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Only the purest hip hop heads realize that certain tracks can be considered classics. While there are influential songs by emcees like the Notorious B.I.G., for example, his time came after the classic period had ended. Younger generations of hip hop fans might not realize the importance of the classics that opened the door for artists like Biggie and Tupac. The following is a list of real hip hop classics, long before there was ever a feud between the east and west coasts.

SOUTH BRONX - KRS-ONE

After taking exception to Marley Marl's claim that Queensbridge was the original birthplace of hip hop, KRS-ONE and Boogie Down Productions released "South Bronx', a track that laid to rest any doubt that The Bronx was where hip hop was made. The song captured the essence of hip hop and the superior lyricism gave KRS the advantage in this original hip hop war. Nightclubs waited to play the single until closing time, knowing the hype of the track could not be sustained if played early in the set. The year was 1987, and hip hop was still finding itself. 'South Bronx' made sure people knew not only where to find pure hip hop, but where it was invented.

LA-DI-DA-DI - SLICK RICK and DOUG E. FRESH

One of the most sampled hip hop tracks of all time, 'La-di-da-di' was a stripped down masterpiece - a vivid storyteller vibe rhymed over a human beatbox with no extra instrumentation. Originally from the UK, Slick Rick blew the doors off of the hip hop community with his ability to tell a story in a staunch British accent and still come off as one of the realest emcees of his time. Just as impressive, this was also the first track where beatboxing was featured as an equal to the words of the emcee. Doug E. Fresh was a pioneer of this art form, and La-di-da-di gave him an instant classic.

RAPPER'S DELIGHT - THE SUGARHILL GANG

In hip hop, this is considered the track that started it all. The list of pioneer-worthy stats are as follows - first hip hop single to go Gold (1979), only single on the Top 40 to be available only in vinyl, #248 on Rolling Stone's top 500 songs of all time, first hip hop song to get criticized for sampling another song (although this was never proven) and a hit single on the Rn B, pop and British pop charts. Additionally, in a genre not known for its covers, Rapper's Delight was the first hip hop classic to be remade (Def Squad), catapulting this single back to the charts 20 years after it was released. When you compile a list of classics, this selection is on everyone's

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