This week, we continue our journey through the history of hip hop music by exploring the top five songs from some of the most important years. During the last installment, we explored 1994, a year where Nas and The Notorious B.I.G. announced themselves to the world. This time around, we asked our guest Steve Tyson, a.k.a. Ellect, which year he wanted to do. He immediately said 1988. 

1988 was a hugely important year for hip hop because it’s the year when it started to garner attention from the mainstream media. And while it wasn’t always discussed in the most positive light back then, the fear and paranoia surrounding it only made it that much more popular. In this episode, we’ll talk about all that and more as we discuss 1988 and begin to reveal our top fives. Stop in next week when we’ll finish out our lists.

And a quick reminder, our guest, Ellect, is dropping his album Intellectual Property this Saturday February 13th. Check it out on Spotify, Tidal, Bandcamp, or wherever you get your music!

Follow Ellect on Instagram @ellect217 and on ellect.bandcamp.com.