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The 50 best trip-hop albums of all time

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Like it or not, trip-hop is a thing. I say this as someone who, for the past 18 odd years, has loved the music just as much as I’ve hated the term.

Coined in June 1994 by Andy Pemberton in a feature for Mixmag , trip-hop was used to describe the recent stylistic shift of the Mo’ Wax label and that music’s popularity in dance circles, particularly in after hours sessions. Pemberton heralded trip-hop as a psychedelic take on hip-hop and the first valid alternative to America’s dominance of the music.

The DNA of trip-hop was more complex than its reduction to bite-sized adjectives. One strand came from hip-hop, which had fed the musical imagination of a new generation for over a decade, while another strand came from rave, which had provided further stylistic possibilities with its fusion of drum machines, breaks, samples and synthesisers. Sound systems, digging, dub, chill-out rooms, early globalisation and technology also acted like so many molecules attaching themselves to a new idea of what hip-hop could be. Trip-hop was a logical evolution in a decade during which everyone came down from a partying high to face the reality that hip-hop and dance music were being co-opted by the mainstream; dreams of a new sonic utopia crushed by the relentless onslaught of capitalism.

Just as techno had become a synonym for dance music, trip-hop soon became a crutch for journalists and marketers wanting to signify hip-hop without rappers. Most notably, it became a byword for the Bristol sound epitomised by bands like Massive Attack and Portishead. In 1998, The New York Times retconned Massive Attack’s debut album Blue Lines as the so-called genre’s inception point.

On the ground, the sound did resonate in a genuine way among a new generation of musicians seeking freedom to experiment. In London, Ninja Tune played yin to Mo’ Wax’s yang. Both labels crafted a unique visual dimension and assembled expansive rosters. In Paris, DJ Cam pushed out his own blunted beats to eager continental heads. In Austria, Kruder & Dorfmeister added an extra layer of dub and turned trip-hop into downbeat in a haze of weed paranoia. In New York City, a loosely linked group of artists, thinkers and musicians spread from downtown Manhattan to Brooklyn’s cheap warehouses to imagine their own version of the sound, which The Wire magazine dubbed illbient. No matter the names or the execution, the DNA was the same.

It was always going to end badly. Mo’ Wax, often seen as responsible for the sound, originally kicked off riding the acid-jazz wave, a sound that soon exhausted itself into a creative cul-de-sac. By the late 1990s, trip-hop had become nothing more than limp, often stoner-friendly, coffee table hip-hop beats. It was music for people who felt rap was too dangerous. To those who believed in it though, it always held a promise of things weird and wonderful.

Alongside IDM (another etymological faux pas from the 1990s), trip-hop presaged the beat scene of the late 2000s, a continuation of the ideas and aesthetic it first articulated. When I spoke to Daddy Kev in 2012, he pointed to Mo’ Wax as one of the key influences for Low End Theory. Flying Lotus has cited DJ Krush as an influence. And tastemakers like Gilles Peterson have championed the music’s evolution across decades.

https://www.traditionrolex.com/21 In putting together this list, we tried to take all of this into account. There is no purism to indulge in, because there is nothing pure about trip-hop. As DJ Food’s Strictly Kev put it recently, at its best the music was “psychedelic beat collages, usually instrumental, embracing samples, analogue electronics and dub FX.” The list is contained to the 1990s for historical accuracy and tries to steer away from the music’s strongholds to show the width and breadth of the sound. As such, you’ll find artists from France, Northern Ireland, Japan, America, Denmark and Brazil represented as well as releases from Asphodel, Wordsound, Rephlex, Warp and a handful of majors. It’s also worth noting that when an artist had multiple worthy albums (for instance, Portishead or Massive Attack), we only included their most definitive moment.

Listen to the whole list as a playlist via YouTube  or   Spotify .

50. London Funk Allstars London Funk Volume 1 (Ninja Tune, 1995)

London Funk Allstars’ Ninja Tune debut will likely sound dated to most who come across it for the first time today. And yet, amid the simple breakbeats, classic loops and obvious vocal chops there’s a real beauty that captures the essence of a simpler time when the possibilities seemed endless and technology was providing new ways to think about music.

49. Bomb The Bass Clear (4th & Broadway, 1994)

Tim Simenon might not be the most obvious pick for a trip-hop list, but Clear exhibits plenty of the genre’s hallmarks. Tossing away the rave collage aesthetic that had made ‘Beat Dis’ such a massive success, Simenon weaves an ambitious narrative, tying together dub and hip-hop-influenced tracks with heady spoken-word clips from writers Benjamin Zephaniah and Will Self. There are also notable contributions from influential figures such as Leslie Winer (if you haven’t heard her 1993 album Witch , you should seek it out immediately), Bernard Fowler and Bim Sherman, opening up a dialogue between New York, Jamaica and the UK that would remain at the center of the genre for years to come.

48. Slicker Confidence in Duber (Hefty, 1998)

John Hughes’s Chicago-based Hefty imprint was crucial in cementing the relationship between Chicago’s burgeoning post-rock scene (led by Tortoise) and the seemingly more experimental (and more European) IDM and trip-hop genres. This union would reach its peak in 2001 with Telefon Tel Aviv’s massive Fahrenheit Fair Enough , but a few years prior, Hughes himself was making similar strides under his Slicker moniker. Confidence in Duber sits firmly alongside Scott Herren’s early Delarosa & Asora experiments, snatching the breaks ‘n’ blunts from trip-hop and injecting them with digital belches cribbed from the IDM playbook. Oddly enough, it’s aged better than you might expect, and is well worthy of re-investigation.

47. Meat Beat Manifesto Subliminal Sandwich (Interscope, 1996)

Subliminal Sandwich is Meat Beat Manifesto’s fourth album and their first on a major label via Nothing Records, a subsidiary of Interscope helmed by Trent Reznor that was intended to capitalise on the success of Nine Inch Nails. The album proved a critical and commercial flop, though it remains an interesting offering, drawing links between trip-hop, dub, industrial and ambient with a touch of psychedelia. Split across two CDs, it’s the first half that’s of most interest here as the rest focused on drone and ambient compositions. The 18 tracks draw heavily on samples and breaks combined with pulsing basslines, heavily processed vocals and an overall gritty finish that makes it sound like the bastard child of Mo’ Wax and Bill Laswell’s Axiom Records.

46. 9 Lazy 9 Paradise Blown (Ninja Tune, 1994)

Early Ninja Tune beatmakers 9 Lazy 9 might not sound as crucial now as they did back in the mid 1990s, but there’s still fun to be had on Paradise Blown , their second album. The Italy-based group (including Funki Porcini’s James Braddell) added a distinctly light-hearted lounge quality to a genre that could often dwell in the darker crevices, and as such  Paradise Blown can be filed alongside offerings from Tim ‘Love’ Lee and Tipsy, even if it’s not anywhere near as endearingly experimental.

45. UNKLE Psyence Fiction (Mo’ Wax, 1998)

Mo’ Wax boss James Lavelle’s pet project, UNKLE, remains a controversial part of the trip-hop canon. With distance, Psyence Fiction is possibly more enjoyable than it was back in 1998, and it highlights the genre’s crossover potential with guest spots from Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, The Verve’s Richard Ashcroft (then riding high after the success of ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony’) and Badly Drawn Boy, but it’s hard not to see it as a slightly cynical marketing exercise. DJ Shadow, who was drafted to co-write the album, was quick to speak out about his unhappiness with both the process and the result, but Psyence Fiction is representative of a time and place, and shows trip-hop’s promise as it was being co-opted and transformed into something that labels could whitewash and monetize. Zero 7 was just around the corner.

44. Tipsy Trip Tease – The Seductive Sounds of Tipsy (Asphodel, 1996)

It might be a stretch to classify Tipsy as trip-hop, but the Californian duo of Tim Digulla and David Gardner certainly used many of the same tools as their European peers. Pillaging loops from a wide variety of lounge and exotica records, Digulla and Gardner came up with a dusty, defiant and undoubtedly downbeat look at sound collage. Since it veered away from obvious breaks and beats, Trip Tease actually holds up markedly better than some other records of the era, and ends up sounding closer in style to David Holmes, with a smoky, cinematic quality.

43. Justin Warfield Field Trip To Planet 9 (Qwest, 1993)

Released a year before the term trip-hop was coined in Mixmag , Justin Warfield’s first and only solo album is included here largely thanks to Strictly Kev, who recently pointed out its relevance  with regard to the music’s supposed psychedelic properties. My Field Trip To Planet 9 is a rap album, cut from the same cloth as Check Your Head -era Beastie Boys and Digable Planets. But remove its vocals and behold music that sounds like it wouldn’t be out of place on Mo’ Wax or Ninja Tune a few years later. At its best, trip-hop was music for b-boys on acid, as Warfield sang on the album’s single. A year later, he provided the vocals for Bomb The Bass’s ‘Bug Powder Dust’, another bonafide rap-on-acid classic that got the trip-hop treatment via Paris’s La Funk Mob and Vienna’s Kruder & Dorfmeister.

42. Smith & Mighty Bass Is Maternal (More Rockers/!K7, 1995)

You can’t have a conversation about trip-hop without mentioning Bristol, and you can’t talk about the Bristol scene without giving a nod to Smith & Mighty. The West Country duo took soundsystem culture and a hefty scoop of the ideas informing an increasingly popular jungle scene and helped formulate an entire sound. Without them, Portishead, Tricky and Massive Attack simply wouldn’t sound the same. Bass Is Maternal is the best representation of their scope, and illustrates their experimentation as they attempted to summarize the meeting point between UK rave culture and Jamaican dub. It’s not always successful, but to ignore it is to disregard an important chapter in British musical history.

41. DJ Vadim U.S.S.R Repertoire (The Theory of Verticality) (Ninja Tune, 1996)

The first of Vadim’s four albums for Ninja Tune, U.S.S.R Repertoire is a weeded-out take on an American musical form by a Russian immigrant living in the English capital – an instrumental microcosm of hip-hop’s globalisation. Beneath a layer of simplicity, there is depth to Vadim’s approach; the beats feel expansive, the music inviting the listener to cradle in the grooves of the breaks and warmth of the bass. Much of this debut also acts as an echo of what Wordsound and We™ were doing across the ocean at the same time. As Vadim’s 1995 debut on his own Jazz Fudge imprint proclaimed, heads weren’t ready.

40. Funki Porcini Hed Phone Sex (Ninja Tune, 1995)

After a decade penning film and TV music in Italy, British producer James Braddell decided to head to London and set up his own studio, where he would use some of his commercial writing tricks to come up with Funki Porcini, one of the most recognizable names on Ninja Tune’s early roster. This was trip-hop with a side helping of very English humour, from the moniker itself to the record’s awkwardly suggestive cover. Musically, Braddell laid out a template that would be traced over for years to come with his combination of dusty hip-hop rhythms and booming dub bass. The swirling, reverb-drenched samples just added an extra layer of thick smoke to an already bloodshot premise.

39. Red Snapper Prince Blimey (Warp, 1996)

If the elephant in the room here is acid jazz, Red Snapper are one of the rare acts who addressed it head-on. Prince Blimey is their first full-length and is certainly more overtly jazzy than most of the records we’ve highlighted on this list. That’s not a negative though, the trio – a bassist, guitarist and drummer – had genuine chops, and managed to inject their musical training into a more contemporary mode, touching on trip-hop and drum & bass without ever sounding forced. It’s a concoction that might now sound too close to the coffee table dreck that sat next to a copy of American Psycho and a rolled up tenner at the close of the millennium, but Red Snapper managed, somehow, to keep things edgy and unusual. They even, somewhat inexplicably, ended up touring with The Prodigy.

38. Various Artists DJ Kicks: Kruder & Dorfmeister (!K7, 1996)

Despite becoming the figureheads of Austria’s downbeat scene (a continental take on trip-hop), Viennese duo Kruder & Dorfmeister never released an album. Instead it was through their debut EP, G-Stoned , and absurdly popular mix CDs that they accrued fame. Their 1996 contribution to !K7’s DJ-Kicks series captured the sweet spot between the blunted grooves of chill-out rooms and the rolling breaks of jungle, an approach they’d refine two years later on The K&D Sessions . K&D’s arrival on the scene came at a time when trip-hop had started to resemble a safe version of hip-hop for those seeking thrills without effort, and their mixes remain as close as you can get to the bland, coffee table take on the genre without feeling too sick.

37. Wagon Christ Throbbing Pouch (Rising High Records, 1994)

With releases under a variety of aliases on seminal labels like Ninja Tune, Mo’ Wax, Planet Mu and Rephlex throughout the 1990s, Luke Vibert is one of the artists that best connects the dots between the various styles and ideas that fed into trip-hop. His second release as Wagon Christ pieces together elements from hip-hop, the burgeoning UK dance music scene and electro into a colourful sonic puzzle that glides along in splendid fashion. Or as Select put it at the time, “the missing link between Aphex Twin and Mo’ Wax.”

36. Tim ‘Love’ Lee Confessions of a Selector (Tummy Touch, 1997)

As boss of the Tummy Touch label, Tim ‘Love’ Lee had an important part to play in the development of downbeat and trip-hop, not least thanks to his discovery of future genre stars Groove Armada, but the less said about that the better. Confessions of a Selector might be his finest achievement, not quite reaching fully into the trip-hop cookie jar, instead relying on Lee’s estimable crate digging expertise. The hallmarks of the genre are there, but prettied up with luscious tropical vistas and an eccentric (but smart) cut-and-paste quality that isn’t a million miles from US duo Tipsy.

35. Psychonauts Time Machine (Mo’ Wax, 1998)

Psychonauts were Mo’ Wax’s secret weapon, so much so that James Lavelle had them provide mixes under his name – ghost mixed, if you will. Time Machine was his payment for services rendered, and it’s a fine document of the era, not only rounding up some of Mo’ Wax’s finest moments, but also showing just how important turntablism and truly creative mixing was to the scene’s development. Most songs don’t get more than a minute of air time as the duo power through almost 50 tracks in half an hour, blending together cuts from genre luminaries DJ Krush, Luke Vibert, DJ Shadow, La Funk Mob and more. If you need a quick-to-digest taster of the genre, this is as good as it gets.

34. Prince Paul Psychoanalysis (What Is It?) (Wordsound, 1996)

We can already hear the furious typing of wronged hip-hop heads asking with disgust why Prince Paul is even on this list. Psychoanalysis is here for a bunch of reasons: it was originally released by Wordsound, a label most associated (wrongly or not) with illbient, NYC’s answer to trip-hop; it’s a rare example of a fully instrumental hip-hop album from a city that, in the 1990s, had no time for anything that didn’t have rappers on it (Skiz Fernando Jr., who ran the label, recounted stories of Fat Beats refusing to stock the album at the time); and it’s basically 15 tracks of Prince Paul taking his whole skit philosophy to its most absurd conclusion. For all these reasons and more, Psychoanalysis remains a slept-on classic from the 1990s, a half-way point between trip-hop’s European roots and its infatuation with American hip-hop.

33. The Herbalizer Blow Your Headphones (Ninja Tune, 1997)

Jake Wherry and Ollie Teeba’s The Herbalizer project was a fine example of trip-hop’s most visible back-and-forth with “proper” hip-hop. They weren’t afraid to work with emcees, and on Blow Your Headphones , their second album, they found a kindred spirit in Natural Resource’s What? What?, now better known as Jean Grae. She added an important element to Wherry and Teeba’s jazz-flecked backdrops, and while it’s certainly true that many of trip-hop’s consumers were looking for a safer alternative to charged US rap, The Herbalizer walked the tightrope admirably, and were markedly more successful in bridging the genres than many of their peers, who buckled when attempting to integrate emcees.

32. The Bug Tapping the Conversation (Wordsound, 1997)

Another release that will likely raise a few eyebrows for its inclusion, The Bug’s debut album nonetheless fits within the wider idea of what trip-hop could, and should, be about. There are a few other reasons too: it was released on Wordsound; DJ Vadim provided the drum samples; and, like the best trip-hop releases of the 1990s, it was a soundtrack for life, with the listener invited to let their mind fill in the blanks. The blend of hip-hop, dub and industrial influences that would go on to characterise Martin’s work is found here at its rawest and tracks like ‘Those Tapes Are Dangerous’ show a darker side to trip-hop’s blunted potential.

31. Neotropic Mr Brubaker’s Strawberry Alarm Clock (Ntone, 1998)

Riz Maslen is often more widely associated with electronica (no doubt thanks to her early association with Future Sound of London), but her second Neotropic album Mr Brubaker’s Strawberry Alarm Clock is one of the trip-hop era’s hidden gems. The record appeared on the Ninja Tune sister label Ntone, and is one of the few full-lengths on this list that still sounds truly bizarre and alien. On top of the usual dusty breaks, Maslen lavished elements absorbed from IDM’s palette but left behind its seemingly random, artificial bent. The conversation between trip-hop and IDM was very visible in the late 90s – Plaid being the most obvious example – but Maslen avoided many of the trappings of both scenes, emerging with a record that was probably “too future” for most beatheads.

30. Various Artists Headz (A Soundtrack Of Experimental Beathead Jams.) (Mo’ Wax, 1994)

After a forgettable false start peddling iffy acid jazz, Mo’ Wax made a stylistic shift in 1994, kickstarting a four-year period that continues to resonate two decades on. The first Headz compilation is a neat 18-track digest of that transition, a declaration of what was to come. Influences, ambitions and comments on the status quo of the time are found in the slowed down grooves and samples as well as the track titles: ‘Ravers Suck Our Sound’, ‘Contemplating Jazz’, ‘In Flux’, ‘The Time Has Come’. The titular beatheads may have seemed like a stoned, uncreative bunch at the time but their aesthetic has proven resilient. Alongside obvious names like DJ Shadow, La Funk Mob and R.P.M, Headz also featured Nightmares On Wax, Autechre, Howie B. and various members of Major Force.

29. Various Artists Eleven Phases (Sublime, 1998)

Eleven Phases is a true gem, a little-known compilation of downtempo and instrumental tracks from many of Detroit’s finest techno artists including Robert Hood, Kenny Larkin, Eddie Fowlkes and Anthony Shakir. Originally released in Japan only, the compilation makes for a fascinating snapshot of the hip-hop roots and leanings of the city’s dance music pioneers. Will Web’s ‘Cosmic Kung-Fu Funk’ slows down techno’s rawness to a blunted, hip-hop-influenced slouch while Robert Hood’s ‘Mystique’ wouldn’t be out of place on a !K7 compilation. Despite emerging entirely outside of the 1990s trip-hop world, Eleven Phases shows how the core ideas and principles of the aesthetic bled into various scenes and cities throughout the decade.

28. Solex Solex vs. Hitmeister (Matador, 1998)

It makes sense that one of the best (and weirdest) records in a genre that deifies crate diggers should come from a record store owner. Elisabeth Esselink’s debut album was hard to categorize when it landed in 1998, there were elements pilfered from plenty of genres but not really enough of one or the other for categorization. Not only this, but Solex vs. Hitmeister emerged on the Matador label, then best known for releasing indie records. It was certainly aimed at a different crowd from the usual green-thumbed beatheads with a complete collection of Mo’ Wax 12″s and a line of Gundam figurines on their desk, and that was a good thing. Esselink was a breath of fresh air, and Solex vs. Hitmeister ‘s peculiar charms still resonate as she tangles her voice through hiccuping collages of unwieldy samples and collapsing drum machine loops.

27. Various Artists Funkjazztical Tricknology (Ninja Tune, 1995)

Released in 1995, the first Ninja Tune compilation arrived between the two Headz volumes from Mo’ Wax, providing a perfect counterpoint that showed how similar yet different the London powerhouses were at the time. Focused largely on early Ninja artists such as 9 Lazy 9, The Herbaliser, Coldcut and DJ Food, it also features appearance from Austria’s downbeat kings Kruder & Dorfmeister and Attica Blues, who had just joined Mo’ Wax. As with the first Headz volume, Funkjazztical Tricknology also marked the beginning of a shift for Ninja Tune with its releases becoming essential not just for the music but also their design, packaging and words of in-house scribe Shane Solanki, who invented the Ninjaspeak that played into the label’s growing mythos.

26. DJ Food Recipe For Disaster (New Breed, 1995)

No other artist embodies Ninja Tune quite like DJ Food, the multifaceted DJ project set up in the early days of the label by its founders, Coldcut. As its name implies, DJ Food was set up to provide DJs with the necessary ingredients to do their thing. For the first five years, the collective – Coldcut, Strictly Kev and PC – released loops and other tools via the Jazz Brakes series, some of which is great, while some is just as forgettable as the more tepid early Mo’ Wax releases. In 1995, DJ Food went for a meatier offering with their debut album, A Recipe For Disaster . Using the same approach that had made their Solid Steel mixes and live appearances unmissable, they pieced together 16 tracks that veer from downtempo moody to breakbeat furious and proved that they knew their way around the trip-hop kitchen just as well as the best of them.

25. DJ Krush & Toshinori Kondo Ki Oku (Apollo, 1996)

The collision of avant-garde jazz and trip-hop was bound to happen. Experimental players throughout the world were desperate to open up a conversation with younger producers, and trip-hop (as well as drum & bass) was an obvious crash-pad, considering its liberal pilfering of the genre via sampling. Ki Oku is one of the best examples of this collision, despite trumpeter Toshinori Kondo turning in a surprisingly straightforward performance throughout. (This is a musician who had gone head to head with Peter Brötzmann and John Zorn – we weren’t exactly expecting him to toot out a cover of Bob Marley’s ‘Sun Is Shining’.) But it works. What could, in the wrong hands, have been one of the worst abuses of both jazz and trip-hop tropes, is actually remarkably measured and incredibly listenable.

24. We™ As Is. (Asphodel, 1997)

We™ formed by accident in the early 1990s after DJ Olive had been asked to contribute a track to Wordsound’s Certified Dope Vol.1 compilation for which he roped in fellow Brooklyn musicians Lloop and Once11. In the following years the trio became one of the emblematic acts of New York’s short-lived illbient scene, drunk off the possibilities afforded by the experiments that drove their creative ecosystem, where ambient, dub and hip-hop floated freely in a haze of smoke between cheap Brooklyn lofts and downtown squats. Their 1997 debut for Asphodel is a blistering run through hip-hop instrumentals, ambient lulls and drum & bass exercises that highlight the music’s chill-out roots and breakbeat fetish.

23. Amon Tobin Bricolage (Ninja Tune, 1997)

Known for his virtuoso sound design and increasingly complicated A/V shows, Brazilian producer Amon Tobin might seem like an odd addition to a list of trip-hop albums, but bear with us. His second album Bricolage emerged from the dust of trip-hop, appearing on Ninja Tune and offering a view of the scene through cracked glass. Tobin provided a more precise (and, let’s be honest, less stoned) take on the trip-hop sound, absorbing drum & bass and IDM influences without batting an eyelid. The result is an accomplished midpoint between the edit-heavy trickery of Squarepusher and Aphex Twin and the moody soundscapes of Krush, Vibert and Shadow.

22. Third Eye Foundation Semtex (Linda’s Strange Vacation, 1996)

Matt Elliott may have been a total outlier to most of the scenes that piled up to intersect at trip-hop, but Semtex is an example of how certain musicians could absorb familiar tropes without sacrificing originality. Elliott’s Third Eye Foundation debut fused breaks and booming sub bass with sounds more common to shoegaze: endless reverb, screaming and grizzled distortion. Traces of drum & bass (which would emerge more clearly on Elliott’s follow-up album Ghost ) slipped in-and-out of focus, and Semtex doesn’t really feel like part of one movement or another, rather adjacent and dizzy from ether and cheap draw. If anyone tries to tell you Bristol was just Portishead, Tricky and Roni Size, play ’em this burner.

21. Attica Blues Attica Blues (Mo’ Wax, 1997)

Like many of the artists and albums featured in this list, Attica Blues is trip-hop thanks to the location and affiliations of its creators at the time. A trio composed of producers Charlie Dark (then D’Afro) and Tony Nwachukwu (of CD-R fame) alongside singer Roba El-Essawy, Attica Blues made jazz-influenced hip-hop that happened to have a woman singing on it instead of emcees rapping. In the 1990s, thanks to genre purism, that meant your shit wasn’t rap and therefore wasn’t hip-hop. Attica Blues is one of Mo’ Wax’s better and more slept-on full lengths, a deft exercise in sampling, programming and arranging, back when doing so took more than a few clicks of a mouse.

The best trip-hop owed plenty both to the art of mixing and the cut-and-paste aesthetic of the 1980s, which is why a handful of releases on this list are mix CDs rather than albums. Cold Krush Cuts is a perfect example of how those two ideas influenced the music at its peak, and has the bonus of acting as a handshake between the two London labels most associated with the tag. Krush was Mo’ Wax’s Japanese weapon, and Coldcut and DJ Food were Ninja’s own zen masters of audio collage. The result is a still-classic double CD with the London boys arguably edging it thanks to a wide selection and craftsmanship reminiscent of their acclaimed Journeys By DJ entry; DJ Krush goes for the mind, limiting his selections to only six of Ninja Tune’s artists and slicing the cuts up in his trademark less-is-more approach.

19. Depth Charge 9 Deadly Venoms (Vinyl Solution, 1994)

A natural progression from the movie-obsessed NY rap of Wu-Tang Clan et al, 9 Deadly Venoms used a backbone of cult film samples to underpin gritty hip-hop instrumentals that helped inform a fast-growing scene. This was the blueprint for the Mo’ Wax 12″s to come: music based around the kind of nerd fandom that in 1994 was still a counter-culture. It still plays like an authentic labour of love for Jonathan Saul Kane, as he blends chops from The Evil Dead and Dirty Harry with collapsing breaks and ominous textures – it’s hardly surprising that the producer ended up establishing a company to issue UK versions of Hong Kong action movies.

18. Nearly God Nearly God (Island, 1996)

Described by Tricky as “a collection of brilliant, incomplete demos,” Nearly God is a bright, often-forgotten reminder of just how unmatched Tricky was in the 1990s. He called the record Nearly God , for fuck’s sake, and that wasn’t far from the truth. The album acted as a stop-gap between Tricky’s genre-defining Maxinquaye  and his difficult (but almost equally brilliant) about-turn, Pre-Millenium Tension . It stands apart simply because of its scope – there are appearances from regular collaborator Martina Topley-Bird, but also tracks with Alison Moyet, Björk, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Terry Hall. What sounds like it could have been a self-indulgent victory lap for (back then) one of the UK’s most notorious stars is somehow a coherent, exemplary document of a peculiar time in British music. Tricky also has to be commended for having the good sense to veto a collaboration with Damon Albarn (and then Suggs) which could have easily been the straw that broke the camel’s back.

17. Skylab #2: 1999 “Large As Life And Twice As Natural” (Eye Q , 1999)

Skylab was a short-lived collective composed of Matt Ducasse, Howie B and the Japanese duo of Tosh and Kudo, aka Love TKO from Major Force. They released two albums on Sven Vath’s Eye Q label before disappearing, and their work was among the better but lesser-known of the trip-hop era. Ducasse has gone on record to state that their attachment with the genre was unintentional and that he saw their work as “more expansive, […] more in common with collage music […] or soundtracks.” And yet, those ideas were also at the heart of what the best trip-hop could be. In many ways Skylab were not so different to Portishead in both their intentions and execution. Their second album was released just as the label folded, leading it disappear into the cracks of time until a reissue by Tummy Touch earlier this year. Howie B had left by this point, and vocalist Debbie Sanders joined the trio to craft a beautiful record which really goes out there and was praised by both critics and knowledgeable fans.

16. Laika Silver Apples of the Moon (Too Pure, 1994)

Emerging from post-rock band Moonshake, Laika orbited the trip-hop genre without succumbing to many of its less flattering trappings. When guitarist and vocalist Margaret Fiedler commented in 1995 that her band was “just like trip-hop, but much much faster,” she was doing herself a massive disservice. A cursory listen might not even reveal too many obvious similarities – like Portishead, Laika were taking elements of post-rock, krautrock and certainly hip-hop to provide something reactionary, and different from the pervasive, laddish Britpop that was polluting the charts at the time. While their contemporaries Stereolab (and later, Broadcast) were experimenting with drum machines and synthesizers, Laika were integrating samples and a deep passion for jazz and dub. Silver Apples of the Moon is one of the most singular albums on this list, and one of the most rewarding.

15. Nightmares on Wax Smokers Delight (Warp, 1995)

Few records from this era quite capture the nexus of styles that trip-hop could represent at its best than Nightmares On Wax’s second album for Warp. Pulling from the same influences that defined the late 1980s rave explosion, Smokers Delight reconfigured the UK’s summer of love for the Discman generation while remaining just as suited to chill-out room comedowns or Ibiza sunset sessions.

14. REQ One (Skint, 1997)

Sure, Skint might still be best known for breaking Fatboy Slim, but don’t turn away just yet. Brighton-based producer (and sometime graf writer) REQ offered up one of the most blunted takes on the genre, almost by accident. His compositions didn’t pander to the popularity of the growing trip-hop scene, instead dwelling in a noisy, near-ambient back room. He made hip-hop instrumentals that sounded like they were being beamed in from a parallel universe via 14.4kbps modem, and in doing so, avoided being both pigeonholed and, well, popular. His brilliant debut album One has barely dated, fitting as well alongside DJ Spooky or even Dälek as it does anything the Bristol scene had to offer. One sounds, at times, like an MPC tumbling down a distant stairwell into a muddy lake, and we couldn’t think of a better recommendation than that.

13. Crooklyn Dub Consortium Certified Dope Vol.1 (Wordsound, 1995)

Skiz Fernando Jr.’s Wordsound label was in many ways the dubbed-out New York answer to Mo’ Wax, a home for what its founder coined dub-hop: music that blended the dusty boom bap that ruled the city at the time with the mixing desk mysticism of Jamaican dub. Certified Dope Vol.1 was Fernando’s attempt at cataloguing the music of like-minded artists who populated the Greenpoint and Williamsburg neighbourhoods in the early 1990s, including the likes of We™, Dr. Israel and Bill Laswell. Swinging like a pendulum between full-on dub and head-nod instrumentals, the compilation was one of the first to highlight the parallels between hip-hop’s sampling aesthetic and Jamaica’s dub.

12. DJ Krush Meiso (Mo’ Wax / Sony, 1995)

I imagine that choosing a favourite DJ Krush album is a little like asking parents to pick their favourite kid. A perfectionist who infused an American cultural import with the meticulousness of his own culture, the Japanese producer was the Far East’s answer to DJ Shadow, and together they would become Mo’ Wax’s flagship artists. On Meiso he dug for samples and looped them with the same precision, sensitivity and attention to detail as the finest calligrapher or ukiyo-e artist. The addition of CL Smooth, The Roots’ Black Thought and Malik B as well as Big Shug and Guru showed that trip-hop’s instrumental aesthetic could also provide the backdrop for some fine rap moments.

11. David Holmes Let’s Get Killed (Go! Beat, 1997)

For his second album, Belfast’s David Holmes walked around New York on acid recording voices and sounds. The results were weaved into the music for Let’s Get Killed which, like his 1995 debut, acts as a sort of soundtrack for an imaginary movie. The process also resulted in one of the best albums of the era – a psychedelic collage of rhythms, textures and styles that jumps between hip-hop, dub and dance music and rests on the back of Holmes’ urban trip.  Let’s Get Killed  has aged gracefully and still sounds just as engrossing as it did nearly 20 years ago.

10. DJ Spooky Songs of a Dead Dreamer (Asphodel, 1996)

Say what you like about Spooky and his over-explanation (those liner notes) and academic slant, Songs of a Dead Dreamer might sound better now than it did back in 1996. Hobbled at the time by the “illbient” tag, Spooky had come to the same conclusions as many of his European contemporaries: that a blend of hip-hop rhythms, dub bass and ambient soundscapes sounded pretty damn inspiring. Songs of a Dead Dreamer is his crowning achievement, and while its construction is relatively simple – loops fed through Spooky’s desk and piped through various effects – the effect is hypnotic and beguiling. While others may have pilfered from dub at a surface level, Spooky was using the Jamaican techniques (mixing board trickery, tape delay etc) to produce alien soundscapes that were a million miles from the comparatively safe sounds of Up, Bustle and Out or Funki Porcini.

9. DJ Cam Abstract Manifesto (P-Vine, 1996)

Soon after his debut in 1994, Paris’s DJ Cam positioned himself as the European equivalent to DJ Krush and DJ Shadow – a hip-hop enthusiast capable of weaving together abstract, blunted beats with finesse. Within a few years, he’d parlayed his underground kudos for an attempt at more standard rap fare. Abstract Manifesto is one of his lesser-known releases, a Japan-only album that tapped into the same minimal approach as Krush with added jazz flourishes and junglistic detours. ‘No Competition’ remains one of his best compositions to date, and a staple of sets from the era.

8. Major Force West 93-97 (Mo’ Wax, 1999)

It’s testament to the power of the ideas underpinning trip-hop at the time that this list includes an album spearheaded by a Japanese pop musician who had a hand in the new wave movement. Major Force was the name of Toshio Nakanishi’s hip-hop project, originally conceived in 1988 after a near-decade long infatuation with the music. Comprised of Nakanishi and former Melon bandmates Gota Yashiki and Masayuki Kudo, Major Force released new material as well as an anthology titled The Original Art-Form on Mo’ Wax in the mid-to-late 1990s. The latter is well worth your time, featuring early work and collaborations with Bristol’s DJ Milo, another link in the global thread that supported the music’s most daring leaps. In a 2014 interview, Nakanishi admitted that his fascination with hip-hop stemmed from recognising its links with Burroughs’ cut-ups, stating that “in collage, something happens where you never expected it to.”

93-97 compiles the group’s work during their years living in London, hence the twist to their name. It’s a brilliant and bizarre collection of ideas from a culturally out-of-place trio, who got it because they were so far from the “it” everyone was talking about. In those same years, Nakanishi and Kudo also worked as part of Skylab and you can hear similarities in this collection with the latter’s #1 debut album, especially in how the best of it isn’t the downtempo beats but the drawn-out compositions which have the feel of improvised studio jams. Later on in his interview, Nakanishi points out that London, at the time, felt as psychedelic as the 1960s, with the group seeking to inject some of this spirit into hip-hop, which in England was called trip-hop.

7. Various Artists Headz 2 (Mo’ Wax, 1996)

Just as the first Headz marked Mo’ Wax’s ascendance, the second compilation crowned its achievements and enshrined its best-known artists in an expansive collection of 53 tracks. While the first volume feels a little dated, Headz 2 has aged remarkably well, in part thanks to its broad representation of what trip-hop could be and where it came from. That means music from the Beastie Boys, UNKLE, Money Mark, The Black Dog, Dillinja, DJ Shadow, Danny Breaks, Tortoise and Urban Tribe among many. Headz 2 is also testament to James Lavelle’s impeccable A&R skills, and his talent for making sense of the various 1990s post-rave threads that informed the music.

6. Leila Like Weather (Rephlex, 1998)

Leila Arab’s debut album stuck out like a sore thumb when it appeared on Rephlex in 1998. Not because it was more extreme than Rephlex’s usual fare, but because it was actually a proper album, with songs, a narrative and little of the label’s usual tongue-in-cheek antics. Arab had pieced together a hazy, underwater daydream of a record with half-heard soul, pop and chiming ice cream truck electronics swirling together in a soup of memory and emotion. Not quite trip-hop and not quite illbient, it certainly wasn’t IDM either, despite an intriguing “post production” credit from a certain Richard D. James. It’s one of the most disarming records of the era, and manages to fulfil the promise of trip-hop without succumbing to its trappings. Like Weather might be the one record on this list that has the most in common with Maxinquaye , and that should tell you something about its quality.

5. Luke Vibert Big Soup (Mo’ Wax, 1997)

Luke Vibert’s first record under his real name, Big Soup summed up the Mo’ Wax catalogue perfectly, even if Vibert was only casually adjacent to the scene. Maybe that helped, as his productions have stood the test of time, sitting somewhere in between the sample-rich collages of DJ Shadow and the tight, precise constructions of DJ Krush and Major Force. The thing that Vibert had and which many of his peers always lacked was a sense of humour, and as track titles like ‘No Turn Unstoned’ might suggest, that helped remove some of the inherent pretentiousness of the scene, breaking down another barrier that walled it off to potential listeners. Vibert’s produced more complicated records since, and he’s produced more successful records too, but Big Soup is a perfect picture of a certain moment in time, painted with a British eccentricity that cuts through the posturing that would later derail the scene.

4. Massive Attack Blue Lines (Island, 1991)

In a 1998 feature for The New York Times , Guy Garcia posited Blue Lines as the blueprint for trip-hop, an argument that holds some weight if you consider that parts of the album were as old as the days of The Wild Bunch, from which the trio emerged. Blue Lines made its mark thanks to a mix of ideas: England’s love affair with sound systems; the comedown from its own summer of love in 1989; and hip-hop’s nascent dominance and rapacious aesthetic. Blue Lines was all of these things and more. Whether or not you consider it trip-hop is at this point in time purely a matter of personal beliefs and largely irrelevant considering its legacy. In 2009, Daddy G told The Observer : “What we were trying to do was create dance music for the head, rather than the feet.” A statement of intent for trip-hop if there ever was one.

3. DJ Shadow Endtroducing (Mo’ Wax, 1996)

DJ Shadow’s first album for Mo’ Wax is the kind of debut that places the bar so high in its mastery of a new musical vocabulary that even its creator can never hope to better it, forever living beneath the weight of what he’s accomplished. Endtroducing is the lingua franca of trip-hop, an album crafted by a hip-hop fanatic outside of any direct sphere of influence but his own. Like all of the releases on this list, to define Endtroducing as trip-hop is to limit it, to take away the transformative powers it had to imbue listeners with a new understanding of the potentials of hip-hop as an instrumental music. It’s not just the music that made hip-hop suck in 1996, it was also the critics who couldn’t conceive that albums like Endtroducing were what they claimed to be and nothing more.

2. Portishead Dummy (Go! Beat, 1994)

Portishead’s 1994 debut was soaked in the same DIY, melting pot approach that typified much of Bristol’s output at the time. From Massive Attack to Smith & Mighty and early Full Cycle releases, the city’s greatest hits in that decade were all about the blending of aesthetics with a brazen irreverence for rules. As a result the music felt both impossible and irresistible. Two decades on, Dummy still sounds as hypnotic and engrossing as it did then, a gritty take on hip-hop, 1960s movie soundtracks and traditional songwriting that laid bare the potentials afforded by sidestepping rigid genre formats.

1. Tricky Maxinquaye (Island, 1995)

This is the one, really. Tricky named his debut solo album after his mother, Maxine Quaye, and that should already indicate just how personal the record is. He’d sharpened his skills as a member of Massive Attack (indeed some of his rhymes from Blue Lines were recycled here), but his solo material went far beyond his former collaborators’ scope. Tricky was pulling from a darker well, and allowed his struggles, both external and internal, to sit at the album’s epicentre. The result was some of the most tortured and original electronic music cut to wax which gave birth to an era where “weird” became fashionable.

He was assisted by his then-girlfriend Martina Topley-Bird, whose nonchalant purrs offered a foil for Tricky’s hoarse raps. She was the smooth to Tricky’s tab-addled rough, and grounded the project for many listeners, no doubt helping people to lump it in with the similarly located Portishead.

Tricky hated being labeled trip-hop (“This is not a coffee table album. I don’t think you can have dinner parties to it,” he stated in 1996) and has rallied against it ever since, but there can be no argument that, for better or for worse, he left an indelible mark on British music, electronic and otherwise. If covering Public Enemy’s racially charged ‘Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos’ and recasting Chuck D as a mixed-race female from Bristol (singing, instead of rapping) isn’t hitting the genre’s conceit squarely in the face, we’re not sure what is. “If I supposedly invented it, why not call it Tricky-hop?” he said, before releasing Pre-Millenium Tension . He wasn’t wrong.

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10 Essential Trip-Hop Albums

Last month, Treble explored the greatest albums in hip-hop released in the 1990s . It was a great exercise in being immersed in the beat-heavy sounds of the era, but it also inspired us to do a post-script of sorts on the outgrowth of hip-hop that happened in the Bristol club scene in the UK. Using hip-hop beats as a foundation for darker, late-night grooves and smoky atmosphere, trip-hop created a fascinating fusion. As the genre celebrates its 25th anniversary (assuming you count Massive Attack’s “ Any Love ” as the first real trip-hop release, which we suppose is debatable), we assembled our list of 10 of the best trip hop albums. Because nobody loves us — not like you do.

Portishead – Dummy

(1994; Go! Discs/London)

This is not the beginning of trip-hop — that arguably started back in 1988 when Massive Attack released their debut single. But it wasn’t until around 1994 that the phrase began to make the rounds outside of its incubating scene in Bristol, UK, and began to circulate in the U.S. and beyond. And it’s thanks in large part to Dummy , the breathtaking debut album by Portishead. Named for a small English town, Portishead took a hazy, dark approach to pop music, blending crackly hip-hop beats with sparse guitar licks, noir film samples and a fetish for John Barry. Dummy became a cult hit on the strength of gorgeous, catchy singles like “Sour Times” and “ Glory Box ,” though between those tracks, the group stuffed in moments of soul balladry, heavy-hitting boom-bap beats and swampy, psychedelic dirges. At the time it was completely alien and strange, but compelling in spite of the weirdness that characterized it. That didn’t last — within a few years, everyone would come to copy the Portishead template, diluting it a little each time until it lost its intrigue. Even Portishead lost interest; in 2008, the release of the fucked-up, paranoid sounding Third represented a huge transition for the band, revealing once again that Geoff Barrow, Beth Gibbons & Co. are about innovation above all. – JT

Nightmares on Wax – Smoker’s Delight

(1995; Warp)

After releasing an album on then-fledgling label Warp Records in 1991, Nightmares on Wax founder George Evelyn stepped away to run a dance club in Leeds, DJ, and start his own record label.  The context is important because unlike many of the other notable trip-hop releases, Smokers Delight has a distinct DJ feel to it, with an aesthetic that relies on multiple melodies being seamlessly layered on top of each other throughout the course of a song. The transitions between movements are always fluid as new pieces are pulled into the picture by a crossfader that moves at a snail’s pace. Take for instance the opening track, “ Nights Introlude ,” which weaves in a “Summer In The City” sample — the one made popular by Pharcyde’s “Passin’ Me By” — after already establishing a perfectly fine high hat and string-based groove. Evelyn clearly has a fine ear for samples and uses them tastefully but frequently to extremely satisfying ends. Smoker’s Delight has aged surprising well over the years; for all of the styles that Evelyn touches on throughout the record from hip hop to funk to dub, there’s a unifying coherence that’s the true litmus test of a master DJ — a quality that’s difficult to map when done well but easy to spot when botched.- DG

Tricky – Maxinquaye

(1995; Island)

When Tricky left Massive Attack after Blue Lines , there were questions about how he would respond to the challenge of establishing himself as a solo artist. With Maxinquaye , one of the most prodigious debuts of the past three decades, Tricky put those questions to rest with one fell swoop. As enthralling and bold as Blue Lines is, Maxinquaye arguably transcends it with greater scope, ambition, and passion (the album is named after Tricky’s mother, who committed suicide). One can simply play any of the tracks on the album to test this assertion; from the bony rattle of “ Ponderosa ” — which brilliantly samples Shakespeare’s Sister — to “Abbaon Fat Tracks,” a distorted sex ballad, to the languidly gorgeous closer “Feed Me,” Maxinquaye passes every time. Truthfully, its only downside to speak of is that it set the bar too high for Tricky, who hasn’t quite been able to match its brilliance again. Bad for Tricky, good for all of us. – CB

Laika – Sounds of the Satellites

(1997; Sire)

Formed by former Moonshake vocalist Margaret Fiedler and producer/engineer Guy Fixsen, Laika took trip-hop to weird new places. Though the duo used beats and grooves in much the same way that Portishead or Massive Attack did, their manic, polyrhythmic arrangements were far more complex and weird than the club crowd might have been ready for. The lead single from Sound of the Satellites , “ Prairie Dog ,” slinks along a dub-inspired 7/4 rhythm, and the frantic pace of tracks like “Poor Gal” feel more like Rema in In Light -era Talking Heads or Metal Box -era Public Image Limited than anything happening in Bristol. This is intense, but fun stuff, and maybe not the most traditional of trip-hop records, but definitely one of the best.

Air – Moon Safari

(1998; Source/Caroline)

Air may not fit the British, café lounge archetype that’s associated with a majority of popular trip-hop acts, but the French duo’s first full-length expands on all of the genre’s chill-out aims. Guest vocalist Beth Hirsch contributes to what would become one of Air’s all-time most popular songs, “All I Need”, as well as another album highlight, “You Make It Easy.” Believers in warm introductions and kind goodbyes, Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel put their two most languid and spacey tracks at the front and back of Moon Safari . Starting things off is “ La Femme D’Argent ,” an instrumental that stays tethered to a thick-stringed, yet subtle bassline, but stretches out with spiraling arpeggios, spunky synth keys and refreshingly human hand claps. Moon Safari isn’t so much an album you stop listening to as it is a kind of dream you wake up from; the exact events from the experience are a hazy memory but the color of the ride leaves a vivid, pleasant impression. – DG

Massive Attack – Mezzanine

(1998; Virgin)

Most groups that emerged during the trip-hop era weren’t terribly prolific, and by 1998, a second wave of tepid coffeehouse trip-hop had become the sleepy norm. Having released their last album Protection in 1994, Bristol’s Massive Attack at this point weren’t front and center in the conversation in the same way that Portishead was before taking an extended break, or with the bright flicker that artists like Esthero and Hooverphonic would briefly enjoy. But in the summer of 1998, Massive Attack not only returned, they did so with their best album yet, a dark, sinister head-trip of an album that crept slowly and hit with lethal force. Mezzanine found Massive Attack entering a dark phase in their career, which hasn’t really ever ended, though this is the moment where it’s most potent. The eerie lurch of “Angel,” the stoned dub-funk of “Risingson,” or the evil pulse of “Inertia Creeps” — it amounts to an album by a group seemingly no longer interested in the more positive aspects of club music, as Blue Lines suggested. This is its sweaty, grimy, scraped-up, paranoid, sleazy and possibly even dead underbelly. – JT

Morcheeba – Big Calm

(1998; Sire)

Some parts of Morcheeba’s sophomore LP, Big Calm , have not aged well. The background DJ scratching on “Blindfold” feels forced and awkward, “The Music That We Hear” is an unnecessary pop rework of a debut album stand-out (“Moog Island”), and I can practically smell the incense when the sitar comes in on “Shoulder Holster.” Those few awkward elements aside, Big Calm is held up on the merits of a few choice tracks, namely lead single “The Sea,” “Let Me See” and “Over and Over.” Singer Skye Edwards’ relaxed coolness gives each song a degree of levity without ever dropping the sultry edge. It’s a fine line to tip-toe and Edwards always stays a few short steps in front, enticing the listener with the promise of satisfying hooks that come when expected. From the loud bounce of “Let Me See” to the sparse “Over and Over” Edwards has the right balance of tranquility and sexuality to keep heart rates low and attention high. – DG

UNKLE – Psyence Fiction

(1998; Mo’ Wax)

For me, as it was with likely most listeners who picked up Psyence Fiction , the big sell was a collaboration between DJ Shadow and Thom Yorke. In the late ’90s, there was no more glorious dream collaboration, Yorke’s vulnerable vocal performance on “ Rabbit In Your Headlights ” matched perfectly by James Lavelle and Josh Davis’ chilly sample arrangement. However, it was just one of many interesting stylistic detours on an album that used trip-hop as a foundation for even bolder experiments. The Verve’s Richard Ashcroft lent his vocals to the epic, string-laden “Lonely Soul,” Mike D and Metallica’s Jason Newstead teamed up on the scrappy hip-hop of “The Knock,” and the then-unknown Badly Drawn Boy helmed the harder rocking “Nursery Rhyme.” Yet the instrumentals dazzled as well, like the gorgeously psychedelic “Unreal,” which was later released in an alternate version with vocals from The Stone Roses’ Ian Brown. It was all very lush and gorgeous, but should anyone get the wrong impression, that UNKLE had no sense of humor, segue “Getting Ahead in the Lucrative Field of Artist Management” dedicated its 54 seconds to a hilarious commercial for a board game called “Ball Buster.” (Snicker…) – JT

Goldfrapp – Felt Mountain

(2000; Mute)

In the 13 years that have lapsed since Goldfrapp first made their debut with Felt Mountain , they’ve taken many a stylistic detour, from trashy electro on Black Cherry , to beat-driven glam-pop on Supernature , psych-folk on Seventh Tree , and inexplicably upbeat new wave on Head First . And generally speaking, Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory do a bang-up job each time they switch up the formula. Yet their debut follows a trip-hop aesthetic in much the same way that Portishead laid it out, with sexy, dark soundscapes that blend the string-laden grandeur of John Barry’s Bond themes with the eccentric folk touch of Lee Hazelwood. It’s one of the group’s most stunning albums altogether, from the sultry shuffle of “Lovely Head” to the lush orchestration of “Pilots.” Whether or not you prefer Goldfrapp in sequins, spandex, furs or forests, it’s hard to argue that Felt Mountain isn’t one hell of an album. – JT

Nathaniel Merriweather presents… Lovage – Music to Make Love to Your Old Lady By

(2001; 75 Ark)

In 2001, under his “Nathanial Meriweather” moniker, Dan The Automator produced a trip-hop album featuring Jennifer Charles (of Elysian Fields) and Mike Patton (of Faith No More, Tomahawk and Mr. Bungle) on vocals. The mixes on Music to Make Love to Your Old Lady By featured Kid Koala on turntables, as well as a couple other Deltron 3030 collaborators. The album paid tribute to Alfred Hitchcock, Serge Gainsbourg, and new wave rockers Berlin. If all that doesn’t convince you to listen to this smooth hour of turntable-heavy trip-hop, I don’t know what will. – AK

No becoming X = fail list

Becoming X was nowhere near good enough to be in any ‘Best of’ list. Kelli Dayton’s voice was never in teh same league as her compatriots.

Where is esbe? He’s in the top ten in my book.

Becomimg x, fuck no lol

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The 40+ Best Trip Hop Artists, Ranked

If you are ready for a journey through one of the most eclectic music forms, consider trip hop. Trip hop music awakens the senses and unlocks a treasure trove of rhythm, style and emotion. This genre is steeped in the roots of British electronica, breakbeat, and hip hop. It's fascinating to wend your way through a collection of the finest trip hop artists whose songs have made a profound impact on music scenes globally. 

The best trip hop groupspaint an enchanting picture of profound musical innovation, blending various styles to create something unique and potent. Their transformative influence on trip hop's evolution becomes apparent with each resonating beat and soulful lyric. The music vibrates with a deep resonance that echoes across the mainstream and indie audiences, highlighting the uniqueness of each artist and their indelible mark on the genre. 

In the illustrious lineup of trip hop artists, certain names stand out. These include top trip hop bands like Portishead , Massive Attack, and Tricky. Portishead's hauntingly beautiful melodies tug at the heartstrings of the listeners, making the band famous. Massive Attack, with their groundbreaking albums, brought a new perspective to the genre, a testament to their status among the best trip hop artists. Tricky melded raw emotion with creative beats resulting in a distinctive sound that resonates with fans to this day. Their achievements, ranging from memorable songs and classic albums to prestigious awards, speak volumes about their stature in the trip hop universe. 

Reflecting on the history of trip hop music and its best artists presents a captivating saga of artistic expression, innovation, and boundary-pushing beats. Distinguished by their individual style and contributions, these trip hop bands have set new standards for the genre with magical tunes that continue to inspire, entertain, and move audiences around the world. 

Portishead, the brainchild of Geoff Barrow, Beth Gibbons, and Adrian Utley, revolutionized trip hop in the 90s with their groundbreaking albums Dummy  and Portishead . With a hauntingly atmospheric sound that flawlessly combined eerie vocal melodies, innovative sampling techniques, and cinematic soundscapes, Portishead captured the imagination of music lovers everywhere. They managed to push the boundaries of the genre by blending elements of jazz, electronica, and rock, ultimately creating a hypnotic experience that became synonymous with the trip hop movement. To this day, Portishead remains a luminary of the scene, continuously inspiring generations of artists with their emotive and timeless compositions.

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Massive Attack

Massive Attack, hailing from Bristol, England, have long been considered pioneers in the realm of trip hop. The trio, consisting of Robert Del Naja, Grant Marshall, and Andy Vowles, crafted a unique sound that seamlessly merged elements of dub, reggae, soul, and electronica. Their seminal album Blue Lines  served as a blueprint for trip hop, boasting an array of downtempo beats, ethereal ambience, and thought-provoking lyricism. Massive Attack's innovation and experimentation within the genre have solidified their legacy as one of the most influential trip hop acts of all time.

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UK-based artist Tricky, born Adrian Thaws, quickly emerged as a trip hop icon with the release of his debut album, Maxinquaye . His distinct fusion of hip hop, rock, and electronica resonated with listeners seeking something more subversive and experimental within the genre. Drawing heavily on his Jamaican roots and experiences growing up in Bristol, Tricky's music showcased his powerful storytelling abilities and otherworldly production skills. As a result, Tricky has remained an essential figure within the trip hop scene, continuously pushing the envelope with each successive release.

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Morcheeba, a British trio consisting of siblings Paul and Ross Godfrey and vocalist Skye Edwards, captivated listeners with their polished blend of trip hop, electronica, and pop. Their debut album Who Can You Trust?  served as a prime example of their ability to create moody, atmospheric compositions that showcased Edwards' sultry vocal stylings. Morcheeba's ability to navigate the diverse sonic landscape of trip hop while maintaining a strong focus on melody earned them critical acclaim and a devout following. Over time, the band has continued to evolve, solidifying their status as a versatile powerhouse within the genre.

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Dive Into Morcheeba's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Friction"   - "Big Calm"

Sneaker Pimps

Established in the mid-90s, the British trip hop trio Sneaker Pimps, composed of Chris Corner, Liam Howe, and Kelli Ali, brought a unique spin to the genre with their compelling mix of electronica, alternative rock, and darkly melodic pop. Their debut album Becoming X  showcased innovative production techniques, catchy hooks, and Ali's alluring vocals, which quickly garnered them international attention. Not content to remain static, Sneaker Pimps continued to explore and push the boundaries of trip hop, consistently reinventing their sound and remaining an influential force within the scene.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Sneaker Pimps   - "6 Underground"   - "Spin Spin Sugar"   - "Tesko Suicide"

Dive Into Sneaker Pimps' History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Low Place Like Home"   - "Grazes"

British duo Zero 7, comprised of Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker, emerged on the trip hop scene in the late '90s with a mission to blend chilled-out electronica, sophisticated pop sensibilities, and seductive downtempo grooves. Their debut album Simple Things , featuring collaborations with vocalists like Sia and Mozez, showcased the duo's penchant for crafting exquisitely lush and soothing soundscapes. Over the years, Zero 7 has continued to evolve and redefine their sound, often incorporating elements of jazz, soul, and world music, earning them a dedicated fanbase and a lasting impact on the trip hop genre.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Zero 7   - "Destiny"   - "In the Waiting Line"   - "Home"

Dive Into Zero 7's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Likufanele"   - "I Have Seen"

Hooverphonic

Belgian outfit Hooverphonic, led by mastermind Alex Callier, made a lasting impact on the trip-hop scene with their evocative, cinematic soundscapes that beautifully melded elements of pop, rock, and electronic music. From their breathtaking debut A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular  to their more recent work, Hooverphonic has demonstrated an uncanny ability to create lush, immersive atmospheres with a keen sense of melody. With a revolving door of talented vocalists, including Liesje Sadonius, Geike Arnaert, and Luka Cruysberghs, the band has consistently defied expectations, solidifying their status as one of trip hop's most captivating acts.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Hooverphonic   - "Mad About You"   - "2Wicky"   - "Eden"

Dive Into Hooverphonic's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Vinegar & Salt"   - "Out of Sight"

French duo Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel, better known as Air, brought a distinctly Gallic flair to the world of trip hop with their sublime fusion of electronic experimentation, retro-pop melodies, and dreamy atmospherics. Their seminal album Moon Safari , featuring hit singles like "Sexy Boy" and "Kelly Watch the Stars," captivated audiences with its timeless charm and ethereal beauty. Throughout their career, Air has consistently pushed the boundaries of trip hop by exploring a wide range of sonic palettes and textures, leaving an indelible mark on the genre.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Air   - "Sexy Boy"   - "La Femme d'Argent"   - "Cherry Blossom Girl"

Dive Into Air's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Le Soleil est près de Moi"   - "Talisman"

• # 296 of 307 on The Greatest Musical Artists of the '90s
• # 133 of 215 on The 200+ Best Indie Artists Of All Time, Ranked
• # 365 of 384 on The Greatest Pop Groups & Artists of All Time

Thievery Corporation

Washington, D.C.-based duo Thievery Corporation, consisting of Eric Hilton and Rob Garza, have been synonymous with trip hop since their formation in the mid-'90s. With a sound that effortlessly fuses elements of dub, reggae, lounge, and electronica, the pair has developed a unique global sonic identity that transcends genre boundaries. Their debut album Sounds from the Thievery Hi-Fi  laid the groundwork for their signature sound, combining lush electronic soundscapes with hypnotic grooves and worldly influences. Over the years, Thievery Corporation has continuously evolved their eclectic sound, solidifying their status as one of trip hop's most innovative and boundary-pushing acts.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Thievery Corporation   - "Lebanese Blonde"   - "Sweet Tides"   - "The Richest Man in Babylon"

Dive Into Thievery Corporation's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Amerimacka"   - "The Mirror Conspiracy"

Josh Davis, known professionally as DJ Shadow, is an American producer and DJ who has left an indelible mark on the world of trip hop with his undeniable talent for crafting immersive beats and moody soundscapes. His groundbreaking 1996 debut Endtroducing...  is widely regarded as a trip hop classic, showcasing a mastery of sampling techniques, innovative production styles, and a keen ear for haunting, atmospheric sounds. Throughout his career, DJ Shadow has continued to explore and expand the boundaries of the genre, pushing the limits of what can be achieved through the art of sampling and beat making.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From DJ Shadow   - "Midnight in a Perfect World"   - "Building Steam with a Grain of Salt"   - "Six Days"

Dive Into DJ Shadow's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Stem / Long Stem"   - "Organ Donor"

• # 103 of 156 on The Best DJs in the World Right Now
• # 57 of 81 on The 80+ Best Rap Producers Of All Time, Ranked
• # 37 of 349 on The Best Electronica Artists

British duo Goldfrapp, led by the bewitching Alison Goldfrapp and multi-instrumentalist Will Gregory, emerged in the early 2000s as a force to be reckoned with in the realm of trip hop. Their debut album Felt Mountain  showcased a beguiling mix of cinematic orchestration, electronic experimentation, and Alison's enchanting vocals. Goldfrapp's enigmatic sound has continually evolved, encompassing elements of glam rock, synth-pop, and dance music, making them one of the most unpredictable and fascinating acts within the trip hop genre.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Goldfrapp   - "Ooh La La"   - "Strict Machine"   - "Lovely Head"

Dive Into Goldfrapp's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Utopia"   - "Black Cherry"

• # 174 of 248 on The Most Hipster Bands
• # 121 of 156 on The Best DJs in the World Right Now
• # 36 of 42 on The Best Gold Things

British musical mastermind James Lavelle, the driving force behind Unkle, has been captivating audiences with his dark and cinematic take on trip hop since the late '90s. Unkle's debut album Psyence Fiction , featuring collaborations with notable artists like Thom Yorke and Richard Ashcroft, showcased Lavelle's knack for blending moody electronic production with elements of rock, pop, and hip-hop. Over the years, Unkle's ever-evolving sound and roster of talented collaborators have helped cement the project's place in trip hop history as a daring, innovative force within the genre.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Unkle   - "Rabbit in Your Headlights"   - "Bloodstain"   - "Burn My Shadow"

Dive Into Unkle's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Celestial Annihilation"   - "Lonely Soul"

Lamb, the enchanting English duo consisting of producer Andy Barlow and vocalist Lou Rhodes, first made waves in the trip hop scene with their eponymous 1996 debut album. Their unique fusion of electronic experimentation, emotive vocals, and captivating songwriting quickly set them apart, winning them fans across the globe. With a sound that combines elements of jazz, drum and bass, and ambient music, Lamb has continually pushed the envelope, proving themselves to be one of the trip hop genre's most enduring and captivating acts.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Lamb   - "Gorecki"   - "Lusty"   - "Angelica"

Dive Into Lamb's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Cotton Wool"   - "Trans Fatty Acid"

Nightmares on Wax

George Evelyn, the man behind Nightmares on Wax, has been weaving spellbinding webs of sound since the early '90s, blending elements of dub, electronica, and soul to create uniquely evocative trip hop compositions. With a discography that spans decades, Nightmares on Wax has earned a reputation for consistently crafting music that not only embodies the spirit of trip hop but also pushes the boundaries of the genre. From early classics like Smokers Delight  to more recent releases like Shape the Future , Nightmares on Wax has proven time and again that his innovative approach to music-making remains vital and engaging.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Nightmares on Wax   - "You Wish"   - "Les Nuits"   - "Flip Ya Lid"

Dive Into Nightmares on Wax' History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Ethnic Majority"   - "Morse"

• # 84 of 146 on The Most Influential DJs of All Time
• # 16 of 43 on The Best Bands Like Massive Attack
• # 17 of 48 on The Best Downtempo Bands/Artists

Norwegian duo Röyksopp, comprising Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland, emerged in the early 2000s with a distinct brand of trip hop infused with elements of synth-pop, ambient, and electronica. Their chart-topping debut, Melody A.M. , showcased their ability to create lush, atmospheric soundscapes punctuated by catchy hooks and intricate production. Throughout their career, Röyksopp has remained committed to exploring the boundaries of trip hop, collaborating with various artists and incorporating diverse influences into their constantly evolving sound.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Röyksopp   - "Eple"   - "Poor Leno"   - "Happy Up Here"

Dive Into Röyksopp's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "So Easy"   - "A Higher Place"

• # 114 of 156 on The Best DJs in the World Right Now
• # 31 of 143 on The Best Europop Bands/Artists
• # 29 of 349 on The Best Electronica Artists

French producer Jean-Christophe Le Saoût, known by his stage name Wax Tailor, has been crafting elegant, cinematic trip hop since the early 2000s. With a penchant for lush orchestration, deft sampling, and moody atmospherics, Wax Tailor's music stands as a testament to the genre's enduring appeal and versatility. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with a diverse array of artists, pushing the boundaries of trip hop while remaining true to the genre's core aesthetic.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Wax Tailor   - "Que Sera"   - "Seize the Day"   - "Ungodly Fruit"

Dive Into Wax Tailor's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Positively Inclined"   - "Until Heaven Stops the Rain"

Kruder & Dorfmeister

Austrian duo Kruder & Dorfmeister, composed of Peter Kruder and Richard Dorfmeister, have been at the forefront of the trip hop movement for decades, known for their innovative remix work and original productions. Their landmark compilation The K&D Sessions  featured reimaginings of tracks from a wide range of artists, showcasing their ability to transform songs into immersive, downtempo masterpieces. With their seamless blend of dub, jazz, and electronica, Kruder & Dorfmeister have left an indelible mark on the trip hop scene and inspired countless artists to follow in their footsteps.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Kruder & Dorfmeister   - "K&D Sessions" (This is an album containing various remixes)   - "Black Baby"   - "Deep Shit Pt. 1 & 2"

Dive Into Kruder & Dorfmeister's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Bug Powder Dust"   - "Sofa Rockers"

• # 146 of 156 on The Best DJs in the World Right Now
• # 28 of 40 on The Best Lounge Music Artists of All Time
• # 8 of 48 on The Best Downtempo Bands/Artists

Japanese producer Hideaki Ishi, better known as DJ Krush, has been making waves in the trip hop world since the early '90s with his uniquely atmospheric and meditative soundscapes. Known for his groundbreaking use of sampling and turntablism, DJ Krush consistently pushes the boundaries of the genre by incorporating elements of jazz, hip-hop, and traditional Japanese music into his work. With a discography that spans multiple decades, DJ Krush remains an influential figure within the trip hop scene, inspiring future generations of artists with his innovative, genre-defying approach to music production.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From DJ Krush   - "Kemuri"   - "Song 2"   - "Big City Lover"

Dive Into DJ Krush's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Road to Nowhere"   - "Meiso"

• # 153 of 156 on The Best DJs in the World Right Now
• # 36 of 99 on The Real Names of 100 DJs
• # 12 of 49 on The Best Turntablists

American producer Ramble Jon Krohn, better known as RJD2, burst onto the trip hop scene in the early 2000s with his adventurous, genre-blurring approach to music-making. His debut album Deadringer  showcased a unique blend of hip-hop, electronica, and soulful sampling that garnered widespread acclaim and helped establish him as a pioneer within the trip-hop scene. Throughout his career, RJD2 has continued to push the boundaries of the genre by incorporating a wide range of influences and collaborating with various artists, solidifying his status as an innovative force in the world of trip hop.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From RJD2   - "Ghostwriter"   - "Smoke & Mirrors"   - "The Horror"

Dive Into RJD2's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Dead Ringer"   - "Shot in the Dark"

• # 130 of 156 on The Best DJs in the World Right Now
• # 61 of 81 on The 80+ Best Rap Producers Of All Time, Ranked
• # 85 of 99 on The Real Names of 100 DJs

The London-based collective Archive has been pushing the boundaries of trip hop since forming in the mid-1990s. With a diverse and ever-evolving roster of musicians, the group has developed a sophisticated sound that incorporates elements of rock, electronica, and orchestral music. Their ambitious concept albums, like the acclaimed Londonium , showcase their ability to create sweeping, cinematic soundscapes full of emotion and depth. Archive’s unique take on trip hop has earned them a dedicated fanbase, solidifying their status as one of the genre’s most daring and innovative acts.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Archive   - "Bullets"   - "You Make Me Feel"   - "Again"

Dive Into Archive's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Conscience"   - "Numb"

Emancipator

Portland-based producer Doug Appling, known as Emancipator, has been a leading force in the trip-hop scene since the release of his acclaimed debut album Soon It Will Be Cold Enough . With a signature sound that blends lush instrumentation, intricate production, and cinematic soundscapes, Emancipator has consistently captivated listeners with his evocative and meditative compositions. A classically trained musician, Appling's ability to seamlessly weave together elements of electronic, hip-hop, and world music has helped him stand out as a unique and influential figure within the trip-hop genre.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Emancipator   - "Soon It Will Be Cold Enough"   - "Lionheart"   - "Anthem"

Dive Into Emancipator's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Periscope Up"   - "Nevergreen"

Martina Topley-Bird

British singer-songwriter Martina Topley-Bird first emerged as a prominent figure within the trip hop scene through her collaborations with pioneering artist Tricky. Her distinctive, ethereal voice adds a unique depth to the atmospheric soundscapes that have come to define the genre. With subsequent solo work like her debut album Quixotic , Topley-Bird has demonstrated her ability to craft captivating trip hop compositions that seamlessly blend elements of electronica, pop, and rock. Her continued contributions to the genre have made her an enduring and influential presence within the trip hop community.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Martina Topley  -Bird   - "Sandpaper Kisses"   - "Need One"   - "Anything"

Dive Into Martina Topley  -Bird's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Too Tough to Die"   - "Steal Away"

Irish singer Róisín Murphy and English producer Mark Brydon formed Moloko in the mid-'90s, bringing a quirky, innovative, and genre-defying sound to the world of trip hop. With hit singles like "Sing It Back" and "The Time Is Now," the duo crafted a distinct blend of electronic, pop, and dance music that set them apart from their peers. Throughout their career, Moloko's continuously evolving sound and Murphy's beguiling stage presence have earned them a dedicated fanbase and solidified their status as one of trip hop's most inventive acts.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Moloko   - "Sing It Back"   - "Time is Now"   - "Fun for Me"

Dive Into Moloko's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Pure Pleasure Seeker"   - "Dominoid"

• # 45 of 65 on The Best Bands Named After Books and Literary Characters
• # 55 of 70 on The Best House Music DJs
• # 34 of 35 on The 35 Best Acid Jazz Artists, Ranked

Brazilian-born composer and producer Amon Tobin has long been heralded as a pioneer within the realm of trip hop and electronic music. His unique ability to fuse diverse influences, ranging from jazz and ambient to drum and bass, has earned him a reputation for pushing the boundaries of the genre and defying categorization. Tobin's atmospheric and immersive compositions, such as those showcased on his groundbreaking album Bricolage , remain influential touchstones within the trip hop scene and continue to inspire future generations of producers and musicians.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Amon Tobin   - "Four Ton Mantis"   - "Easy Muffin"   - "Stoney Street"

Dive Into Amon Tobin's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "The Lighthouse"   - "Bridge"

The eclectic New York duo Cibo Matto, comprised of Japanese expats Yuka Honda and Miho Hatori, brought a quirky, genre-defying approach to trip hop with their 1996 debut album Viva! La Woman . Incorporating elements of hip-hop, pop, and experimental music, Cibo Matto's unconventional sound and whimsical lyricism set them apart from their peers. Their unique blending of styles and penchant for culinary-themed lyrics helped Cibo Matto carve out a distinct niche within the trip hop community, making them one of the genre's most memorable and singular acts.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Cibo Matto   - "Sugar Water"   - "Know Your Chicken"   - "Birthday Cake"

Dive Into Cibo Matto's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "White Pepper Ice Cream"   - "Sci  -Fi Wasabi"

Supreme Beings of Leisure

The Los Angeles-based collective Supreme Beings of Leisure merged trip hop with elements of lounge, world music, and electronica to create a unique and enticing sound in the late '90s. The group's self-titled debut showcased their ability to craft lush, groove-driven compositions that catered to fans of downtempo electronic music. Supreme Beings of Leisure's diverse influences and innovative approach to trip hop earned them a dedicated following and helped cement their place within the pantheon of influential acts in the genre.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Supreme Beings of Leisure   - "Strangelove Addiction"   - "Golddigger"   - "Never the Same"

Dive Into Supreme Beings of Leisure's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Ain't Got Nothin'"   - "Sublime"

Little Dragon

Swedish band Little Dragon, fronted by the dynamic vocalist Yukimi Nagano, brings a fresh, genre-defying approach to trip hop, blending influences from electronica, R&B, and synth-pop. With acclaimed albums like Ritual Union  under their belt, the band has captivated audiences worldwide with their unique sound and electrifying live performances. As Little Dragon continues to push the boundaries of trip hop and explore new sonic territories, they remain an exciting and essential act within the genre.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Little Dragon   - "Ritual Union"   - "Twice"   - "High"

Dive Into Little Dragon's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Blinking Pigs"   - "Feather"

French musician and producer Jean-Yves Prieur, known as Kid Loco, has been a fixture in the trip hop scene since the mid-'90s, producing music that blends elements of dub, jazz, and electronica into an intoxicating, downtempo sound. His debut album A Grand Love Story  showcased his deft touch for crafting lush instrumental soundscapes that evoke a sense of warmth and nostalgia. With a career spanning multiple decades and numerous collaborations, Kid Loco has solidified his status as an influential figure within the trip hop genre.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Kid Loco   - "A Grand Love Theme"   - "She's My Lover"   - "The Bootleggers"

Dive Into Kid Loco's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Love Me Sweet"   - "Calling Aventura King"

Bitter:Sweet

Los Angeles-based duo Bitter:Sweet, consisting of vocalist Shana Halligan and producer Kiran Shahani, delivered a sultry, sophisticated take on trip hop that captivated listeners in the mid-2000s. Drawing inspiration from jazz, lounge, and electronica, their debut album The Mating Game  showcased their ability to craft intoxicating, melody-driven compositions that resonate with fans of the genre. Though their time as a duo was brief, Bitter:Sweet's unique sound left a lasting impression on the trip hop scene and continues to be celebrated by fans and fellow musicians alike.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Bitter:Sweet   - "Dirty Laundry"   - "Drink You Sober"   - "The Mating Game"

Dive Into Bitter:Sweet's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Heaven"   - "Don't Forget to Breathe"

Canadian singer-songwriter Esthero, born Jen-Bea Englishman, made a powerful entrance to the trip hop scene with her 1998 debut album Breath from Another . Her enchanting blend of jazz, pop, and electronica elements, combined with her candid lyricism and emotive vocals, struck a chord with listeners. While Esthero's sound has evolved over the years to include elements of R&B, hip-hop, and rock, her roots in trip hop remain evident, solidifying her status as one of the genre's most versatile and captivating artists.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Esthero   - "Breath from Another"   - "Heaven Sent"   - "That Girl"

Dive Into Esthero's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Swallow Me"   - "Telephone"

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The 10 best trip hop tracks, according to Nouvelle Vague's Marc Collin

'Bristol' is the debut solo album from Nouvelle Vague co-producer Marc Collin. While Nouvelle Vague made their name covering songs from the punk, post-punk, and new wave eras, Collin's solo record takes its inspiration from a movement that emerged a few years down the line: trip hop.

'Trip hop', as genre names go, has been a source of much scorn, held up as a prime example of why music journos should never be allowed to coin genre names – but you can't deny the music. The term was used to describe a group of artists that emerged from in and around Bristol during the post-acid house years of the 1990s, who shared similar reference points (dub, breakbeat, ambient, soul, jazz, funk, hip hop, and other black sound system styles) and similar formal qualities, and who would go on to be hugely influential on the sound of popular music over the coming years.

The 14 tracks that make up Collin's 'Bristol' are all inspired by music from the trip hop era and reworked in a 1960s film score style, injecting a bit of Parisian chic into the West Country. Reintepretations of songs by Portishead, Tricky, and Massive Attack all feature on the album, sung by an array of French singers. 

Following the release of that album, Collins compiled an introduction to the trip hop aesthetic, featuring both key originals (like Tricky) and artists influenced by the sound (like Goldfrapp), as well as lesser known groups (like Massive Attack peers Alpha). 

Marc Collin : "From one of the major artists from the trip hop scene. I remember the first time I listened to it, it was, strangely, through a French TV channel. I'd never heard anything like it before – the sound of the beat (especially the toms) and the construction of the track is amazing. I still don't know what's coming from samples and what is really being played! It was really the future in '95."

Marc Collin : "To me, Massive Attack invented the genre and are the kings, but with Portishead, Geoff Barrow pushed the sound even further – his touch on production is amazing. With Ian Utley and Beth Gibbons, they were a real group, recording real guitars and drums and mixing them with samples from '60s film noir soundtracks. When I first heard Numb , I was almost shaking, as the sound of the drums was everything I wanted to hear! I saw them last summer, and it was even better than their show in the '90s." 

Marc Collin : "As with Porishead, Goldfrapp – with their first album a few years later – were doing exactly the music that I wanted to hear. It seems I wasn't the only one to feel that way. Great songwriting, amazing vocals, and strange production mixing synths, real strings, drum loops, etc. Great reference to Ennio Morricone. Maybe the best band of the late trip hop era."

Marc Collin : "Emiliana Torrini was not really a trip hop artist, but like a lot of artists in the '90s, you can hear in this track that she was very influenced by the sounds of Bristol. The way that she sings, the production of the beats, the melancholy – everything sounds trip hop there."

Marc Collin : "Alpha were signed to Massive Attack's label Melancolik; that's probably how I discovered them. Entirely based around a Lee Hazlewood sample, this song is the essence of trip hop: deep melancholy, hypnotic vibraphone chords, subtle brush rhythm, strings, and a great vocal performance. Unfortunately, it seems that without the help of a great sample, the band couldn't reach this level afterwards."

Marc Collin : "I don't know if this is really trip hop, but when it was released on the Shut Up And Dance label in the '90s, it was for me! Minimalist trip hop, let's say. A drum'n'bass loop (future drum'n' bass?) and an amazing, jazzy, Billie Holiday kind of voice."

Marc Collin : "The main sound of trip hop was the mix of hop hop beats with melancholic string arrangements. It became a kind of easy recipe, but it almost always worked, especially with a great singer-songwriter like Perry Blake."

Marc Collin : "Featuring a great sample from Francis Lai's score to  A Man And A Woman , here we have some trip hop from Stocholm. I heard that one of the musicians from Jay Jay Johanson's group recorded in Bristol in the early '90s and suggested to Jay Jay to go in that direction. For sure, the sound of trip hop works very well with the crooner style of Jay Jay and jazz singers in general."

Marc Collin : "A real masterpiece. Massive Attack pushed the sound of post-punk bands like PiL further, and somehow added a kind of violence and coldness to their dub-soul sound, mixing the basslines and vocals of dub with post-punk guitars and synthesizer treatments."

Marc Collin : "My band during the '90s! We were very influenced by trip hop, but with a French and Bossa Nova feel that led to Nouvelle Vague a few years later. We used a sample of Julie London's The End Of A Love Affair , which Capitol denied to be the owner! Julie is my favourite singer."

Kwaidan Records released 'Bristol' on April 13th 2015 ( buy ).

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The 10 greatest trip-hop bands of all time

22 February 2023, 11:52

By Tom Eames

Trip-hop emerged in the 1990s as a leading force of downtempo electronic music.

Originating largely in Bristol in the early 1990s, trip-hop has been described as a psychedelic mix of hip-hop and electronica, with slower tempos and an atmospheric style. It also uses elements of jazz, soul, funk, reggae, R&B, and other genres, as well as often sampling film soundtracks and other sources.

Trip-hop was first coined by Mixmag , and it soon had commercial success by the second half of the decade.

From its pioneers of the '90s to the artists they influenced, here are the greatest trip-hop artists:

Morcheeba - Blindfold (Official Video)

Formed in the mid-1990s with singer Skye Edwards and brothers Paul and Ross Godfrey, Morcheeba emerged with sublime influences of rock, folk and downtempo, becoming a leading force in the trip-hop movement, starting with 1996's Who Can You Trust?

They have released 10 studio albums since 1995, with the latest being 2021's Blackest Blue .

Although they have moved on to other genres since their early trip-hop days, they still must be counted as one of the genre's greatest acts.

Sneaker Pimps

Sneaker Pimps - 6 Underground (Official Music Video)

Formed in Hartlepool in 1994, Sneaker Pimps' debut album, Becoming X was a seminal trip-hop LP in 1996.

Best known for the single '6 Underground', the band takes its name from an article the Beastie Boys published in their Grand Royal magazine about a man they hired to track down classic sneakers.

The band was created by electronic musician Liam Howe and guitarist Chris Corner, and then later recruited singer Kelli Ali (then known as Kelli Dayton).

After a long hiatus, the group returned with Howe and Corner in 2016, and they finally started releasing new music in 2021.

Little Dragon

Little Dragon - Twice

Swedish band Little Dragon hail from Gothenburg, having formed in 1996.

The band currently consists of singer Yukimi Nagano, Erik Bodin (drums), Fredrik Wallin (bass) and Håkan Wirenstrand (keyboards).

Their first release was the incredible single 'Twice' in 2006, and they brought out their debut album a year later.

Nagano was in her first year in high school when she met seniors Wallin and Bodin. The three of them would meet up after school to jam and play records, and their band name was inspired by the 'Little Dragon' nickname Nagano earned due to the "fuming tantrums" she used to throw while in the studio.

UNKLE - Rabbit In Your Headlights

UNKLE was founded in 1992 by James Lavelle.

In 1997, Lavelle brought in DJ Shadow to work on his debut album, which was released a year later. The album featured collaborations with the likes of Thom Yorke (Radiohead), Mark Hollis (Talk Talk), Mike D (Beastie Boys), Badly Drawn Boy and Richard Ashcroft (The Verve).

UNKLE as an outfit still exists today, though Lavelle has featured various incarnations of the collective, hiring a wide range of guest musicians and producers along the way.

His most recent studio album release with 2017's The Road: Part 1.

Martina Topley-Bird

Sandpaper Kisses

English singer and multi-instrumentalist Martina Topley-Bird first found fame when she featured on Tricky's debut album, Maxinquaye in 1995.

She also worked with him on his subsequent albums Nearly God and Pre-Millennium Tension, and then in 2003, she released her debut solo album Quixotic. The album was a critical hit and earned her a Mercury Prize nomination.

She has since worked with the likes of Gorillaz, Diplo and Massive Attack among others, and her track 'Sandpaper Kisses' has been covered Stephen Marley and sampled by The Weeknd.

Lamb - Gorecki

Electronic music duo Lamb formed in 1996 in Manchester, and consist of producer Andy Barlow and singer-songwriter Lou Rhodes. Rhodes' distinctive vocals gave them a uniquely beautiful sound, and no doubt inspired the likes of The Knife and Goldfrapp.

Their brand of trip-hop is also influenced drum and bass and jazz, and are best known for their singles 'Górecki' and 'Gabriel'.

Despite a hiatus in the 2000s, they have continued to release music, with their most recent being 2019's The Secret of Letting Go .

DJ Shadow - Midnight In A Perfect World

Speaking of DJ Shadow...

Joshua Davis is an American DJ, songwriter and record producer, known for his famous alter ego. His debut studio album, Endtroducing..... was released in 1996.

DJ Shadow's music often involves manipulating samples, bringing in rare pieces of music and sound clips, from all kinds of genres, particularly on his early albums.

His most recent LP was the double album Our Pathetic Age in 2021.

Portishead - Glory Box

Portishead - named after the place in Somerset, formed in 1991 in Bristol. Comprising of singer Beth Gibbons, producer Geoff Barrow, and musician Adrian Utley, engineer Dave McDonald is also sometimes credited as the fourth member.

• The Story of... 'Glory Box' by Portishead

Their 1994 album Dummy brought together hip-hop production with emotive vocals from Gibbons, creating a particularly atmospheric and cinematic sound. It was one of the albums that defined trip-hop as a growing genre.

Portishead themselves have disliked being associated with the genre, and would later move away from the sound on later albums.

Tricky - 'Black Steel' (Official Video)

British artist Tricky was raised in Bristol, and began his career as an early member of Massive Attack.

He soon began a solo career with his debut album, Maxinquaye , in 1995. It instantly won him huge critical acclaim, and he released four more studio albums before the end of the decade. His most recent album was 2020's Fall to Pieces .

Tricky is considered a pioneer of trip-hop, with his style known for being often dark in tone, and blending cultural influences and genres, such as hip-hop, rock and reggae.

Massive Attack

Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy

Trip-hop pioneers Massive Attack formed in 1988 in Bristol, led by Robert '3D' Del Naja, Adrian 'Tricky' Thaws, Andrew 'Mushroom' Vowles and Grant 'Daddy G' Marshall.

Their debut album Blue Lines was released in 1991, with the single 'Unfinished Sympathy' considered one of the greatest songs of all time, let alone trip-hop.

1998's Mezzanine - containing the classic track 'Teardrop') and 2003's 100th Window were also UK number ones.

They have won various awards of the years, and have sold over 13 million copies worldwide.

Like Portishead, they have never been a massive fan of the 'trip hop' label. Daddy G said in 2006: "We used to hate that terminology [trip-hop] so bad. You know, as far we were concerned, Massive Attack music was unique, so to put it in a box was to pigeonhole it and to say, 'Right, we know where you guys are coming from."

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New Music Friday: The best albums out May 17

Stephen Thompson

Hazel Cills

Rapsody (left) and Erykah Badu Courtesy of the artists hide caption

Rapsody (left) and Erykah Badu

NPR Music's Stephen Thompson and Hazel Cills discuss new releases by Billie Eilish , Portishead 's Beth Gibbons and Rapsody .

Featured albums: • Billie Eilish, Hit Me Hard and Soft • Rapsody, Please Don't Cry • Beth Gibbons, Lives Outgrown

Other notable albums out May 17: • Shellac, To All Trains • The Avett Brothers, The Avett Brothers • V/A, Everyone's Getting Involved: A Tribute to Talking Heads' Stop Making Sense • Mach-Hommy, #RICHAXXHAITIAN • Cage the Elephant, Neon Pill • of Montreal, Lady on the Cusp • Wu-Lu, Learning To Swim On Empty • Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band, Loophole • The Lovely Eggs, Eggistentialism • Kaia Kater, Strange Medicine • Álvaro Díaz, SAYONARA • ZAYN, Room Under the Stairs • One Step Closer, All You Embrace • A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, Better Off Alone • Crumb, AMAMA • Lightheaded, Combustible Gems • Pallbearer, Mind Burns Alive • Joywave, Permanent Pleasure • Blitzen Trapper, 100's of 1000's, Millions of Billions • Payroll Giovanni, Have Money Have Heart EP • UFOmammut, Hidden • SQÜRL, Music for Man Ray • pub, process the wise

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More From Forbes

Ghostface killah ‘set the tone’ with new album and memoir.

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Ghostface Killah 'Set the Tone'

It has been five years since we've heard a full-length album from Ghostface Killah. However, Ghostface has not slowed down, appearing on several features since 2019. These include Kendrick Lamar’s “Purple Hearts” with Summer Walker, two dense verses on the late DJ Kay Slay’s “Rolling 110 Deep” , and a recent collaboration with Raekwon for a New York Knicks and Kith campaign last month.

Now the hip-hop legend has utilized 2024 to release his 14th studio album, Set the Tone (Guns and Roses) via Mass Appeal Records, the label co-owned by Nas.

Officially released last Friday (May 10), the nineteen-track medley is a two-part saga showcasing the modern art of Ghostface. One side represents the "Guns," where Tony Starks, one of his most heralded alter egos, enters his gritty, classic assassin mode. On the "Roses" side, we are greeted with Pretty Toney, the romantic, luxurious rebel.

Anyone familiar with Killah's work can easily pick up on the hardcore contrast between the two sides.

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 01: Ghostface Killah of Wu-Tang Clan (L) and Nas perform during the ... [+] "New York State of Mind" tour at Oakland Arena on October 01, 2022 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)

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A storm of 3 000 ukrainian bomblets blew up four russian jets at their base in crimea, samsung galaxy s24 series users really want to turn off one of its best features.

Ghost announced the arrival of Set the Tone when he took to Instagram at the top of May to share the release of his new single with Nas, “Scar Tissue.” The track, which serves as the album’s premiere single, showcases Nas delivering a performance reminiscent of the 1990s, bringing a sense of matured class from that era. “Nothing bigger than Ghostface and Esco / Legal Mexican cartel money, call me Arnesco,” Nas raps.

In the flashy visual for the single, produced by Rock Davis, the Staten Island and Queens representatives are seen showcasing their camaraderie.

Ghostface complements this with his signature mafioso aesthetic, rapping, “Bottles of Sangria / Monsters jumpin' out of trucks like a concierge / Pasta, prawns over lobsters, oysters, diamond chips.” One of the standout features of the song is the production by T the Human, who provides the perfect pulse to match the diction of the two MCs.

The presence of Nas was seen as a sign of more features to come, and about a week later, over ten additional features were confirmed. These included his fellow Wu-Tang Clan brothers Raekwon and Method Man, as well as Ye (Kanye West), Fat Joe, Ja Rule, Serani, Remy Ma, Busta Rhymes, Sheek Louch, Jim Jones, and more. Indeed, the album is star-studded but remains a pure reflection of the Staten Island rapper's arena in rap.

The “Guns” Side

HOLMDEL, NJ - SEPTEMBER 01: (L-R) Ghostface Killah and Sheek Louch attend the 2012 Rock The Bells ... [+] music festival at the PNC Bank Arts Center on September 1, 2012 in Holmdel, New Jersey. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

Ghostface embarks on a real rap homie link-up on “6 Minutes” featuring Sheek Louch and Jim Jones. “Ayo, ayo, who the...is this? / Hittin' me at 5:46 in the morning?,” Ghost leads on with the classic Biggie line on what appears to be the grittiest track on the album, “Pair of Hammers” featuring explosive bars from Method Man: “My mouth talk dirty with grammar, my tongue filthy / My arms come with armor, by baby momma's a milfy,” Method Man bars.

Raekwon offers a ruthless soulful vibe on “Skate Odyssey” with angelic vocals of October London tuning the chorus. The album also brings some slick dancehall with Beniton on “Champion Sound” and a fiery performance from Fat Joe on “Cape Tear” with HARL3Y. “We been toe taggin' motherfuckers since the Purple Tape / Styles told me to go green to keep calm,” Joe raps.

Among the breakout songs of Set the Tone’s "Guns" side is “No Face” featuring Ye, which includes a celebrated verse by the Vultures 2 artist: “Me and Ghost in a ski mask / I was chillin' there, layin' / Chilean like sea bass,” West raps. The feature is multi-symbolic: first, it demonstrates the hold Kanye West has on the hip-hop community, as his verses are highly sought after; second, it serves as a sign of respect from West to Ghostface.

The "Guns" part of the album is highly reminiscent of the slick, bouncy sound of the rap legend’s albums Fishscale or even More Fish .

The “Roses” Side

While on the "Roses" side, Pretty Toney shifts the tone to a smooth, grimy groove with the evocative "Plan B." Ghostface raps, "Said it from the get-go / Been honest with you from the gate / I got a Wis though," delving into the complicated love life of a player. This track showcases Ghostface's Wizard of Poetry persona, leaning more towards Ghostdini than Pretty Toney with its risqué bars.

Tracklist for Ghostface Killah's 14th studio album 'Set the Tone (Guns and Roses)'

Ja Rule, known for his romantic jams, delivers on "Bad Bitch." However, it was the KimYe bar that stood out: "I gotta get away like KimYe for Pete's sake / We philly the cheesesteak, New Yiddy the cheesecake," Ja Rule raps while Trevor Jackson laces the chorus.

“Locked In” blesses boom bap lovers with AZ, who does not hesitate to paint a vivid and captivating masterpiece. “Out in Freddie's, house of Mercedes / If we go the wide route, you could push out some babies / Wouldn't faze me, finally forming that team / I can give you anything in this world except C.R.E.A.M,” AZ bars.

His presence has ignited a hunger among hip-hop fans for an AZ and Ghostface Killah collab album, a dynamic partnership Ghostface is no stranger to with previous works like Wu Block with Sheek Louch, Sour Soul with BadBadNotGood, and Twelve Reasons to Die with Adrian Younge.

In what appears to be the catchiest festive vibe, rap mixed with reggae, "Shots" features Busta Rhymes in speedy lyrical form declaring his protective stance over his lady: “I do what you couldn't while you frontin', I cut deep into the soul of my woman.” Serani complements this with a jingly chorus line, “Shots, shots, tequila, tequila, tequila.”

Remy Ma concludes the Roses side with “YUPP!”—a sign that Ghostface never misses the chance to embrace a true rap queen. The two's raw, ominous signature vibe is evident as Remy takes off with, “Y'all know how I give it up.”

Cover for Ghostface Killah's 14th studio album 'Set the Tone (Guns and Roses)'

The skits on the album—a signature of Wu-Tang Clan and 1990s/2000s rap productions—reveal that Ghostface was in the booth with one Wally on, with Ghostdini still at it with his angels, maintaining his humor.

Ghostface is kicking off this new chapter in his legendary rap career with the explosive release of his memoir, Rise of a Killah . The memoir delves into personal experiences that he has faintly discussed, including his childhood in Staten Island, his life-changing trip to Africa, and his relationship with Islam.

Fans have expressed wishes of hearing fellow Wu members like Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and Cappadonna make an appearance on Set The Tone , along with the backend touch of RZA (and of course, bars). However, the anticipation of the grand Wu presence should be reserved for another highly anticipated Ghostface album. The grandiose features, two-sided theme, and gritty boom bap vibe of this project have certainly set the tone for Supreme Clientele 2.

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50 Best Hip-Hop Diss Songs of All Time

From 2Pac's "Hit Em Up" to Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us," beef is always in season.

Dating back to the time Big Bank Hank of the Sugar Hill Gang borrowed Grandmaster Caz's rhyme book and used his lyrics without credit on "Rapper's Delight," MCs have been feuding on and off wax. 

Hip-hop is a culture built around machismo and bravado, so backing down or losing a battle is detrimental to an artist's career. One slip-up and you could find yourself with a one-way ticket to obscurity. Certain MCs have built entire careers around beefing with other artists, while others have had their careers destroyed with just a couple lines. But what once began as two rappers simply battling over skill has turned into big business—with parody music videos, elaborate stage shows, and entire albums dedicated to the coveted battle.

The ante is constantly being upped to keep the fans entertained, so lines will be crossed while artists strive to find unique and creative ways to slander their opponents. Mothers, women, and children have all been involved. And in the YouTube era, a rapper just might show up to your house with a camera crew looking for a brawl. On the heels of Kendrick Lamar and Drake's historic back-and-forth , Complex has updated our list of the 50 best hip-hop diss songs ever. Vegetarians beware. Blurbs written by Andrew Barber and current members of the Complex staff as noted.

50. 50 Cent, "Piggy Bank" (2005)

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Target: Nas, Jadakiss, Mobb Deep, Ja Rule, Kelis, Shyne, Fat Joe, Lil Kim Producer: Needlz Album: The Massacre Label: Shady/Aftermath/Interscope Best Line: "Jada, don't fuck with me if you wanna eat/'Cause I'll do yo little ass like Jay did Mobb Deep"

No stranger to beef, 50 Cent kicked off the promo campaign for his sophomore album, The Massacre, by creating a massacre of his own: attacking every rapper in NYC. Well, almost. Feeling a certain way about Fat Joe and Jadakiss appearing on arch-nemesis Ja Rule's "New York," 50 viciously attacked all parties involved. He accused Jadakiss of only popping locally and called Fat Joe on releasing a dud of an album after dropping the massive hit "Lean Back." Heck, even Mobb Deep (who 50 would sign months later), taking a shot for Havoc showing up to Ja's video shoot. The video was an animated mess but does score points for depicting Nas as "Captain Save Em" chasing down the Kelis "Milkshake" truck.

49. U.N.L.V., "Drag Em 'N the River" (1996)

Target: Big Boy Records, Mystikal Producer: Mannie Fresh Album: Uptown 4 Life Label: Cash Money Best Line: "You fake cheerleadin, bitch" (Yella Boy)

Feeling slighted by some stray shots Mystikal fired off on his single "Beware," crosstown rivals UNLV struck back with "Drag Em 'N the River," a scorching N.O. anthem that poked fun at Mystikal's braids and his past as a high school cheerleader. At the time, Cash Money (where UNLV was signed) and Big Boy Records (home to Mystikal) were battling for top indie label status in New Orleans, and "Drag Em" quickly escalated the tension between the two factions. Mystikal eventually responded via a few bars on "Let's Get Em" from Master P's Ghetto D album, but at that point Mystikal was riding with the Tank and was far too big to concern himself with lowly regional artists.

48. Pusha-T f/ The-Dream, "Exodus 23:1" (2012)

Target: Lil Wayne Producer: The-Dream Album: N/A Label: G.O.O.D. Music/ Def Jam Best Line: "Contract all fucked up/I guess that means you all fucked up/You signed to one nigga that signed to another nigga/That's signed to three niggas, now that's bad luck" 

Pusha-T and Lil Wayne have been at odds for over a decade. It’s rumored that their disdain for each other started all the way back at Baby’s “What Happened to That Boy” video shoot, where Wayne was allegedly so enthralled by the Clipse’s style, he began dressing like the Brothers Thornton—switching from his New Orleans style of dress (tees, ’Bauds, and Rees) to the more refined BAPE look. The Clipse’s 2006 single “Mr. Me Too” was reportedly in reference to Lil Wayne, and the two have been at odds ever since. But the issue finally hit a boiling point in 2012, when Push released “Exodus 23:1,” a scathing track littered with not-so subtle jabs at Weezy F Baby. “Exodus” claimed Wayne was getting screwed by his recording contract with Cash Money (which we now know to be true), and that the people around him really weren’t down to ride. In hindsight, Pusha’s diss was pretty damn accurate. The truth hurts.

It did, however, prompt Wayne to take the bait and respond to Push, which was a v rare occurrence (he hadn’t jumped in a beef since he dropped 500 Degreez in 2002, which was aimed at his former labelmate Juvenile) Wayne countered with the lackluster “Goulish,” which was met with a collective trash emoji from the public at large. It did include the hilarious opening line: “Fuck Pusha-T and anybody that love him,” which was the only saving grace.

The beef remained quiet for the next few years until Lil Wayne began to publicly diss Cash Money Records on Twitter. Pusha then trolled Wayne with the classic: “if u wanna drop albums and don't want your CEO's rubbing they hands all in your videos, COME TO G.O.O.D. MUSIC!! (Suge Knight voice)”

47. MC Eiht, "Def Wish" (1991-1996)

Target: DJ Quik (I-IV) Producer: DJ Slip Album: Straight Check'n Em , Music to Driveby , We Come Strapped , Death Threatz Label: Epic/Orpheus Best Line: "And you don't wanna see me/DJ Quik in a khaki bikini"

As DJ Quik was rising to prominence in Compton's hip-hop scene in the late '80s, he gave a shout out to the already-accomplished MC Eiht from Compton's Most Wanted on a local mixtape, letting Eiht know that Quik was on the rise. Taking the mention as a slight, MC Eiht began a series of hilarious diss songs toward Quik that would stretch over half a decade under the "Def Wish" title. The best known of the series is 1993's "Def Wish III," from Eiht's We Come Strapped album, that paints Quik as a goofy, perm-wearing, clucker in a Khaki bikini. The series finally ended in 1996 with Eiht's fourth and final installment, that went to the well one too many times with the Khaki bikini reference.

46. Sheff G, "No Suburban"

Target: 22Gz Producer: AXL Beats Album: N/A Label: Self Released Best Line: “Better recognize who you dealing with/Run up, gun up, gon' be a death/Leave a blicky lookin' all sticky, drippy Paramedics looking for his chest”

Sheff G is a pioneer of New York drill, and the genre wouldn’t have had its initial burst at conception without “No Suburban.” The track was a response to fellow Brooklyn drill rapper  22Gz’ “Suburban,” and the authentically New York diss track became a hit on the streets because it takes square aim at its target's chest. “No Suburban” works so well because it doesn’t try to complicate things. As Sheff G would say on “No Suburban, Pt. 2,” this  is “a diss track, this is not a song.” —Jordan Rose

45. Drake, "Push Ups"

Target: Kendrick Lamar, Future, Rick Ross, A$AP Rocky, Ja Morant, The Weeknd & Metro Boomin Producers: Boi-1da, Tay Keith, Preme, Fierce, Dramakid, Coleman, and Noel Cadastre Album: N/A Label: OVO/Republic Most memorable line: “Metro shut yo hoe ass up and make some drums, nigga”

“Push Ups” is a masterclass in multitasking, a song where he efficiently takes shots at Kendrick Lamar, Future, Metro Boomin, Rick Ross, The Weeknd, and even Ja Morant with four minutes of straight bars on a beat that sounds like it could have soundtracked the Halloween franchise. Taking on half the rap game in one song is a daunting task, but Drake makes it look easy as he dedicates a few bars to everybody, shooting back at Kendrick, Future, Rick Ross, and The Weeknd, while delivering one of the funniest one-liners in rap this year with, “Metro, shut yo hoe ass up and make some drums, nigga.” “Push Ups” surfaced in a fumbled rollout that caused everyone to question the validity of a low-quality leak that sounded like it could have been AI, but the song itself is very strong and was a great counterpunch. — Jordan Rose

44. Eminem, "Killshot"

Target: Machine Gun Kelly Producer: IllaDaProducer Album: N/A Label: Aftermath Entertainment, Interscope Records, Shady Records & Universal Music Group Best Line: “And for the record, you would suck a dick to fuckin' be me for a second/ Lick a ballsack to get on my channel/ Give your life to be as solidified”

Eminem versus Machine Gun Kelly was like when Dillion Brooks wanted to challenge LeBron James in the 2023 NBA Playoffs; the young brash player got handled by the seasoned legend. MGK was out of his depth with this one, and Em’s response to his “Rap Devil” was four minutes of the Detroit rapper putting both of their careers in perspective. From “Stan” references to Eminem comparing where he was in his career at 29 to where MGK was at that time, the entire track serves as a lesson to never bring up a Rap God’s name in vain without expecting holy retribution in the form of bars. The delivery isn’t as sharp or ferocious as some of his disses of old, but it still gets the job done against an opponent that never really needed a “Killshot” in the first place. —Jordan Rose

43. Nas, "Stillmatic Freestyle" (2001)

Target: Jay-Z and Roc-A-Fella Records Producer: Eric B. & Rakim Album: N/A Label: Self Released Best Line: “I rule you—before, you used to rap like the Fu-Schnickens/ Nas designed your blueprint, who you kidding?”

Nas' 2001 album, Stillmatic, was praised as a return to form, and his one-man Roc-A-Fella slaughter, "Stillmatic Freestyle," was a fitting warmup. Spitting over the Coldcut remix of Eric B and Rakim’s "Paid in Full," Nas gets off on Jay-Z and most of the Roc team with an energetic flow, neat rhyme structures and ruthless concision. Here, he cuts through Hov's hard-earned mythology. Ahead of HOV's then-forthcoming sixth studio album, Nas' lyrical exercise was an incisive way at deconstructing HOV's blueprint. On a song filled with questions centered around street credibility and Jigga’s aptitude as a business exec, a comparison to the Fu-Schnickens might just be the most disrespectful insult. —Peter Berry

42. Beanie Sigel, "Put Ya Hands Up" (2001)

Target: Jadakiss Producer: Wayne-O Album: N/A Label: Self Released Best Line: “What's funny Jason, really think you grimy too/And everybody likes you better in that shiny suit”

A cocktail of gunplay, tidy rhyme schemes and dated, but charming puns, Beanie Sigel's first Jadakiss assault is like a Sistine Chapel of brute rap savagery. Here, Beans turns song titles and affiliations against the Yonkers rapper: Styles P is called "The Ghost" because he's Jadakiss' ghostwriter, and after an encounter with Beans, Kiss will want to knock himself out. When he's not boasting about his military-grade weaponry, he's employing some dismissive humor; the gun talk is fun, Jada, but go back to wearing the cute neon suit Bad Boy picked out for you. Throw in some well-placed death threats, and you get a vicious diss song befitting of the man they call the Broad Street Bully. —Peter Berry

41. Jadakiss, "F*ck Beanie Sigel Freestyle" (2001)

Target: Beanie Sigel Producer: Mr. Walt Album: N/A Label: Self Released Best Line: “Yo when I met you, you was on my dick/ Jigga gave you his old Bentley's, now you on some shit/And I don't know where they found you son/But since ya pops ain't around I'mma punish you and ground you son”

As far as titles go, it never gets more to the point than "Fuck Beanie Sigel.” Checking in at a dense 2 minutes and 54 seconds, Jadakiss' diatribe is an exercise in wholesome disrespect. In just the opening bars, he accuses Beanie of flexing with Jay-Z's hand-me-down Bentleys and being a copycat before saying he'll ground Beanie for punishment; after all, his absentee father isn't around to do so. Bitter, clever. and skillful, he punctuates it all with a nod to Beanie's boss, serving up an "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" flip that's as biting as it is efficient; a fitting command from a man who sounds like he genuinely wants to send his opponent into the ether. —Peter Berry

40. T.I., "99 Problems (Lil Flip Ain't One)" (2004)

Target: Lil Flip Producer: Rick Rubin Album: N/A Label: N/A Best Line: "Lyrically I'll murk you/Physically I'll hurt you/You ain't never ran the streets you had a curfew"

Nick Fury, the producer of Lil Flip's 2004 hit "Game Over," invited T.I. to appear on the star-studded remix of the record, but Flip wasn't with it, and T.I. was left snubbed. Lil Flip went on to allegedly diss T.I. during a concert in his hometown of Atlanta, while the self-proclaimed King of the South was incarcerated.

Once free, T.I. went on a Lil Flip slander campaign, claiming it was game over for Flip, who was nothing but a studio gangster who lived in the suburbs and wore Leprechaun outfits (which Flip famously donned on the cover of his The Leprechaun album). The beef was eventually squashed, but not before the two came to fisticuffs in Flip's Houston neighborhood of Cloverland, where T.I. was visiting with a camera crew to expose Flip as a fraud.

39. Drake, "Family Matters"

Targets: Kendrick Lamar, Future, Rick Ross, A$AP Rocky, The Weeknd & Metro Boomin Producers: Boi-1da, Tay Keith, Mark Ronson, Fierce, and Kevin Mitchell Album: N/A Label: OVO/Republic Best Line: “Rakim talkin' shit again/ Gassed 'cause you hit my BM first, nigga, do the math, who I was hittin' then?/ I ain't even know you rapped still 'cause they only talkin' 'bout your 'fit again”

Despite being immediately stomped on by Kendrick’s “Meet the Grahams,” “Family Matters” is a good diss song because of its range in sound and the different flows Drake exhibits. In reality, it would have probably served him better to split the track into two separate songs so he could focus solely on Kendrick (ASAP Rocky gets the most creative disses). But Drake still manages to lob some decent jabs and heavy accusations Kendrick’s way—the main one being that the Compton rapper has been allegedly physically violent toward his fiancée, Whitney Alford, and that his creative partner Dave Free fathered one of his children. (Neither of these accusations have been confirmed.) The song is well put together, and has a layered music video that features Drake crushing the same model Mini-van that was featured on the cover of good kid, m.A.A.d city. —Jordan Rose

38. Kendrick Lamar, "Meet the Grahams"

Target: Drake Producer: The Alchemist Album: N/A Label: Interscope Most memorable line: “Fuck a rap battle, he should die so all of these women can live with a purpose”

The gloves came off and the war went to a dark place when Kendrick challenged “Family Matters” with “Meet the Grahams” within an hour after the former dropped. Up until this point, it was still a “friendly fade” between Drake and Dot, but “Meet the Grahams” takes things into dark waters as Kendrick uses each member of Drake’s immediate family to address him and accuse the rapper of having a substance abuse problem, being a sexual predator, and of abandoning an 11-year-old daughter. Drake immediately refuted these allegations and claimed he planted this information for Kendrick to use on “The Heart Part 6,” but the damage from the song had already been done. The song has little to no replay value, and Kendrick sounds like Jigsaw as he talk-raps through all of these serious allegations. It works well as a diss track, and ultimately, “Meet the Grahams” will be remembered as the song that marked the point of no return in this war. — Jordan Rose

37. Eazy-E f/ Gangsta Dresta and B.G. Knoccout, "Real Muthaphuckkin' G's" (1993)

Target: Death Row Records, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg Producer: Rhythum D and Eazy-E Album: It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa Label: Ruthless/Priority Best Line: "All of the sudden Dr. Dre is the G thang/But on his old album covers, he was the she-thang" (Eazy-E)

When Dr. Dre left Ruthless Records under suspect terms (and means) to start Death Row Records with Suge Knight, the feud between the two labels kicked off almost immediately. Dr. Dre led off his solo debut, The Chronic , with "Fuck Wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')," which attacked his former friend and record label for their suspect business practices. The accompanying video featured comedian A.J. Johnson portraying the goofy "Sleazy-E," who was seen holding a "Will Rap for Food" sign on a freeway exit.

Obviously the Godfather of gangster rap didn't take this lightly, and quickly responded with an entire EP dedicated to the beef: It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa (the EP's inserts included the infamous sequins suit-wearing picture of Dr. Dre in makeup, from his World Class Wreckin' Cru days).

The best of Eazy's disses, however, was "Real Muthaphuckkin G's," which slighted Dre for being a studio gangster, dubbed Snoop Dogg as the "anorexic rapper," and claimed Suge Knight ruled Death Row with an iron fist. But perhaps the most noteworthy revelation was that Eazy was still making money on Dr. Dre's publishing, so "Dre Day" was actually good for business.

36. Cam'ron f/ Jim Jones, "Hate Me Now" (2002)

Target: Nas Producer: D-Moet, Pretty Boy, Trackmasters Album: N/A Label: N/A Best Line: "Take your daughter, R. Kelly/Have my way with her face" (Cam'ron)

After Hot 97 canceled Nas' 2002 Summer Jam performance, God's Son went on New York's Power 105.1 and spazzed on the industry. One of the recipients of Nas' blackout was Cam'ron, who Nas claimed was a "good" lyricist, but dropped a "wack" album. Never one to turn the other cheek, Cam jumped on Nas' "Hate Me Now" instrumental and went straight for his jugular. Lines were crossed, low-blows were thrown, and Jim Jones introduced the amazing term "Kufi Slapper." Killa!

35. Jadakiss, "Checkmate" (2005)

Target: 50 Cent Producer: Alchemist Album: N/A Label: N/A Best Line: "Yeah, you got a felony, but you ain't a predicate/Never the King of New York, you live in Connecticut"

After 50 viciously attacked Jadakiss on "Piggy Bank" (and portraying him as a Ninja Turtle in the video), J to the Muah fired back with "Checkmate," a strategic response record, focusing on 50's public shortcomings. The track was filled with quotables, with Kiss alluding to 50 being a snitch, having the weakest flow in G-Unit, and asks what's so cool about being shot nine times and not shooting back.

34. Remy Ma, "ShETHER"

Target: Nicki Minaj Producer: Ron Browz Album: N/A Label: N/A Best Line: “And I got a few words for the moms of the young Barbz/Guess who supports a child molester? Nicki Minaj”

“ShETHER”  defecates on Nicki Minaj’s entire existence. The audio assault nods to Nas’ devastating 2001 song  “Ether,”  flipping the scathing Jay-Z diss’ title while sharing the song’s Ron Browz beat. And Remy Ma is ruthless in her critique of Nicki, portraying her as both an opportunistic clique bopper who’s slept with Trey Songz and Hot 97’s Ebro Darden— both  have  denied  the claims—and a bedroom prude whose rumored butt implants interfered with her sex life with ex-boyfriend Meek Mill. Rem also accuses Minaj of spitting ghostwritten rhymes and claims to have footage of powdering her nose without MAC or Sephora. 

But Remy reaches Super Saiyan savage when she addresses Nicki’s older brother Jelani Maraj, who is facing life in prison after being charged with raping a 12-year-old girl. (He's currently  awaiting trial. ) Her lines slice deeper than any cosmetic surgeon’s knife. — John Kennedy

33. Mobb Deep, "Drop a Gem on Em" (1996)

Target: 2Pac Producer: Havoc and Prodigy Album: Hell on Earth Label: Loud Records/RCA/BMG Best Line: "Got raped on the Island you officially got/Kick that thug shit, Vibe magazine on some love shit" (Havoc)

While incarcerated in 1995, 2Pac caught wind that NYC-duo Mobb Deep shouted "Thug Life we still living it" in the chorus of their hit single "Survival of the Fittest" (it probably didn"t help that Puff Daddy was featured in the video). As the face and frontman of the group Thug Life, 2Pac saw this as a direct shot, and upon his release from prison in late-1995, waged a war against Mobb Deep. Although Biggie Smalls was Pac's public enemy No. 1, he was sure to slam the duo at any given opportunity, and they became mainstays in each of Pac's diss tracks.

While most of Pac's adversaries remained mum and refused to respond to the disses, Mobb Deep chomped at the bit with "Drop a Gem on Em," a joint featuring thinly veiled barbs relating to Pac's NYC robbery and shooting and even accusations that he was raped on Rikers Island. Although it's reported that "Drop a Gem on Em" was recorded before Pac passed away, the track didn't see an official release until two months after he died, which was seen by some as a tasteless move on the part of Mobb Deep and Loud Records.

32. Roxanne Shante, "Have a Nice Day" (1987)

Target: BDP Producer: Marley Marl Album: N/A Label: Cold Chillin' Best Line: "Now KRS-One you should go on vacation/With that name soundin' like a wack radio station"

After KRS-One claimed "Roxanne Shante is only good for steady fuckin" on "The Bridge Is Over," it was only right for Roxanne to join the BDP vs. Juice Crew battle. After proving she could hold her own against male opponents (she took on UTFO years earlier), Roxanne and Marley Marl crafted "Have a Nice Day," filled with hilarious jabs aimed at the KRS-One and Scott La Rock. Despite rumors that her rhymes were written by Kool G Rap and Big Daddy Kane, Roxanne proved that a female could step in the ring in a male-dominated genre and keep the battle entertaining.

31. Cam'ron, "Dear Stan" (2000)

Target: Stan Spit Producer: DJ Mark the 45 King Album: N/A Label: N/A Best Line: "Hung out with you on Mother's Day because your mother's dead"

Probably best known for his appearance in the movie Belly , and his guest verse on Big L's posthumous single, "Puttin' It Down," Harlemite Stan Spit became embattled with his one-time mentor, Cam'ron, after dissing him on an obscure freestyle. In response, Cam recreated Eminem's smash "Stan" and flipped it into a cleverly crafted diss track poking fun at the opponent's actual government name. The lopsided battle found Killa taking shots at "Stan'Ron" for being unable to score a deal in an era when all you needed was a pulse to get signed, and even brought up Stan's dead mother. In the aftermath, Stan's career went the way of his character in Belly  and was subsequently never heard from again.

30. Kendrick Lamar, "Euphoria"

Target: Drake Producers: Cardo, ​Kyuro, Sounwave, Johnny Juliano, Yung Exclusive & Matthew “MTech” Bernard Album: N/A Label: Interscope Best Line: “I even hate when you say the word ‘nigga,’ but that's just me, I guess”

The best diss tracks pick apart opponents in unique ways that will haunt them. But they only withstand the test of time if they have one secret ingredient—pure hater energy. And Kendrick harnesses that on “Euphoria.” Not only is his first official response in the great rap war with Drake filled with easter eggs—like Dot reversing Richard Pryor’s dialogue from The Wiz when he’s being exposed as a fraud or the title being named after the sexualized high school drama Euphoria, which Drake executive produces—it also meticulously picks apart The Boy's massive persona. Kendrick takes jabs at everything from Drake’s relationship with his Blackness to various ghostwriter allegations. And “Euphoria” doesn’t rely on salacious information to get at the rapper, but leans fully into the fact that Kendrick just doesn’t like the guy. Sometimes it pays to be “the biggest hater.”  —Jordan Rose

29. Company Flow, "Linda Tripp" (1999)

Target: Sole Producer: El-P Album: N/A Label: N/A Best Line: "From now on you're immortalized playin' yourself on my record/Congratu-fuckin-lations isn't that what you wanted, idiot" (El-P)

After Anticon member Sole dissed Company Flow frontman El-P on "Dear Elpee," El-P used art of war tactics and slyly recorded a phone conversation between the eager-to-apologize Sole and himself. Sole turned out to be more stan than enemy, professing "I love Company Flow" and "I wanna be down," self-ether at its finest. This "Linda Tripp" tactic (named after the Pentagon employee who secretly recorded her phone conversations with Monica Lewinsky, which led to the impeachment of President Bill Clinton) would be used many times over the course of hip-hop history. I believe the kids now call it being "Young Buck'd."

28. Jay-Z, "Super Ugly" (2001)

Target: Carmen, Nas Producer: Megahertz/Dr. Dre Album: N/A Label: N/A Best Line: "I came in your Bentley backseat/Skeeted in your Jeep/Left condoms in your baby seat"

After feeling the effects of Nasir's potent "Ether," a visibly dazed Jigga started to hit below the belt with "Super Ugly," the third and final act of the Jay-Z vs. Nas saga. "Super Ugly" was commonly seen as a rushed fail on Jay's part and left most believing Nas was true victor in the battle. However, a closer inspection reveals a ruthless and remorseless diss, in which Jay brags about sexing Nas' baby-mother, Carmen Bryan, and leaving condoms on his daughter Destiny's car seat, that even had Hov's mom insisted he issue a public apology to Nas and family, to which Jay obliged.

27. Rick Ross f/ Drake and French Montana, “Stay Schemin” (2012)

Target: Common Producer: The Beat Bully Album: Rich Forever Label: Maybach Music Group/Def Jam Best Line: "It bothers me when the gods get to acting like the broads"

One beef that may not make the beef hall of fame, other than for being remembered as possibly the weirdest beef ever, will have to be the great Common and Drake battle of 2012. It was a love triangle starring Drake, Common Sense, and Serena Williams. Drake, who is the real life Mr. Steal Your Girl, apparently got a little too friendly with Com’s recent ex Serena Williams, and it caused Com to react on “Sweet”—a joint praised by critics for bringing Common back to his rugged MC roots. Common claimed he wasn’t taking shots at anyone in particular, but real heads (read: everyone) knew he was talking about Drake. You didn’t even really have to read between the lines.

Rappers are constantly taking subliminal shots at Drake, even MCs he’s allegedly “friends” with for that matter. But Drake is no innocent man—his subliminal game is on par with Jigga’s. It’s mean and vicious. And Drake came back swinging at the Oscar-winning rapper on his guest shot on Rick Ross’ “Stay Schemin” record, chastising the Chicago rapper from going from broad to God, and throwing stones and hiding hands. It was as aggressive as we’d ever heard from Drake.

The response was so potent that it sent Common back into the lab to record ANOTHER response that included his best diss line since “The Bitch in Yoo,” claiming that Drake was “Canada Dry.” Lulz.

26. Lauryn Hill, "Lost Ones" (1998)

Target: The Fugees, Wyclef Producer: Lauryn Hill, Che Guevara, Vada Nobles Album: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill Label: Ruffhouse/Columbia Best Line: "It's funny how money change a situation/Miscommunication leads to complication/My emancipation don't fit your equation"

When The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill dropped, most had no knowledge of the love affair gone wrong between Lauryn and her Refugee partner Wyclef Jean; they just noticed Jean's lack of involvement in her project. In scorched earth mode, Lauryn addressed the situation and aired out her former bandmate, citing money and hunger for fame as the reason for the split. Things were never the same, and years later we still haven't seen another Fugees album. Or another listenable Lauryn project, for that matter.

25. 2Pac f/ E.D.I. Mean and Young Noble, "Bomb First" (1996)

Target: Bad Boy, The Notorious B.I.G., Mobb Deep, Jay-Z, Nas, Xzibit Producer: Big D and Makaveli Album: The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory Label: Death Row/Interscope Best Line: "I'm a Bad Boy killa/Jay-Z die too/Looking out for Mobb Deep/Nigga, when I find you" (2Pac)

If you thought Pac had gotten everything off his chest and cleared his head with "Hit Em Up," then you were sadly mistaken. Just weeks before 2Pac was tragically murdered in Las Vegas, he cut "Bomb First," the intro track to his final (living) album and released under the Makaveli moniker. While "Hit Em Up" primarily focused on slandering Biggie, Bad Boy Records, and Junior Mafia, "Bomb First" took aim at the rest of the East Coast, with Nas (the alleged ring leader), Mobb Sleep, and Jay-Z (of Hawaiian Sophie fame) in his crosshairs. Complete with a fake Kevin Powell news clip at the beginning, Pac rode on his enemies for over two minutes before letting his Outlaw comrades, E.D.I Mean and Young Noble, get in some words.

24. MC Shan, "Kill That Noise" (1987)

Target: South Bronx, BDP Producer: Marley Marl Album: Down by Law Label: Cold Chillin'/Warner Best Line: "Should've stayed in school learned comprehension/Stating facts that I did not mention"

After BDP shook up the Juice Crew with "South Bronx," MC Shan and Marley Marl had to come back strong, as the Juice Crew's reputation was on the line. KRS-One accused MC Shan of claiming hip-hop started in Queensbridge (on Shan's "The Bridge"), however Shan quickly refuted the claim, stating KRS lacked comprehension and didn't properly digest "The Bridge"'s lyrics. Although Shan agreed hip-hop started in the BX, he was steadfast that Queens MCs were the better breed, and he intended to kill the rest of the noise with this response record.

23. Eminem f/ D12, "Quitter/Hit 'Em Up Freestyle" (2001)

Target: Dilated Peoples, Limp Bizkit, Everlast Producer: Eminem Album: N/A Label: N/A Best Line: "Figured you could diss me to jumpstart your career/I'll punch you in your fucking chest until your heart kicks in gear" (Eminem)

The feud between Eminem and Everlast began after Em supposedly snubbed Everlast backstage at a concert in 1999. The two traded a few disses back and forth, but it wasn't until Everlast brought Em's daughter, Hailie Jade Mathers, into the mix on "Whitey Ford's Revenge" when the beef got serious.

Mocking Everlast's flop of an album that was  Eat at Whitey's , Em went on to clown Everlast's career as a singer and leaned heavily on his poor heart condition. On the second half of the track, Eminem remade 2Pac's "Hit Em Up," using Pac's rhyme pattern and cadence to continue the attack on Everlast, before letting D12 get in on the action.

22. LL Cool J, "Jack the Ripper" (1987)

Target: Kool Moe Dee Producer: Rick Rubin Album: Going Back to Cali [Single] Label: Def Jam Best Line: "How ya like me now I'm gettin' busier/I'm double platinum, I'm watching you get dizzier"

The cover of Kool Moe Dee's 1987 album,  How Ya Like Me Now , featured a grinning Moe Dee standing in front of a Jeep, with the front tire crushing a red Kangol hat. Obviously, this did not sit well with LL Cool J, whose calling card was the red Kangol. How Ya Like Me Now was littered with Cool James disses and accusations that LL was over-hyped and stole Kool Moe Dee's style. LL jumped in the ring with "Jack the Ripper," attacking Moe Dee for being a washed-up and unpopular rapper, who was desperately latching onto the more-successful Cool J for attention.

21. Tim Dog, "F*ck Compton" (1991)

Target: Gangster rap, N.W.A, Compton Producer: Ced Gee Album: Penicillin on Wax Label: Ruffhouse Best Line: "Dre beatin' on Dee from Pump It Up /Step to the Dog and get fucked up"

Frustrated that artists from the West Coast, in particular the city of Compton, were receiving more attention than their counterparts on the East Coast, South Bronx MC Tim Dog took the entire city of Compton—namely N.W.A—to war. Claiming their beats, lyrics, and style of dress were inferior to those popular on the East, Tim threatened to "crush Ice Cube" and "chew Eazy like tobacco and spit him in shit." The accompanying video featured N.W.A lookalikes being assaulted while donning jheri curls and Raiders caps. The track is also noteworthy as it's an obvious precursor to the East Coast vs. West Coast battle that plagued hip-hop years later.

20. DJ Quik, "Dollaz + Sense" (1994)

Target: MC Eiht Producer: DJ Quik Album: Murder Was the Case Soundtrack Label: Death Row/Interscope Best Line: "E-I-H-T, now should I continue/Yeah you left out the G, 'cause the G ain't in you"

The battle between Compton, Calif.'s DJ Quik and MC Eiht began in 1991, with each rapper dropping (at least) one diss song toward the other per album. Quik, a Tree Top Piru, and Eiht, a Tragniew Park Crip, weren't set-tripping but rather vying for the top spot in Compton. The wittiest and most cleverly crafted of the saga, was DJ Quik's "Dollaz + Sense," which had a high-profile slot on Death Row's  Murder Was the Case Soundtrack .

Quik dismantled Eiht, claiming Eiht was "shaking like a crap game" when the two crossed paths in an airport, and poking fun at his below-average acting skills in  Menace II Society . The beef eventually left wax for the streets years later, when an altercation broke out at L.A.'s El Ray Theatre between Quik and Eiht's entourages, during a Quik concert. Although DJ Quik denied involvement in the incident, he discussed the altercation on his popular record, "You'z A Ganxsta," where he also offered an olive branch to Eiht.

19. Gucci Mane, “Truth” (2012)

Target: Jeezy Producer: Zaytoven Album: Trap God Label: 1017 Brick Squad Records/Asylum/Warner Bros./Tommy Boy Entertainment Best Line: “Go dig your partner up nigga, bet he can't say shit”

On “Truth,” the beef between Gucci and Jeezy that began with "Icy" and led to the shooting death of CTE rapper Henry “Pookie Loc” Clark III in 2005, got too real. Guwop evaded murder charges by claiming self-defense, yet he brought up Jeezy’s friend and affiliate on this song: “Go dig your partner up, nigga, bet he can't say shit.” That’s worthy of a fade on sight. — John Kennedy

18. Eminem, "The Sauce/Nail in the Coffin" (2002)

Target:  Dave Mays,  The Source , Benzino Producer:  Eminem Album:  N/A Label:  N/A Best Line:  "What you know about being bullied over half your life/Oh that's right/You should know what that's like/You're half white"

No stranger to beef with hip-hop magazines, Eminem began feuding with former  Source  co-owner Raymond "Benzino" Scott when Benzino publicly attacked Eminem's whiteness, claiming he had an unfair advantage over rappers of color and was bad for the culture. After threats of an Eminem boycott from  The Source , and a slew of diss songs from Benzino, Em unleashed the ether-filled "The Sauce" and "Nail in the Coffin" on a Shady mixtape.

Equally venomous, both tracks picked apart Benzino's failed rap career, age, and the exploiting of Zino's son for his own financial gain.  The Source  and Benzino would never be the same, despite spending many years and dollars attempting to kill Marshall's career.

17. Future & Metro Boomin f/ Kendrick Lamar, "Like That" (2024)

Target: Drake Producer: Metro Boomin Album: We Don't Trust You Label: Wilburn Holding Co. Boominati/Epic/Republic Best Line: “Motherfuck the big three, nigga, it's just big me”

With one explosive verse, Kendrick finally put an end to all of the pump-faking he and Drake had been engaging in since he last pushed the red button on “Control” in 2013. What’s most impressive about “Like That,” though, is how effective Kendrick is in so few bars. He wastes no time refuting the Big three label, shits on Drake’s affinity for Michael Jackson with a clever bar about Prince, and makes it clear that he wants all the smoke. Metro Boomin, finding a way to say “fuck you” to Drake through the production, also helps make the case for “Like That,” a song that sat at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for three weeks. —Jordan Rose

16. Boogie Down Productions, "South Bronx" (1986)

Target: Juice Crew, MC Shan, Marley Marl, Queensbridge Producer: Ced Gee, Scott La Rock, KRS-One Album: Criminal Minded Label: B-Boy Records Best Line: "So you think that hip-hop had its start out in Queensbridge/If you pop that junk up in the Bronx you might not live"

When Queens-based rapper MC Shan dropped his hometown anthem, "The Bridge," it struck a nerve with South Bronx-outfit Boogie Down Productions, who felt the track made claim that hip-hop originated in the borough of Queens. Not one to turn the other cheek, the always outspoken KRS-One crafted "South Bronx," a little story of where they (BDP) comes from. KRS clowned Shan for being dropped from MCA Records, and made sure the world knew the actual birthplace of hip-hop: the South Bronx. This was the first shot in what would become known as "The Bridge Wars," the blueprint for all hip-hop battles.

15. MC Lyte, "10% Dis" (1988)

Target: MC Antoinette Producer: Audio Two Album: Lyte As a Rock Label: First Priority/Atlantic Records Best Line: "You're a beat biter/A dope style taker/I'll tell you to your face you ain't nothin' but a faker"

After MC Antoinette blatantly jacked the beat from Audio Two's "Top Billin" for her single "I Got an Attitude," MC Lyte, the younger sibling of Audio Two's Giz and Milk, took it upon herself to diss her fellow femcee. The track featured a multitude of now-classic lines such as "hot damn hoe, here we go again" and "you're a beat biter, a dope style taker." Ironically, the beat for "10% Dis" sounded more like "Top Billin" than "I Got an Attitude" did.

14. 2Pac, "Against All Odds" (1996)

Targets: The Notorious B.I.G., Mobb Deep, De La Soul, Puff Daddy, Nas, Jay-Z, Jimmy Henchmen, Haitian Jack, Stretch, King Tut Producer: Hurt-M-Badd and Makaveli Album: The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory Label: Death Row/Interscope Best Line: "This little nigga named Nas think he live like me/Talkin' 'bout he left the hospital, took five like me"

If "Bomb First" was the crazed, manic introduction to Pac's Makaveli persona, "Against All Odds" is the mature, collected farewell. The final song on Pac's The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory album, featured Pac attacking the usual suspects: Biggie, Mobb Deep, Puffy, Nas, and randomly De La Soul. But this was the first time Pac addressed his former NYC associates Stretch (Randy Walker), King Tut (Walter Johnson), Haitian Jack (Jacques Agnant), and music industry vet Jimmy "Henchmen" Rosemond.

Unknown to the general public, Pac labeled the latter two as snitches, accusing them of setting him up during his sexual assault trial, and leaving him to take the fall alone. This added a whole new street element to the 2Pac saga, which ended tragically just weeks later. If any of this was correlated to Pac's demise, the world may never know.

13. LL Cool J, "To Da Break of Dawn" (1990)

Target: Ice T, MC Hammer, Kool Moe Dee Producer: Marley Marl Album: Mama Said Knock You Out Label: Def Jam Best Line: "But I'm a drink you down over the rocks/While the freak on your album cover jocks"

During LL Cool J's long and successful career, many rappers have tried and failed to defeat James Todd Smith in the ring. On "To Da Break of Dawn," LL took aim at his detractors (Kool Moe Dee and Ice-T), and one seemingly innocent bystander (MC Hammer), and wiped them out in one fell swoop. Dedicating one verse to each foe, LL mocked Kool Moe Dee for wearing "Star Trek shades," called MC Hammer a gym teacher, and clowned Ice-T for being a parking-lot employee with a perm. In the end, LL was victorious against all opponents, effectively crushing Moe Dee, Hammer, and Ice T's girl.

12. Common, "The B*tch in Yoo" (1996)

Target: Ice Cube Producer: Pete Rock Album: Relativity Urban Assault Label: Relativity Records Best Line: "Hyprocrite, I'm filling out your death certificate/Slanging bean pies and St. Ides in the same sentence"

Taking offense to Common's analogy on "I Used to Love H.E.R.," which included the line, "I wasn't salty she was with them Boyz N the Hood," Ice Cube dissed the Chicago MC on Mack 10's "Westside Slaughterhouse," saying, "All you suckas wanna diss the Pacific, but you busta niggas never get specific/Used to love H.E.R., mad 'cause we fucked her/Pussy-whipped bitch, with no Common Sense."

Common quickly retaliated with "The Bitch in Yoo," which reminded Cube that there was no "busta" in Com, and that he'd "backed into a Four Corner Hustler." Com went at Cube, labeling the Don Mega as a washed-up gangsta rapper who hadn't made a good album since Amerikkka's Most Wanted and taking shots at the Westside Connection. The beef was eventually squashed when Minister Louis Farrakhan intervened and had a sitdown with the two.

11. 50 Cent, "Back Down" (2003)

Target: Entire Murder Inc. Roster, Ja Rule Producer: Dr. Dre Album: Get Rich or Die Tryin' Label: Shady/Aftermath/Interscope Best Line: "I'm back in the game, shorty, to rule and conquer/You sing for hoes and sound like the Cookie Monster"

By the time 50 Cent's debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin' , hit stores in early 2003, most hip-hop fans had already turned their backs on the once insanely popular Ja Rule and switched sides to align with the new kid on the block: Curtis Jackson.

Although 50 had been on a Ja Rule slander campaign for years (as far back as "Life's on the Line" in 2000), including hilarious skits and mixtape diss tracks, it wasn't until "Back Down" when 50 landed the true knockout blow. 50's attacks left Ja's career in shambles and created a new verb for hip-hop beef: being "Ja Rule'd." 

10. Canibus, "2nd Round K.O." (1998)

Target: LL Cool J Producer: Wyclef Jean Album: Can-I-Bus Label: Universal Best Line: "Mad at me 'cause I kick that shit real niggas feel/While 99 percent of your fans wear high heels"

In 1997, elder statesman LL Cool J invited the hottest young guns in hip-hop to contribute to his track "4,3,2,1" from his Phenomenon album. After hearing newcomer Canibus' initial verse, LL caught feelings over Canibus' "L, is that a mic on your arm, let me borrow that" line (referencing the microphone LL had tattooed on his arm) and insisted he rewrite the verse.

Canibus agreed and revised, but when the song eventually dropped, Canibus' verse was removed (he was only featured on the remix) and LL Cool's verse included a shot at 'Bis for having the audacity to ask for his mic.

Canibus thoroughly studied his opponent and responded with "2nd Round K.O.," one of the best-written battle raps of all time, with guest vocals from Mike Tyson. Canibus attacked LL for only appealing to females, lying about being a drug-free role model, and being an inferior MC for changing his "4,3,2,1" verse after hearing what Canibus wrote.

9. Dr. Dre f/ Snoop Doggy Dogg, "(F*ckin Wit) Dre Day" (1992)

Target: Luke, Tim Dog, Ruthless Records, Eazy-E Producer: Dr. Dre Album: The Chronic Label: Death Row/Interscope Best Line: "Used to be my homie/Used to be my ace/Now I wanna slap the taste out your mouth" (Dr. Dre)

A label built around controversy and beef, Death Row Records revolutionized the way diss songs were recorded and presented to the public with "Dre Day." Sure, rappers had been parodying other rappers in music videos prior to "Dre Day," but Death Row brought big-budget beef to mainstream America, raising the bar in the art of battling. The clip was a mainstay on MTV and BET, and had a slew of goofy actors and comedians portraying their list of enemies.

It was no longer just about the song—the visual was now equally important. Dr. Dre and his protégé, Snoop Doggy Dogg, responded to disses from Luke ("Fakin Like Gangsters") and Tim Dog ("Fuck Compton"), but it was Dre's former accomplice Eazy-E who was the focal point of the "Dre Day" song and video, which was built around a character named Sleazy-E. "Dre Day" changed hip-hop beef forever, pelted Tim Dog into obscurity, and introduced the world to the term "Frisco Dyke."

8. Drake, "Back to Back" (2015)

Target: Meek Mill Producer: Daxz Album: N/A Label: Cash Money Best Line: "Yeah, trigger fingers turn to twitter fingers/Yeah, you gettin bodied by a singin nigga/I'm not the type of nigga that'll type to niggas/And shout out to all my boss bitches wifin niggas"

How fitting that Drake's response to a beef ignited by accusations of ghostwriting led to some of his best songwriting to date. “Back to Back” builds to raucous moments that serve as death blows to Meek Mill and also creates club-ready bellow-along-with-your-boys moments—it’s genius. This is Michael Myers music, as Drake stalks his prey calmly and assuredly—"I'm not sure what it was that really made y'all mad"—before quickening pace—"trigger fingers turn to Twitter fingers—and going in for the kill—"Shout to all my boss bitches wifin'niggas!" Drake recorded one of the most laser-sharp, precisely crafted songs while inebriated. If he never goes to another Grammy ceremony again, the Recording Academy deserve it for not giving this the statue. — Frazier Tharpe

7. Pusha-T, "The Story of Adidon" (2018)

Target: Drake Producer: No I.D. Album: N/A Best Line: "You are hiding a child"

Drake titled his long-awaited Pusha-T diss after a patois term for "ghost," and poked at Push's penchant for uber-privacy in a bar that invoked his fiancée's name (and impending marriage) as a threat. To let "Adidon" tell, Pusha couldn't be happier he was given an opportunity to fire back at Drake. His reply is 100 straight seconds of an unrelenting exhumation of just a  few  of the skeletons in Drake's room. If Pusha's implications are to be believed, Aubrey's closet is like two stories, and the song simultaneously reveals:

- an extremely awkward blackface photo

- a secret lovechild

- a plan to unveil him in a corporate synergy sneaker rollout, 

- a baby mother who definitely does not fit the good girl standards of a Drake pop song

These are concentrated headshots, and that's to say nothing of the intentional collateral spray Pusha coldly aims at 40's health issues, as well as Drake's parents' failed marriage, his dad's personal style, and his mother's loneliness. Diss songs rarely end careers, especially when the target is one of the biggest A-listers in music. And yet, for as much as Drake throws his weight around and dismisses Pusha's stature, the Virginia boy still sent Drake to the notes app to cop pleas—effectively dashing the Adidas deal and burdening  Scorpion  with songs that are more focused on subliminal responses than being good. It also turned J. Prince's book tour into a PR spin and had Drake talking about it with LeBron James on Home Box Office.

The biggest misconception, though, is that the track wins off its gossip-mongering—not off the strength of actually being, you know, a good song. You can dock points for it being a glorified "Story of O.J." freestyle, sure, but even that works as a shot when you factor in the blackface image and the original song's context. The matter-of-fact delivery of "you are hiding a child" will go down in the history books. And the flow is tighter than ever, from "tick, tick, tick-six-six-six" to the malevolent way that "Love that baby, respect that girl/Forget she's a pornstar, let her be your world" is the place Pusha chose to tag his trademark "yuugh." Can you imagine what this man would have done over an original beat? I wouldn't reply to someone who says, "If we all go to hell, it'll be worth it," either. — Frazier Tharpe

6. Kendrick Lamar, "Not Like Us"

Target: Drake Producer: Mustard Album: N/A Label: Interscope Best Line: “Tryna strike a chord and it's probably A-Minor”

Kendrick won the great rap war because he beat Drake at his own game; he linked up with Mustard and made a club-friendly diss track where he still took haymakers at his opponent. The song became inescapable less than 48 hours after its release, with clubs and even NBA on TNT playing the track. OVO Stans had to yield to its electricity, and even Drake himself admitted that he would have liked dancing to the song if it didn’t have such serious allegations attached to it. The lyrics that Kendrick has crowds screaming are wild (“Certified Lover Boy? Certified pedophiles”) but “Not Like Us’” has a contagious hook and West Coast bounce that make it too good to only play once. —Jordan Rose

5. Ice Cube, "No Vaseline" (1991)

Target: Jerry Heller, Ruthless Records, N.W.A Producer: Ice Cube, Sir Jinx Album: Death Certificate Label: Priority/EMI Records Best Line: “I saw it coming, that's why I went solo/ And kept on stomping/ While y'all mothafuckers moved straight outta Compton/ Living with the whites/ One big house and not another nigga in sight”

After Ice Cube left N.W.A over a financial dispute, his former group attacked him on their 100 Miles & Runnin and Efil4zaggin albums, likening Cube to American history's most infamous traitor, Benedict Arnold. Cube responded with the extremely graphic "No Vaseline," an exposé on Eazy E and Jerry Heller's (N.W.A's manager) shady business tactics, littered with gay and racial slurs.

Possibly more offended than the actual members of N.W.A were civil-rights activists and critics, who lined up to paint Cube as homophobic and anti-Semitic. N.W.A never responded to the diss, and Dr. Dre left the group and Ruthless Records shortly thereafter, also citing compensation issues.

4. BDP, "The Bridge Is Over" (1987)

Target: Juice Crew, MC Shan, Queens, Marley Marl, Roxanne Shante Producer: Scott La Rock and KRS-One Album: Criminal Minded Label: B-Boy Records Best Line: "Manhattan keeps on makin' it/Brooklyn keeps on takin' it/Bronx keeps creatin' it/And Queens keeps on fakin' it"

BDP began the beef with MC Shan and the Juice Crew on "South Bronx" and effectively ended it on "The Bridge Is Over," the final crushing blow in what would become known as "The Bridge Wars." Filled with classic quotables, "The Bridge Is Over" was released in response to MC Shan's "Kill That Noise" and featured a reggae-tinged flow from KRS, who reiterated proudly that hip-hop was born in the BX. In the aftermath, the Bridge wasn't over, but MC Shan's career was.

3. Nas, "Ether" (2001)

Target: Jay-Z Producer: Ron Browz Album: Stillmatic Label: Ill Will/Columbia Best Line: "Eminem murdered you on your own shit"

After Jay-Z dropped "Takeover," a sleeping giant was awoken in Nas, giving God's Son the kick in the ass he needed to get his career back on track. Where "Takeover" was prepared like a finely written essay, "Ether" was more like a lunchroom taunt.

After the classic "Fuck Jay-Z" vocal sample, a far more vile Nas went in, calling Jay-Z a camel, accusing "Gay Z" of being a Nas stan, and questioning Hov on his overuse of recycled B.I.G. lyrics. So vicious was the attack that "ether" has now become a verb in the hip-hop lexicon, and the song was arguably the launching pad Nas used to revive his at-the-time waning influence.

2. Jay-Z, "Takeover" (2001)

Target: Prodigy, Nas Producer: Kanye West Album: The Blueprint Label: Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam Best Line: "Four albums in 10 years nigga? I could divide/That's one every, let's say, two/Two of them shits was doo/One was naahhh , the other was Illmatic /That's a one-hot-album-every-10-year average"

Jay-Z and Nas had a longstanding rivalry and were engaged in a silent power struggle for years, but the shots remained (somewhat) subliminal until Jay-Z called out Nas on stage at Hot 97's Summer Jam in 2001: "Ask Nas he don't want it with Hov." Nas subsequently took the bait and dissed Jay on his "Stillmatic" freestyle, prompting Jay to unleash the classic "Takeover."

Jay's response was crafted more like an essay than an actual battle rap, with Hov introducing the argument, analyzing the data, raising counter-arguments, and then concluding. Prodigy of Mobb Deep was dissed on the second verse, but this was dramatically overshadowed by Jay's beef with Nas. Hov's shots at P focused on his small stature, smaller record sales, and the infamous "ballerina" pic he flashed on the screen at Summer Jam 2001.

The Nas portion was far more brutal, attacking Nas' descent from hip-hop's top MC list to a guy who was now being out-rapped on posse cuts by his bodyguard. Jay went on to clown Nas' catalog, and on the final line alluded to sexing Nas' baby-mother, Carmen Bryan. Many speculated Nas' career would be finished after "Takeover," and some believe Prodigy was never able to recover.

1. 2Pac, "Hit Em Up" (1996)

Target: Mobb Deep, Puffy, Junior M.A.F.I.A., Lil Kim, The Notorious B.I.G., Chino XL Producer: Johnny J Album: How Do U Want It [Single] Label: Death Row/Interscope Best Line: "That's why I fucked your bitch, you fat motherfucker"

Reworking the beat of the opponent's popular song? Check. Claiming relations with the opponent's baby-mama? Check. Poking fun at the opponent's physique and labeling him a biter? Check. Video parody? Check. Letting your little homies get in on the action? Check. On paper, 2Pac perfected and personified the diss song formula on "Hit Em Up," incorporating all of the elements those before him used to become victorious against their adversaries.

However, Pac kicked his up a few notches, taking this from a war of words to a war of coasts that eventually divided an entire hip-hop nation. What began as a beef between two rappers (Biggie and 2Pac) eventually turned into a battle between the West Coast-based Death Row Records and the East's Bad Boy Records, who were the top two labels in hip-hop at the time. This sent the media into a frenzy, who dubbed it the East Coast vs. West Coast war, which quickly became the most publicized and sensationalized hip-hop beef of all time.

In the wake of "Hit Em Up," two of hip-hop's greatest talents (B.I.G. and 2Pac) would be killed (both murders remain unsolved), changing the face of hip-hop—and beef—forever. This battle will forever be a reminder that, unless kept on wax, rap beef can quickly become real beef with dire consequences.

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The Best New Hip-Hop This Week

The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from Rapsody, Kamaiyah, Saweetie, and more.

After the last few weeks, I think it’s fair to say that we all agree hip-hop needed to settle down a bit. The energy was getting too negative, and honestly, a lot of really great releases were being overshadowed. Fortunately, white flags were waved, so we have plenty of room to take in and appreciate new releases this week, including:

Anderson .Paak and Knxwledge’s latest foray as NxWorries, “ FromHere ,” which features a fascinating monologue from the one and only Snoop Dogg.

Chance The Rapper’s impassioned plea for housing justice, “ Together ,” which finds DJ Premier sampling one of his own classics with another Chicago star.

Lupe Fiasco’s new comeback single “ Samurai ,” which turned out to be alarmingly timely thanks to some video game news this week.

And Saweetie’s new single “ Nani ,” whose release sees the Bay Area baddie overcome a lot of label reluctance to bring her dream to fruition.

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending May 17, 2024.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

A boogie wit da hoodie — better off alone.

The Bronx native returns after two years with a 21-song collection of hood harmonies and emotional, melodic rap. A strong guest list including fellow New York breakout Cash Cobain, Atlanta trap luminaries Future and Young Thug, and Chicago drill pioneer Lil Durk bolsters A Boogie’s latest, but he remains the star on what turns out to be a breezy listen despite the hefty tracklist.

Courtney Bell — Microdose

Courtney Bell has been rolling out his latest project for some weeks, and the full project lives up to the hype. Teaming up with fellow Detroit native Royce Da 5’9, who contributes a handful of verses in addition to executive producing, the underground firecracker displays his credentials and heady concepts across 14 tracks with contributions from Benny The Butcher, Conway The Machine, LaRussell, Symba, and more.

Kamaiyah — Figuring Out My Emotions

The Bay is on this week. Kamaiyah, who we last heard from on her 2023 release Another Summer Night , gets in her vulnerability bag (another common strain in this week’s releases). Over bass-heavy, slow funk instrumentals, Kamaiyah explores themes of romance and loss — not an entirely unknown concept in her music — while delivering on the same party-ready grooves.

Rapsody — Please Don’t Cry

Over the years, Rapsody has kind of become an emblem of the anti-“pussy” rap, “real hip-hop” proponents who tut-tut Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion in favor of Rap’s no-frills, all-bars approach to the form. However, on her latest, Rap takes more time to introduce us to Marlanna Evans, the person behind the persona, revealing all the human complexities such critiques usually miss. The result is not only her best album, but perhaps the best rap album of the year so far.

ShooterGang Kony — Opps Can’t Have Fun

The Sacramento rapper fuses spacious, introspective samples with thumping, West Coast beats to remind listeners that for some, the street rhymes stem from a real lifestyle, not just commercial viability. He’s also got some of the wittiest bars from a street rapper I’ve heard all year including a WILD Anne Frank reference that almost made me spit out my coffee.

Singles/Videos

Chow lee — “swag it” feat. flo milli.

Sexy drill is a thing now, and the world has both Cash Cobain and Chow Lee to thank. Lee is an amusing presence, but Flo Milli continues her run of show-stealing performances here, which warrants a listen.

DJ Quik & JasonMartin — “Two Hi (Waves)” Feat. Channel Tres, Free Nationals & George Clinton

If you saw the two names involved and thought you knew exactly how this song would sound, have I got some news for you. It’s certainly a Quik groove, but it’s also a mellow, jazzy vibe, courtesy of its guests. The song will appear on Quik and Problem’s second joint project, Chupacabra , which is coming soon via Empire.

Dreamville & Red Bull — “Spiral Freestyle”

If there was any rap crew that deserved to hit Red Bull’s long-running performance series, I can’t think of too many who would make as much of the opportunity as J. Cole’s posse. Cozz, Earthgang, and Lute have been beyond solid for the label, even if much of the attention is reserved for Bas, JID, and the founder, and this freestyle gives them the chance to shine on their own terms.

Mutant Academy — “Make A Wish”

The Virginia rap collective’s new EP, Talk Soon , is out now, and in finding a representative starting point for listeners, I decided the best place is the beginning. The EP’s intro is also a solid introduction to the group’s respective members and their freewheeling, cipher-esque sound.

Rapsody Reveals the Real Meaning Behind Her New Album ‘Please Don't Cry' & Says the Resurgence of Women in Hip-Hop Is a ‘Beautiful Beginning'

Rapsody has been in the rap game for over a decade, and she always sings the praises of the great female rappers who came before her while feeling excited to see a new generation find success.

"This is a beautiful beginning. We've never seen it like this," she said in her Billboard News interview Tuesday (May 14) about the resurgence of women in hip-hop. "I think there was a time, '90s ‘course you know we had MC Lyte , Queen Latifah , Lauryn [Hill] , Lil' Kim , Foxy [Brown] , Missy Elliott , Charlie Baltimore …. I could go on and on. But I think with social media, you just see it in such a heavy force that's everywhere. I'm excited about it."

The 41-year-old MC named Ms. Hill, MC Lyte and Queen Latifah as her main hip-hop influences, as well as Jay-Z , Lil Wayne , Nas , The Notorious B.I.G. , DMX and Erykah Badu ("She's hip-hop to me," added Rapsody). But she credits Nicki Minaj and Cardi B for paving the way for a newer crop of femcees.

"Nicki coming in, doing what she did, definitely opened the door. And then when Cardi came in, you have two huge women that are very, very, very successful. And if you know the industry, you see one success, it's like ‘Great. Let's really pour into this,'" she told Billboard ‘s executive director, R&B/hip-hop Gail Mitchell. "I think that women's stories were needed…. And I think the way that Cardi supported so many women also helped as well. Because of who she was and the success she had and to speak people's names, to work with the artists that she did, it definitely made room and space for other artists."

Cardi has worked with many of the newer female rap stars like GloRilla on "Tomorrow 2," which earned Glo her first top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 ; Latto on the Hot 100 No. 13 hit "Put It on da Floor Again;" FendiDa Rappa on "Point Me 2," which earned her her first Hot 100 entry; and Flo Milli on the remix of her Hot 100 No. 15 hit "Never Lose Me" (also featuring SZA ).

Rapsody is set to release her fourth studio album Please Don't Cry on Friday, May 17 via Jamla and Roc Nation. "It's supposed to be ironic, right. It's Please Don't Cry , but the real message is please do cry. Allow yourself to be human, allow yourself to feel, to sit in your emotions, to grow from it. And think of all the reasons that we do cry. Of course, we cry when we're sad, but we cry when we're happy, too, and joyful. And we cry when we're in love. It's just about allowing yourself to really be imperfect and embracing the human that you are," Rapsody said of the album's title, adding that it's her most vulnerable body of work to date.

Please Don't Cry arrives five years after her album Eve , which reached No. 76 on the Billboard 200 and No. 42 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums . "After Eve and I did two tours, I had an idea of where I wanted to go next with the album. And then we went into the pandemic. Everybody having to sit with themselves, be alone, the volume of the world turned down and everything internal turned up. You have some healing to do, you have a lot of growing to do and evolving," she recalled. "And going through the process, it started in March of 2020. I started working on three albums at one time. I'm thinking Eve is done, I know which one I want to do next, but then I had this other idea, but then I'm feeling so much emotionally that I need to purge. And I think it was a week once we were in lockdown, I did 10 or 12 songs in two or three days. And I just kept going. And it took me about three-and-a-half, four years, 360 songs. I had a lot to say, I had a lot to get out. But I was relearning myself."

Watch Rapsody's full  Billboard News  interview above.

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SZA Takes Offense To 'SOS' Ranking On Apple Music's Top 100 Albums Of All Time

SZA is not happy with where her blockbuster album SOS has been ranked on Apple Music’s Top 100 Albums of All Time .

The project, which was only released in December 2022 but has been an enormous success , came in at number 72 on the list.

After catching wind of the list, the TDE singer appeared to take issue with her placement by writing in an Instagram comment: “Lmao 72nd is so disrespectful.”

The full list will not be made available until May 22, but the streaming platform has been rolling it out in batches of 10 since the start of this week.

SZA SAYS THAT APPLE MUSIC WAS DISRESPECTFUL FOR THEIR RANKING OF ‘SOS’ 😭 pic.twitter.com/ULglfjE5ez — ve ❧ (@szalishhh) May 15, 2024

Within the already announced selections, there are a slew of fan-favorite rap albums including Travis Scott ‘s Astroworld (No. 98), Tyler, The Creator’s Flower Boy (No. 92), Eminem ‘s The Marshall Mathers LP (No. 80), Missy Elliott ‘s Supa Dupa Fly (No. 75) and N.W.A ‘s Straight Outta Compton (No. 70).

De La Soul ‘s 3 Feet High and Rising came in at number 65 while Baduizm by Erykhah Badu placed at number 64 and 2Pac ‘s classic double album All Eyez on Me landed at number 62.

Snoop Dogg , 50 Cent , Usher , Solange and Mary J. Blige also have albums within the top 100.

Fat Joe recently heaped high praise one of the albums on the list : 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’ .

related news

March 26, 2024

Speaking on an episode of BET’s  Diggin’ in the Crates last week, Joey Crack crowned it “one of the greatest albums of all time” despite his past issues with the G-Unit general.

“It’s crazy ’cause I had beef with him and I wouldn’t allow myself to hear it, wouldn’t let DJs play it. But I knew that it was G-Unit,” he said.

“Recently  J. Cole came out at his concert and said it was the greatest album of all time . Nas came out and  said, ‘Yo this changed the game.’ And it’s a fact.”

He continued: “His flows, his melodies, his beats, the energy Hip Hop music had never felt. That energy that he was coming with, it was like, yo, this is that — you got that dangerous thing to it. He teamed up with Mr. Professional,  Dr. Dre  and  Eminem .

“See, 50 Cent woulda still been amazing but he’d have came with those New York beats that was really really good, but once again, Dr. Dre makes everything iPic. He makes everything crystal clear. He just gives you that professionalism like you on a podium or something.”

In this article

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R&B/Hip-Hop Fresh Picks of the Week: Chief Keef, Andra Day, Rosehardt, Snow Tha Product & More

Listen to new must-hear songs from emerging R&B/hip-hop artists like RealRichIzzo, Honey Bxby and 4Fargo.

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Now that we’re solidly in May, it looks like the Great Rap War of 2024 finally has a victor. If TDE founder Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith’s X post is anything to go by, the battle is indeed over — even though Drake ‘s “The Heart Part 6” effectively shifted public opinion to Kendrick Lama r’s side.

Britney Spears Says Foot Injury Is ‘Already Better,’ Dishes on Wild Mexico Trip

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Rosehardt, “Headass”

One of the classic elements of male R&B is dirty macking — and Rosehardt kicks off “Headass” with a whole lot of it. “What does he have? What does he do?/ He must be bad, he must be cool too/ I’m just the past, he’s something new/ But I bet he don’t love you, like I do,” his distorted vocals croon in the intro. Betweent he chugging production, sultry yet understated bass, and a vocal performance that balances tender hoensty (“I’m just a man who believes in love”) with a sinister undertone of trying to convince a love interest who has already clocked his shortcomings as a partner. Taken from his new The World Gets Smaller Each Day It Seems to Shrink LP, “Headass” finds Rosehardt (aka Drama League Award-nominated actor Caleb Eberhardt) fully immersing himself in the role of imperfect bachelor without necessarily relishing that position.

Snow Tha Product , “So What”

Chief Keef feat. Tierra Whack , “Banded Up”

Sosa finally delivered his highly-anticipated Almighty So 2 project on Friday (May 10). One of the early standouts from the drill pioneer’s LP came courtesy of Tierra Whack’s explosive assist on “Banded Up,” which gives the Philly MC an immediate guest verse of the year candidate. Whack posted voice messages from Chief Keef in disbelief asking her, “Why would you do me like that on my song?” T-Whack blacks out over Sosa’s thumping production with a mini-uzi flow that sounds as if she was recorded in 5x speed. “These rappers are food and that’s why I be cooking/ You can’t pull no strings and I just keep it pushin’/ B-I-G, but I was not born in Brooklyn,” she snarls. The 28-year-old turned Sosa’s playground into Whack World. 

4Fargo & Honey Bxby, “Ex for a Reason”

RealRichIzzo, “Free Key”

Kicking off with an iPhone FaceTime call that immediately situates “Free Key” in media res, “Free Key” is one of the more potent storytelling moments of his new Welcome to Inkster album. In his ode to his guys, RealRichIzzo offers a peek into his high-octane life that brings him from place to place with just a moment’s notice. “Yeah, drop the lo’/ Ain’t no spots inside the rental, we gon’ stash ’em in the floor/ B—h, the striker on the way, mask up, we finna go/ Lil’ bro just called back, blow the light, it’s fo’ sure,” he rap-chants in the magnetic chorus, which simultaneously reads as play-by-play of him and his boys hitting a lick and functions as an irresistible hook. With Inkster, Michigan on his back, RealRichIzzo is staking a claim for himself at the forefront of the current Midwestern rap boom.

Andra Day , “Bottom of the Bottle”

On this bluesy reflection on the swirling depths of memory only accessed by surrendering to the throes of alcohol, acclaimed multi-hyphenate Andra Day focuses on restraints over the room-shaking belts that shot her to fame. “I only see you when it’s last call/ I only see you when the house lights come on/ And you’re not only to blame, no/ Dazed and consumed by the wild flames/ Though we know it’s combustible,” she muses over plucky piano and steady percussion courtesy of an all-star team of producers, including Nando Raio, Shay Godwin, Dave Wood, Charles Jones, Caleb Morris and Spencer Guerra. With a deliciously nasal drawl in the spirit of Amy Winehouse, Day delivers an introspective midtempo that allows her to show off how effortlessly she freewheels between the different parts of her voice.

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The 13 Best New Hip-Hop Songs This Week

Week in and week out, there are plenty of brand-new rap songs, no matter the time of year. It can be really difficult to stay aware of what's out and also what's hot, so XXL decided to make things much easier for you. Instead of sorting out nearly everything that released this week, we've narrowed it down to strictly the best of the week, saving you plenty of time.

Expect to see selections from the established stars, the next wave of new talent, the up-and-comers and everyone else in between. If the song is fire enough to beat the competition, it'll take one of the weekly spots. You can trust us on this one; follow our lead and you'll never get laughed off the aux cord again. Your friends will finally trust you with playlists; it'll be wonderful. In addition to that, you can check back every week for the latest and greatest tracks. You'll always have somewhere to turn to each week, being sure to find some songs you'll dig.

Enjoy this week's list, featuring new songs from  Childish Gambino  ("Little Big Foot" featuring Young Nudy ),  Lupe Fiasco ("Samurai"), 42 Dugg ("Win Wit Us") and more. See you next week.

"Little Foot Big Foot"

"win wit us", "hate the real", "never enough", "here come them killas", "in the air", "the warm up", "everything lit", see 20 of the best-selling hip-hop albums of all time, more from xxl.

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Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake Beef Goes Nuclear: What to Know

The two rappers had circled one another for more than a decade, but their attacks turned relentless and very personal in a slew of tracks released over the weekend.

By Joe Coscarelli

The long-building and increasingly testy rap beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake exploded into full-bore acrimony and unverifiable accusations over the weekend. Both artists rapid-fire released multiple songs littered with attacks regarding race, appropriation, sexual and physical abuse, body image, misogyny, hypocrisy, generational trauma and more.

Most relentless was Lamar, a Pulitzer Prize winner from Compton, Calif., who tends toward the isolated and considered but has now released four verbose and conceptual diss tracks — totaling more than 20 minutes of new music — targeting Drake in the last week, including three since Friday.

Each racked up millions of streams and the three that were made available commercially — “Euphoria,” “Meet the Grahams” and “Not Like Us” — are expected to land near the top of next week’s Billboard singles chart, while seeming to, at least momentarily, shift the public perception of Drake, long a maestro of the online public arena and meme ecosystem .

In between, on Friday night, Drake released his own broadside against Lamar — plus a smattering of other recent challengers — in a teasing Instagram interlude plus a three-part track and elaborate music video titled “Family Matters,” in which he referred to his rival as a fake activist and attempted to expose friction and alleged abuse in Lamar’s romantic relationship.

But that song was followed within half an hour by Lamar’s “Meet the Grahams,” an ominous extended address to the parents and young son of Drake, born Aubrey Graham, in which Lamar refers to his rival rapper as a liar and “pervert” who “should die” in order to make the world safer for women.

Lamar also seemed to assert that Drake had more than a decade ago fathered a secret daughter — echoing the big reveal of his son from Drake’s last headline rap beef — a claim Drake quickly denied on Instagram before hitting back in another song on Sunday. (Neither man has addressed the full array of rapped allegations directly.)

On Tuesday, a security guard was shot and seriously injured outside of Drake’s Toronto home, which appeared on the cover art for Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” Authorities said they could not yet speak to a motive in the shooting, but the investigation was ongoing. Representatives for Drake and Lamar did not immediately comment.

How did two of the most famous artists in the world decide to take the gloves off and bring real-life venom into an extended sparring match for rap supremacy? It was weeks, months and years in the making, with a sudden, breakneck escalation into hip-hop infamy. Here’s a breakdown.

Since late March, the much-anticipated head-to-head seemed inevitable. Following years of “will they or won’t they?” lyrical feints, Lamar hit directly on record first this year during a surprise appearance on the song “Like That” by the Atlanta rapper Future and the producer Metro Boomin, both formerly frequent Drake collaborators.

With audible disgust, Lamar invoked the track “First Person Shooter” from last year’s Drake album, “For All the Dogs,” in which a guest verse from J. Cole referred to himself, Drake and Lamar as “the big three” of modern MCs.

Lamar took exception to the grouping, declaring that there was no big three, “just big me.” He also called himself the Prince to Drake’s Michael Jackson — a deeper, more complex artist versus a troubled, pop-oriented hitmaker.

“Like That” spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, as Future and Metro Boomin released two chart-topping albums — “We Don’t Trust You” and “We Still Don’t Trust You” — that were anchored by a parade of Drake’s past associates, each of whom seemed to share a simmering distaste toward the rapper, who later called the ambush a “20 v. 1” fight.

In early April, J. Cole fought back momentarily , releasing the song “7 Minute Drill,” in which he called Lamar overrated, before backtracking, apologizing and having the song removed from streaming services. But Drake soon picked up the baton, releasing a wide-ranging diss track called “Push Ups” less than a week later that addressed the field, with a special focus on Lamar’s height, shoe size and supposedly disadvantageous business dealings.

Less than a week later, Drake mocked Lamar’s lack of a response on “Taylor Made Freestyle,” a track released only on social media. It featured Drake taunting Lamar for being scared to release music at the same time as Taylor Swift and using A.I. voice filters to mimic Tupac and Snoop Dogg imploring Lamar to battle for the good of the West Coast.

“Since ‘Like That,’ your tone changed a little, you not as enthused,” Drake rapped in an abbreviated third verse, as himself. “How are you not in the booth? It feel like you kinda removed.” (“Taylor Made Freestyle” was later removed from the internet at the request of the Tupac Estate.)

But it was a seemingly tossed-off line from the earlier “Push Ups” that included the name of Lamar’s longtime romantic partner — “I be with some bodyguards like Whitney” — that Lamar would later allude to as a red line crossed, making all subject matter fair game in the songs to come. (It was this same alleged faux pas that may have triggered an intensification of Drake’s beef with Pusha T in 2018.)

How We Got Here

Even with Drake-dissing cameos from Future, Ye (formerly Kanye West), Rick Ross, the Weeknd and ASAP Rocky, the main event was always going to be between Drake, 37, and Lamar, 36, who have spent more than a decade subtly antagonizing one another in songs while maintaining an icy frenemy rapport in public.

In 2011, when Drake introduced Lamar to mainstream audiences with a dedicated showcase on his second album, “Take Care,” and an opening slot on the subsequent arena tour, the tone was one of side-eying competition. “He said that he was the same age as myself/and it didn’t help ’cause it made me even more rude and impatient,” Lamar rapped on “Buried Alive Interlude” of his earliest encounter with a more-famous Drake. (On his Instagram on Friday, Drake released a parody of the track, citing Lamar’s jealousy since then.)

The pair went on to appear together on “Poetic Justice,” a single from Lamar’s debut album, “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City,” in 2012, as well as “___ Problems” by ASAP Rocky the same year.

But their collaborations ceased as Drake became his generation’s premier hitmaker across styles in hip-hop and beyond, while Lamar burrowed deeper into his own psyche on knotty concept albums that brought wide critical acclaim alongside less constant commercial success.

When asked, the two rappers tended to profess admiration for one another’s skill, but seemed to trade subtle digs in verses over the years, always with plausible deniability and in the spirit of competition, leading to something of a hip-hop cold war.

The Week It Went Nuclear

Lamar’s first targeted response, “Euphoria,” was more than six minutes long and released last Tuesday morning. In three sections that raised the temperature as they built, he warned Drake about proceeding and insisted, somewhat facetiously, that things were still friendly. “Know you a master manipulator and habitual liar too,” Lamar rapped. “But don’t tell no lie about me and I won’t tell truths ’bout you.”

He accused the biracial Drake, who was born and raised in Toronto, of imitating Black American heritage and insulting him subliminally. “I hate the way that you walk, the way that you talk, I hate the way that you dress,” Lamar said. “I hate the way that you sneak diss, if I catch flight, it’s gon’ be direct.” And he called Drake’s standing as a father into question: “Teachin’ him morals, integrity, discipline/listen, man, you don’t know nothin’ ’bout that.”

Days later, Lamar doubled down with an Instagram-only track called “6:16 in LA,” borrowing both Drake’s “Back to Back” diss tactic from his 2015 beef with Meek Mill and a song title structure lifted from what is known as Drake’s time-stamp series of raps. Opting for psychological warfare on a beat produced in part by Jack Antonoff, Swift’s chief collaborator, Lamar hinted that he had a mole in Drake’s operation and was aware of his opponent’s opposition research.

“Fake bully, I hate bullies, you must be a terrible person,” he rapped. “Everyone inside your team is whispering that you deserve it.”

That night, Drake’s “Family Matters” started with its own justification for getting personal — “You mentioned my seed, now deal with his dad/I gotta go bad, I gotta go bad” — before taking on Lamar’s fatherhood and standing as a man in excruciating detail. “They hired a crisis management team to clean up the fact that you beat on your queen,” Drake rapped. “The picture you painted ain’t what it seem/you’re dead.”

Yet in a chess move that seemed to anticipate Drake’s familial line of attack, Lamar’s “Meet the Grahams” was released almost immediately. “This supposed to be a good exhibition within the game,” Lamar said, noting that Drake had erred “the moment you called out my family’s name.” Instead of a rap battle, Lamar concluded after another six minutes of psychological dissection, “this a long life battle with yourself.”

He wasn’t done yet. Dispensing with subtlety, Lamar followed up again less than 24 hours later with “Not Like Us,” a bouncy club record in a Los Angeles style that delighted in more traditional rap beef territory, like juvenile insults, proudly unsubstantiated claims of sexual preferences and threats of violence.

Lamar, however, didn’t leave it at that, throwing one more shot at Drake’s authenticity as a rapper, calling him a greedy and artificial user as a collaborator — “not a colleague,” but a “colonizer.”

On Sunday evening, Drake responded yet again. On “The Heart Part 6,” a title taken from Lamar’s career-spanning series, Drake denied the accusation that he preyed on young women, indicated that he had planted the bad information about his fake daughter and seemed to sigh away the fight as “some good exercise.”

“It’s good to get out, get the pen working,” Drake said in an exhausted outro. “You would be a worthy competitor if I was really a predator.” He added, “You know, at least your fans are getting some raps out of you. I’m happy I could motivate you.”

Joe Coscarelli is a culture reporter with a focus on popular music, and the author of “Rap Capital: An Atlanta Story.” More about Joe Coscarelli

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