Vibe Vibe
  • News
    • Entertainment
    • National
    • Sports
    • Events
    • Movies & TV
  • Music
    • Videos
    • New Releases
    • Live Reviews
    • Album Reviews
    • Music Premieres
  • Features
    • Digital Covers
    • Opinion
    • Lists
  • Style
    • Fashion
    • Lifestyle
  • Vixen
  • Viva

Follow Vibe

The Vibe Mix Newsletter

All things VIBE. Daily - Straight to your inbox.
By subscribing, I agree to the
Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
All things VIBE. You have signed up and will start receiving the Vibe Mix Newsletter immediately.
Features Digital Covers Opinion Lists

Soundtracking The Movement: A Timeline Of Hip-Hop And The Black Experience

March 2, 2016 - 12:22 pm by Richy Rosario TWITTER

Have a seat and get schooled with some classic hip-hop songs that will open your mind to race, society and the black experience in America.  

From its inception, hip-hop has always served as a narrative for the marginalized. Rappers from all over the country and time periods since the late seventies until now have inked pen to paper to detail the twisted anecdotes that are the realities of their surroundings. Sure, some can argue that amid these socially conscious tales, there is misogyny, violence and bad language.

But if you read between the lines, you’ll see it’s a lot deeper than just rap. Take Nas for example, who decoding his tales of growing up in Queensbridge on 1994’s Illmatic, showing the masses what a typical young black male’s experiences were like in that neighborhood. It gave America a magnifying glass—especially those of privilege—to see what life in the ‘hood is really like, and why its inhabitants do the things they do.

This is why the genre can serve as a lesson in sociology and race; as it chronicles the experiences of the black community, and other minorities living in the inner city, or simply just existing in the struggle. And with MCs like J.Cole and Kanye West, you’ll most likely get a history lesson as well—as they both target old and modern day slavery. (See: Born Sinner and Yeezus). Or perhaps you may get sound bites of issues like police corruption, like what N.W.A did seamlessly on Straight Outta Compton back in 1989 with “F**k The Police”—a song that sadly, is still relevant to this day. In honor of all the truth-tellers, VIBE has compiled a timeline of influential hip-hop jams that depict the black experience, race and society in America.

Because Black History Month is every month.

1
25

Ice T  “6 ‘N the Mornin” – Rhyme Pays  (1986)
2
25

Ice T “6 ‘N the Mornin” – Rhyme Pays (1986)

Slick Rick "Children's Story" – The Great Adventure of Slick Rick (1988)
3
25

Slick Rick "Children's Story" – The Great Adventure of Slick Rick (1988)

Queen Latifah "Ladies First" – All Hail The Queen (1989)
4
25

Queen Latifah "Ladies First" – All Hail The Queen (1989)

N.W.A  "Fuck tha Police" – Straight Outta Compton (1989)
5
25

N.W.A "Fuck tha Police" – Straight Outta Compton (1989)

The West Coast All Stars "We're All in the Same Gang" (1990)
6
25

The West Coast All Stars "We're All in the Same Gang" (1990)

Kool G. Rap Ft. Biz Markie, Dj Polo & Big Daddy Cane “Erase Racism” – Wanted Dead or Alive  (1990)
7
25

Kool G. Rap Ft. Biz Markie, Dj Polo & Big Daddy Cane “Erase Racism” – Wanted Dead or Alive (1990)

Tupac “Young Black Male” – 2capylyse Now (1991)
8
25

Tupac “Young Black Male” – 2capylyse Now (1991)

Arrested Development 'Tennessee" – 3 Years 5 Months & 2 days In The Life Of... (1992)
9
25

Arrested Development 'Tennessee" – 3 Years 5 Months & 2 days In The Life Of... (1992)

Rakim "Teach The Children" – Don't Sweat the Technique (1992)
10
25

Rakim "Teach The Children" – Don't Sweat the Technique (1992)

A Tribe Called Quest “Sucka Ni**a” – Midnight Marauders (1993)
11
25

A Tribe Called Quest “Sucka Ni**a” – Midnight Marauders (1993)

Gang Starr “Code of The Street” – Hard to Earn (1994)
12
25

Gang Starr “Code of The Street” – Hard to Earn (1994)

GZA “Cold World” – Liquid Swords (1995)
13
25

GZA “Cold World” – Liquid Swords (1995)

Jay Z “Politics As Usual” – Reasonable Doubt (1996)
14
25

Jay Z “Politics As Usual” – Reasonable Doubt (1996)

Erykah Badu  “Drama” – Baduizm (1997)
15
25

Erykah Badu “Drama” – Baduizm (1997)

Mos Def "Mr.Nigga" – Black on Both Sides (1998)
16
25

Mos Def "Mr.Nigga" – Black on Both Sides (1998)

Tupac “Changes” – Greatest Hits (1998)
17
25

Tupac “Changes” – Greatest Hits (1998)

Lauryn Hill “Doo Woop” – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)
18
25

Lauryn Hill “Doo Woop” – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)

Kanye-West "We Don't Care" – The College Dropout (2004)
19
25

Kanye-West "We Don't Care" – The College Dropout (2004)

Nas “America” – Untitled (2008)
20
25

Nas “America” – Untitled (2008)

Jay Z and Kanye West “Made in America” – Watch The Throne  (2011)
21
25

Jay Z and Kanye West “Made in America” – Watch The Throne (2011)

J Cole “Runway” – Born Sinner (2013)
22
25

J Cole “Runway” – Born Sinner (2013)

Kanye West "New Slaves" – Yeezus (2013)
23
25

Kanye West "New Slaves" – Yeezus (2013)

John Legend and Common “Glory” (2015)
24
25

John Legend and Common “Glory” (2015)

Kendrick Lamar “The Blacker The Berry” – To Pimp A Butterfly (2015)
25
25

Kendrick Lamar “The Blacker The Berry” – To Pimp A Butterfly (2015)

  • FACEBOOK
  • TWITTER
  • EMAIL ME
41
View the next gallery
This Lawyer's 40-Tweet Story Perfectly Explains How The Legal System Fails Black Youth

The Vibe Mix Newsletter

All things VIBE. Daily - Straight to your inbox.
By subscribing, I agree to the
Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
All things VIBE. You have signed up and will start receiving the Vibe Mix Newsletter immediately.

Top Stories

News

1d ago

Spike Lee Pays Tribute To ‘Do The Right Thing’ Actor Danny Aiello

View Gallery

Features

1d ago

The 40 Best R&B Songs Of 2019

News

2d ago

50 Cent Blasts Oprah Winfrey Over Russell Simmons Documentary

  • News
  • Music
  • Features
  • Style
  • Vixen
  • Viva
  • Contact Us

Vibe.com is an affiliate site of Billboard, a subsidiary of Prometheus Global Media, LLC.

  • Privacy Policy
  • Ad Choices
  • Copyright
  • Billboard
  • The Hollywood Reporter
  • SPIN
  • VIBE
  • Stereogum