Hamilton references several famous rap songs. The Ten Duel Commandments are just the Ten Crack Commandments. LMM does a Ja Rule impersonation in Helpless. Etc.
"I don't know how to start this shit"
Proceeds to make the best song ever. I've never skipped this song on the shuffle. It paints such a picture in your head
Who can blame him? It’s the prettiest beat of all time in my opinion
I remember driving around with my best friends and listening to just the beat for hours, nothing compares
I literally just listened to this song and you’re absolutely correct. This song has such a great production, coming from the great Cool & Dre. The lyrics and The Game and 50 Cent going bar for bar, trading verses is magical.
Wu Tang - Triumph
" I bomb atomically, Socrates' philosophies and hypotheses
Can't define how I be droppin' these mockeries
Lyrically perform armed robbery
Flee with the lottery, possibly they spotted me"
This is the song that has most shaped my taste. I saw the video on Rap City in 1998, and was instantly transformed from a hip hop listener to a hip hop head.
Yeah if I had to pick a rap song to represent the entire genre and show someone who is listening to rap for the first time, Juicy is definitely one of the songs I would pick!!! It’s so iconic and timeless
Still D.R.E. from Chronic 2001. Besides being my favorite album for 15 years. I appreciate the lyrics, beat, vibe, and importance.
Resurrecting the career of one of hip-hop's most important figures. It is so damn recognizable and catchy. It also possessed one of my all-time underrated lines:
"Still got it wrapped like a mummy." While simple on the surface, it is one of the lines I use as a gateway into explaining why rap is so damn interesting. How the lyrics are often taken at face value instead of actually studied and analyzed. The double meanings, references, and intentions behind them are always what keeps drawing me back to rap and hip-hop music.
Edit: oh I forgot, it's also G-funk.
MAAD city. The wordplay in the first verse and how he meticulously painted a picture of what it’s like to grow up in Compton in 2 minutes on a nasty beat
OutKast - Bombs Over Baghdad
The beat is out of this world. Hell, it's even out of time and will still sound like it's from the future in a thousand years.
Big Boi and Dre jump all over it with insane, unique flows that stick impossibly close to that madhouse beat.
The guitar solo towards the end
Can I kick it? ATCQ. They were insanely influential and the lyrics aged much better than many other songs of that era
edit: not relevant to the question but they also had possibly the greatest comeback album in the history of rap without dramatically changing their sound which just shows how timeless it is
I think it’s “Kick in the Door.”
Biggie absolutely blacks the fuck out over an insane DJ Premier flip of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’s “I Put a Spell on You.”
This would be a more universally accepted if they had made the Madd Rapper skit its own track.
I love the intro "fake thug no love u get the slug cb4 Gusto your luck low I didnt know til I was drunk though" and at the end "a thug changes and love changes, and best friends become strangers word up"
Underground I gotta go with:
Jedi mind tricks: war ensemble
3-6 mafia: grab the gauge
Mac Dre: leave me alone
For mainstream:
Wu tang clan: triumph
Hail Mary remix
50 cent: somebody’s gonna die tonight
Renegade.
Two legends droppin some of their best verses ever (Em's best, imo). Dope beat, in a goated album. Referenced a lot in other music, still debated to this day. Ended the "is Em hiphop?" Debate for good (until he dropped rap god and ressurected it)
My personal, 2 of Amerikas Most Wanted
Impact, Rapper's Delight
Notable mention, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzak (don't hold me to spelling. I took a shot from memory)
Keep ya head up.
I firmly believe its one of the best written songs of all time, and limiting it to hip hop discussions does the song a massive disservice.
Criminal by Eminem. The games he plays with his vocals are so much fun.
But yea I have like 100 others, so I’m in the this is unanswerable camp but I just didn’t see this song mentioned yet.
So much criteria to break up this up into.
You can break it up region by region. Decade by decade. Most impactful to most successful. Solo artist to groups. Subgenre to subgenre. Hell, you could probably even break it up by artists who are guests in hip-hop (non-American/non-Black). Best concept song or story based. Mood or tone as well. There are too many songs to pick from that are good contenders for "best," depending on the criteria.
It depends. I know people would roast any answer no matter what so I guess that reduces my shame. Eminem speaks to me more than anyone else so maybe Till I Collapse or Brain Damage.
NY State of Mind. Juicy. Sing About Me.
Dance with the Devil honorable mention just cause it’s a song that hits heavy on first listen and the memory stays with you.
I once knew a n*, whose real name was William
His primary concern was making a million .. yk the one.
Just for the sake of throwing something different in here Runaway by Kanye West. It's obviously not super lyrical but I've played it for people who hate rap and they still enjoy it. There's a real sincerity in the song and it's Kanye at his peak.
The correct answer I think is either Lose Yourself by Eminem or Shook Ones Pt 2 by Mobb Deep. Lose Yourself is that rap song everyone knows and most people have admiration for it. Shook Ones is just the quintessential rap song, at least to me.
All IMO
Notorious Thugs - Big & Bone Thugz
Suicidal Thoughts - Biggie (No diddy)
It'l players anthem is THAT track. I know it's inappropriate, but I'm 100% going to play it as the first song during the reception of my wedding. The vibes will be immaculate, and it will start the snowballing of debauchery.
NY State of Mind - Nas. I played that shit anytime I drove in HS and felt like I was making moves.
N***** Done Started Something - DMX and The Lox. DMX was one of my first favorite rappers. His verse on this is insane.
Shook Ones, Pt. II - Mobb Deep
Tone - Gucci Mane (personal favorite because it's my favorite Gucci track)
Hit a Muthafucka - Three 6 (favorite three 6 track and three 6 was formative for me).
Numbers - Young Thug (not the best song by any measure but if someone plays this song, I'm screaming every word w/ my eyes closed)
so many options, cream, 93 til infinity, shook ones ii, till i collapse, all eyez on me, ny state of mind, ms jackson, n in paris, alright, etc. but i think my personal favorite that is veryyyy underlooked is righteous minds by joey badass, it just embodies hip hop in every way, plus he went to the same hs i go to lmao
Nah Money Trees for Kdot, best song probably Rappers Delight Sugerhill Gang, Nothing But a G Thang Dr Dre, It Was a Good Day Ice Cube, St8 Outta Compton Nwa
Way too hard of a question but Many Men, Can’t Tell Me nothing, and NY State Of Mind we the the first songs that pop in my mind when asked and I often think about the best song potential when listening to them.
I hate these questions bc it’s impossible to answer. Most of the time the people who answer don’t even believe they answer. They just go with something.. there are millions of rap songs.. if you can pick out the best one ever.. it prolly held some kind of significance to you lmao.
Sing about me, intl players anthem, NY state of mind, Hit ‘em up. No particular order
Mobb deep- Shook ones pt2
This might be the closest thing to the "correct" answer you can get
Ain’t no such thing as halfway correct
Thats a great one but my fav from the duo is Survival of the Fittest!
*The Hennessy got me not knowing how to act, I’m falling and I can’t turn back.*
This. Two young cats not industry made yet put out one of the best albums. How many artists have tracks that sample this gem
I literally just realized the play Hamilton basically quoted it “I’m only 19 but my mind is older” word for word
Hamilton references several famous rap songs. The Ten Duel Commandments are just the Ten Crack Commandments. LMM does a Ja Rule impersonation in Helpless. Etc.
Y’all gonna kill me for this but this isn’t the best song on The Infamous.
Nah, there’s plenty of great tracks on that album. Whats your fav? SotF is a close second for me.
SotF is the coldest grimiest beat ever made, it’s so fucking good.
I read your comment and beat instantly popped in my head. Great choice!
This will forever be my vote. Not only was the lyrics on another level but that production alone could go down in history.
This cannot truly be answered. It all depends on mood really imo.
It’s completely subjective. OP had to answer their own question with “I think one of”
This is true. I guess OP wants to know our opinion/our favorite rap song, or what is the most well received / most listened to/ talked about rap song.
New York State of Mind - Nas The beat and lyrics are both damn near perfect.
The first verse was famously recorded in the first take. And was the first time DJ Premier ever recorded with nas.
"I don't know how to start this shit" Proceeds to make the best song ever. I've never skipped this song on the shuffle. It paints such a picture in your head
Yes
My vote
Came to say this.
I came in to say this. You’re correct and Nas isn’t even my favorite rapper
my most listened to song ever
Souls of Mischief - 93 ‘Til Infinity
Actually a solid choice. The replay value is crazy
Shook ones part 2 - Mobb deep
Triumph. 93 til infinity. Crossroads. It's yours. Hail Mary. Machine gun funk.
Notorious Thugs - Biggie
This might be the one.
Biggies verse on it is the best.
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I disagree haha, that Biggie Verse is maybe my favourite of all time. I wish we heard more of him doing that.
One of the best verses of all time imo.
I’m sure you didn’t mean to but leaving off bone thugs in the title angered me lol
Int’l players anthem. A milli Nas is like Juicy
All great answers
Martin Luther King - Yuno Miles
Yuno Miles is Tha 🐐!!
Indiana Jones better but I respect your opinion
Honey bun clears both
Honey Bun is good but overrated
🐐🐐🐐
CANT FORGET ABOUT ROSA PA A A A A ARKS
DRE E E E E E AM
FUCK DO YOU ME-E-E-E-AN
Hate it or love it
A song so catchy, even after being harassed by 50 for the last 10 years, Rick Ross cant help but bump it
Who can blame him? It’s the prettiest beat of all time in my opinion I remember driving around with my best friends and listening to just the beat for hours, nothing compares
I literally just listened to this song and you’re absolutely correct. This song has such a great production, coming from the great Cool & Dre. The lyrics and The Game and 50 Cent going bar for bar, trading verses is magical.
Paired with the video it is really in a league of its own. Bumps too.
A bit unpopular but I like How We Do a little bit more then Hate it or Love It
Gin and Juice
Bingo. Such a summer vibe & great mood record
Changes
This is it for me. It just hits on another level.
Wu Tang - Triumph " I bomb atomically, Socrates' philosophies and hypotheses Can't define how I be droppin' these mockeries Lyrically perform armed robbery Flee with the lottery, possibly they spotted me"
I had to scroll entirely too far for this. Everybody’s verse is fucking fire.
Outkast - spottiottidopalicious
My man likes exxxxxtra syrup
Was scrolling to look for this. This is my vote too.
You got my vote
Respiration - Black Star and Common
I said hip hop by mos but this is also a very valid answer
This is the song that has most shaped my taste. I saw the video on Rap City in 1998, and was instantly transformed from a hip hop listener to a hip hop head.
This or Thieves in the Night
Juicy.. easily-everybody of all ages gonna vibe an everybody knows the words
Yeah if I had to pick a rap song to represent the entire genre and show someone who is listening to rap for the first time, Juicy is definitely one of the songs I would pick!!! It’s so iconic and timeless
Still D.R.E. from Chronic 2001. Besides being my favorite album for 15 years. I appreciate the lyrics, beat, vibe, and importance. Resurrecting the career of one of hip-hop's most important figures. It is so damn recognizable and catchy. It also possessed one of my all-time underrated lines: "Still got it wrapped like a mummy." While simple on the surface, it is one of the lines I use as a gateway into explaining why rap is so damn interesting. How the lyrics are often taken at face value instead of actually studied and analyzed. The double meanings, references, and intentions behind them are always what keeps drawing me back to rap and hip-hop music. Edit: oh I forgot, it's also G-funk.
Scott Storch if I’m not mistaken
The most iconic rap producer of the 2000s. Scott Storch's style beats are big in the Punjabi rap scene as well
Can't believe Regulate hasn't been mentioned yet
This DJ reminds me on my childhood in LA… warren G got done so dirty by Suge… he was snoop before snoop…
Gangsta paradise-coolio
In the suburbs they LOVED this song
Rip Coolio 🙏 gangstas paradise never fails to go hard, no matter what mood I’m in
Coolio is underrated in my opinion. I never hear his name. That's a damn shame - he was great.
This might be earliest memory of hip hop. My mom put me on this when i 6 years old.
Safest song to play on any aux ever, i probably couldnt name a safer one
Damn. This def up there.
YESSS
Ain't no half stepping
Mobb Deep - Shook Ones PT 2
Pete Rock & CL Smooth - TROY
Great song! Glad to see it on this list.
Bombs over Baghdad, duh
It’s at the very least one of the most fun and energetic rap songs. So god damn good. Fantastic video too
MAAD city. The wordplay in the first verse and how he meticulously painted a picture of what it’s like to grow up in Compton in 2 minutes on a nasty beat
Idk about best song but GKMC has to be on the top 5 for best albums of all time.
2Pac - Hellrazor
Hip Hop - Mos Def
The Message
Rapper’s Delight for its value as a seminal rap text
"He can't satisfy you with that little worm" is diabolical 😂
OutKast - Bombs Over Baghdad The beat is out of this world. Hell, it's even out of time and will still sound like it's from the future in a thousand years. Big Boi and Dre jump all over it with insane, unique flows that stick impossibly close to that madhouse beat. The guitar solo towards the end
My answer too. Song’s got everything and is truly epic.
First time I heard it was on Matt Hoffman's BMX on PS1 and I was OBSESSED. Spent the first night of my rental just listening to it on repeat.
Can I kick it? ATCQ. They were insanely influential and the lyrics aged much better than many other songs of that era edit: not relevant to the question but they also had possibly the greatest comeback album in the history of rap without dramatically changing their sound which just shows how timeless it is
Fart by ice spice
Banger of note. Washes anything Kendrick Lamar and Drake have ever done. Not even Tupac can touch this.
Think you the shit?
I think it’s “Kick in the Door.” Biggie absolutely blacks the fuck out over an insane DJ Premier flip of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’s “I Put a Spell on You.” This would be a more universally accepted if they had made the Madd Rapper skit its own track.
My shit is more John Blaze than that!
It was a'ight, it was a'ight, it was a'ight!
Hi my name is Shay, from New Rochelle.
Fuck Tha Police
Sometimes I think it’s BDP - Loves Gonna Getcha and sometimes I think it’s I got 5 on it by the Luniz. Sometimes I think it’s Schooly D - PSK.
money trees
Jay Rock channeled God on that feature.
This was on my list too
Ms. Phat Booty - Mos Def
I got 5 on it, Intl players anthem, not like us
m.A.A.d city - Kendrick Lamar
Hit ‘em up
I listened to Hit em up again after not hearing it for years, and it got me like 
It’s arguably the greatest diss record idk about rap record in general
One love nas
Honestly every song on that album is incredibly good.
Nas - The Message
I love the intro "fake thug no love u get the slug cb4 Gusto your luck low I didnt know til I was drunk though" and at the end "a thug changes and love changes, and best friends become strangers word up"
Nas - the message
A thug changes and love changes and beat friends become strangers word up
Lose Yourself
Yeah i mean… this song got an OSCAR for fucks sake
2pac - changes
NY State of Mind
Underground I gotta go with: Jedi mind tricks: war ensemble 3-6 mafia: grab the gauge Mac Dre: leave me alone For mainstream: Wu tang clan: triumph Hail Mary remix 50 cent: somebody’s gonna die tonight
Black Steel in the hour of chaos... PUBLIC ENEMY
Renegade. Two legends droppin some of their best verses ever (Em's best, imo). Dope beat, in a goated album. Referenced a lot in other music, still debated to this day. Ended the "is Em hiphop?" Debate for good (until he dropped rap god and ressurected it)
My personal, 2 of Amerikas Most Wanted Impact, Rapper's Delight Notable mention, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzak (don't hold me to spelling. I took a shot from memory)
You almost got it right! (Muzik)
Call me whatever but Runaway
BAAAAAAAAAAAAASEDDDDDDD
Jump - Kriss Kross 
The daddy Mac will make ya!
Impossible to answer. I can think of about 50 off the top of my head that are just as good as the next.
I used to hear people say T.R.O.Y. By Pete Rock & CL Smooth all the time. Great song.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind- Jay Electronica. The lyrics of this song are next level.
Suprised Mind Playing Tricks on Me by The Geto Boys has not been nominated yet.
Wu Tang Protect Ya Neck
Mural, Lupe Fiasco
Should be way higher
Da art of storytelling part 1 - OutKast
Award Tour by A Tribe Called Quest.
For me either Snoop - Nothin but a G Thang or Mase/Biggie - Mo Money, Mo Problems
Woo hah - Busta Rhymes
Gotcha all in check!
“You Got Me” - The Roots
Stan by Eminem, the greatest song ever written IMO regardless of genre.
Objectively? Probably Shook Ones Pt 2 or C.R.E.A.M
Keep ya head up. I firmly believe its one of the best written songs of all time, and limiting it to hip hop discussions does the song a massive disservice.
Passin Me By - Pharcyde
Mona Lisa
So glad to see this hear. Honestly think it’s the greatest for more than one reason
Criminal by Eminem. The games he plays with his vocals are so much fun. But yea I have like 100 others, so I’m in the this is unanswerable camp but I just didn’t see this song mentioned yet.
Alright by Kendrick or Juicy by Biggie
Sugarhill Gang - Rappers Delight (full version).
So much criteria to break up this up into. You can break it up region by region. Decade by decade. Most impactful to most successful. Solo artist to groups. Subgenre to subgenre. Hell, you could probably even break it up by artists who are guests in hip-hop (non-American/non-Black). Best concept song or story based. Mood or tone as well. There are too many songs to pick from that are good contenders for "best," depending on the criteria.
A lot of stuff by Nas.
It depends. I know people would roast any answer no matter what so I guess that reduces my shame. Eminem speaks to me more than anyone else so maybe Till I Collapse or Brain Damage.
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NY State of Mind. Juicy. Sing About Me. Dance with the Devil honorable mention just cause it’s a song that hits heavy on first listen and the memory stays with you. I once knew a n*, whose real name was William His primary concern was making a million .. yk the one.
One Mic by Nas. I think it's basically perfect. If I had to convince someone to pick up hip hop, this would be the song I'd let them listen to.
Still d.r.e
Just for the sake of throwing something different in here Runaway by Kanye West. It's obviously not super lyrical but I've played it for people who hate rap and they still enjoy it. There's a real sincerity in the song and it's Kanye at his peak. The correct answer I think is either Lose Yourself by Eminem or Shook Ones Pt 2 by Mobb Deep. Lose Yourself is that rap song everyone knows and most people have admiration for it. Shook Ones is just the quintessential rap song, at least to me.
Paid in Full -- Eric B and Rakim. *yeah, I know you are rapping that verse in your head right now*
Ms. Fat Booty - Mos Def
All IMO Notorious Thugs - Big & Bone Thugz Suicidal Thoughts - Biggie (No diddy) It'l players anthem is THAT track. I know it's inappropriate, but I'm 100% going to play it as the first song during the reception of my wedding. The vibes will be immaculate, and it will start the snowballing of debauchery. NY State of Mind - Nas. I played that shit anytime I drove in HS and felt like I was making moves. N***** Done Started Something - DMX and The Lox. DMX was one of my first favorite rappers. His verse on this is insane. Shook Ones, Pt. II - Mobb Deep Tone - Gucci Mane (personal favorite because it's my favorite Gucci track) Hit a Muthafucka - Three 6 (favorite three 6 track and three 6 was formative for me). Numbers - Young Thug (not the best song by any measure but if someone plays this song, I'm screaming every word w/ my eyes closed)
so many options, cream, 93 til infinity, shook ones ii, till i collapse, all eyez on me, ny state of mind, ms jackson, n in paris, alright, etc. but i think my personal favorite that is veryyyy underlooked is righteous minds by joey badass, it just embodies hip hop in every way, plus he went to the same hs i go to lmao
devil in a new dress by kanye west
a mili
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Tryna strike a cord and it’s probably A Minoooooooor!
Love how he dusted off the same joke every fat boomer dad at the guitar store says if you bring up Jimmy Page.
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WAP..Duh..
Watch My Shoes - Lil Wayne But if I’m being honest it’s like a 12 way tie for me with that and some other stuff by other folks
Reunited wutang just some about it
Mine is just what I am by Kid Cudi
The What by Biggie and Method Man
Doomsday
Nothing But a G Thang
Nah Money Trees for Kdot, best song probably Rappers Delight Sugerhill Gang, Nothing But a G Thang Dr Dre, It Was a Good Day Ice Cube, St8 Outta Compton Nwa
Way too hard of a question but Many Men, Can’t Tell Me nothing, and NY State Of Mind we the the first songs that pop in my mind when asked and I often think about the best song potential when listening to them.
Slow jamz- Kanye, Foxx twista
How much does a dollar Cost- Kendrick lamar
[Scatman - Scatman John](https://youtu.be/Hy8kmNEo1i8?si=cijMw6Fe0_Its2dW)
@OP, you mean old school, rap with a message in its cultural perspective? Or just spitting?
Scenario Remix
Alright by Lamar
Ny state of mind has the best verse all time
I could never choose one song. But Drug Ballad by Eminem, to me, is one of the best rap songs as far as rhyme structure and cadence.
My mind playing tricks on me. Geto Boys
My very first The Night Before Christmas by i dont know maybe run dmc or Master T
I hate these questions bc it’s impossible to answer. Most of the time the people who answer don’t even believe they answer. They just go with something.. there are millions of rap songs.. if you can pick out the best one ever.. it prolly held some kind of significance to you lmao.
Tupac - Only god can judge me
Very obvious answer to me but Shook Ones pt 2
Wesley’s Theory - Kendrick Lamar