by James Di Fiore

Created on: April 16, 2008   Last Updated: February 24, 2011

The '90s did for hip hop what the '60s did for Rock and Roll - it gave the genre the respectability by those who were not entrenched in the scene. Hip hop discovered its voice, so to speak, and introduced to the world a culture with a powerful core - the real emcee. With hundreds of original tracks from emcees and producers hungry to be taken seriously, the hip hop scene experienced a maturity that would set the pace for other genres in the industry. The following list demonstrates the versatility and variety in hip hop during the 1990s.

HYPNOTIZE - THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G.

What do you get when you take the best flow in hip hop, a sample from a number one hit in 1979 and a borrowed clip from Slick Rick's very first single? The answer is The Notorious B.I.G.'s Grammy-nominated single, 'Hypnotize', the single that pushed his LP Life After Death to Diamond status by the RIAA, only one of seven hip hop records to be put on that illustrious list. Every element of this track is produced to perfection by Sean Puffy Combs, who can't rap to save his life but is still one of the best producers in history. By utilizing the 1979 hit 'Rise' by Herb Alpert as the tracks centerpiece sample, Combs found the perfect compliment for Biggie's unique flow and lyricism. There are several tracks in Biggie's arsenal, but this song stands alone as being his greatest gift to hip hop.

STEP INTO A WORLD - KRS-ONE

There are not too many emcees that can take a classic Blondie song and turn it into a modern day hit, but KRS-ONE is not your everyday emcee. Widely recognized as one of hip hop's greatest personalities, KRS launched 'Step Into A World' to worldwide acclaim and rare mainstream success. The track contained samples reminiscent of '80s hip hop, with an old school scratch section and KRS shouting "Yes, yes y'all, you don't stop, KRS ONE rock on!" This track brought people back to the old school while simultaneously giving them a glimpse of the future, predating the times when Puffy made a career out of jacking tracks from the '80s and recreating them in a hip hop context. KRS ONE isn't called the Teacha for nothing, and this single taught cats that he was still the main emcee on the mic.

RING THE ALARM - FU SCHNICKENS

The dance floor was made for this track, and Pac Fu's delivery, a hybrid reggae/hip hop mega-flow, showed listeners there was more to hip hop than just rapping. While the sheer speed of the rhyming was near impossible to decipher for hip hoppers and newcomers alike, the

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