that could have made the Top 20.
'Gold Digger,' 'In Da Club,' & 'Get Your Freak' have no business in the Top 20...they shouldn't make the list at ALL!!!
A Top 20 list without Nas, Eric B. & Rakim is incomplete!!
I'm sure my side-eye will be in full effect while watching this.
khalid | September 26, 2008 3:15 PM | PermalinkOh well. VH-1 is doing more for Hip-Hop than its sister networks. I've no problem with this list, since I have more important things to bitch about. :-)
nOvaMatic | September 26, 2008 1:34 PM | PermalinkGet Ur Freak On and Gold Digger. Really?
Who compiled this list? I wanna know who voted. Don't get me wrong, there are some decent tracks on the list, but I can't believe ATCQ, Boogie Down Productions, Pete Rock & CL Smooth didn't crack the top 20.
Gang Starr ushered in the Jazz/Hip Hop tinged songs, but ATCQ and Pete Rock took the baton and ran with it. And KRS-ONE is the teacher, he at least deserves to be in the top 20. And furthermore, what about Planet Rock by Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force? You don't get more hip hop than that song, yet it didn't place in the top 20.
Nikki | September 26, 2008 1:23 PM | PermalinkPublic Enemy's "Fight the Power" should be on the list but not at No. 1. Also, they must include P.E.'s "Rebel Without Pause."
But everybody knows that the greatest hip-hop song of all-time is
Pete Rock and CL Smooth's "T.R.O.Y. (They Reminiscene Over You)." Hands down.
And where is Nas' "It Ain't Hard to Tell"?
C'mon on now. Stop the bullsh*t.
Trent | September 26, 2008 1:19 PM | Permalink