A lot has changed in the hip-hop industry over the past decade, but one nagging debate still remains: Who is the best rap group of all time?

Our friends over at WordOnTheStreetsMag.com really did their homework recently and compiled a very great list of the best hip-hop groups of all time. While we don’t necessarily agree with the order, we do think the right groups were picked for the top 10 list.

The judging of these groups were based on these requirements:

Longevity: Yes…..Longevity. They need to be into the game more than 6 months and a hot ass single.

Sales: I know what y’all are thinking…..this is some bullshit…..but, you HAVE to include sales. Reason? Simple, If I didn’t that would open the window for tons of groups who sold 10 records. If the sales are there, then someone actually liked your music, and if you combine sales with longevity….that means someone liked your music for a long time.

Overall Talent: Concepts, Delivery, and Song Topic. Way more than just a catchy hook, and couple hot producers standing behind you.

Top 10 Rap Groups Of All Time:

10. Public Enemy

Members- Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Terminator X, Prof. Griff

12 Studio Albums

3 Platinum Albums

Tracks to check for- Black Steel In The Hour of Chaos(It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back), Can‘t Truss It(Apocalypse ‘91…The Enemy Strikes Black), 911 Is A Joke (Fear of A Black Planet)

Best Album-It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back

Best Verse- Second Verse-Can’t Truss It (Apocalypse ‘91)

Ahead of their time……waaay ahead of their time. Public Enemy was the voice of an entire nation of people screaming to be heard. Their first release, Yo! Bumrush The Show, released in 1987 was just a sign of things to come. “Mi Uzi Weighs A Ton” was one of the songs that had the critics raving about them. Their second album “It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back”, is one of the best albums ever to be released by any genre of music, including hip hop. “Black Steel In The Hour of Chaos” one of the strongest tracks on the album is a riveting story of Chuck D being imprisoned for not joining the military. Planning a breakout moving from cellblock to cellblock and making it out with the help of the SW1. A brilliant story from a brilliant group. Even with the Fear of A Black Planet release showed the groups potency and ability to still talk about struggles and taboo subjects. Public Enemy set the mold for conscious music. If it wasn’t for P.E., the Ice Cubes, Arrested Developments, and Goodie Mobs would have never existed. Even 20 years later they are still releasing very conscious and soul stirring music.

9. Bone Thugs N Harmony

Members- Layzie Bone, Krayzie Bone, Wish Bone, Flesh N Bone, Bizzy Bone

7 Studio Albums

3 Multi Platinum albums, 1 Platinum album, and 1 Gold Album

Tracks to check for- Body Rott (The Art Of War), Crossroads( E 1999 Eternal), Righteous Ones( BTNH Resurrection), Mr. Bill Collecta(E. 1999 Eternal)

Best Verse: Last Verse-Thuggish Ruggish Bone

Best Song- First Of The Month (E. 1999 Eternal)

Best Album- BTNH Resurrection

A one way bus ticket to L.A is a hell of a risk for a record deal, but it worked out for this group. Bone Thugs and Harmony released their first album Creepin On A Come Up in 1994 which set the mold for their career. By the time of their next release E. 1999 Eternal, the group was already a household name. Wether is was Krayzie Bone’s seen it all flow, Bizzy Bone’s Angelic Harmonies, or Layzie Bone’s violent rants, you had to feel these dudes. With the breakthrough hit “Tha Crossroads”, a touching track about life and death was just was the group needed to push them into the superstar mainstream of music. Even during now with all of the “real street niggas” and “Bosses” running around, their last release “Strength N Loyalty” was Certified Gold by the RIAA. Showing that the group still had a fan base in tact and still was able to make good music. Not bad for a group 15 years deep in the game.

8. UGK

Members: Pimp C (RIP), Bun B

7 Studio Albums

3 Gold Albums

Tracks to check for: Cocaine In The Back of the Ride(Too Hard to Swallow), Diamonds and Wood(Riding Dirty), Gravy(Underground Kingz) Pocket Full Of Stones(Too Hard to Swallow)

Best Verse: 1st Verse-Murder(Ridin’ Dirty)

Best Album: Ridin’ Dirty

Best Song-One Day (Ridin’ Dirty)

Originally to be signed to Rap A Lot Records, UGK was swooped up by Jive Records for Banned album. Their first release Too Hard To Swallow, that created an underground following overnight. With tracks like “Pocket Full of Stones” and “Tell Me Something Good”, southern fans were singing praises for the group. With Pimp C’s exaggerated drawls, and Bun B’s thunderous voice the group created a happy medium for fans. For the overall lyricism, you turned to Bun. For the glittery diamonds and full length minks, you turned to the Pimp. A perfect ying and yang for many fans.
In 1996 they released Ridin’ Dirty, an album a lot of southern fans still hold as the standard for southern hip hop. That album contained classic tracks like “Muder”, “Diamonds & Wood”, and “3 In The Morning” which contained the classic syrupy thick basslines and lush guitars that made that sound famous.(Pimp C handled 90% of the groups production) Also, that album certified gold by the RIAA with no video and little to no promotion meant that the group had a solid fan base. Their 6th album, “Underground Kingz”, debuted #1 on the charts with a little help from another legendary group, Outkast “ Int’l Players Anthem” made the album a success, also with another RIAA certification of Gold, mean that the group stood the test of time. With the sudden passing of Pimp C, the 2009 release “4 Life” also debuting at #1 is a good lasting memory of a damn good group, and hopefully they won’t be forgotten.

7. The Beastie Boys

Members: Mike D, Ad-Rock, MCA

7 Studio Albums

5 Multi-Platinum Albums, 1 Platinum Albums

Tracks to Check For: The New Style (Licensed to Ill), Hey Ladies (Paul’s Boutique) Paul Revere (Licensed to Ill), So Watcha Want (Check Your Head)

Best Verse- Last Verse-Paul Revere (Licensed to Ill)

Best Album-Paul’s Boutique

All young cats under 25 are reading this like, “WTF….how did they get in this list”, simple you young dumb mufuckas(yeah I typed it in broken English). The Beastie boys were and still are one of the best hip hop groups…..period. Licensed to Ill was released in 1986 with the single “Fight for Your Right” was an instant success, and an RIAA certification of 5X Platinum, who says innovative shit doesn’t’ sell? The cool thing with The Beastie Boys was the chemistry, they had some of the best. Check out tracks like The New Style, She‘s Crafty (Licensed to Ill,) and Car Thief(Paul’s Boutique) for proof. Really, they were the precursors to the rock/rap bands that are out right now. Their second album Paul’s Boutique is considered by many as one of the best rap albums of all time. Fused with a multi-sampling layering sound (to this day has yet to be done as well as they did it) with that classic chemistry and the off the wall stories made it an instant classic. In 2008 they are up for nominations to the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame, and from the looks of things they will be joining Run-DMC as one of the only groups to achieve that accolade.

6. A Tribe Called Quest

Members- Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed, Phife Dawg, Jarobi

5 Studio Albums

1 Multi-Platinum, 2 Platinum, 2 Gold

Tracks to Go- After Hours (Peoples Instinctive Travels and Paths of Rhythm), Lyrics to Go (Midnight Marauders), Word Play (Beats, Rhymes, and Life) Bonita Applebaum (PITPR)

Best Verse- Crew (really it’s an entire song, Beats, Rhymes and Life)

Best Song- Sucka Nigga

Best Album- Midnight Marauders

This group, and member of the Native Tongues crew, laid the groundwork for the neo-soul and backpack movement. Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed, and Jarobi(who left the group early on) cemented there place in hip hop with their first single, “Bonita Applebaum”. The smooth laid back track was the first sign that this group was going to be around for a long time. The album People’s Instinctive Travels and Paths of Rhythm was one of the first albums to receive critical acclaim from critics and fans alike. Their second album, The Low End Theory, which was the released in Sept. of 1991 put the group into eyes of the music world as a whole.

Songs as “Buggin Out”, “ The Infamous Date Rape”, and “Butter” were just a few of the tracks that stood out on that album. Much praises were given by the critics also, some of them even calling it one of the best albums of all time. When Midnight Marauders released in 1993, they were more polished, Phife’s and Tip’s chemistry had reached an all time high. The standout cuts were “The Chase pt. II”, “Steve Biko(Stir It Up)” “Electric Relaxation”, and single was one of the strongest tracks on the album, and what made the album fly off of shelves ( 2X Platinum). Their final release The Love Movement stayed in step with the previous releases. “Find A Way”, “Like It Like That”, and “The Love” let fans know that The Tribe did not lose a step. The beautiful thing with this group was that they showed people that you could sell records and get acclaim without having to take the violent route. I honestly think there will never be another ATCQ. Hopefully a group in the future can at least have ¼ of the talent and ability that this crew had.

5. The Geto Boys

Members- Scarface, Bushwick Bill, Willie D

8 Studio Albums

1 Platinum, 2 Gold

Tracks to Check For- “6 Feet Deep”(‘Til Death Do Us Part) “Mind Playing Tricks On Me”(We Can’t Be Stopped), “Eye for An Eye“ (Da Good, Da Bad, and Da Ugly)

Best Verse- G Code- 2nd Verse (The Foundation)

Best Song- The Word Is A Ghetto (The Resurrection)

Best Album-The Resurrection

Once upon a time, before a lot of groups in the south were looking for an identity(back in the late early eighties a lot of regions(not just the south) sounded like NY hip hop…not these dudes…they knew who they were. Started in Houston, Texas by J Prince. The Geto Boys came from out of the deep south in 1988 with Making Trouble. The original members (Johnny C, Sire Jukebox) were replaced with Willie D, and Scarface, and Bushwick Bill(formerly known as Little Billy around that time) The next album Grip It! On That Other Level was just the group learning to work together and showed promise. By the 4th album “We Can’t Be Stopped”, the group was on everyone’s radar with the paranoid “Mind Playin’ Tricks On Me”.

The song and verbatim video(every line was perfectly matched with video scenes) pushed the cd to a platinum plaque, and also gave southerners another reason to be proud. Their last release “The Foundation” got very good reviews and showed the groups staying power. The Geto Boys showed a side of the south that wasn’t seen. (around the same time the 2 Live Crew showed the wild party life side of the south with the heavy Miami Bass scene) A gruesome view of life that showed the survival of the fittest attitude of many young black men growing up in some of the worst neighborhoods of the US. They also showed that with good music, and a chance that you can make it out of the worst environments.

4. N.W.A

Members-Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Mc Ren, Arabian Prince, DJ Yella

4 Studio Albums

1 Multi Platinum, 1 Platinum, 2 Gold

Tracks to Check for- “Always Into Something” (EFIL4ZAGGIN) “Dopeman” (Straight Outta Compton), “100 Miles and Runnin” (100 Miles and Run)

Best Verse- 2nd Verse-Real Niggaz Don’t Die

Best Song-Appetite 4 Destruction

Best Album-EFIL4ZAGGIN

The first group to carry the Parental Advisory sticker were these cats. They also carried the burden of the media on their backs from day one. The first release “Straight Outta Compton” sold 2 million copies with no video play, and little promotion. Even the letters sent from the FBI couldn’t stop the gain of popularity of this album. Songs like “Fuck The Police”, “Dopeman” and “8-Ball” gave a dark and cinematic glimpse of life in California at that time. Even after the public break up of the group, they all branched out and had very productive solo careers. This group created a genre, a sound, pretty much an entire coast of sound that is still in use to this day, and opened doors for a whole lot of artist who wouldn’t have been heard. So any time you hear a rapper talking about popping the trunk, and grabbing an AK to do some dirt…thank N.W.A.

3. Wu-Tang Clan

Members- Rza, Gza, Ol’ Dirty Bastard(RIP), Raekwon, U-God, Ghostface Killa, Masta Killa, Method Man

5 Studio Albums

1 Multi-Platinum Album, 2 Platinum Albums, 2 Gold Albums

Tracks to Check For- C.R.E.A.M (Enter The Wu-Tang, 36 Chambers), Older Gods(Wu-Tang Forever), Triumph(Wu-Tang Forever), Hollow Bones (The W), The Babies (Iron Flag)

Best Verse- Impossible-Last Verse-Wu-Tang Forever

Best Song- A Better Tomorrow

Best Album- Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

“Peace God, what’s the mathematics?”…..when I hear that greeting..I think the Wu. The Wu-Tang Clan, a 9 man group from Staten Island equipped with street tales, brotherhood, and they’re 5 percenter teachings released their first album in 1993 Enter the Wu-Tang, and hip hop fans loved it. It took a little while to gain momentum, but with songs like “C.R.E.A.M” and “Can it Be All So Simple” leading the charge it was accepted that it one of the best releases of 1993. Solo releases from the group in between their 1st and 2nd releases only made the fans wonder what the second album would sound like.

In 1997 they released the double album Wu-Tang Forever, which showcased the growth of the group and their ability to get better with time. “Triumph” the first single was just that. All 9 members (including Cappadonna) with cinematic strings and crashing drums made this track a celebration. Other dope songs are “Impossible”, “Duck Season”, and “Older Gods” which showed how interchangeable the groups are when it comes to pairing different members on tracks.

The song that showed the groups advancement was “A Better Tomorrow” in which they painted vivid pictures of Staten Island, New York’s youth and how the mistakes you make today will affect tomorrow. Their last release 8 Diagrams received little fan fare, but still you can’t let that take away anything the Wu-Tang did. They helped shift the power of balance back to the east coast movement. They also converted many people over with the five percenter culture, also showed that a group could disband and have successful solo careers, and then reunite to the same success as they once did. At the end of the day, the Wu-Tang Clan started a movement that has yet to be rivaled by any group, and you have to give them a round of applause for that.

2. Run DMC

Members- DJ Run, DMC, Jam Master Jay(RIP)

7 Studio Albums

1 Multi-Platinum album, 3 Platinum albums, 2 Gold albums

Best Verse- Down With The King-1st Verse

Best Song- Rock Box

Best Album- Raising Hell

First rap group to go platinum. First rap group to go multi-platinum. First rap group to crack into top 10 on Billboard. First rap group to….you get what the fuck I saying….THE KINGS! DJ Run, DMC, Jam Master Jay, RUN DMC. Every rapper, fuck it, everyone in the rap world needs to pay homage to these dudes. If it wasn’t for them, there wouldn’t be this top 10 at all. They released their self titled album in 1984. Riding off of the singles “It’s Like That” and “Sucker Mcs” put them firmly on the front lines of hip hop.

In 1986 they got pushed to superstar status with the Raising Hell album. The first overall commercially successful single “Walk This Way” feat. Aerosmith was the crossover hit that the group and hip hop needed. By the time of their 4th album Back From hell, people were dimissing them as washed up and needing to retire….wrong…so wrong. When they released “Down With The King” in 1993 and a star studded video, it made everyone retract their statements of them being down and out. Their last release “Crown Royal” was received with decent reviews proving that the kings had one last act in them. In 2002 everyone mourned the loss of Dj Jam Master Jay, who was murdered in a recording studio in Queens. The Police had apprehended a suspect and was charging him as an accomplice.

Run-DMC changed the scenery of rap, and dispelled myths that it was a fad, and that it wouldn’t last more than 10 years. Shoe contracts, nationwide tours, or sponsorship would not be possible without them. They also paved the way for the rap/rock acts that are dominating the charts right now. This year Run DMC was inducted into the Rock Roll Hall of Fame, one of the only hip hop acts to due so. Enough cannot be said about this group and what they did for Hip Hop. They are legends and no matter how advanced hip hop becomes and how far it goes, you can’t help but look back and see these dudes. Tip your hats to them.

1. Outkast

Members- Andre’ 3000, Big Boi, Mr. DJ

5 Studio Albums

1 Platinum, 3 Multi-Platinum, 1 Diamond(yes muthafuckas….Diamond)

Best Verse- 2nd Verse-Aquemini (Aquemini)

Best Song- 13th Floor Growing Old (ATLiens)

Best Album- Aquemini

Everyone should remember that infamous day. Outkast were booed for winning The Source award for Best Rap Group. Andre said it best, “The south got something to say, that’s all I gotta say”. This group changes and only (noticed I wrote only) gets better with time. They easily have morphed from playas with cadillacs, to full fledged musicians with amazing ability to create masterpieces. It started in 1994 with Southernplaylisticcaddilacmuzik. With the lead single Playa’s Ball(the video remix was 100 times doper than the original version) was received very well, along side the self-titled second single, but it was the third single Get Up and Get Out feat. Cee-Lo that attracted another fan base of more conscious hip hop heads that took the group to the next level. In no time it was certified platinum by the RIAA, an amazing feat for the time for southern artist. During this year, the west coast was still running like a well oiled machine, the east coast was heating up, and the south was still fighting for respect.
In 1996 they released ATLiens, a far jump from their freshman debut, but it seemed as if they were vets already. The rhymes and production had stepped it up times 10 (Outkast handled some of the production on the album as well), and with Elevators(Me and You) they also stepped up sales (2X Platinum, the first of many). The album ranged in topic matter, from promiscuous women (Jazzy Belle), to cautionary street tales(Decatur Psalm) to the future of the word (Millenuim). The hip hop community gave them much deserved praise as exceptional songwriters and lyricist.

When the third album dropped Aquemini, it was recognized as an instant classic. The lead single “Rosa Parks” was embraced by radio with open arms. Even though receiving a lawsuit by Rosa Parks, it still didn’t slow the momentum of the album. It received excellent reviews by all of the music community and gained the respect from many genres of music, some even saying that it was ahead of it’s time. One of the standout cuts, “Liberation” feat. Cee-Lo, E. Badu, and the inhouse poet Big Rube speak of maintaining your sanity in the midst of any situation. The strongest track, “SpottieOttieDopalicious” consist of spoken word from the group and a live brass section with reggae feel. The album overall showed that Big Boi and Dre’ 3000 (the new name of andre) were not afraid to expose the hip hop culture, especially the south to new ideas and themes.

By the time of the fifth album Speakerboxx/The Love Below(each album was a solo album for the artist) it was accepted that Outkast with their chameleon like ways, and willingness to change, were amazing artist. Yeah, yeah, I know, Dre’ 3000’s album (The Love Below) contained little to no rapping, but you couldn’t front on how well put together an album it was. “Hey Ya/I like the way you move”, the first single was a smash. Due to the fact of those singles reminded you of something you heard before, and they both were a good contrast of each other. The smooth groove of “The Way You Move” to the Beatles-ish “Hey Ya” was the pefect ying and yang. The strongest song on either one of the albums was “Reset”(Speakerboxx). Big Boi with the help of Goodie Mob speaks on having a chance to restart your life over again if you are giving to opportunity. The greatest feat of this album was receiving the Grammy for best album(the first hip hop group to do so) which meant that they were accepted as amazing artist who made undeniably good music.

Outkast is a blueprint of success for any group in my opinion. Not in particular sound or a way of emceeing, no…not at all. In a way of change, the willingness to accept change and time. Even during fads of hip hop this group stood their ground and did not what the label wanted them to do, or what the hip hop community wanted them to do, they did what THEY wanted to do, and made it seem effortles, and that what’s it’s about as artist. Doing what you love, and not compromising your art, no matter the cirumstances.

Honorable Mentions – The Roots, Goodie Mob, Onyx

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