What It Takes to Make A Top 100 Rap Song List

This is a guest post from Bea of Hard Knock Radio.

Many hip-hop fans, writers, and online publications like to make lists of the best hip-hop songs. Doing so can be quite the challenge, however. This endeavour will take dedication, perseverance, and even blood, sweat and tears. You might think that to be an exaggerated point of view but I assure you it is not.

Of course any list is based on subjectivity.  First, you must weigh your options, whether to include a certain track, or place a particular jam on the list takes a critical mind and a burning passion for this genre. Add to that, placing the tracks in a sequence from greatest to simply great and you have quite a lot of decisions to make.

In order to accomplish this feat,  you have to posses the knowledge on the rap scene from back in the day to the present. Having information on the evolution of hip hop, no matter how basic, will give you a sense of direction in picking out the best of the best. From there on, you can determine which songs have seen the ups and downs and proved to be timeless.

You should also consider a song’s effect on the masses. Clearly, when a song has made it big, you’ll probably hear it every day, almost making you sick to your stomach. But that just shows how much hold a song can have on a community. Once you figured out how much power the track has on people, settle on its position on the top 100 chart, and move on from there.

Now the third step is probably one of the trickiest. This is the time when you should employ the opinions of some of your closest friends who are also interested in hip hop. You should discuss the outcome of your search and have a friendly debate as you put the list together in order. This might get heated (and the part that usually involves the blood, sweat and tears I was talking about) so be warned.

After agreeing on the final songs that made the cut, try listening to the Top 100 rap song list you made according to their order. If the feeling you get after each song is the genuine emotion of contentment, then that means you have chosen correctly. But that doesn’t mean you cannot add or remove tracks along the way. New rap songs come out frequently so it’s almost impossible to have a foolproof list that will last a lifetime. Just never forget there has to rhyme and poetry, a killer beat, and more often than not, a really danceable tune.

So give it a try, it might be a challenge but everyone loves a well thoughtout list.

- Bea is a writer for Hardknockradio.com where you can read her latest post on The Top 100 Rap Songs.