8.6/10242 votesLoading...#1 - The Birth of Gangsta Rap
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 9/26/2016
Ice-T uses Hip-Hop to reflect the violence of Los Angeles and inspires a new form of Hip-Hop: Gangsta Rap. N.W.A’s first album, Straight Outta Compton, shocks America. After the LA Rebellion, Dr. Dre makes The Chronic, and creates Hip-Hop’s first hardcore pop record
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.5/10181 votesLoading...#2 - New York State of Mind
Season 2 Episode 4 - Aired 10/19/2018
In the early 1990s, a new wave of hardcore East Coast artists emerges, led by Nas, Wu-Tang Clan and the Notorious B.I.G.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.4/10176 votesLoading...#3 - A Tale of Two Coasts
Season 3 Episode 1 - Aired 9/6/2019
With the rise of N.W.A., gangsta rap and Suge Knight, the East Coast-West Coast rivalry climaxes with a lethal beef ensnaring the great Tupac Shakur.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.3/10243 votesLoading...#4 - From The Underground to The Mainstream
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 9/12/2016
Hip-Hop crews in the Bronx and Harlem begin to form around the DJs, but these pioneering groups never record any music. It would take R&B veterans to see the genre’s commercial potential and create Hip-Hop's first hit, "Rapper's Delight."
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.3/10226 votesLoading...#5 - The New Guard
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 9/19/2016
Run-DMC ushers in a new era of Hip-Hop. Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin build Hip-Hop's first empire, Def Jam. An unknown producer finds a new way to make beats and launches Hip-Hop's Golden Age, culminating in the epic fury of Public Enemy.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.3/10149 votesLoading...#6 - Pass the Mic
Season 3 Episode 3 - Aired 9/6/2019
Alternative hip-hop bubbles up from the streets: Mos Def spits in NYC, the Freestyle Fellowship chops it up in LA, and Eminem battle on the circuit.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.2/10281 votesLoading...#7 - The Foundation
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 9/5/2016
Bronx-based DJs set Hip-Hop's sonic foundations. MCs, inspired by African American oral traditions, create the modern template for rap music, culminating with the emergence of Hip-Hop's first crew, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.2/10169 votesLoading...#8 - Do the Knowledge
Season 2 Episode 3 - Aired 10/19/2018
KRS-One makes his mark at New York's legendary Latin Quarter club. A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul cultivate an Afrocentric, jazzy style.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.1/10164 votesLoading...#9 - Life After Death
Season 3 Episode 2 - Aired 9/6/2019
In NYC, the Notorious B.I.G. fosters an empowering protégée, Lil' Kim. When the East-West feud claims Biggie, Puff Daddy and Jay-Z vie for the throne.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.1/10126 votesLoading...#10 - The Super Producers
Season 4 Episode 3 - Aired 1/17/2020
Auteurs like the Neptunes' Pharrell and Chad expand the sonic palette. Timbaland and Missy Elliott lean forward. Kanye West and J Dilla reimagine rap.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.0/10176 votesLoading...#11 - Out the Trunk: The Bay
Season 2 Episode 2 - Aired 10/19/2018
In the Bay Area, Too $hort channels pimp culture, MC Hammer becomes rap's first pop star, and Digital Underground introduces the world to Tupac Shakur.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.8/10188 votesLoading...#12 - The Southern Way
Season 2 Episode 1 - Aired 10/19/2018
2 Live Crew popularizes the Miami bass sound and scores a victory for free speech. The Geto Boys put Houston on the map, paving the way for UGK.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.8/10139 votesLoading...#13 - The Dirty South
Season 3 Episode 4 - Aired 9/6/2019
A hot, sticky music scene is born in Atlanta as the infectious hooks of TLC and Kris Kross yield to the gritty originality of OutKast and Goodie Mob.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.7/10108 votesLoading...#14 - Street Dreams
Season 4 Episode 4 - Aired 1/17/2020
Mixtapes spread the hottest sounds, infringe copyright and break artists. Among them, 50 Cent polarizes, T.I. takes off with trap, and Lil Wayne clicks.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.5/10128 votesLoading...#15 - The Southern Lab
Season 4 Episode 2 - Aired 1/17/2020
Innovators explode out of the South: Houston's DJ Screw slows hip-hop down, Memphis's Three 6 Mafia goes dark, and Atlanta's Lil Jon brings the crunk.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.3/10138 votesLoading...#16 - Bounce to This
Season 4 Episode 1 - Aired 1/17/2020
Rooted in New Orleans's rich music culture, No Limit mogul Master P and bounce breakouts DJ Jimi and Juvenile shake rap and put twerking on the map.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
The Best Episodes of Hip Hop Evolution
Every episode of Hip Hop Evolution ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Hip Hop Evolution!
Hip-Hop today is a global culture that has changed music, dance, fashion, language —and even politics. But where did this worldwide cultural movement begin? We...
Genre:Documentary
Best Episodes Summary
"The Birth of Gangsta Rap" is the best rated episode of "Hip Hop Evolution". It scored 8.6/10 based on 242 votes. Directed by N/A and written by N/A, it aired on 9/26/2016. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "New York State of Mind".