A good television theme song can set the entire tone of the show before you watch a minute of an episode. In the history of television, there have many memorable theme songs that are amongst pop culture's most valued artifacts. A few bars of theme song from "Cheers" and you will be singing the song about going to the place where everybody knows your name.

Over the last 40 years, hip-hop has been represented on a variety of television shows. A wide variety of shows from sitcoms, dramas and cartoons feature rap songs as their theme song. Every '80s baby can pretty much recite the lyrics to "Theme From The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air" on cue. Even children's show have gotten their own rap song at times.

XXL has compiled a list of 15 television shows that feature rap music as their theme.

The Boondocks

Since its initial inception as daily comic strip in 1999, Aaron MacGruder's The Boondocks has been stuffed with insider references and various rap minutiae making it one of the most hip-hop-related television shows of all-time. Accordingly, Adult Swim's incredible cartoon adaptation features one of the greatest hip-hop musical television themes of all-time. Performed by underground hip-hop artist, Asheru, The Boondocks main theme sets the aggressively political tone of the show from the jump.

The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air

Who would have guessed that Will Smith's jump from music into television would launch one of the most wildly successful acting careers in the history of motion pictures? For kids of the 1980s, The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air was one of the most shaping television experiences of their young lives. This is best exemplified by exactly how much the lyrics from the iconic theme song is burned into the brain of every member of the Millenial Generation. Despite being the theme song for a television show, The Fresh Prince's theme is one of the most beloved and quotable rap songs in hip-hop history.

Martin

During the 1990s, the Fox television network attempted to counter-program the overtly-Caucasian anti-diversity of NBC's "Must-See-TV" lineup on Thursday nights. Instead, Fox aired a block of sitcoms and dramas that starred and featured people of color that African-American and Latino viewers flocked to in mass. Comedian Martin Lawrence's popular sitcom, Martin, anchored the programming on Fox's Thursday nights. The show would be kicked off to the hip-hop sounds of the show's theme song that would feature DJ scratching and vocal effects to set the tone of the show.

Living Single

After the successful importation of Will Smith to the television screen, Queen Latifah looked to make the shift into acting for herself. Latifah was cast in 1993 as one of six twenty-somethings living in Brooklyn Brownstone on her show, Living Single. Latifah provided the theme song for the show herself as she sung and rapped on the track.

Nickelodeon's All That

For those who are too old or too young to remember, Nickelodeon's All That was an innovative children's sketch show that appeared on Nick's saturday night, Snick line-up in the mid-1990s. Over it's ten-year run, the show would house future comedic stars like Kenan Thompson, Kel Mitchell, Jamie Lynn-Spears, Nick Cannon, Gabriel Inglesias and a pre-insanity Amanda Bynes. The show would often feature musical performances by some of the hottest hip-hop and R&B groups of their eram too. One of the most memorable aspects of the show was it's opening theme that was performed by TLC and feature a verse from the group's rapper, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes. Seriously. This song is catchy as hell.

The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!

In the early 1990s, the music of hip-hop had gained a cultural traction with the youth of America that television executives began to acknowledge. Video games had also gained that same traction and it would seem that a combination was bound to occur. The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! featured a rap song as the show's opening theme and was one of the earliest examples of a growing trend.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force

For a show built on the comedy of willful absurdism and stoner humor, Adult Swim's Aqua Teen Hunger Force is show rife with hip-hop references. Meatwad, one third of the show's anthropomorphic fast food products, is a prodigious rap fan looking to bust a move to the  jams on his boombox. Meanwhile, the show's narrator is none other than Philadelphia gangster rap pioneer, Schoolly D, who also happens to perform the show's opening theme song.

Captain Planet & The Planeteers

Captain Planet was an eco-themed superhero dreamed up but billionaire Ted Turner who fought pollution with the help of a group of multicultural teenage do-gooders with magic rings and "attitude." In retrospect, this show was pretty stupid. However, the show's closing theme did feature a eco-friendly rap from the Planeteers about saving the from "looting and polluting."

Static Shock

Static Shock was the adaption of the DC Comics superhero of the same name. Static, himself, was a teenaged character designed to give more visible representation of black superheros in comics. The show lasted four seasons and featured an opening rap number that would score the adventures of Static on the show.

The Wayan Bros.

After their brothers, Keenan Ivory and Damon, made a name for themselves on Fox's In Living Color, Shawn and Marlon Wayans got an opportunity to star in a show of their own, The Wayans Bros. Over the show's four seasons on The WB network, the show's opening theme would include the classic A Tribe Called Quest song, "Electric Relaxation" to score their opening credits.

Nickelodeon's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012)

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been a pop culture fixture on American television, movies and comics for over 30 years. In 2012, the Turtles were given an official re-boot on television in one of the smartest and funniest adaptations of a children's television show in recent memory. The show also gave a hip-hop makeover to the show's iconic theme song from the original television series. It manages to pay homage to the show's 1980s roots while updating with a hip-hop tinge for a new era.

In Living Color

Fox's In Living Color was ground-breaking television for many reasons. Not only did it launch the careers of several successful actors and comedians such as Jim Carrey, Damon Wayans, Jamie Foxx, David Allan Grier and Jennifer Lopez but it was one of the first sketch shows to feature a cast that primarily consisted of African-Americans in television history. The show's opening theme was performed by popular hip-hop group, Heavy D & The Boyz, and was reflective of the show's ground-breaking diversity by employing hip-hop as the show's primary anthem.

Hammerman

During the height of MC Hammermania in 1991, Hammerman, a Saturday Morning Cartoon, about MC Hammer debuted on television. The cartoon was about a Youth Center worker who found a pair of magic shoes that would transform into a crime-fighting superhero by the name of Hammerman. The show only lasted thirteen episodes because it was aggressively ill-advised. However, MC Hammer would perform the show's opening theme song that featured a rap from the man who made parachute pants a thing.

New York Undercover

New York Undercover was a police drama that aired on Fox from 1994 to 1998. The show's central theme featured jazzy hip-hop influenced production composed and performed by noted soul musician, James Mtume, who provided the show it's score.

Kenan & Kel

Kenan & Kel was a spin-off of Nickelodeon's popular children's sketch show, All That, and was quite popular in it's own right, too. The show featured a young Keenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell as the show centered on the mischievous antics of the two teenagers. Coolio provided the show with it's central theme song as he delivered a G-Funk-influenced track to prime the viewers before the show.

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