The Best Old School Hip Hop of All Time

From someone who has been listening to rap for the past twenty five years, here’s a rundown of my favourite hip hop tracks of all time.

You will probably pick up a couple of things straight away – there’s no Public Enemy, Jay Z, Eric B & Rakim, Nas, or LL Cool J on the list. That’s because all the tracks here are from the early eighties before any of these really got going. And no, this isn’t because I stopped listening to hip hop when the new romantics came along, far from it. It’s just that I prefer my old school to be from the very old school. Let me try to explain why.  

First up, I am talking about my favourite hip hop tracks here, and not rap.  There is a very fine line between the two, but a line nonetheless. “Rap is something you do, but hip-hop is something you live,” according to KRS One. Not sure as a working class white kid from Lancashire I could quite get away with saying I lived hip hop: the only hood I ever saw was firmly zipped to my anorak, and although I did get into break dancing for a while, I was really bad at it (and that’s bad meaning bad, not bad meaning good - just to be clear.) But for me it did involve much more than just the rapping element. There was DJ’ing, scratching, sampling, and beatboxing as well.  All the tracks here at some point cover all of these in various forms, a fusion which seemed to get left behind in the eighties with those ‘Frankie Says Relax’ T Shirts and multicoloured leg warmers.



Hip Hop is also firmly rooted in the art of storytelling: whether it’s tales of friendship, tough breaks in life or dance floor visitors from outer space. It could be complete nonsense and random, but it was fun and engaging. There were alien-cum-chipmunks screeching “wiki, wiki, wiki, wiki” and plenty of gobble-di-gook Sugarhill style “I said a hip hop the hippie the hippie to the hip hip hop, you don’t stop, the rock it to the bang bang boogie.”

Bling and guns were blissfully absent from the scene and it was all the richer for it. Mr T wore more fat gold chains and guns in one episode of the A Team than the whole hip hop industry owned combined back in 1984.  The ghetto gangsters that came through in the nineties may have been Rap’s first millionaire superstars, but they also stole its soul and smothered its creativity, killing off the very heartbeat of what put it on the map in the first place - the storytelling. It only surfaced again when Eminem showed up in the late nineties with Slim Shady.

This period was also noted for its disco funk basslines to go with its free flowing rhymes. Hip Hop artists were equally at home on Soul Train as they were on the streets. Influences were from predominantly black music roots, but also from white artists, nobody really seemed to care as long as it got people moving. Hope you enjoy the list. And check those artist names out, now that’s what I’m talking about.

Rapper’s Delight – Sugarhill Gang [1979].

This is the ultimate hip hop anthem. Its simplicity is pure genius, sampling ‘Good Times’ (Chic) and rapping over it with free flowing lyrics. If like me, you have a bit of a love hate relationship with it, it’s probably just down to over-familiarity or that at fourteen minutes and thirty odd seconds, you sometimes just click to the next song on your i-pod. I could probably still rap 90% of the lyrics now. So could my nephew, and one of my proudest moments came when I overheard him rapping almost the whole song when he was around 12 years old. We had an impromptu jam session on it. Thank god it was in the days before You Tube.  The Sugarhill Gang weren’t so lucky; check the video out, it’s an absolute classic

The Breaks – Kurtis Blow [1980]

This was the first certified Gold rap song, and Kurtis was the first rapper to sign a deal with a major label. He was hot. He even appeared on mainstream shows like Soul Train and danced his pants off and still looked cool. “Somebody sccrreeeeam!” Indeed I will. That's better. This song effortlessly raps through break ups, tax frauds, losing your job, cheating spouses, you name it, and all the tough breaks in life are shouted out. “Break it up, break it up, break it up!” Still, it’s the guitar riff that makes and breaks this song. It's a good job. There are only two verses in the tune and it lasts six minutes plus.

Fresh, Wild, Fly and Bold – Cold Crush Brothers [1984]

‘Well, I’m Fresh ‘cos I’m the best,’ this jam starts, and who am I to argue? It’s fairly well established that The Cold Crush Brothers set the standard for emceeing, and it’s also pretty clear why. Each of the four MC’s takes on being either Fresh, Wild, Fly or Bold as their personas, and are super slick. The Cold Crush Brothers were featured in the 1982 movie Wild Style, the seminal work depicting hip hop culture. They appeared against their rival crew the Fantasic Five, a live feud in real life. This is the their best work - a full on boastin’ jam that paved the way for all the copycats. The verse on “Bitin’ my rhymes” near the end of the track is THE highlight.

Cosmic Blast – Captain Rock [1984]

One of the original Hip Hop showmen noted for his on stage performances – his appearance at UK Fresh in 1986 was hip hop at its finest, a lesson for all in cutting, scratching, beatboxing and smooth emceeing. No surprise that he made his name as a DJ, but maybe surprising to hear that he didn’t last long in the hip hop scene, only as long as his first album, but thankfully he left us with this and one other great tune in ‘To The Future Shock.’  The Captain was one of the first to voyage into outerspace, he probably bumped into Newcleus (see below) when he was out there.

The Original Human Beat Box – Doug E Fresh & The Get Fresh Crew [1984]

Doug E Fresh was better known for ‘The Show’ and ‘La-di Da-di’, but I love this track even more, which is saying something. He was the ultimate beat boxer and nowhere are his incredible skills highlighted better than on this self titled homage.  Doug E Fresh was the first rapper to appear on Top of the Pops in 1985, and I remember it like it was yesterday - a pivotal moment for many UK hip hop fans in catching the bug. Apparently Doug's early records are out of print, and have never been released on CD; which means original records can command high prices. Damn it, I had The Show 12” and his album ‘World’s Greatest Entertainer’ both on vinyl but got rid of them for a song when I left the UK in 2005. Bugger.


Boogie Down Bronx – Man Parrish. [1985]

A pioneer of electro hip hop, Man Parrish is as famous for being a white guy as he is for his music. His biggest lagacy to the scene was 'Hip Hop B-Bop (Dont Stop)', a semi instrumental electro cut. Here he teamed up with MC Freeze Force for a track that not only defined the disco funk rap era, but also created the ‘Boogie Down Bronx’ brand, which is still going strong to this day. KRS One would go on to be notorious for his shout outs to the Bronx – but it all started here...by a white guy of all people. The cheek of it.

Jam On It – Newcleus [1984]

“Wikki, wikki, wikki, wikki... shut up!” You will know this chorus if you have heard this song before - its not something you could forget. This was a follow up to Jam on Revenge, "the Wikki-Wikki song" from 1983. It was a huge party favourite featuring vocals that were sped up to resemble Alvin and the Chipmunks no-less. Newcleus were big on rapping about journeys into outer space – nobody really seems to know why, but it didn’t stop copycat artists rushing onto their own space ships and following them into the unknown. There is also a great cover version of this laid down by Mos Def in 2001, as good if not even better than the original.

King of Rock – Run DMC [1985]

Run DMC were the first true Hip Hop superstars, and brought an rock-influenced approach to the scene, representing the first move away from the disco funk era of the early eighties. They also brought in the MTV age for rap - this was the first ever rap video to air on MTV, with Run DMC storming the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, brilliant. I saw Run DMC live in Orlando in 1999 and it was the best live rap performance I have ever seen. They managed to get the whole crowd to take off their sneakers and lift them in the air for 'My Adidas.' Apart from me. I had a pair of Nikes on. They even performed at Live Aid in 1985. If you do download this track, try to get the ‘Live from Montreux’ version, it’s a treat.  

Step Off – Grandmaster Melle Mel & The Furious Five [1984]

There were various incarnations of Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel and the Furious Five and it all got a little confusing. It all happened when Grandmaster Flash split from the group after contract disputes. Melle Mel, as the lead rapper and main songwriter, took over the reins becoming known as "Grandmaster Melle Mel." They were never as good without Grandmaster Flash, but this was their finest - a funky bassline straight out of the 70’s, ultra smooth rap from Mel, and polished off with a nice dose of background harmonies. It also features the lead rap from Chaka Khan’s ‘I Feel For You.’ They looked like Earth Wind and Fire on a bad day – check out this video mix.

The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel – Grandmaster Flash and & The Furious Five [1981]

This list wouldn’t have been right without at least one DJ track, and who better than the original Grandmaster with a track that was highly influential on many DJ's – this was a live 7 minute studio recording of Flash scratching and mixing records from various groups using three (yes, three) turntables. This was also apparently the first time that scratching appeared on a record. It samples Queen, Chic, Blondie, Spoonie Gee, and the Sugarhill Gang. Resist stomping your feet, I dare you.

My Hands Are Quicker Than The Eye – Byron Davis and The Fresh Crew [1985]

I have to be honest on this one; I only discovered it in the last 12 months - and what a find. I had never heard of Byron Davis before, and yes, I agree - he sounds more like a jazz trumpeter than a homeboy rapper. A few minutes scanning the web, and I am none the wiser. He is the original mystery man. The chorus has all the hallmarks of a classic electro track from the west coast, fusing cutting, scratching and synthesized background vocals, whilst the verse has the typical disco funk dish of the day – a sure fire recipe for hip hop masterchef.

Terminator - Kid Frost [1985]

Kid Frost is a Mexican American artist who later also went by the name Frost. The production formula here is very similar to Byron Davis above – a touch of scratching, a drop of synthesised voice, all mixed together with something cold. Speaking of cold, he was just one of many in a long line of sunny west coasters fascinated by all things frozen (Frost, Ice T, Ice Cube, etc). Thankfully most of their rap was smoking hot – and this one has a typical smooth, laid-back flow. Frost was also a big break-dancing star, and the electro influence stands out.

Friends – Whodini [1984]

“Friends, how many of us have them, friends, ones we can depend on... ” this relationship driven rap cries out. Whodini managed to appeal to wider audiences than many other first generation Hip Hop bands, including the female market, mainly due to their melodic sound and being partial to the odd bit of singing too. Friends was sampled by both Nas (If I Ruled The World) and 2Pac (Troublesome ‘96) on two of their biggest hits which is fine pedigree indeed. There is a live version of the song which starts with a tribute to Grandmaster D’s late father – this is the best version of this song around, bar none.

#tophiphop #hiphop #oldschool #rap #toptenhiphop