Street Anthems

A street anthem is a song with a theme and catchy chorus. The Lost Boyz were one of the pioneers of the street anthem. The 4 man collective of Mr. Cheeks, Freaky Tah (R.I.P.), Pretty Lou and DJ Spigg Nice made more street anthems than any other rap group at the time. Hit songs like Renee, Lifestyles of the Rich and Shameless, Music Makes Me High, Jeeps, Lex Coups, Bimaz & Benz, and Beast from the East kept them on the Billboard charts.

The group Naughty by Nature consisting of Treach, Vinnie Rock and DJ Kay Gee also produced numerous street anthems. They were one of the few rap acts who were able to balance success on the pop charts while maintaining their street credibility. Songs like O.P.P., Uptown Anthem and Hip-Hop Hooray propelled the group to super stardom and gained them a Grammy award.

The West Coast don of the street anthem would have to be Nate Dogg (R.I.P). There's not much I can say about the man that hasn't been covered in mainstream media and almost every news publication (Hip-Hop related or not). What I can say is his melodic voice made hit records and contributed to the success of artists Warren G, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Ludacris, Xzibit, 50 Cent and countless others. 

He was an irreplaceable talent and will be missed. Below I posted hits by Nate Dogg and other artists who have had street anthems over the years.

Battle Rappers

Battling has been an integral part of Hip-Hop since its inception. There were historical battles like MC Shan vs. KRS-One that paved the way for battles such as 50 Cent vs Ja Rule, Ludacris vs. T.I., Nas vs Jay Z, The Game vs G-Unit and countless others. 

It takes more than just a dope flow to be a battle rapper. You need a dope flow, witty vocabulary, descriptive rhymes, and subject matter that pertains to the person you're battling against. Out of all the MC's with battling skills Canibus is arguably one of the best. He came in the game spitting with industry heavy weights, The Lost Boyz, Redman, Eric Sermon and Keith Murray.

In 1998 he was propelled to the forefront of Hip-Hop for his epic battle with LL Cool J, who at the time was considered untouchable. The song "Second Round K.O." produced by Wyclef Jean was uncompromising and gained Canibus respect world-wide. The video featured former world heavy- weight champion Mike Tyson. LL responded with a few tracks but none were as lethal and achieved as much notoriety as "Second Round K.O". The battle was covered extensively on the Beef DvD series. Since then Canibus has went on to release several albums most recently "C of Tranquility". Like many artists his talent is often over shadowed by industry politics.

Below I posted some of the more memorable songs that came from battles that raged through Hip-Hop and shook-up the industry. Canibus "Second Round K.O.," Nas "Ether" Young Buck "Stomp remix," ft. Game, T.I. and Ludacris, 50 Cent "Wanksta," and Cassidy vs. Freeway the full battle.