That’s not to say that decade will always be the best, nor that it contains the best year in hip-hop (in fact, read this if you REALLY want a debate) but, just as the 70’s will always be considered Classic Rock (Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, etc.–note other great eras/movements, and their corresponding radio formats, have taken on different monikers like 80’s music, Grunge, etc.), the 90’s for hip-hop will always be a decade for which the music has to be studied by fans of hip-hop of any age. Recently, XXL magazine payed homage to this celebrated decade by listing the 250 greatest songs of the 90’s and they had the AUDACITY to list them in order (you can pick up a copy of the magazine on newsstands now). Obviously, the order (and even the contents) of the list can be debated for the next 30 years of hip-hop (and, oh yeah, there will be another 30), but it’s indisputable that (for the most part) they have picked 250 songs that have contributed to the hip-hop canon.  Props to them for having the guts to take on such a monumental task.  Here are a couple of playlists that let you hear all 250 songs, in XXL’s order.  You can listens to songs 1-50 and 200-250 below.  To listen to tracks 1-200, click here.  You’ll be amazed at how many great songs you may have forgotten and maybe a little surprised at how far hip-hop has come since the Golden Age…Just press play, sit back and celebrate hip-hop.

Tracks 1 – 50

Tracks 200- 250