Facts about Hip-Hop
- 07
Nas's 1994 debut album Illmatic featured production from DJ Premier, Pete Rock, and Q-Tip, establishing it as one of hip-hop's most critically acclaimed releases despite modest initial sales.
- 06
Tupac Shakur's 1996 double album All Eyez on Me debuted at number one and became the first hip-hop record to sell over 10 million copies worldwide.
- 05
Wu-Tang Clan's 1993 debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) featured nine members and became a cornerstone of East Coast hip-hop despite initial commercial underperformance.
- 04
Eminem's 2002 album The Eminem Show sold 1.332 million copies in its first week, setting the record for fastest-selling hip-hop album in history.
- 03
Rapper's Delight by the Sugarhill Gang became hip-hop's first major record to reach mainstream success when it peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1979.
- 02
In 1973, DJ Kool Herc invented the breakbeat by isolating and looping the instrumental percussion sections of funk records at parties in the Bronx.
- 01
Grandmaster Flash's 1982 single The Message became hip-hop's first top-40 chart hit on the Billboard Hot 100.