5 songs, 5 decades: A hip-hop at 50 playlist

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Public opinion of hip-hop changed when it started to bleed into popular music. Ani notes the first instance of mainstream success in popular music was Run-DMC’s 1986 collaboration with Aerosmith, “Walk This Way.” While Aerosmith catapulted Run-DMC to the rock and pop scene, Run-DMC introduced Aerosmith to a younger generation of listeners.

“This song significantly changed pop music. Not just hip hop,” Ani says. “I think that people began to look at hip hop on the same heavyweight music stage as rock and roll music when this song came out.”

As hip-hop continued to evolve, it enveloped more than just the music sphere. Fashion became integral to the genre. Music bled into the sports world, with songs by artists like Missy Elliot blasting through stadiums before games. The 2010s saw artists like Kanye West and Nicki Minaj rise to prominence, pushing hip-hop to new heights but also harkening back to genre staples like homages to New York and posse cuts like 2010 hit “Monster.”

“Rappers have so much influence on our lexicon, our fashion, and other genres,” Ani says. “Rappers are the biggest stars in the world still.”