Anthology of Hip-Hop & Rap Music


Curation of the Anthology was headed by a committee including Rappers Chuck D and MC Lyte; writers and scholars Jeff Chang and Mark Anthony Neal; early Def Jam senior executives-turned-cultural-advisors Bill Adler and Bill Stephney; and Producers Questlove and 9th Wonder.


Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hop & Rap. (2021). This release is a collaboration between the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and Smithsonian Folkways.


The set includes 130 tracks on 9 CDs and a 300-page book with original design by Cey Adams, artist and founding creative director of Def Jam Recordings, as well as essays by some of hip-hop’s leading writers and critics and never-before-seen photographs.


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The Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hop and Rap is a first-of-its-kind multimedia collection chronicling the growth of the music and culture from the parks of the Bronx to solidifying a reach that spans the globe.


Through the music, writing, and extensive liner notes, the Anthology reveals the many trends within this multifaceted genre, its social and political implications, and its influence on popular culture.


Track Listings

Disc #1

1FatbackKing Tim III
2Sugarhill GangRapper’s Delight
3The SequenceFunk You Up
4Kurtis BlowThe Breaks
5Funky Four +1That’s the Joint
6Spoonie Gee Feat. the SequenceMonster Jam
7Treacherous ThreeThe Body Rock
8BlondieRapture
9The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel
10Afrika Bambaataa & the Soulsonic ForcePlanet Rock


Disc #2

1Grandmaster Flash & the Furious FiveThe Message
2The Fearless FourRockin’ It
3Cold Crush BrothersPunk Rock Rap
4Herbie HancockRockit
5Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic ForceLooking for the Perfect Beat
6Run-DMCIt’s Like That
7WhodiniFriends
8Cold Crush BrothersFresh, Fly, Wild & Bold
9T. La RockIt’s Yours
10The World’s Famous Supreme TeamHey! DJ
11NewcleusJam on It
12UTFORoxanne, Roxanne

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Disc #3

1Roxanne ShantéRoxanne’s Revenge
2Fat BoysFat Boys
3Doug E. Fresh & MC Ricky DLa Di Da Di
4LL Cool J—I Can’t Live Without My Radio
5Schoolly DP.S.K. ‘What Does It Mean?’
6Run-DMC Feat. AerosmithWalk This Way
7Beastie BoysPaul Revere
8Ultramagnetic MCsEgo Tripping
9Ice-T6 ‘N the Mornin’
10Kool Moe DeeHow Ya Like Me Now
11LL Cool JI Need Love
12Eric B Feat. RakimEric B Is President
13MantronixKing of the Beats


Disc #4

1Stetsasonic Feat. the Rev. Jesse Jackson & Olatunji—A.F.R.I.C.A
2Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh PrinceParents Just Don’t Understand
3Audio TwoTop Billin’
4MC LyteLyte As a Rock
5Big Daddy KaneRaw
6Marley Marl Feat. Master Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, & Big Daddy KaneThe Symphony
7MC LyteI Cram to Understand U (Sam)
8Tone LCWild Thing
9Rob Base & DJ E-Z RockIt Takes Two
10Jungle BrothersI’ll House You
11N.W.A.Fuck Tha Police
12Public EnemyFight the Power
13The Stop the Violence MovementSelf Destruction
14Too ShortLife Is… Too Short
15Slick RickChildren’s Story
163rd BassThe Gas Face


Disc #5

1Queen Latifah Feat. Monie LoveLadies First
2Public EnemyBring the Noise
3De la SoulMe Myself and I
4Biz MarkieJust a Friend
5The D.O.C.It’s Funky Enough
62 Live CrewMe So Horny
7Digital UndergroundHumpty Dance
8MC HammerU Can’t Touch This
9Vanilla IceIce Ice Baby
10Brand NubianAll for One
11Geto BoysMind Playing Tricks on Me
12A Tribe Called QuestScenario
13Black SheepThe Choice Is Yours
14Salt-N-PepaLet’s Talk About Sex
15Yo-Yo Feat. Ice-CubeCan’t Play with My Yo-Yo
16Naughty By NatureO.P.P


Disc #6

1Dr. Dre Feat. Snoop Doggy DoggNuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang
2Ice CubeIt Was a Good Day
3Sir Mix-A-LotBaby Got Back
4Arrested DevelopmentTennessee
5Digable PlanetsRebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)
6House of PainJump Around
7Positive KI Got a Man
8Pete Rock & C. L. SmoothThey Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)
9UgkPocket Full of Stones
10Wu-Tang ClanC.R.E.A.M
11Cypress HillInsane in the Brain
12The PharcydePassin’ Me By
13Eightball & MJGComin’ Out Hard
14Common SenseI Used to Love H.E.R
15Da BratFunkdafied
16NasN.Y. State of Mind
17Craig Mack Feat. the Notorious B.I.G., Rampage, LL Cool J, Busta RhymesFlava in Your Ear


Disc #7

1Beastie Boys—Sabotage
2The Notorious B.I.G.—Juicy
3Gang Starr Feat. Nice & SmoothDwyck
4Warren G Feat. Nate DoggRegulate
5Snoop Doggy DoggMurder Was the Case
6E-40 Feat. Suga TSprinkle Me
7Goodie MobCell Therapy
8Coolio Feat. L.V. —Gangsta’s Paradise
92PacDear Mama
10Mobb DeepShook Ones, Part 2
11Method Man Feat. Mary J. BligeI’ll Be There for You / You’re All I Need to Get By
12Foxy Brown Feat. Jay-ZI’ll Be
13Lil Kim Feat. Puff DaddyNo Time
14Bone Thugs-N-HarmonyTha Crossroads
15Wu-Tang Clan Feat. CappadonnaTriumph
16Busta RhymesPut Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See
17Master P Feat. Silkk the Shocker, Mia X, FiendMake ‘Em Say Uhh!


Disc #8

1Missy ElliotThe Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)
2Lauryn HillDoo Wop (That Thing)
3DMXRuff Ryders’ Anthem
4The RootsThe Next Movement
5Mos DefMathematics
6BGBling Bling
7Dead PrezHip Hop
8Eminem Feat. DidoStan
9OutkastMs. Jackson
10NellyCountry Grammar
11Ludacris Feat. PharrellSouthern Hospitality
12NasOne Mic
1350 CentIn Da Club
14Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz Feat. Ying Yang TwinsGet Low

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Disc #9

1Talib KweliBlack Girl Pain
2Kanye WestJesus Walks
3Three 6 Mafia Feat. Young Buck, Eightball & MJGStay Fly
4Rick RossHustlin’
5Lupe Fiasco Feat. Nikki JeanHip-Hop Saved My Life
6Young Jezzy Feat. NasMy President
7David Banner Feat. Chris Brown & Yung JocGet Like Me
8Lil Wayne Feat. Robin ThickeTie My Hands
9Jay ElectronicaExhibit C
10Nicki MinajSuper Bass
11MacKlemore & Ryan Lewis Feat. WanzThrift Shop
12J Cole Feat. TLCCrooked Smile
13Kanye WestBlood on the Leaves
14DrakeStarted from the Bottom

The set includes 130 tracks on 9 CDs and a 300-page book


Rapper Chuck D—Carlton D. Ridenhour

Autobiography of Mistachuck album (1996)

Public Enemy albums available on Amazon


MC Lyte

Lyte as a Rock album (1988)

MC Lyte’s Eyes On This album (1989)

The Very Best of MC Lyte (16 songs, 2001)

MC Lyte’s Badder than Before CD (2015)



The Motherlode: 100+ Women Who Made Hip-Hop

The Motherlode highlights more than 100 women who have shaped the power, scope, and reach of rap music, including pioneers like Roxanne Shanté, game changers like Lauryn Hill and Missy Elliott, and current reigning queens like Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, and Lizzo—as well as everyone who came before, after, and in between.


VIBE Hip Hop Divas

The dramatic rise of women to the top of the hip hop industry has never been chronicled before. The revolution was decades in the making, with the female pioneers fighting for a place in the hip hop boy’s club, confronting sexist attitudes, and grabbing their piece of the commercial pie while taking hip hop to new creative heights. 


The Come Up: An Oral History of the Rise of Hip-Hop


Music History: The Rise of Rap and Hip-Hop Songs


How Mickey Factz Made the First-Ever Hip-Hop Academy. Billboard Article.


Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hop & Rap. (2021). Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and Smithsonian Folkways.



Who Are Your Favorite Hip-Hop Rappers & Singers? Comment Below.


Anthology of Hip-Hop & Rap Music