Coming up with a list of the Top 10 Best Rap Songs Of All Time was no easy feat. Since rap music arrived on the scene in the late ’70s literally thousands of musicians have joined the fray, and the genre of rap and hiphop, which many predicted to be a fad, now challenges pop and rock for supremacy as the biggest musical genre out there. In coming up with this list I’ve tried to encompass hiphop music from day one right up until present day. Here are my picks for the top 10 best rap and hiphop songs of all time:

10 – Notorious B.I.G. (Biggie Smalls) – Big Poppa – This platinum single off of Biggie’s 1994 Album, Ready to Die reached number # 1 on the US rap charts. It is a shame that Biggie’s career was so short as he was truly one of the greatest hiphop musicians to ever pick up a mic.

9 – Wu Tang Clan – C.R.E.A.M. – Many fans of rap consider 36 Chambers one of the greatest hiphop albums of all time, and C.R.E.A.M., a blend of blues and hiphop is the signature song on the album. This prolific group has put out hundreds of tracks since the 90s, and this is their very best offering so far.

8 – Tupac Shakur – California Love – The nemesis of Biggie Smalls, Tupac Shakur is another hiphop artist dead before his time. Before his untimely end in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas Tupac gave us some incredible music, including the timeless classic, California Love which was a collaboration between Shakur and rap legend Dr. Dre. Shakur was considered one of the greatest lyrical poets of his time and he is still missed by a legion of fans.

7 – NWA – Straight Outta Compton – Though they didn’t know it at the time, this L.A. group was arguably the first rap supergroup. With Easy E, Dr. Dre, and Ice Cube all going on to massive solo careers, fans were truly blessed to be able to enjoy all this hiphop talent in one spot for a short time. Known for their hard hitting gangsta rap, NWA was outspoken about life in the hood, and the racial tension that existed there between young black males and the local police force. Though the lyrics certainly aren’t family friendly Straight Outta Compton remains a favorite to this day and earns a deserving spot on the list of the top 10 best rap songs of all time.

6 – Eminem – The Real Slim Shady – Rap purists might not like Eminem’s inclusion on this list, but when it comes to popular rap and hiphop music few artists of the past 3 decades can stand toe to toe with Marshall Mathers. This guy has sold an insane number of hiphop albums with massive hits like Without Me, Lose Yourself, Stan and Cleaning Out My Closet. However it was The Real Slim Shady that launched Eminem’s incredible rap career, and put him on the map as one of the greatest rappers of all time.

5 – Rakim – Ain’t No Joke – Many people consider this hiphop legend one of the greatest lyricists of all time. He had a ton of memorable hits including Paid In Full, Follow The Leader, Eric B For President, and Microphone Fiend. Any of these could have made a list of the greatest rap songs, but for the sake of variety I chose just one. Ain’t No Joke is, in my humble opinion, Rakim’s best work, so it got the nod.

4 – Public Enemy – Fight The Power – You knew these guys had to make an appearance on a list of top rap songs ever. Chuck D and Flavor Flav are hiphop icons, and they, much like Rakim have an arsenal of songs that could appear on this list. Brothers Gonna Work It Out, Don’t Believe The Hype, and Bring The Noise are just a few of P.E.’s classic tracks, but Fight The Power is their anthem and the definitive Public Enemy song.

3 – Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five – The Message – Don’t push me cause I’m close to the edge. Pioneers of the rap genre, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five didn’t have an exceptionally long hiphop career compared to some others on this list, but they helped pave the way for those who came after. The Message is not only one of the greatest hiphop songs ever made, but it has arguably the funniest music video to go along with it.

2 – Sugarhill Gang – Rapper’s Delight – This hiphop anthem was just barely edged out for the number one spot on the list of the top 10 best rap songs of all time. Borrowing from Chic’s Hit, Good Times this 1979 hit became the first rap song to crack the top 40 charts, a breakthrough for a genre that has exploded a thousandfold in the past 30 years.

1 – Run D.M.C. – King of Rock – Though Sugarhill Gang and Grandmaster Flash were both pioneers of the genre, it was this New York based trio that really brought rap music into the mainstream, and is arguably responsible for hiphop’s enormous popularity today. Run DMC had a bevy of hits including Walk This Way with Aerosmith, Run’s House, Mary Mary, My Adidas and more. Speaking of rap supergroups, these guys were definitely it.

There you have, my picks for the top 10 best rap songs of all time. Surely my picks will stir up some controversy. For instance rappers like Nas, Lil Wayne, KRS One, Jay Z and Snoop Dogg are all conspicuously absent. Disagree and want to tell me about it? Leave your own list in comments.