[Road to 50] Rappers

As well as it being me turning 50 this year it is also the official 50th anniversary of the birth of hip-hop (the date of the famous party by Kool Herc in the Bronx).

I was 9 or 10 when I fell in love with hip hop. The art, the dance and the music. My first single was Herbie Hancock’s hip hop experiment ‘Rockit’ but I soon swapped that for a copy of "(Hey You) The Rock Steady Crew" - which was not a great song but it had an amazing graffiti cover featuring all the members of the crew which I studied for years. The first album I bought myself was ‘Street Sounds Electro 5’ (and every one from then on) and the first non compilation album I bought myself was Run DMC ‘Raising Hell’ (in a Woolworths in Hartlepool!).

I’ve never strayed from my love of hip hop and rap. It introduced me to jazz, soul, reggae and funk which I added to my soundtrack but rap always dominated - and later that 90s sound dominated that.

I’m not claiming this list is definitive, or really in an order other people would agree with but with minimal consideration it is the list that found its way to the page.

So happy gold anniversary hip hop - what a passing fad that turned out to be eh?!

1. Jay-Z
2. LL Cool J
3. Notorious B.I.G.
4. Lauryn Hill
5. Q-Tip
6. J.Cole
7. Rakim
8. Nas
9. Killer Mike
10. Kendrick Lamar
11. Eminem
12. Kanye West
13. Black Thought
14. Drake
15. Ice-T
16. Mos Def
17. 2Pac
18. GURU
19. Chuck D
20. Andre 3000
21. Little Simz
22. Big Pun
23. Snoop Dogg
24. KRS-One
25. Ice Cube
26. Ghostface Killa
27. Kano
28. Method Man
29. Slick Rick
30. Missy Elliot
31. Masta Ace
32. Jay Electronica
33. Royce Da 5’9
34. Joey BadA$$
35. Jadakiss
36. Rev Run
37. Common
38. Queen Latifah
39. T.I.
40. Kool Moe Dee
41. Lupe Fiasco
42. El-P
43. Busta Rhymes
44. Common
45. Kool G Rap
46. Melle Mel
47. Schoolboy Q
48. Nipsey Hustle
49. Murs
50. Dave