Nas Lists His Top-Five Hip-Hop Tracks in Honor of Hip-Hop’s 45th Anniversary

Who’s worthy of being on Nas’ list?

Hip-hop recently celebrated its 45th birthday this past Saturday, August 11th. Four-and-a-half decades after its inception, and hip-hop is stronger than ever, recently–for the first time–becoming the most consumed genre. An evolving discipline, hip-hop has experienced multiple incarnations, but one constant has remained: it provides the pulse for the youth. Reflecting on his own involvement and respect for the craft, and commemorating the anniversary, Nas recently issued his top-five favorite hip-hop tracks of all time.

Produced by Mass Appeal, the media company with the Nas-headed label arm, Nas comments how he could rattle-off his top-50 hip-hop tracks, but condensed it to the most important five. From Public Enemy to Eric B. & Rakim, Nas breaks down the tracks that mean the most to him, and some of the most foundational for the genre and culture.

Check out his top-five tracks here: