Artist	Song
MC Lyte	Cha Cha Cha
from Rhino Hi-Five: MC Lyte - EP (2007)
3rd Bass	The Gas Face
from The Cactus Album (1995)
N.W.A.	I Ain't Tha 1
from N.W.A.: Greatest Hits (1996)
A Tribe Called Quest	I Left My Wallet In El Segundo
from Peoples' Instinctive Travels & the Paths of Rhythm (1990)
EPMD	Gold Digger
from Business As Usual (1994)
Beastie Boys	Johnny Ryall
from Paul's Boutique (1989)
MC Lyte	Poor Georgie
from Rhino Hi-Five: MC Lyte - EP (2007)
Schoolly D	P.S.K. What Does It Mean?
from Best of Schoolly D (1990)
DJ Quik	Quik Is the Name
from Quik Is the Name (1998)
Above the Law	Menace to Society
from Livin' Like Hustlers (1990)
Too $hort	Freaky Tales
from Born to Mack (1989)
Boogie Down Productions	Jimmy
from By All Means Necessary (1988)
Run-DMC	Peter Piper
from Raising Hell (1999)
Gang Starr	Soliloquy of Chaos
from Daily Operation (1992)
Schoolly D	B-Boy Rhyme and Riddle
from Best of Schoolly D (1990)
Salt-n-Pepa	Spinderella's Not a Fella (But a Girl DJ)
from A Salt with a Deadly Pepa (2000)
Public Enemy	Caught, Can We Get a Witness
from It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1995)
C.L. Smooth & Pete Rock	The Creator
from All Souled Out - EP (2008)
Eric B. & Rakim	Pass the Hand Grenade
from Don't Sweat the Technique (1992)
Run-DMC	Jay's Game
from Run-DMC (2005)
Ice-T	6 'N the Mornin'
from Rhyme Pays (2008)
Biz Markie	Just a Friend
from Biz's Baddest Beats: The Best of Biz Markie (2009)
Kool Moe Dee	Wild Wild West
from Kool Moe Dee: The Greatest Hits (2008)
3rd Bass	Wordz of Wizdom
from The Cactus Album (1995)
Leaders of the New School	Classic Material
from T.I.M.E. (2010)

Comment:

While there’s no denying the hardcore hip-hop legacy of N.W.A. (even the lesser-known piano lines and restless soul loops of “I Ain’t Tha 1” sound stupid-fresh decades later), gangsta rap’s roots can be traced as far back as Too $hort and Boogie Down Productions. The former’s “Freaky Tales” is one of many [i]Born to Mack[/i] standouts that feature X-rated rhymes and a downright [i]genius[/i] blend of rubbery basslines and steely drum machines. And while Boogie Down Productions’ “Jimmy” is more concerned with raising awareness than raising hell, its live-and-direct look at safe sex is a perfect example of how B.D.P. had their ears to the streets years before such new-school stars as 2Pac and Biggie.

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