3 Hip-Hop One-Hit Wonders That Will No Doubt Put You in a Good Mood

Rap music can be a lot of fun. In some ways, it might be the most fun musical genre because it often affords itself more lyrics and, thus, more punchlines. But no matter how you slice it, the genre can be simply such a good time. So, why shouldn’t the one-hit wonders that spring up from hip-hop be any less fun? They should! And spoiler alert: They’re actually even more fun!

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Here below, we wanted to explore three one-hit wonder rap songs that are just plain enjoyable. Whether you dig the beat, the lyrics, the nostalgia, or the performances, these songs will assuredly put a smile on your face. Indeed, these are three hip-hop one-hit wonders that will no doubt put you in a good mood.

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“Rapper’s Delight” by Sugarhill Gang from Sugarhill Gang (1979)

The first rap hit ever, this song came out in 1979 and made the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, which was a remarkable feat at the time for a brand new genre. But thanks to its significance in hip-hop history, combined with its effortless and joyous performances, the song has lived on in the minds and hearts of music lovers around the globe. It’s a track that still gets airplay today, some four-plus decades since it was released. And it opens with some hearty lyrics,

Now what you hear is not a test, I’m rappin’ to the beat
And me, the groove, and my friends are gonna try to move your feet
You see, I am Wonder Mike, and I’d like to say hello
To the black, to the white, the red, and the brown, the purple and yellow
But first I gotta bang-bang the boogie to the boogie
Say up jump the boogie to the bang-bang boogie
Let’s rock, you don’t stop
Rock the riddle that’ll make your body rock

“Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice from To the Extreme (1990)

We go from the first rap song to make the charts to the first to top them. The 1990 single by Vanilla Ice, which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, is a piece of nostalgia that warms the hearts of many. In one way, there’s a little joke to be had at the cartoonish Vanilla Ice. But more than all that, the song is impressive and it reminds so many of another time where things were simpler and Steve Urkle was a hit TV character. But getting back to the song, on it, Vanilla ice raps,

All right stop, collaborate and listen
Ice is back with the brand-new invention
Something, grabs a hold of me tightly
Flow like a harpoon daily and nightly
Will it ever stop? Yo, I don’t know
Turn off the lights and I’ll glow
To the extreme I rock a mic like a vandal
Light up a stage and wax a chump like a candle
Dance go rush to the speaker that booms

“Baby Got Back” by Sir Mix a Lot from Mack Daddy (1992)

A song celebrating butts? Why not! And this song, which is both fun and socially significant, has persisted on the radio and in clubs because more and more people just like to shake their behinds. Sir Mix a Lot was ahead of his time, which is why rapper Nicki Minaj later sampled the song for her song “Anaconda,” which hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2014. But “Baby Got Back” did one better, hitting the top spot on the Hot 100 and earning Mix a Grammy for his efforts. On the iconic track, he raps,

I like big butts and I can not lie
You other brothers can’t deny
That when a girl walks in with an itty bitty waist
And a round thing in your face
You get sprung, wanna pull up tough
‘Cause you notice that butt was stuffed
Deep in the jeans she’s wearing
I’m hooked and I can’t stop staring
Oh baby, I wanna get with you
And take your picture
My homeboys tried to warn me
But that butt you got makes me so horny

Photo by Walter Iooss Jr./Getty Images