3 Rap Songs From 1988 You Should Totally Add to Your Rotation

The year was 1988. Hip-hop music was really taking shape thanks to big name artists like Run-DMC, The Beastie Boys, and LL Cool J. It was a year before the Grammy Awards would hand out the first trophy in a rap category. In short, the genre was really starting to take off.

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Here below, we wanted to highlight three standout hip-hop tracks from that calendar year that we still stan—a trio of tracks from back then we love today. Indeed, these are three rap songs from 1988 you should totally add to your rotation today.

“Microphone Fiend” by Eric B. & Rakim from ‘Follow The Leader’ (1988)

The history of rap music is comprised of eras. Like sports, each era has its greatest of all time. And in the salad days of rap music, the best lyricist on the planet was assuredly Rakim. Perhaps more than any person ever, Rakim has influenced rap music. His words were like punches to the ribs, and his ideas and metaphors were the foundations for the genre in many ways. While he wasn’t the first rapper to gain attention in New York City, he is one of the most important.

“Ain’t No Half-Steppin’” by Big Daddy Kane from ‘Long Live The Kane’ (1988)

Big Daddy Kane is likely your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper. He had style, mood, and he carried himself with a very specific aesthetic that said Do not mess with me, punk! Indeed, Kane was one of those rappers who was perhaps better suited a duke or some other country nobleman. He had nobility and style and he could command an army of words that would plunder your homeland. Kane was and remains a force of nature.

“Run’s House” by Run-DMC from ‘Tougher Than Leather’ (1988)

Where would the world of rap music be without Run-DMC? While the fellows above were making music that will last forever, Run-DMC was doing the same thing, but in a way that was even more commercially appealing. Unlike Rakim and Big Daddy Kane, Run-DMC had a way of connecting with the masses that was essential for the genre’s growth. Without them and their brand of authentic yet fun tracks, the music may be understood much differently today.

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