@Huey Dunomes

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Easy Mo Bee is the man responsible for a killer chunk of early-'90s hip-hop. Best known for his work with the Bad Boy roster, he crafted rugged classics for Craig Mack and Biggie, before going on to conjure up club-friendly tracks for Busta Rhymes, the Lost Boyz, and Das EFX. He can also claim production work with the jazz genius Miles Davis.

As one half of Los Angeles-based duo Tha Dogg Pound, Daz made a name for himself with guest turns on Dr. Dre's G-funk classic The Chronic</I> and Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle. Turning himself into a key player in the scene, Daz's funkafied beats held down West Coast anthems from 2Pac, Mack 10, and The Lady of Rage through the '90s.

The city of Compton runs strong through K. Dot—it even forms the backdrop to his 2012 breakthrough album—and the vintage gangsta rap sounds of Snoop, Dr. Dre, and DJ Quik are present and correct in his music. But there's an intricacy to his songwriting that owes a debt to Nas, while Outkast's experimental outlook shapes his musical vibe.

At the height of his success, The Notorious B.I.G. dubbed himself the King of New York after the Christopher Walken-portrayed antihero from the film of the same name. The title was fitting and limiting: His swagger was unmistakably Brooklyn, but his talent and charisma made him a world-renowned superstar. Born Christopher Wallace in 1972, B.I.G. was raised by a Jamaican immigrant mother, writing raps and freestyling on street corners as a preteen. B.I.G.’s explosive 1994 debut album, <i>Ready to Die</i>, chronicled his survivalism (“Who Shot Ya?”) and sexploits (“Big Poppa”) with charm, menace, and urgency. His vivid tales featured unflinching details (“Gimme the Loot,” “I Got a Story to Tell”) made digestible by his distinctive flow and recognizable ’80s R&B samples courtesy of The Hitmen. The “ashy-to-classy” aspirations of Biggie’s hit “Juicy” became a reality: He elevated his Junior M.A.F.I.A. crew, godfathered an empire of hitmakers, and became one of the biggest rap stars in the world. Sadly, his meteoric rise came with a media-exacerbated beef with 2Pac that culminated in both stars’ murders six months apart, crippling the culture as it reeled from the luminaries’ absence.

He might have declared himself “best rapper alive,” but Lil Wayne's never been too proud to take inspiration from his hip-hop forefathers. The pavement-crumbling basslines and chopped ‘n' screwed sensibilities of his track “Money On My Mind” nod to the heavy sound pioneered by Southern stars like UGK and Soulja Slim, while the smoothness of his latter-day flow owes a thing or two to JAY Z's fluid, polished style.

2Pac's influence on hip-hop is still felt today, whether through lyrical, visual, or stylistic similarities. K. Dot, Ricky Rozay, Fiddy, and many others tapped into their inner Pac and kept his “Me Against the World” mentality alive for a new generation. Without Pac, these artists wouldn't be who they are today.

Like the most elite athletes and method actors, DMX puts everything he has into his work. "I Miss You" is an especially personal cut, with the usually tough rapper writing an open letter to his departed grandma, describing family business over a soulful boom-bap beat. On "More 2 a Song," he explains his commitment to lyrical depth, promising to remain the "voice of the street" for as long as he lives.