Those who grew up in the 1990s know how influential the year 1999 was. For a decade as musically eclectic as any before it, the 1990s opened up with gangsta rap and grunge rock, but it ended much differently. At the conclusion of the decade, boy bands and pop stars often ruled the charts.
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But in between all the pop princes and princesses, there were several big-name rap artists garnering great attention and taking home some major awards. That’s what we wanted to highlight below. Indeed, these are three rap Grammy Award winners from 1999 that we still know by heart.
Will Smith
Before the slap heard ’round the world from the 2022 Academy Awards, Will Smith had a nearly perfect approval rating. He was one of the biggest movie stars in the world, and he was also a prominent songwriter and performer. It was Smith, along with DJ Jazzy Jeff, who took home the first-ever rap Grammy Award in 1989. Well, a decade later, he was taking home another trophy for Best Rap Solo Performance. Smith earned the accolade for his infectious track “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” from his popular LP Big Willie Style.
Beastie Boys
While the Beastie Boys helped to spread the gospel of hip-hop in the 1980s, the trio’s career spanned well past that decade and into the 90s and beyond. Indeed, while their debut 1986 LP, Licensed To Ill, was once one of the best-selling albums of all time, the Beastie Boys’ 1998 song “Intergalactic” might be the trio’s most famous song—and it earned them the Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. The space-aged tune reminded fans just who helped make them fall in love with rap music in the first place.
Jay-Z
New York City-born rapper bridged business and art like no other before him. It has since helped him become a billionaire mogul. But in 1999, before all that cash, Jay-Z was taking home the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album for his record, Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life, which included standout songs like “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)” and “Money Ain’t A Thang”. What a career!
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