Because younger listeners are so focused on what’s happening right now, and older listeners are so focused on what happened back then, it’s sometimes easy to forget how diverse the sonic palette of hip-hop really is. There have been so many different styles that have risen to dominate the genre over the years from so many different geographical locations that it’s almost impossible to remember them all off-hand. Well fear not, because Mac Lethal has put together an incredible video detailing 27 of the most recognizable styles of rapping to jog your memory.
The seven-minute video really is an incredible thing to watch. Kicking off with the old school Public Enemy, Run DMC delivery, he crosses decades of time and multiple states to incorporate g-funk, thizz, crunk, chopped and screwed, hyphy, grime and more. He also throws in a few artist-specific deliveries like, the old Kanye — presumably the Late Registration version — new Kanye –more of a Yeezus feel — along with Eminem (on drugs), Jay Z, Wu-Tang Clan, and of course, Drake. That last one is actually pretty hilarious, especially when he raps, “Cause, I, I, I, sing about my mom like she’s my girlfriend / My mom’s my girlfriend / Oedipus.”
The whole thing is vastly entertaining and will almost certainly send you reaching for some of your favorite records from the past when its all said and done. Check it out for yourself up top.
