10 Great Hip Hop Songs of the 90's

The 10 great hip-hop songs of the 90's are memorable tracks that maintained popularity throughout the years. Gangsta rap was big in the 90's, and a lot of songs revolved around that lifestyle. The majority of the 10 great hip-hop songs of the 90's are Grammy nominated, or winning tracks. All the songs are by respected hip-hop artists in the music industry.

1. " Tha Crossroads" by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. One of the 10 great hip-hop songs of the 90's is Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's biggest single to date. The Grammy winning song is about losing someone you love to an early death. The 90s hip-hop song was dedicated to Eazy-E who died prematurely in 1995 from AIDS. It is a sad track that has real loses that members of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony experienced incorporated into the lyrics.
2. "Dear Mama" by 2pac . One of the 10 great hip-hop songs of the 90's is 2Pac's thank you song to his mother. It was released in 1995 on the "Me Against the World" album. 2Pac raps about how much he appreciates his mother, and everything she has done for him, especially since his father was never around. Some of the lyrics do not portray his mother in the best light, but through it all he knows she did the best she could.
3. "No Scrubs" by TLC. Released in 1999 from the album " Fanmail ," the popular 90's hip-hop song reached #1 on Billboard. The Grammy winning song is about getting rid of "scrubs," which is a slang term for moocher. One of the 10 great hip-hop songs of the 90's because to this day the term scrubs is still associated with the TLC song.
4. "Gin and Juice" by Snoop Dogg. The second single from Snoop Dogg's debut album " Doggystyle " is a great hip hop song from the 90's. The song was produced by Dr. Dre and is a party track about drinking, sex, and smoking weed. There is a laid back feel to the song which comes from the beat, and Snoop's drawn out rap style. There was even a country version of the song made, which gave it popularity in another genre of music.
5. "Mo Money Mo Problems" by The Notorious B.I.G . Mase , Lil' Kim, and Puff Daddy are featured on the track which was released in 1997 on the album "Life After Death." The song was put together after Notorious B.I.G . passed away by using a previously recorded verse from the deceased hip-hop artist. The song is about how success comes with a price.
6. "California Love" by 2pac . The 90's hip-hop song features verses from rapper Dr. Dre . Released in 1996, the #1 Billboard Chart topping song samples "Woman To Woman" by Joe Cocker. The lyrics are about the West Coast rap scene, and how troublesome gang violence had become.
7. " Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio . Released in 1995, the hip-hop song was written for the movie "Dangerous Minds." The lyrics are about how hard it is to get out of the gangster lifestyle when all you know is street life. The Grammy winning hip-hop song features L.V . singing the hook while Coolio raps the verses. When Coolio wrote the song his record label did not want to release it, so it was only on the "Dangerous Minds" soundtrack. Once the song gained popularity, Coolio's record label had it put on his own album.
8. " Nuthin But A 'G' Thang " by Dr. Dre . The 90's hip-hop song is about the gangsta lifestyle . Released in 1992 on the album "The Chronic," the song also features verses by Snoop Dogg. It was the first single Snoop Dogg was featured on as a primary vocalist because his solo album had yet to be released.
9. "Mama Said Knock You Out" by LL Cool J. Before LL Cool J became a famous actor he created one of the 10 great hip-hop songs of the 90's. The Grammy winning song is about trying to maintain popularity in the hip-hop world. The title refers to knocking out writing lyrics, and not physically punching the competition.
10. "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" by Jay-Z. The 90's rap song incorporates a sample from the track, "It's A Hard Knock Life," which is from the Broadway musical "Annie." The lyrics revolve around getting out of the ghetto through success. One of the 10 great hip-hop songs of the 90's because it pushed Jay-Z to mainstream success.