Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America

2. Alright: 2015

“Alright” by Kendrick Lamar: making protest music in the era of Black Lives Matter, “Alright” becomes the unsaid anthem for hope.

3. Rock Box: 1984

ROCK BOX by Run-DMC: How one song tore down the barriers between rock & hip hop, race and class on American radio and television.

4. Elevators: 1996

ELEVATORS by OutKast: Hip hop's southern voice breaks through with an unsuspecting song that redefines rap's cultural and geographic boundaries.

5. The Bridge: 1986

THE BRIDGE by Marley Marl and MC Shan: A song designed to foster community pride, ignites hip hop's most epic rap battle.

6. Ladies First: 1989

LADIES FIRST by Queen Latifah: At the height of hip hop's misogynistic themes, the culture bows down to their queens of rap.