@Steven Magni

You can hear the soul in a Bobby Womack song—and the singer/songwriter's back catalogue has proved a rich source of emotive samples for hip-hop artists. Here we check out how Kendrick Lamar, Ghostface, Rick Ross, and 50 Cent have been inspired to drop some of their most vital raps over choice cuts from Womack's discography.

Nas once accused JAŸ-Z of getting out-rapped by Eminem on his own song. He didn't mention that Mathers had also made the beat. Starting with 2001's menacing "Renegade," the Detroit MC began spreading the wealth among his peers. Ominous even when they're celebratory, tracks like G-Unit's “My Buddy” make chintzy synths sound downright foreboding, with looming keys battling big, crisp drums.

For every breakthrough hit there are a host of under-appreciated tracks that slip by unnoticed. Vince Staples has enjoyed massive success, but if you dig a little deeper you'll discover a wealth of fiercely intelligent, slickly produced rap. Elsewhere, Atmosphere's catchy indie hip-hop combines witty rhymes with feel-good, soul-infused loops.

Once purely underground and hyper-local, hip-hop is now probably the single biggest sound in the world—what you hear no matter where you go. Highlighting your Drakes, your Cardis, your Post Malones and Khaleds, this playlist serves as a rolling collection of the genre's biggest hits. Our editors are always switching things up. If you like a track, add it to your library.

This is turn-up music that will put you in the club before you’re even on your way. Mostly hip-hop, a little R&B, all bang, all day. Our editors update these picks regularly. If you like a track, add it to your library. Enough talk? Okay. Let’s go.

Atlanta rap has evolved from boot-rattling regional scene to avant-garde pop sensation to the new sound of hip-hop America. Though its bass has been rumbling in cars and clubs since the late ’80s, it became one of hip-hop’s biggest creative forces in the ’90s and 2000s thanks to the lateral-minded boom of Outkast, the pop production of Jermaine Dupri, and the high-octane crunk of Lil Jon. Eventually spawning trap and new forms of vocal calligraphy, Atlanta became perhaps the most influential city on hip-hop’s map. Time and time again, the South has had something to say.

The hits and only the hits—this collection brings together great songs from the top of the charts.

Hip-hop was born in the Bronx, but it's easy to trace its hypnotic rhythms and storytelling traditions back to Africa. Today, the cross-diaspora conversation continues apace, as contemporary African rap repurposes influences from home and absorbs ones from abroad. South Africa has produced scenes fuelled by Atlanta trap and the dank pulse of their homegrown gqom; Ghanaian rappers often lace their tracks with rhythms or samples that echo the local highlife tradition; a crop of Nigerian rappers effortlessly blend pop, rap, and R&B—it's no surprise that Drake is an avowed fan. With lyrics in Zulu, Yoruba, Ngoma, Twi, and more peppered with American slang and English phrases, African rap is a multi-genre, pan-continental, wide-open feast of beats, rhymes, and experience. Our editors regularly update this playlist—if you hear something you like, add it to your library.