When it comes to innovation and new styles of hip hop music, there isn’t a decade in history that can surpass the 1980s. It seemed like every other week there was a new classic being dropped.
While the ’90s is arguably the greatest decade in hip hop history, it was the ’80s that laid down the foundation for the culture. In 1988 alone, you had countless albums dropped that would reshape how rapping and production would progress forward in the future. With some of greatest 80s rappers dropping their finest work during this period, this decade was some of the most fertile time for hip hop culture.
From Paid in Full, Straight Outta Compton and The Great Adventures of Slick Rick to Raising Hell, Criminal Minded and 3 Feet High and Rising , here are the 50 best hip hop albums of the 1980s.
Related:
- The 50 Best Hip Hop Albums of the 1990s
- The 50 Best Hip Hop Albums of the 2000s
- The 50 Best Hip Hop Albums of the 2010s
50. Audio Two – What More Can I Say?
Released: June 7, 1988
Label: First Priority Music, Atlantic Records
Singles: “Make It Funky/Top Billin'”, “Hickeys Around My Neck”, “Many Styles / The Questions”, “I Don’t Care”
49. Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock – It Takes Two
Released: August 9, 1988
Label: Profile
Singles: “It Takes Two”, “Get on the Dance Floor”
48. Marley Marl – In Control, Volume 1
Released: September 20, 1988
Label: Cold Chillin’, Warner Bros.
Singles: “The Symphony”, “Droppin’ Science”
47. Gang Starr – No More Mr. Nice Guy
Released: April 22, 1989
Label: Wild Pitch Records, EMI Records
Singles: “Words I Manifest”, “Positivity”
46. Kool G Rap & DJ Polo – Road to the Riches
Released: March 14, 1989
Label: Cold Chillin’, Warner Bros. Records
Singles: “Poison”, “Road to the Riches”, “Truly Yours”
45. The Fat Boys – Fat Boys
Released: May 29, 1984
Label: Sutra
Singles: “Jail House Rap”, “Can You Feel It?”
44. Tone Loc – Loc-ed After Dark
Released: January 23, 1989
Label: Delicious Vinyl
Singles: “Wild Thing”, “Funky Cold Medina”, “I Got It Goin’ On”
43. Just-Ice – Kool & Deadly
Released: 1987
Label: Fresh, Sleeping Bag Records
Singles: “Going Way Back”
42. Kool Moe Dee – How Ya Like Me Now
Released: November 3, 1987
Label: Jive, RCA
Singles: “How Ya Like Me Now”, “Wild Wild West”, “No Respect”
41. 2 Live Crew – As Nasty as They Wanna Be
Released: February 7, 1989
Label: Luke, Atlantic Records
Singles: “Me So Horny”, “C’mon Babe”, “The Fuck Shop”, “Coolin'”
40. Special Ed – Youngest in Charge
Released: May 16, 1989
Label: Profile
Singles: “I Got It Made”, “Think About It”, “I’m the Magnificent”
39. Ice-T – Rhyme Pays
Released: July 28, 1987
Label: Sire
Singles: “6 ‘N The Mornin'”, “Make It Funky”, “Somebody Gotta Do It (Pimpin’ Ain’t Easy)”
38. Public Enemy – Yo! Bum Rush the Show
Released: February 10, 1987
Label: Def Jam, Columbia
Singles: “Public Enemy No. 1”, “You’re Gonna Get Yours”
37. Too Short – Born to Mack
Released: July 20, 1987
Label: Dangerous Music, Jive, RCA
Singles: “Freaky Tales”
36. Queen Latifah – All Hail the Queen
Released: November 28, 1989
Label: Tommy Boy
Singles: “Wrath of My Madness”, “Dance for Me”, “Ladies First”, “Come Into My House”, “Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children”
35. Salt-N-Pepa – Hot, Cool & Vicious
Released: December 1, 1986
Label: Next Plateu
Singles: “Push It”
34. MC Lyte – Lyte as a Rock
Released: 1988
Label: First Priority Music, Atlantic Records
Singles: “I Cram to Understand U (Sam)”, “10% Dis”, “Paper Thin”, “Lyte as a Rock”
33. Schoolly D – Schoolly D
Released: 1985
Label: Schoolly D Records
Singles: “P.S.K. What Does It Mean?”
32. Geto Boys – Grip It! On That Other Level
Released: March 12, 1989
Label: Rap-A-Lot
Singles: N/A
31. EPMD – Unfinished Business
Released: August 1, 1989
Label: Fresh, Sleeping Bag Records
Singles: “So Wat Cha Sayin'”
30. Biz Markie – Goin’ Off
Released: February 23, 1988
Label: Cold Chillin’, Warner Bros.
Singles: “Vapors”
29. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five – The Message
Released: October 1982
Label: Sugar Hill
Singles: “It’s Nasty”, “Scorpio”, “The Message”
28. Ice-T – Power
Released: September 13, 1988
Label: Sire
Singles: “I’m Your Pusher”, “High Rollers”
27. Kurtis Blow – Kurtis Blow
Released: September 29, 1980
Label: Mercury
Singles: “The Breaks”, “Throughout Your Years”, “Hard Times”
26. Jungle Brothers – Straight out the Jungle
Released: November 8, 1988
Label: Warlock Records
Singles: N/A
25. Boogie Down Productions – By All Means Necessary
Released: May 31, 1988
Label: Jive, RCA
Singles: “Stop the Violence”, “My Philosophy”
24. Eazy-E – Eazy-Duz-It
Released: November 23, 1988
Label: Ruthless, Priority
Singles: “Eazy-Duz-It”, “We Want Eazy”, “Eazy-er Said Than Dunn”, “Radio”
23. MC Shan – Down by Law
Released: August 8, 1987
Label: Cold Chillin’, Warner Bros. Records
Singles: “The Bridge”
22. DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince – He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper
Released: March 29, 1988
Label: Jive, RCA
Singles: “Brand New Funk”, “Parents Just Don’t Understand”, “A Nightmare on My Street”
21. LL Cool J – Bigger and Deffer
Released: May 29, 1987
Label: Def Jam, Columbia
Singles: “I’m Bad”, “I Need Love”, “Go Cut Creator Go”
20. Stetsasonic – On Fire
Released: December 1986
Label: Tommy Boy, Warner Bros.
Singles: N/A
19. Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force – Planet Rock: The Album
Released: December 1, 1986
Label: Tommy Boy, Warner Bros. Records
Singles: “Looking for the Perfect Beat”, “Renegades of Funk”
18. Whodini – Escape
Released: October 17, 1984
Label: Jive
Singles: “Friends”, “Freaks Come Out at Night”, “Big Mouth”, “Escape (I Need a Break)”
17. Beastie Boys – Licensed to Ill
Released: November 15, 1986
Label: Def Jam, Columbia
Singles: “Hold It Now, Hit It”, “Paul Revere”, “The New Style”, “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)”, “Brass Monkey”, “No Sleep till Brooklyn”, “Girls”
16. Run-D.M.C. – Run-D.M.C.
Released: March 27, 1984
Label: Profile, Arista
Singles: “It’s Like That”, “Hard Times”, “Rock Box”, “30 Days”, “Hollis Crew (Krush Groove 2)”
15. Big Daddy Kane – Long Live the Kane
Released: June 21, 1988
Label: Cold Chillin’, Warner Bros.
Singles: “Raw”, “Ain’t No Half-Steppin'”, “Set It Off”, “I’ll Take You There”
14. Eric B. & Rakim – Follow the Leader
Released: July 25, 1988
Label: Uni, MCA
Singles: “Follow the Leader”, “Microphone Fiend”
13. Ultramagnetic MCs – Critical Beatdown
Released: October 4, 1988
Label: Next Plateau
Singles: “Ego Trippin'”, “Travelling at the Speed of Thought”, “Funky”, “Watch Me Now”, “Ease Back”, “Give the Drummer Some”
12. LL Cool J – Radio
Released: November 18, 1985
Label: Def Jam, Columbia
Singles: “I Can’t Live Without My Radio”, “You’ll Rock”, “I Can Give You More”, “Rock the Bells”
11. Big Daddy Kane – It’s a Big Daddy Thing
Released: September 19, 1989
Label: Cold Chillin’, Warner Bros.
Singles: “Smooth Operator”, “I Get the Job Done”
10. EPMD – Strictly Business
Released: June 7, 1988
Label: Fresh, Sleeping Bag
Singles: “It’s My Thing”, “I’m Housin”, “You Gots to Chill”, “Strictly Business”
9. The D.O.C. – No One Can Do It Better
Released: August 1, 1989
Label: Ruthless, Atlantic
Singles: “It’s Funky Enough”, “The D.O.C. & The Doctor, “The Formula”, “Mind Blowin’”
8. Beastie Boys – Paul’s Boutique
Released: July 25, 1989
Label: Capitol
Singles: “Hey Ladies”, “Shadrach”
7. De La Soul – 3 Feet High and Rising
Released: March 3, 1989
Label: Tommy Boy
Singles: “Plug Tunin'”, “Potholes in My Lawn”, “Eye Know”, “Me Myself and I”, “Say No Go”, “Buddy”
6. Boogie Down Productions – Criminal Minded
Released: March 3, 1987
Label: B-Boy
Singles: “South Bronx”, “The Bridge Is Over”, “Super-Hoe”
5. Run-D.M.C. – Raising Hell
Released: May 27, 1986
Label: Profile
Singles: “My Adidas”, “Walk This Way”, “You Be Illin'”, “It’s Tricky”
4. Slick Rick – The Great Adventures of Slick Rick
Released: November 1, 1988
Label: Def Jam, Columbia
Singles: “Teenage Love”, “Children’s Story”, “Hey Young World”
3. N.W.A. – Straight Outta Compton
Released: August 8, 1988
Label: Ruthless, Priority
Singles: “Straight Outta Compton”, “Gangsta Gangsta”, “Express Yourself”
2. Public Enemy – It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
Released: June 28, 1988
Label: Def Jam
Singles: “Rebel Without a Pause”, “Bring the Noise”, “Don’t Believe the Hype”, “Night of the Living Baseheads”, “Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos”
1. Eric B. & Rakim – Paid in Full
Released: July 7, 1987
Label: 4th & B’way, Island
Singles: “Eric B. Is President”, “I Ain’t No Joke”, “I Know You Got Soul”, “Move the Crowd”, “Paid in Full”
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