Day: April 1, 2020

Image courtesy of http://www.consequenceofsound.net

In the pantheon of hip-hop history, the rap game is closely intertwined to not only the economics of the streets, but also the ups and downs of the business world. An incredibly diverse and rich genre, hip-hop has the ability to touch all walks of life. Whether you appreciate it for its raucous anthems (Digital Underground, DMX, Souls of Mischief) or its down to earth flows (A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul), rap music has a little bit of something for everyone. In this case we are going over how hip-hop can tie back to business and economic themes and the top three songs (in my opinion) in the history of the genre.

For this list, we are mainly going to focus on songs from the 1990’s. While there are certainly many jams that go over the up and down times of the business world, this list is my personal top three. While there are plenty of excellent choices to choose from, especially as the 1990’s transitioned from the gangster rap earlier in the decade to the decadent high-spending times to open up the 21st century, there can only be room for a top three. So without further ado, let’s get into the list, which is in no particular order.

“Dead Presidents II” by Jay-Z : Released in the summer of 1996, Jay-Z’s debut album “Reasonable Doubt” is regarded by many in the entertainment industry as one of the greatest rap debut albums of all time. Spearheaded by a slew of expertly crafted hits, including “Can’t Knock the Hustle”, “Cashmere Thoughts” and “D’Evils”, the album is a masterpiece and has stood the test of time in terms of influencing the generations after him. However, the key headliner from this album has to be “Dead Presidents II” which is slang for every president that appears on U.S. dollar bills. The song is an ode to Jay-Z’s time on the streets and featured sampled backing vocals from Nas that became a key element of their famous feud later on in the decade. “Dead Presidents II” is a key song to listen to if you are ever in the mood to learn more about the origins of one of hip-hop’s greatest performers of all time.

“Juicy” by The Notorious B.I.G.: In terms of rags-to-riches stories, “Juicy” is probably is one of the most under-appreciated inspiration songs of the 20th century. In the song, Biggie details his humble and dangerous upbringings in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn and how he has achieved everything he has wanted after leaving the drug trade. This includes everything from “money green leather sofas” to the illustrious duo of the “Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis”, which of course are things we all want to aspire to. While also serving as an incredible pump-up anthem, “Juicy” is an incredible tale that is really “The American Dream” for many people in a nutshell.

“C.R.E.A.M.” By Wu-Tang Clan: Wrapping up our list we have Staten Island’s own Wu-Tang Clan bringing arguably their most classic track from their debut album to the table. In a list that is really become dominated by the east coast rap scene, Wu-Tang stood out for their giant ensemble group and their varied lyrics and themes in their songs. The eighth track from “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)”, “C.R.E.A.M.” is short for “cash rules everything around me” and with a diverse street upbringing ever present in their lyrics, Wu-Tang brings their economic street sense. While not the most feel-good song, and not that it has to be, “C.R.E.A.M.” is the Wu’s ode to cash flow and how it dominates the street culture where they are from. With their iconic Wu-Wear brand and almost each member of the group spinning off to a successful solo career, “C.R.E.A.M.” was really a sign of things to come.

Thanks as always for taking the time to read this post and please drop a comment or tweet me @CDBoline with your favorite hip-hop song from the 1990’s.