TOP 10 BEST 80'S AND 90'S RAPPERS
THIS IS A LIST OF SOME CLASSIC 80'S AND 90'S RAPPERS WHO MAYBE STILL DOING RAP MUSIC, WHO I THINK ARE THE BEST. THIS LIST IS NOT IN ORDER.
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L.L. Cool J was born James Todd Smith in Bay Shore, Long Island, New York, the son of Ondrea Griffith and James Louis Smith, Jr.
Todd, as he was called, did not have a very happy childhood. At the age of four, he saw his mother and grandfather shot by his own father. After they recovered from their injuries, his mother began to date a young physical therapist she met while in the hospital. The therapist treated Ondrea kindly, but for years he abused Todd physically and verbally, which resulted in Todd becoming a bully himself. It was during this period that he started wearing hats all the time (one of L.L. Cool J's trademarks is the fact that people never see him without a hat on--until recently). Fortunately, Ondrea finally discovered what this man was doing to her son and left him.
As he grew older, Todd found a way to escape the effects of his abuse and his bullying attitude: hip-hop music. He fell in love with it at the age of nine, and by 11 he was writing lyrics and making his own songs with some DJ equipment his grandfather gave him. At 15, he and one of his best friends came up with his present stage name, L.L. Cool J, which means "Ladies Love Cool James."
In 1984, when L.L. was 16, he met Rick Rubin, a student at NYU, who gave him his big break in music. Rick really liked L.L.'s music and decided to try to get him a record deal. Together, they made the single "I Need a Beat" and sent it to an artist manager named Russell Simmons. Simmons loved the single, and, in the same year, Rick and Russell co-founded the famous Def Jam Recordings; L.L.'s debut album, "Radio," released in 1985, after securing a distribution deal for Def Jam with Columbia/CBS Records, was the label's first long-playing release. Even today, L.L. is considered one of Def Jam's most prized possessions.
1985 was also the year L.L. started his acting career. He first appeared in Krush Groove (1985), which is a semi-biographical account of the early days of Def Jam Recordings. L.L. had a cameo appearance in the film. In 1986, L.L. also had a cameo appearance in the movie Wildcats (1986) and also wrote that movie's theme song. After that, L.L. took a break from film and concentrated more on his first love: music. His career took off, and after every one of his albums hit platinum-selling status, he was (and still is) regarded as one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time.
After a few years, he had small roles in a few other films, but was still better known for his music. All this changed in 1995. By this time he was a happily married 27-year-old with three children. His first starring film, Out-of-Sync (1995), had also been released. It didn't do very well at the box office, but it got him noticed by executives at NBC-TV, who wanted to give him a part in a sitcom they were going to air. This sitcom was In the House (1995), which showed L.L.'s acting ability; the show stayed on the air until 1999.
He had been offered several films roles during the run of the show and decided to accept a part in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998). Its success resulted in L.L. being cast in bigger and better film roles, and he has acted alongside such stars as Whoopi Goldberg, Samuel L. Jackson, Jamie Lee Curtis, James Woods, Al Pacino, Omar Epps, Pam Grier, Stanley Tucci, and Dennis Quaid, to name a few.
In 2000, he was finally rewarded for his acting talent. That year he won a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for the best supporting actor in the action film Deep Blue Sea (1999). Even though his film career has taken off, he hasn't forgotten his love of hip-hop music. In 1998, he was planning to retire from hip-hop and just concentrate on his film career, but he later decided to keep dividing his time between both fields. L.L. is not only known as one of the greatest MCs of all time, but he is also known as a great actor.LL Cool J is an absolutely brilliant Rapper. He was a black rapper sex symbol and fashion icon in the 80's wearing his iconic 80's tracksuits by Troop, Le Coq Sportif etc. He had loads of fans and the female fans used to scream in happiness when seeing him because of his looks, muscular build etc. His awesome tunes such as 'I Need Love', 'I'm Bad', 'I Just Can't Live Without My Radio', 'The Boomin System', 'Mama Said Knock You Out', 'Going Back To Cali' etc are all awesome tunes. He has also made some absolutely brilliant albums.- Actor
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EPMD are also an absolutely brilliant rap group consisting of Erick Sermon, Parrish Smith and DJ Scratch. Their tunes such as 'Strictly Business', 'The Big Payback', 'So Whatcha Sayin', 'You Had Too Much To Drink, 'Da Joint', 'Give The People', 'Crossover', 'Chill' etc and their awesome albums are all brilliant. They are extremely talented and Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith are absolutely Brilliant Rappers.- Actor
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Eric B. was born in 1965 in Elmhurst,New York and Rakim was born in 1968 in Wyandanch, New York.They first met at the radio station WBLS , and the two officially formed a partnership in 1985.The singles "I Ain't No Joke" and "I Know You Got Soul" sampled James Brown began to revolutionize the sound of hip-hop.The duo recorded its debut album which is named Paid in Full In 1987, Eric B. & Rakim signed with MCA subsidiary Uni and consolidated their reputation with another landmark hip-hop album, 1988's Follow the Leader.Then in 1990 they released another album "Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em". Their last album "Don't Sweat the Techniquehe" but their contract with MCA was due to expire and after some quarrels they broke up and each one followed his own-solo career.They are considered the most influential DJ/MC combo in contemporary pop music period and one of the ten Greatest Hip-Hop Duos of All-Time!Eric.B and Rakim are also an absolutely brilliant Rap group. Their tunes such as 'I Know You Got Soul', 'Microphone Fiend', 'Move The Crowd' etc are absolutely brilliant and so are their albums. DJ Eric.B is an awesome DJ and Rapper Rakim, is also an absolutely brilliant Rapper.- Music Artist
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Run-DMC (also spelled Run-D.M.C.) was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York City, founded in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history of hip hop culture and one of the most famous hip hop acts of the 1980s. Along with Beastie Boys, LL Cool J and Public Enemy, the group pioneered new school hip hop music. The group was among the first to highlight the importance of the MC and DJ relationship.
With the release Run-D.M.C. (1984), Run-DMC became the first hip hop group to achieve a Gold record. Run-D.M.C. was followed with the certified Platinum record King of Rock (1985), making Run-DMC the first hip hop group to achieve this. Raising Hell (1986) became the first multi-platinum hip hop record. Run-DMC's cover of "Walk This Way", featuring the group Aerosmith, charted higher on the Billboard Hot 100 than Aerosmith's original version, peaking at number four. It became one of the best known songs in both hip hop and rock. Run-DMC was the first hip hop act to have their music videos broadcast on MTV, appear on American Bandstand, be on the cover of Rolling Stone, perform at Live Aid and be nominated for a Grammy Award.
In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Run-DMC at number 48 in its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. In 2007, they were named The Greatest Hip Hop Group of All Time by MTV and Greatest Hip Hop Artist of All Time by VH1. In 2009, Run-DMC became the second hip hop group (first being Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, 2007) to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2016, the group received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2018, Raising Hell was inducted into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or artistically significant".Run DMC are also an absolutely brilliant rap group. Their tunes such as 'Walk This Way', 'Runs House', 'King of Rock', 'Beats To The Rhyme', 'It's Like That' etc are all brilliant and their albums are brilliant as well. Run DMC are also a very talented rap group and will always be.- Actor
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Lawrence "Kris" Parker better known by his stage names KRS-One (an abbreviation of "Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone") and Teacha, is an American rapper, lyricist and occasional producer from New York. He rose to prominence as part of the hip hop group Boogie Down Productions, which he formed with DJ Scott La Rock in the mid-1980s. KRS-One is best known for his top hits, "Sound of da Police", "Love's Gonna Get'cha (Material Love)", and "My Philosophy", among others. Boogie Down Productions received numerous awards and critical acclaim in their early years. Following the release of the group's debut album, Criminal Minded, fellow artist Scott La Rock was shot and killed, but KRS-One continued the group, effectively as a solo project. He began releasing records under his own name in 1993. He is politically active, having started the Stop the Violence Movement after Scott's death. He is also a vegan activist, expressed in songs such as "Beef". He is widely considered an influence on many hip-hop artists, including Tupac Shakur and EminemKRS One and his rapping as the group B.D.P (aka Boogie Down Productions) is also brilliant. The tunes 'Still No.1', 'Duck Down', '9mm Goes Bang', 'Jack of Trades' etc are all absolutely brilliant.- Actor
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Public Enemy is known for Do the Right Thing (1989), Star Trek Beyond (2016) and End of Watch (2012).Public Enemy are also an absolutely brilliant rap group consisting of rappers, Chuck.D, Flavor Flav and Professor Griff, DJ Terminator X and the S1W'S's (aka Security of the 1st World), who are a group of men who dress up in Paratroop Uniforms. Public Enemy have had classic tunes such as 'Fight The Power', 'Bring The Noise', '911 Is A Joke', 'Don't Believe The Hype' etc which are all awesome tunes. Public Enemy have also made some excellent albums and are very talented.- Music Artist
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The Beastie Boys are also an absolutely brilliant rap group.