When it comes to the golden age of hip hop there's usually two ranges cited.

One is 1986-1993, which begins with Run DMC and Beastie Boys getting more mainstream with Raising Hell and License to Ill, ushering in a new era of creativity in hip hop. And ends with the full breakthrough of gangsta rap and G funk via The Chronic and Doggystyle, which older fans consider "not golden age".

The other range is 1988-1997 which begins with the original breakthrough of gangsta rap via NWA's Straight Outta Compton, and ends with the deaths of Tupac and Biggie. This range includes more gangsta rap and is preferred by younger fans it seems. For younger fans, Tupac and Biggie are practically synonymous with "golden age hip hop" but not so much with older fans who think the G-funk, 1993-1997 era, is a separate era from the golden age of 86-93.

What do you think?

I would think "The golden age" of Hip-Hop started between 1980-1985, that's just my opinion.

Has not yet happened.

I would think "The golden age of Hip-Hop started between 1980-1985, that's just my opinion.


That's just the "old school" era, where it was really just funk/R&B with rapping and not a distinct "hip-hop" style. It was underground and R&B/Electrofunk/soul still dominated the urban scene. 1986 and 1987 are sort of a blend of old school and golden age in style, but increasingly as time has progressed, they're being shoved into the old school category. R&B/funk/soul was still more popular than rap/hip hop in addition. RUN-D.M.C. may have broken through in '86, but that was after spending a few years in underground popularity that's clearly of the old school style. Even The Beastie Boys of that era (around the time of "You Gotta Fight") has rock instrumental that wouldn't be too out of place with the hair metal bands. Finally, most don't associate hip hop at all with the core '80s outside of some breakdancing, of which 1986 and 1987 are still a part of.

Even so, the first half or so of this golden age shared the spotlight with New Jack Swing's popularity, though a noticeable uptick in rap songs hitting the charts in 1988-89, including Tone Loc, J.J. Fad, DZ Dazzy and the Fresh Prince, The Fat Boys, among others, showed that the genre had really started to reach its full maturity at that point.

On the other end of the spectrum, the mid-90s, in addition to G Funk, also had the epic East Coast/West Coast duel with each other, and this was still before southern rap started to infiltrate. Even very early Jay-Z (with the hyphen) sounds very "classic" compared to his "ho bangin" stuff from the Y2K era onwards.

Some may also argue that a similar debate with regards to a silver age seems to arise, with the late '90s/early 2000s (post-Gangsta, pre-Snap) a popular definition, ending with 50 Cent's 2003 breakthrough, though some argue it may go as late as Soulja Boy in 2007 when autotune started to take over, though very few place any "silver age" as lasting that late. Lil' Kim, Nelly, Ja Rule, this era's Jay Z, and early Eminem are the core artists. Of course, those who believe the golden age ends with 1993 include that year through 1997 as part of the silver age as well.

On the other hand, searching "silver age of hip hop" has a YouTube result mentioning the late '80s/early '90s, implying that the TRUE golden age was 1979-1986/87. Others basically consider it the 1990s inclusive, beginning with MC Hammer's breakthrough and ending with the rise of Eminem.

That said, I seem to just go by decades, with '80s=golden, '90s=silver, '00s=bronze, and '10s=modern, with some bellwethers to the coming age near the end of that decade.

Here's a fun link that provides a good opinion on the year's best rapper since 1979, and it can reveal how the genre has evolved.
https://www.complex.com/music/the-best-rapper-alive-every-year-since-1979

That's just the "old school" era, where it was really just funk/R&B with rapping and not a distinct "hip-hop" style. It was underground and R&B/Electrofunk/soul still dominated the urban scene. 1986 and 1987 are sort of a blend of old school and golden age in style, but increasingly as time has progressed, they're being shoved into the old school category. R&B/funk/soul was still more popular than rap/hip hop in addition. RUN-D.M.C. may have broken through in '86, but that was after spending a few years in underground popularity that's clearly of the old school style. Even The Beastie Boys of that era (around the time of "You Gotta Fight") has rock instrumental that wouldn't be too out of place with the hair metal bands. Finally, most don't associate hip hop at all with the core '80s outside of some breakdancing, of which 1986 and 1987 are still a part of.

Even so, the first half or so of this golden age shared the spotlight with New Jack Swing's popularity, though a noticeable uptick in rap songs hitting the charts in 1988-89, including Tone Loc, J.J. Fad, DZ Dazzy and the Fresh Prince, The Fat Boys, among others, showed that the genre had really started to reach its full maturity at that point.

On the other end of the spectrum, the mid-90s, in addition to G Funk, also had the epic East Coast/West Coast duel with each other, and this was still before southern rap started to infiltrate. Even very early Jay-Z (with the hyphen) sounds very "classic" compared to his "ho bangin" stuff from the Y2K era onwards.

Some may also argue that a similar debate with regards to a silver age seems to arise, with the late '90s/early 2000s (post-Gangsta, pre-Snap) a popular definition, ending with 50 Cent's 2003 breakthrough, though some argue it may go as late as Soulja Boy in 2007 when autotune started to take over, though very few place any "silver age" as lasting that late. Lil' Kim, Nelly, Ja Rule, this era's Jay Z, and early Eminem are the core artists. Of course, those who believe the golden age ends with 1993 include that year through 1997 as part of the silver age as well.

On the other hand, searching "silver age of hip hop" has a YouTube result mentioning the late '80s/early '90s, implying that the TRUE golden age was 1979-1986/87. Others basically consider it the 1990s inclusive, beginning with MC Hammer's breakthrough and ending with the rise of Eminem.

That said, I seem to just go by decades, with '80s=golden, '90s=silver, '00s=bronze, and '10s=modern, with some bellwethers to the coming age near the end of that decade.


It hasn't happened yet.  Period.

That's just the "old school" era, where it was really just funk/R&B with rapping and not a distinct "hip-hop" style. It was underground and R&B/Electrofunk/soul still dominated the urban scene. 1986 and 1987 are sort of a blend of old school and golden age in style, but increasingly as time has progressed, they're being shoved into the old school category. R&B/funk/soul was still more popular than rap/hip hop in addition. RUN-D.M.C. may have broken through in '86, but that was after spending a few years in underground popularity that's clearly of the old school style. Even The Beastie Boys of that era (around the time of "You Gotta Fight") has rock instrumental that wouldn't be too out of place with the hair metal bands. Finally, most don't associate hip hop at all with the core '80s outside of some breakdancing, of which 1986 and 1987 are still a part of.

Even so, the first half or so of this golden age shared the spotlight with New Jack Swing's popularity, though a noticeable uptick in rap songs hitting the charts in 1988-89, including Tone Loc, J.J. Fad, DZ Dazzy and the Fresh Prince, The Fat Boys, among others, showed that the genre had really started to reach its full maturity at that point.

On the other end of the spectrum, the mid-90s, in addition to G Funk, also had the epic East Coast/West Coast duel with each other, and this was still before southern rap started to infiltrate. Even very early Jay-Z (with the hyphen) sounds very "classic" compared to his "ho bangin" stuff from the Y2K era onwards.

Some may also argue that a similar debate with regards to a silver age seems to arise, with the late '90s/early 2000s (post-Gangsta, pre-Snap) a popular definition, ending with 50 Cent's 2003 breakthrough, though some argue it may go as late as Soulja Boy in 2007 when autotune started to take over, though very few place any "silver age" as lasting that late. Lil' Kim, Nelly, Ja Rule, this era's Jay Z, and early Eminem are the core artists. Of course, those who believe the golden age ends with 1993 include that year through 1997 as part of the silver age as well.

On the other hand, searching "silver age of hip hop" has a YouTube result mentioning the late '80s/early '90s, implying that the TRUE golden age was 1979-1986/87. Others basically consider it the 1990s inclusive, beginning with MC Hammer's breakthrough and ending with the rise of Eminem.

That said, I seem to just go by decades, with '80s=golden, '90s=silver, '00s=bronze, and '10s=modern, with some bellwethers to the coming age near the end of that decade.

Here's a fun link that provides a good opinion on the year's best rapper since 1979, and it can reveal how the genre has evolved.
https://www.complex.com/music/the-best-rapper-alive-every-year-since-1979


I'm referring to music groups such as The Sugarhill Gang and The Fat Boys. 

That's just the "old school" era, where it was really just funk/R&B with rapping and not a distinct "hip-hop" style. It was underground and R&B/Electrofunk/soul still dominated the urban scene. 1986 and 1987 are sort of a blend of old school and golden age in style, but increasingly as time has progressed, they're being shoved into the old school category. R&B/funk/soul was still more popular than rap/hip hop in addition. RUN-D.M.C. may have broken through in '86, but that was after spending a few years in underground popularity that's clearly of the old school style. Even The Beastie Boys of that era (around the time of "You Gotta Fight") has rock instrumental that wouldn't be too out of place with the hair metal bands. Finally, most don't associate hip hop at all with the core '80s outside of some breakdancing, of which 1986 and 1987 are still a part of.

Even so, the first half or so of this golden age shared the spotlight with New Jack Swing's popularity, though a noticeable uptick in rap songs hitting the charts in 1988-89, including Tone Loc, J.J. Fad, DZ Dazzy and the Fresh Prince, The Fat Boys, among others, showed that the genre had really started to reach its full maturity at that point.

On the other end of the spectrum, the mid-90s, in addition to G Funk, also had the epic East Coast/West Coast duel with each other, and this was still before southern rap started to infiltrate. Even very early Jay-Z (with the hyphen) sounds very "classic" compared to his "ho bangin" stuff from the Y2K era onwards.

Some may also argue that a similar debate with regards to a silver age seems to arise, with the late '90s/early 2000s (post-Gangsta, pre-Snap) a popular definition, ending with 50 Cent's 2003 breakthrough, though some argue it may go as late as Soulja Boy in 2007 when autotune started to take over, though very few place any "silver age" as lasting that late. Lil' Kim, Nelly, Ja Rule, this era's Jay Z, and early Eminem are the core artists. Of course, those who believe the golden age ends with 1993 include that year through 1997 as part of the silver age as well.

On the other hand, searching "silver age of hip hop" has a YouTube result mentioning the late '80s/early '90s, implying that the TRUE golden age was 1979-1986/87. Others basically consider it the 1990s inclusive, beginning with MC Hammer's breakthrough and ending with the rise of Eminem.

That said, I seem to just go by decades, with '80s=golden, '90s=silver, '00s=bronze, and '10s=modern, with some bellwethers to the coming age near the end of that decade.

Here's a fun link that provides a good opinion on the year's best rapper since 1979, and it can reveal how the genre has evolved.
https://www.complex.com/music/the-best-rapper-alive-every-year-since-1979

My benchmark for the end of the silver age is 2006, when Nas released Hip Hop Is Dead. I do consider 50 Cent a silver age artist.

The golden age is the beginning and went downhill since then.

It hasn't happened yet.  Period.


I get the feeling you're not a yuge fan of rap/hip-hop.

A Tribe Called Quest- Midnight Marauders
The Roots -Do You Want More
Beastie Boys- Paul’s Boutique

East Coast hip hop. The Chronic was huge though.

It's honestly crazy how much this topic has so many myths. There seem to be a few golden ages with one period being the 1985/86-1993/94 era and another being 1987/88 to 1997/98. For one, what constitutes the "Golden age of Hip-hop"? Is it where artists or groups experiment with each genre and incorporate them into their music? Is it where they uplift and speak about the intense, corruption, and battles of the community? Is it where they perform original and passionate material about themselves and their family and friends? If any of these are the answers, then the supposed "Golden age of Hip-hop" would be much longer than what many believe. Besides, there were various types of Hip-hop throughout each decade. It would be difficult for fans to confine to one sub-genre.

I also wanted to say that Hip-hop DIDN'T kick-off with the Sugarhill Gang or even in 1979. It's much older than that and began in small Hip-hop groups on the East coast, but that's for another topic.

Now, here are two examples of Hip-Hop from each era.

The 1980s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PobrSpMwKk4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjNTu8jdukA


The 1990s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI8A14Qcv68

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1fBYUWxaKQ


The 2000s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Yhyp-_hX2s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVkBlsgthLg


The 2010s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RT2ZCdPVLAs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWD9GF-Ogf4

1985 to 1991 were the golden age for rap music fans. Begins with Radio by LL Cool J and ends with Naughty By Nature from Naughty by Nature for me.

As for actual hip hop, the movement never died, but it’s not today what it was in the 70s and 80s.

1985 to 1991 were the golden age for rap music fans. Begins with Radio by LL Cool J and ends with Naughty By Nature from Naughty by Nature for me.

As for actual hip hop, the movement never died, but it’s not today what it was in the 70s and 80s.
Obviously it's far from dead but most people defetion is from mid-80s till early 90s. From the debut of Rakim till about the Chronic release.

Obviously it's far from dead but most people defetion is from mid-80s till early 90s. From the debut of Rakim till about the Chronic release.


Treach from Naughty by Nature in 1991 was the last rapper to be a style icon. After the video for OPP was shown on Yo!MTV Raps for the first time, rap fans everywhere rushed out to find one of those jackets.

Marijuana hats were popular in the spring of 1993 for a brief time because of Snoop Dogg in the video for “Nuthin But a G Thang”, but most Gen Xers don’t recall that period so easily.

Clock necklaces, leather African medallion necklaces, and harem pants were an even bigger deal than the OPP bomber jackets and marijuana caps in the spring of 1990.

Perhaps the golden age of rap was from 1985 to 1990. Everyone has different opinions.

Pretty much anything pre gangsta rap. I say Golden age ended when the east and west coast started to beef with each other.

Pretty much anything pre gangsta rap. I say Golden age ended when the east and west coast started to beef with each other.


So…from 1985 to 1987 or 1988?

I can remember when Hip-Hop was cool and that was from 1980-1985.

I can remember when Hip-Hop was cool and that was from 1980-1985.
Was it cool for white people? In those days It was mainly inner city kids who listened to rap. You might be the exception since your from Queens but outside of NYC rap was seen as fad.

Was it cool for white people? In those days It was mainly inner city kids who listened to rap. You might be the exception since your from Queens but outside of NYC rap was seen as fad.


I'm pretty sure white people had listened to hip hop as well during the early to mid 1980's, A lot of them knew how to breakdance.

I voted the latter, though I would truncate it to end in '95.

I think 1986 is too early. Hip hop from 1986 is definitely still "old school". By 1988 you had groups like De La Soul and Tribe Called Quest that are more modern and experimental, it's also the year that rap became mainstream. Beastie Boys started recording Paul's Boutique in 1988.

I'd say it was basically dead by 1996 with the death of Tupac and "bling bling" becoming a big thing.

1988-1997. Lauryn Hill, The fugees, All eyes on me, Bad Boy ent was really big in 1997, Craig the mac, Mariah Carey, Total, etc. Many more I can’t point out.

I voted the latter, though I would truncate it to end in '95.

I think 1986 is too early. Hip hop from 1986 is definitely still "old school". By 1988 you had groups like De La Soul and Tribe Called Quest that are more modern and experimental, it's also the year that rap became mainstream. Beastie Boys started recording Paul's Boutique in 1988.

I'd say it was basically dead by 1996 with the death of Tupac and "bling bling" becoming a big thing.
86 you had rakim and LL cool j which definitely had longevity. They were still making music in the 2000s. Rakim is the first modern lyricist.

86 you had rakim and LL cool j which definitely had longevity. They were still making music in the 2000s. Rakim is the first modern lyricist.


I remember the golden age of hip hop in 1989 when Young MC and Tone Loc were still making music.

I get the feeling you're not a yuge fan of rap/hip-hop.


what makes you say that?