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- -7Top 100 Greatest Soundtrack SongsWhether a token track on an eclectic track listing to score a mainstream movie, or part of a cohesive collection of songs setting the mood for an urban flick—some of hip-hop’s finest moments were birthed on soundtracks. It’s historically allowed artists to test singles that later wound up on their album and also served as sort of a breeding ground for upstarts. Cases in point, LL Cool J (“Can’t Live Without My Radio”), Snoop Dogg (“Deep Cover”) and Nas (“Halftime”), were formally introduced on soundtracks before going on to become rap superstars. As Boyz n the Hood, which produced its own memorable soundtrack, celebrates its 20-year anniversary today (July 12), XXL takes a look at the Top 100 Greatest Soundtrack Songs of All Time.—<em>XXL Staff</em>
- 100. InTooDeep100. Ali Vegas “The Specialist” <em>In Too Deep</em> Soundtrack (1999)
- 99. SoulintheHole-Common99. Common “High Expectations,” <em>Soul in the Hole</em> Soundtrack (1997)
- 98. TheKlumps98. Jay-Z “Hey Papi,” <em>The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps</em> Soundtrack (2000)
- 97. HighSchoolHigh97. The Roots “The Good, The Bad and the Desolate,” <em>High School High</em> Soundtrack (1996)
- 96. Slam-BlackRob96. Black Rob “I Dare U,” <em>Slam</em> Soundtrack (1997)
- 95. HeGotGame95. Public Enemy “He Got Game,” He Got Game (1998)
- 94MeninBlack94. De La Soul “Chanel No Fever,” <em>Men In Black</em> Soundtrack (1997)
- 93. BeavisandButtHead93. Beastie Boys “Lookin’ Down the Barrel of a Gun,” <em>Beavis and Butthead Do America</em> Soundtrack (1996)
- 92. Friday-CypressHill92. Cypress Hill “Roll It Up, Smoke It Up, Light It Up” <em>Friday</em> soundtrack (1995)
- 91. Slam-GoodieMob91. Goodie Mob feat. Esthero “The World I Know” <em>Slam</em> Soundtrack (1998)
- 90. RhymeorReason90. Master P “Is There A Heaven 4 A Gangsta?” <em>Rhyme and Reason</em> Soundtrack (1997)
- 89. NewJerseyDrive-Outkast89. OutKast “Benz or Beamer,” <em>New Jersey Drive</em> Soundtrack Vol.1 (1995)
- 88. NewJerseyDrive88. Black Moon & Smif-N-Wessun “Headz Ain’t Ready,” <em>New Jersey Drive</em> Soundtrack Vol.2 (1995)
- 87. TheWash87. Knoc-turn'al feat. Dr. Dre “Bad Intentions,” <em>The Wash</em> Soundtrack (2001)
- 86.TrainingDay-PharoaheMonch86.Pharoahe Monch “Fuck You,” <em>Training Day</em> Soundtrack (2001)
- 85. Cradle2theGrave85. DMX “X Is Gonna Give to Ya,” <em>Cradle to the Grave</em> Soundtrack (2003)
- 84. BlackGangster84. Jay-Z “This Life Forever,” <em>Black Gangster</em> Soundtrack (1999)
- 83. SoulFood83. Outkast and Cee Lo “In Due Time,” <em>Soul Food</em> Soundtrack (1997)
- 82. SoulintheHole-Xzibit82. Xzibit “Los Angeles Times,” <em>Soul in the Hole</em> Soundtrack (1997)
- 81.Woo81. Cam’ron “357,” <em>Woo</em> Soundtrack (1998)
- 80. Bulworth-BlackEyedPeas80. Black Eyed Peas “Joints & Jams,” <em>Bulworth</em> Soundtrack (1998)
- 79. GetRichorDieTryin79. 50 Cent “I’ll Whoop Ya Head,” <em>Get Rich Or Die Tryin’</em> Soundtrack (2005)
- 78. SpaceJam78. B-Real, Method Man, LL Cool J, Coolio & Busta Rhymes “Hit ‘Em High (The Monstars’ Anthem),” <em>Space Jam</em> (1997)
- 77. HouseofPain77. House of Pain “Who’s the Man?,” <em>Who’s the Man?</em> Soundtrack (1993)
- 76. WhiteMenCantJump-QueenLatifah76. Queen Latifah “The Hook” <em>White Men Can’t Jump</em> Soundtrack (1992)
- 75. ImBoutIt75. Young Bleed feat. Master P & C-Loc “How Ya Do That,” <em>I’m Bout It</em> Soundtrack (1997)
- 74.WildStyle74. Double Trouble “Stoop Rap,” <em>Wild Style</em> Soundtrack (1983)
- 73. WhenwewereKings73. The Fugees feat. A Tribe Called Quest, John Forte & Busta Rhymes “Rumble in the Jungle,” <em>When We Were Kings Soundtrack</em> (1996)
- 72. 8-MileCover72. Eminem feat. 50 Cent & Obie Trice “Love Me,” <em>8 Mile</em> Soundtrack (2002)
- 71. TheNuttyProfessor-TriggerthaGambler71. Trigger tha Gambler & Smooth da Hustler feat. DV Alias Christ “My Crew Can’t Go for That,” <em>The Nutty Professor Soundtrack</em> (1996)
- 70. StreetsisWatching-Jayz70. Jay-Z feat. Ja Rule & DMX “Murdergram,” <em>Streets Is Watching</em> Soundtrack (1997)
- 69. PoeticJustice-MistaGrimm69. Mista Grimm feat. Warren G. & Nate Dogg “Indo Smoke,” <em>Poetic Justice</em> Soundtrack (1993)
- 68. 8-Mile168. Eminem “Rabbit Run,” <em>8 Mile</em> Soundtrack (2002)
- 67. Bamboozled67. Mau Maus “Blak Is Blak,” <em>Bamboozled</em> Soundtrack (2000)
- 66. Clockers66. Crooklyn Dodgers “Return of the Crooklyn Dodgers,” <em>Clockers</em> Soundtrack (1995)
- 65. Training-Day65. M.O.P. feat. Krumb Snatcha “W.O.L.V.E.S.,” <em>Training Day</em> Soundtrack (2001)
- 64. Idlewild-Outkast64. OutKast “The Mighty O,” <em>Idlewild</em> Soundtrack (2006)
- 63. rapworld63. Pete Rock and Large Professor “Rap World” <em>High School High</em> Soundtrack (1996)
- 62. TheCorrupter62. Jay-Z feat. Memphis Bleek and Beanie Sigel “More Money, More Cash, More Hoes,” <em>The Corruptor</em> Soundtrack (1999)
- 61. WhiteMenCantRap61. Main Source “Fakin’ the Funk,” <em>White Men Can’t Rap</em> EP (1992)
- 60. ImGonnaGitYouSucka60. Boogie Down Productions “Jack of Spades,” <em>I’m Gonna Git You Sucka</em> Soundtrack(1988)
- 59. SoulintheHole-CocoaBrovaz59. Coacoa Brovaz "Won on Won," Sole in the Hole Soundtrack (1997)
- 58. JudgementNight-DeLaSol58. De La Soul and Teenage Fan Club “Fallin’,” <em>Judgment Night Soundtrack</em> (1993)
- 57. Blade57. Gang Staff feat. M.O.P. “1/2 & 1/2,” <em>Blade</em> Soundtrack (1998)
- 56. Backstage-HardKnockLife-Prodigy56. Prodigy “Keep It Thoro,” <em>Backstage: A Hard Knock Life</em> (2000)
- 55. TheGreatWhiteHype55. Camp Lo “Coolie High,” <em>The Great White Hype</em> Soundtrack (1997)
- 54. BadBoysII54. Jay-Z “La-La-La,” <em>Bad Boys II Soundtrack</em> (2003)
- 53. JudgementNight-CypressHill53. Cypress Hill and Sonic Youth “I Love You Mary Jane,” <em>Judgment Night</em> Soundtrack (1993)
- 52. SunsetPark-Ghostface51. Ghostface feat. Raekwon “Motherless Child,” <em>Sunset Park Soundtrack</em> (1996)
- 51. SoulintheHole-WuTangClan52. Wu-Tang Clan All-Stars “Soul in the Hole,” <em>Soul in the Hole</em> Soundtrack (1997)
- 50. Da B Side50. The Notorious B.I.G. feat. Da Brat & Jermaine Dupri “Da B Side,” <em>Bad Boys</em> Soundtrack (1995)A criminally slept on collaboration from three of the ‘90s’ most prolific figures.
- 49. MurderwastheCase49. Dogg Pound “What Would U Do,” <em>Murder Was the Case</em> Soundtrack (1994)Proof that DPG were no bench warmers on Death Row.
- 48. PoeticJustice-Pac48. 2Pac “Definition of a Thug,” <em>Poetic Justice</em> Soundtrack (1992)‘Pac adding layers to a shallow concept.
- 47.PoeticJustice47. Pete Rock & CL Smooth “One In a Million,” <em>Poetic Justice</em> Soundtrack (1992)Yet another example of Pete Rock’s superior ear for horn-laced samples.
- 46. BoyzntheHood46. Ice Cube “How to Survive in South Central,” <em>Boyz n the Hood</em> Soundtrack (1991)Cube shares rules and regulations to make it in one of the West Coast’s most notorious hoods.
- 45. TheWood45. OutKast feat. Mystikal “Neck Uv Da Woods,” <em>The Wood</em> (1999)A forgotten gem pairing up Kast and Mystikal for one of the animated MC’s first post-No Limit releases.
- 44. BatmanForever-MethodMan44. Method Man “The Riddler,”<em>Batman Forever</em> Soundtrack (1995)With "How High" barely off the press, Mr. Meth unleashed another soundtrack banger as wicked as the Batman villain it's titled after.
- 43. wuwearphoto43. RZA feat. Capadonna & Method Man “Wu-Wear (The Garment Renaissance)” <em>High School High</em> Soundtrack (1996)The Wu reps their apparel line years before clothing lines in hip-hop became mandatory.
- 42. TheHurricane42. Black Star “Little Brother,” <em>The Hurricane</em> Soundtrack (1999)The incomparable J Dilla manages to flip the Roy Ayers “Ain’t Got Time” sample that Pete Rock reportedly struggled with years prior.
- 41. sunsetpark41. Ghostface feat. Capadonna & Masta Killa “Winter Wartz,” <em>Sunset Park</em> (1996)Cappa gives Ghost and Killa a run for their money with a seemingly never-ending verse.
- 40. Belly40. Sauce Money feat. Jay-Z “Pregame,” <em>Belly</em> Soundtrack (1998)Arguably Hov and Sauce Muthafuckin’s illest collabo.
- 39. idlewild39. OutKast feat. Lil Wayne “Hollywood Divorce,” <em>Idlewild</em> Soundtrack (2006)Whoever said Southern rappers aren’t lyrical isn’t listening hard enough.
- 38. SoulintheHole38. Big Pun “You Ain’t a Killer,” <em>Soul in the Hole</em> Soundtrack (1997)A prelude to things to come on Pun’s <em>Capital Punishment</em>.
- 37. StreetsIsWatching37. Jay-Z feat. Memphis Bleek “It’s Alright,” <em>Streets Is Watching</em> Soundtrack (1998)Dame Dash mans the boards for Memph and Hov’s’98 summer anthem.
- 36. 8-Mile236. Eminem “8 Mile Road,” <em>8 Mile</em> Soundtrack (2002)Another ridiculously potent Em record off his semi-autobiographical flick’s score.
- 35. NothingButTrouble35. Digital Underground feat. 2Pac “Same Song,” <em>Nuthing But Trouble</em> Soundtrack (1990)‘Pac’s introduction to the world via this Digital classic.
- 34. CB$34. KRS-One “Black Cop,” <em>CB4</em> Soundtrack (1993)The Blastmaster addressing the issue head-on.
- 33. KrushGroove-LLCoolJ33. LL Cool J “Going Back to Cali,” <em>Less Than Zero</em> Soundtrack (1987)A tune ill enough for Biggie Smalls to remake.
- 32. StreetFighter32. Nas “One on One,” <em>Street Fighter</em> Soundtrack (1994)One the hardest smooth joints you’ll ever hear courtesy of Nasty Nas.
- 31. Panther31. The Notorious B.I.G., Coolio, Redman, Coolio, Ill Al Skratch, Big Mike, N9ne, Bone Thug-n-Harmony, Buckshot & Busta Rhymes “The Points,” <em>Panther</em> Soundtrack (1995)A ridiculously star-studded posse cut. Biggie, Red, Bone and Bus on the same track. Nuff said!
- 30. Sprung30. Jay-Z “Who You With,” <em>Sprung</em> Soundtrack (1997)Jigga Man’s cocky wit at its finest.
- 29. AbovetheRim-LadyofRage29. Lady of Rage “Afro Puffs,” <em>Above the Rim</em> Soundtrack (1994)Death Row’s First Lady takes center stage.
- 28. Hustle&Flow28. DJay feat. Shug “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp,” <em>Hustle & Flow</em> Soundtrack (2005)Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson delivery the goods on this Three Six Mafia-penned Oscar-winning single.
- 27. NewJackCity27. Ice-T “New Jack Hustler,” <em>New Jack City</em> Soundtrack (1991)What Nino Brown would sound like if he could rap.
- 26. KrushGroove26. LL Cool J “Can’t Live Without My Radio,” <em>Krush Groove</em> Soundtrack (1985)Uncle L drops his first single and a star is born.
- 25. Friday25. Dr. Dre “Keep Your Heads Ringin’,” Friday Soundtrack (1995)A heater to hold Dre fans down during his Aftermath transition.
- 24. DangerousMinds24. Coolio “Gangsta’s Paradise,” <em>Dangerous Minds</em> Soundtrack (1995)Coolio skyrocketed to No.1 off a Stevie Wonder “Pastime Paradise” loop.
- 23. Backstage-HardKnockLife23. Jay-Z and Mya “Best of Me Pt.2,” <em>Backstage: A Hard Knock Life</em> Soundtrack (2000)Hov flaunts keeps it lyrical with an effortless flow over Trackmasters production.
- 22. Bulworth22. Pras feat. Mya & Old Dirty Bastard “Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are),” <em>Bulworth</em> Soundtrack (1998)Pras becomes the third Fugee to find solo success with this smash hit.
- 21. JudgementNight21. Onyx and Biohazard “Judgment Night,” <em>Judgment Night</em> Soundtrack (1993)The epitome of what a perfect rock and rap marriage should sound like.
- 20. MenaceIISociety20. MC Eiht “Streiht Up Menace,” <em>Menace II Society</em> Soundtrack (1993)This Compton MC’s in-depth portrayal of life on the West Coast made the rest of the nation take notice.
- 19. Boomerang19. A Tribe Called Quest “Hot Sex,” <em>Boomerang</em> Soundtrack (1992)The lone rap track on an R&B soundtrack, “Hot Sex” stood out amongst classics. The song was later sampled by Heltah Skeltah and Mary J. Blige and ended up as a bonus track on Tribe’s last LP, <em>The Love Movement.</em>
- 18. MorethanaGame18. Drake feat. Lil Wayne, Eminem & Kanye West “Forever,” <em>More Than a Game</em> (2009)Still a rookie at the time, Drizzy Drake managed to tap three of the game's biggest stars for this monstrous posse cut off of Lebron's documentary.
- 17. TheNuttyProfessor17. Jay-Z feat. Foxy Brown “Ain’t No Nigga,” <em>The Nutty Professor</em> Sountrack (1996)“Can I Get A...” put Jay in another stratosphere, but “Ain’t No Nigga” got the mainstream to finally noticed. The single also appeared on Hov’s <em>Reasonable Doubt</em> and helped the LP earn a gold plaque at the time.
- 16. Juice-BigDaddyKane16. Big Daddy Kane “Nuff Respect Due,”<em> Juice</em> Soundtrack (1991)Following back-to-back duds (<em>Taste of Chocolate</em>, <em>Prince of Darkness</em>) Kane silenced talk that he’d fallen off with this heater.
- 15. NothingtoLoose15. Lil’ Kim feat. Da Brat, Missy Elliot, Angie Martinez & Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes “Not Tonight,” <em>Nothin’ to Lose</em> Soundtrack (1997)This posse cut proved that the strength in numbers adage applied to the ladies as well.
- 14. RushHour214. Ludacris feat. Nate Dogg “Area Codes,” <em>Rush Hour 2</em> Soundtrack (2001)An international player anthem, this Jazze Pha-produced single found the ATL-ien showing off his never-ending stable.
- 13. Mo'BetterBlues13. Gang Starr “Jazz Thing,” <em>Mo’ Better Blues</em> Soundtrack (1990)One of the earlier examples of jazz and hip-hop fusion, this single helped pioneer a sub-genre still prevalent in hip-hop today.
- Crooklyn12. Crooklyn Dodgers “Crooklyn,” <em>Crooklyn</em> Soundtrack (1994)Backed by Q-Tip production (who is ironically from Queens), these crazy ass Crooklyn kids (Buckshot, O.C., Masta Ace) made their borough proud with this BK anthem.
- 11. RushHour11. Jay-Z feat. Ja Rule & Amil “Can I Get A…,” <em>Rush Hour</em> Soundtrack (1998)Released in conjunction with Hov’s “Hard Knock Life,” this bubbly club banger helped make Jay into a superstar and set Rule up to launch his own multi-platinum career.
- 10. Juice-NaughtybyNature10. Naughty By Nature “Uptown Anthem,” <em>Juice</em> Soundtrack (1991)This Naughty gem may not have charted as high as the group’s other hits (“O.P.P,” “Hip-Hop Hooray”), but it stands as one of the group’s most memorable anthems.
- 9. ZebraHead9. Nas "Halftime," <em>Zebrahead</em> Soundtrack (1992)On the heels of two scene-stealing guest appearances on Main Source's "Live At the Baarbecue" and MC Search's "Back to the Grill," Nas made his solo debut on this Large Professor-produced bass-heavy single. The track proved the Queensbridge prodigy had enough star power to carry his own load and served as prelude of legendary things to come.
- 8. LessthanZero8. Public Enemy “Bring the Noise,” <em>Less Than Zero</em> Soundtrack (1987)Few songs embodied PE’s penchant for conveying messages through chaotic soundbeds more than this Less Than Zero Soundtrack standout. The cut appeared on PE’s epic <em>It Takes a Nation of Million to Hold Us Back</em> the following year and was covered by rock group Anthrax in 1991.
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- 7. Juice7. Eric B. & Rakim “Juice (Know the Ledge),” <em>Juice</em> Soundtrack (1991)The title track to Ernest R. Dickerson’s epic flick, this bass-heavy single served as the perfect backdrop for the thriller. The song later appeared on Eric B. & Rakim’s Don’t <em>Sweat the Technique</em>.
- 6. WhosetheMan6. The Notorious B.I.G. "Party and Bullshit," <em>Who's the Man?</em> Soundtrack (1993)
- 5.AbovetheRim5. Warren G feat. Nate Dogg “Regulate,“ <em>Above the Rim</em> Soundtrack (1994)This blockbuster single kept the lights on for various labels in the early ‘90s. Initially released on Death Row as part of the <em>Above the Rim</em> Soundtrack, the smash hit added to the notorious imprint’s legacy and later served as the lead single for Warren’s triple platinum <em>Regulate… G Funk Era</em> on Def Jam.
- 4. TheShow4. Method Man and Redman “How High,” <em>The Show: The Soundtrack</em> (1995)N.W who? Dre's first order of business after leaving the world's most dangerous group, “Deep Cover” kick-started (though released on SOLAR Records)Death Row Records' dominating run and introduced rap's next superstar: Snoop Doggy Dogg.
- 3. DeepCover3. Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg “Deep Cover,” <em>Deep Cover</em> Soundtrack (1992)N.W who? Dre's first order of business after leaving the world's most dangerous group, “Deep Cover” kick-started (though released on SOLAR Records)Death Row Records' dominating run and introduced rap's next superstar: Snoop Doggy Dogg.
- DotheRightThing2. Public Enemy “Fight the Power,” Do the Right Thing Soundtrack (1989Chances are Mookie had Public Enemy in mind when he picked up a garbage can and threw it through the window of Sal’s Famous Pizzeria as a protest of Radio Raheem’s death. The track not only banged, it demanded a call to action. Rosie Perez’s opening dance number in the movie also made the track that much more memorable.
- 1. 8-mile1. Eminem "Lose Yourself," <em>8 Mile</em> Soundtrack (2002)Perhaps no soundtrack song has balanced critical acclaim and commercial success better than Eminem's "Lose Yourself." The first single off Slim's semiautobiographical picture <em>8 Mile</em>, it peaked at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100, pushed the soundtrack to a double platinum plaque and won an Oscar for Best Music, Original Song.
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