Top 15 greatest rap songs of all time: Honorable mentions

Apr 28, 2020

I have spent the better part of the last month and half stuck inside my new digs in Hopkins tossing a baseball in the air in the hopes that maybe when I get out of quarantine, I will have a changeup that could hang with Greg Maddux or Pedro Martinez. It won’t, but I’d like to think that I have some talent.

During this time of tossing, plenty of video games and a lack of excitement about distance learning, music and videos on Anderson .Paak’s Instagram have kept my sanity. We’re gonna focus on my favorite kind of music today: rap music.

I listen to a decent amount of rap spanning the last 30 years, ranging from the “Golden Era” where some of the best to ever do it forged the foundation of modern hip hop to the ever-changing scene of today’s rap music that pushes the boundaries of music like never before.

With all of the hip hop music I have listened to, I have tried to boil everything I have listened to down to my 25 favorite tracks of all time. Join me on this endeavor!

Before I get into this though, I feel I must include a couple disclaimers.

This is my list of “favorite” songs, not the “best.” This is a very subjective list for a subjective topic, so if you text or DM me arguing that I lean too far towards “old-head” or “new school” raps, I have three words for you: It’s My Opinion. This is a Mason Arneson list and I’m not going to attempt to grade songs based on some objective measure.
Only one song will be allowed per artist.

But there are some songs that I would like to give a shoutout to as some honorable mentions. These aren’t ranked in any particular order, but I thought that they were worth a listen.

Honorable Mentions

Mase – “Feels So Good” (1997)

Travis Scott – “STARGAZING” (2018)

J-Live – “Them That’s Not” (2001)

Big K.R.I.T. – “Miss Georgia Fornia” (2017)

Killer Mike feat. Bun B, T.I., & Trouble – “Big Beast” (2012)

Black Star – “Re: Definition” (1998)

Three 6 Mafia – “Stay Fly” (2005)

Eric B & Rakim – “I Ain’t No Joke” (1987)

Mac Miller – “100 Grandkids” (2015)

Lupe Fiasco – “Kick, Push” (2005)