FSD has partnered with the King of Internets Lists, Complex Magazine, to present the 50 Greatest Chicago Rap Songs. Vainglorious! As you can imagine, this was no easy feat, and it was tough to lock in only 50 (as we could’ve without doubt gone for 100), but between both camps we were able to agree on these esteemed picks.
You’ve seen their Top lists for Lil Wayne, Dipset, Queensbridge, No Limit and Rap-A-Lot (among others), so hats off to Complex.com for showing the Chi a lot of love and helping us tell the story of Chicago Hip-Hop. Check it out and spread the word, as this is a very major look. We hope you enjoy.
And tomorrow we’ll be dropping something extra special for you: a two part mixtape, mixed and hosted by DJ iLLaNOise, presented by FSD & Complex, featuring all of the tracks from the list. Who else has you covered like that?
I dot necessarily agree but puttin a list like this together is not an easy task, good job guys
Glad a several of my joints made it on there, otherwise I would have been salty. I had more than I guessed I would. Very curious to check in on the comments in 24 hours
No snypaz? No D-fly?? No Trip Dark? No quarta Ounce? No qualo ? No Cap1? No COG? No Tre Sins?no legit ballaz? No Money Making Soldiers? No mercenaries? No K-Smoove? No SAW? No Traxster? No CWAL Mob? No Los Marijuanos? No Soundmaster T? No R Kelly? No Jiggs& cheeks? No Wolfpack? No 3rd shift? No Right On Time??…. I think you get the point .. This list was completed by people with very little knowledge of what the streets were listening to in Chicago. I’m not impressed.
Man Drew, You get sooooo much credit for this piece. I would’nt have even known where to begin on this. Had to be difficult for you. Very good job!
While there were many very successful timeless classics on there that completely agree with. There are too many not mentioned at all & some that had no bizzness being on the list. This list is obviously from an outside looking in pov.
Dope write-up, although I do not agree with some of it, but I do know how hard to put a list together like this. A couple tracks I would have put on would be E-Dub’s 17 Bullets, Triple Darkness’ Cold Blooded, but yeah I tried to think of some more, they keep coming, but to break down 50 is VERY HARD, much respect for keep putting on for the Chi.
@Mike Kolar
Knew you had to get on here…Had to make your presence felt when nobody wants to feel it! Scram lame!
You are curious to check in on the comments in 24 hours because you know this list is bullsh*t why would you even comment you goofy bastard!!!
List your joints below and what you actually did!?!? furthermore you mean to tell me there’s no other artist here but Kanye,Twista and common…
A lot of the songs on here aren’t considered great!!! What was the criteria for this, did you have to have a record deal or just simply the 50 GREATEST Chicago songs if so then this entire list is f*cked and has to go back to drawing board!!!!!!!
Where S.A.W (soldiers at war) lol, I think they forgot a few songs, but its all good. The list was pretty dope to me.
Dear Angry Chicago People, If you’re not gonna put YOUR Top 50 up in the comments so people can judge your picks, what’s the point of getting upset? Do your own dam list and put a link in the comments then. LMAO
i dont think you can do a top 50 chicago songs, chicago has 2 many artist.you could do top 50 twista songs,or common songs.this list has a lot of good chi music.but a lot of good classic music has been left out.song that got hella radio play and songs that everybody bumped in the streets!
prolly top 100 woulda been better!
Some of ya’ll are REALLY mad. LOL!
Where that nigga T.J at?
Well Im happy Da B Side made it on that list. I was just jammin this shit the other day.
And how didnt Magic make the top 10 dude?
to [Drkr]IMG: R Kelly isnt “rap.” ….and Traxster is on the list if you pay attention. Furthermore part of it is to recommend songs that are important to Chicago culture but also song from Chicago artists that made an impact nationally. The list is a good balanced mix of that. Instead of moaning about whats not on the list, lets celebrate underground legends like Common,Twista, Molemen, No I.D., J.U.I.C.E., DA Smart, Speedknot, Crucial, Psychodrama, Teefa and Shawnna (Syndicate). and Do or Die. Also lets give credit to the newer acts on the list for continuing the legacy post Kanye: Mikkey, LEP, Cool Kids, Kidz in the Hall, GLC and Lupe. At least they cared enough to give us space for a list. With FSD, they wouldnt have even thought to make a list in a national mag. lol
the only song i can think of that Def should ahve been on it was ” On my Momma” shame on yall for that nut like i said that shits hard 2 do and yall got most of em
The list was alot better than i thought it was gonna be. Damn, yall niggaz some haters…
Not mad at this list, cuz I appreciate most of the songs on it. And it’s a good look for the Chi, which I’ve learned to support even when I’m not included.
I’d jus like the criteria for “greatest” to be more clearly defined, cuz these songs are all over the place. Cultural impact? Critical acclaim? Best kept secret? Relationship to some industry story?
Yall obv arent limiting to commercial hits. I respect that, but then it complicates what gets picked and overlooked (some of these joints weren’t necessarily “big in the streets” either).
Then I’ll know if I should be mad yall aint pick at least one joint from “Urban Myth Revisited”, lol
http://jeffbaraka.bandcamp.com/album/urban-myth-revisited Holla back…
No Typical Cats, no Rubberoom, no Psalm One, no Mr. Greenweedz, no Ang 13, no PACIFICS and not enough of some other artists. Galapagos 4 sorely underrepresented, if at all. Over all, it’s not a bad list. Nobody should complain because everybody’s final list would be different.
Jeff, If it makes any difference Onion Rings is a chicago anthem in my book.
great list i wouldnt agree with some of the placements. my only complaint is how are you gonna leave off our father by bump j.
Great list Drewski. I know that was a tough job. You repped the Chi well.
some good ones on there but there’s some for real for real suspect ones on there too. reachin
How can u call yourself a chicago hip hop authority & leave out songs that helped define chi rap history & put bullshit artists that yall are plugging with this shameless marketing ploy. Y’all giving a false image to outsiders looking in. Y’all ain’t from the chi. Nobody was listening to half the bullshit on there on the streets. This is a huge diss to pioneer chi vets like trip dark, snypaz, etc.. Y’all make me sick you phonys. Quit lyin
Why do we continue to let this kid be the voice and authority on Chicago rap???
Post the criteria if possible.
Some classic shit was on that list. It was dope that you could listen to the songs and get a lil knowledge behind em 2. Everybody’s list is going 2 b different, but it is still a good look for CHICAGO. If you didn’t make the list use that for inspiration 2 make the next 1. If you don’t agree with the list, start your own site and get people checking it DAILY and make your own list, then sit back and read the comments from people who disagree with your list.
Kanye got to many tracks on here bruh, where snypaz, “Searchin” That nigga Teejay “Mr. Windy City” was killing the radio in 03-05? This list is fraudulent
i liked 1 snypaz song. “Searching” That was about it. Them niggaz really couldn’t rap that good. But searching was gangster as hell. Yeah they some Vets but I dont remember one song by Triple Darkness from back then. They was straight though. This list is about 70% correct. I’m sure Im older than yall but yall sound like hatin as old men.
Well…. I wasn’t gone comment but I feel obligated. It would have been interesting to see 50 different Chicago artists, with some of them being featured on other tracks of course. This list is a perspective, my persoanal top 50 would look differfent, but would include about 15 of these songs. This is a difficult, challenging, and fun problem. Chicago has deep rooted culture and history within the Rap scene and the fact that people are debating over the finished product is a positive thing…. we have product! We have structure! And we used to have an identity. Regardless of which side of the argument you are on, you cannot deny what a good look this is for THE City. This list is similar to the VH1 or MTV top 100 rap songs… they only judge the commercial songs, not even other songs that are on peoples albums which are often colder than the commercial hits. It’s so easy to argue but so hard to show Love isn’t it Chicago? For once be proud of this city, brag, and poke your chest out! Don’t you see what we’re up to???
West Side
Bump was under repped. Move Around was big nationally but us Chicagoans didn’t really rotate it. He had a whole bunch of other classics that we kept on constant rotation. But like the guy said above, this is a verybhard list to compile. I respect the effort. Its a solid list.
some of the list i agree and some i don’t, i think if i were to do it, i’d rank the newer songs higher, being it hasn’t at least to me; reached classic yet because not a lot of time has passed but the list is okay. even though i find groups like kids in the hall homosexual in nature, this is a list of the sorts of being known and popular as well as making a big impact in the chicago scene, i see why they were listed and others as well. so the list is okay for what andrew likes and it seems balance in terms of who is on it, just ranking i would do a bit different.
I always thought Black A.G. & Quicksilver Cooley’s “No Type of Drug Dealer / Fame Goes To Your Head” was DOPE! I would have included that also. But I know, I know… it’s not my list. :p
Peace
thanx fam this is Quicksilver Cooley …
dont get me wrong,i think this is a great list.the problom is this shoulda been done years ago
that way we would know for sure.sometimes things get lost in translation,and this changes things forever (Yeah they some Vets but I dont remember one song by Triple Darkness from back then. They was straight though) our most populer songs were (chop up that paper, ni**as just dont know & cold blooded produced by legendary traxster).to the people who mentioned snypaz and triple darkness thanx. but i think them adding psycho drama represents the whole drama ward. and if this is an all time list at least do top 50 albums or top 50 artist. give us some credit we got over a million registered artist in chicago
thats a lot of people do a top 100 rappers!
in the end i look at this as an honor! this is not a dis to us,a lot of these people on the list are my good friends so i can share this with them.plus i got a new album coming out maybe i will be on the next one! good look drew!
Where is Sharkula?
This aint a bad list. There’s a little more underground on here than I expected, which is good. Almost half the list was produced by Traxster. That kinda says somethin’
by the way you lil girls, some of y’all really got hating, bitching confused, if it disagrees with your view its automatically a negative. hopefully none of you are in politics because yall see things in narrow perspectives.
This is a very good list. The fact that we could listen to the songs and it take you back to that time and how the city has evolved musically is nice. I definitely would have added searchin by snypaz the song was so hard twista put it on his album.
How the fuck is Young Berg on this list? Where the hell is Vakill? GLC is on this, really… fuck outta here! That no talent having ass, Toni Kukoc kind of bitch waiting on an assist from Kanye, and still failing. Common should have been on there once or twice, not a fucking dozen times. For a blog that pushes local artists, you did a piss poor job, giving the nation-wide public names they already know.
Yeah. I cant front, GLC can barely rap. But I will support it if the beat banging.
Are you joking?! 46. DA Smart “Walk Wit Me”?!?! 46!!! Wow
Crook County #32?! That shit and Walk With Me pulled Chicago together … Wow…. Just this verse alone smashed everything about bone.. Read this verse and listen to the song and tell me u dont get goose bumbs listenin to it!
[Twista]
Come look around Crook County, look around, you found me
I must’ve been bad to the bone, get the mask and the chrome
This Chi gotta die from a blast to the dome
Nigga, not muthafuckin’ Ouija board
I receive my blessings from G’s and Lord, nine-millies and source
But the art of war nigga, must’ve found breathin’ bored
Tellin’ me to look into your eyes, all I see is a bitch
Tell Krayzie in New Orleans that he bit
Talkin’ about you was lovin’ my shit
Hit the bud and got sent on that shit odyssey mumblin’ r&b
You can keep the apology, you gon’ try to dishonor me
Kill the Hoes of the Harmony
Just when you thought it was safe
The Bone niggas ’bout to get slaughtered and raped
I can slow down and audit the tape
Y’all bent and all y’all who thought it was fake
Now watch (?) on the stage, beef and the rage
Die on the first on the month, ’cause it’s than the blunt
Why would you compete to be doomed, now you gon’ see Eazy-E soon
Feel the boom of the reprecussion, ’cause the reefer’s still rushin’
When I reach and start bustin’
I’m a Bone Crusher, crook county or nothin
Ain’t no bluffin’
Being such a difficult task, this was done very well. A top 50 will never be universally agreed upon and the debate is, in my opinion, very good for the city.
shouldve been a variety of artist on this list
where’s dude n nem
watch my feet was a 1hit but made a impact in chicago’s dancing scene.
kids everywhere was dancing and saying watch my feet
it shouldve made this list if some of this other garbage made it
hahahahaha! What!? watch my feet? that shit aint even music n u got the nerve to call anything else on the list garbage? u got a lot to learn…
Best Chicago Hip Hop Song of All Time is Denehy by Serenghetti.
Peep game
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqrtoFWglMY