My top 5 Hip Hop/Trap Groups

5. G-Unit

G-Unit is a rap group that gained popularity in the early 2000’s with hits like “Poppin’ Them Thangs” and “Smile.”  The group formed in the late 90’s in Queens, New York, starting out with members Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, and most notably, 50 Cent.  Though an East Coast group, G-Unit’s sound resembled a West Coast vibe, similar to the music of famous west coast rappers such as Nate Dogg and Warren G.  This is most likely because 50 Cent had been discovered by Eminem and Dr. Dre, so it makes sense that G-Unit’s sound mimics that of Dr. Dre and Eminem’s gritty and ruthless, yet melodic sound.  Another notable member of G-Unit, though only for a short time, was popular Compton rapper “The Game.”  Though not as popular as they once were, G-Unit still makes music today.

4.  A Tribe Called Quest

Ah yes, “the Tribe is the Vibe.”  A Tribe Called Quest does not only go down in rap history as almost every stoners favorite rap group, but they also go down in rap history because of their unique, laid back, “everything’s cool” type of style.  Q-tip, Phife Dawg, and Ali Shaheed Muhammad originally formed the group in 1985, and were later joined by MC Jarobi White.  While the height of their popularity peaked in the 90’s with their hit album “The Low End Theory,” they still make music today, releasing the album “We Got It From Here, Thank You For Your Service” in November of 2016

3.  Wu-Tang Clan

Wu-Tang Clan will always be remembered as one of the rawest hip hop groups to hit the booth.  The group formed in 1992 in New York City, where all the members (RZA, GZA, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God and Masta Killa) were born and raised.  The group was known for their eccentric behavior and almost anger-like energy while rapping.  Their name is modeled after the movie “Shaolin and Wu-Tang,” and these words refer to Chinese culture such as Taoism and Martial Arts.  Though the group is still making music today, the majority of their popularity lies during the 1990’s and early 2000’s with albums such as “Enter the Wu-Tang,” “Wu-Tang Forever,” and “the W.”

2.  Migos

Though a relatively new group, Migos has caught the attention of many rap fans as well as music fans in general.  They’ve heard the mocking birds call them “The death of hip hop” when their songs are played, and they’ve been criticized for their simplistic rapping style.  However, my music teacher once told me the point of music is to appeal to the people, no matter how simple whatever your doing may be.  In other words, if it sounds good, why change it!  Migos triplet rapping style mixed with their clever use of the now heavily used autotune creates a brand new sound that can only truly be defined as the Migos sound.  Born in Atlanta and all being part of the same family, Offset, Takeoff, and Quavo have burst onto the scene yet again in 2017 like they did back in 2013 when they released the hit song “Versace.”  in my opinion, their new album Culture is the best overall album out there right now, lets listen to a song from it.

1.  N.W.A

N.W.A, the world’s most dangerous group, whatever you want to call them, people know their name.  I just discussed Migos and their sound that is so original, however if we want to talk about a real original sound, lets look at the music of N.W.A.  Despite telling the world to “Fuck tha Police,” MC Ren, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, and DJ Yella brought a political and sophisticated element to their music while portraying it through rough and appalling lyrics and personas.  The world had never heard such language in music before, and their lyrics shocked so many people that the F.B.I sent them a letter warning them about what they were saying.  Today, N.W.A does not still make music, however they will make guest appearances together occasionally, where they spit their lyrics that make me feel like they want to murder every person in the audience.  Anyway, here is a classic from the father’s of gangsta rap.