old-school hip-hop artists
13 published old-school hip-hop artists, led by N.W.A., Ice-T and LL Cool J.
At a glance
13 published old-school hip-hop artists; 137 studio albums have verified cover art.
- Published artists0 tier 1 · 1 tier 2 · 12 tier 3
- 13
- Release groups
- 435
- Studio albums
- 141
- Albums with cover artverified Cover Art Archive
- 137
- Timeline events
- 195
- Average career spanfirst to last dated release
- 33.6 years
- Full biographies
- 13
- Biography words
- 31,694
When they started
Debut decade from each artist's earliest dated release. Most debuts fell in the 1980s (9 artists).
| Decade | Artists |
|---|---|
| 1980s | 9 |
| 1990s | 2 |
Where they come from
Countries with the most old-school hip-hop artists. United States leads with 10.
Often paired with
Genres that share artists with old-school hip-hop. The most shared is golden age hip-hop, with 8 artists in both.
Covers from old-school hip-hop
137 studio albums have verified cover art. The 12 shown come from the most famous artists.
Niggaz4Life
N.W.A. · 1991
Straight Outta Compton
N.W.A. · 1988
Criminal Migraine
Ice-T · 2026
Urban Legends
Ice-T · 2010
Gangsta Rap
Ice-T · 2006
7th Deadly Sin
Ice-T · 1999
VI: Return of the Real
Ice-T · 1996
Home Invasion
Ice-T · 1993
O.G. Original Gangster
Ice-T · 1991
The Iceberg / Freedom of Speech… Just Watch What You Say
Ice-T · 1989
Power
Ice-T · 1988
Rhyme Pays
Ice-T · 1987
Leaders
Too Short has the most release groups (90); Ice-T the longest career (43 years); LL Cool J the most awards (22).
Most prolific
| Artist | release groups |
|---|---|
| Too Short | 90 |
| KRS-One | 73 |
| LL Cool J | 65 |
| Ice-T | 54 |
| Pete Rock | 48 |
Longest careers
first to last dated release
| Artist | years |
|---|---|
| Ice-T | 43 |
| Too Short | 41 |
| Grandmaster Flash | 40 |
| LL Cool J | 39 |
| KRS-One | 38 |
Most decorated
| Artist | awards |
|---|---|
| LL Cool J | 22 |
| Ice-T | 6 |
| KRS-One | 4 |
| N.W.A. | 2 |
| Grandmaster Flash | 2 |
Most famous old-school hip-hop artists
N.W.A.
United States · Group · 1986–1991
hardcore hip-hop, gangsta rap, West Coast hip-hop, political hip-hop, old-school hip-hop
56 wikis
Ice-T
United States · Person · born 1958
heavy metal music, hardcore hip-hop, rap rock, gangsta rap, nu metal, rap metal, West Coast hip-hop, political hip-hop, old-school hip-hop, golden age hip-hop
49 wikis
LL Cool J
United States · Person · born 1968
contemporary R&B, pop rap, East Coast hip-hop, old-school hip-hop, golden age hip-hop
48 wikis
Grandmaster Flash
Barbados · Person · born 1958
funk, hip-hop, electro, old-school hip-hop, breakbeat
27 wikis
KRS-One
United States · Person · born 1965
hardcore hip-hop, East Coast hip-hop, gangsta rap, political hip-hop, conscious hip-hop, old-school hip-hop, golden age hip-hop, boom bap
36 wikis
Slick Rick
United Kingdom · Person · born 1965
hip-hop, East Coast hip-hop, old-school hip-hop, golden age hip-hop
25 wikis
Joseph Simmons
United States · Person · born 1964
hip-hop, rap rock, East Coast hip-hop, old-school hip-hop, golden age hip-hop
20 wikis
Too Short
United States · Person · born 1966
hardcore hip-hop, mafioso rap, gangsta rap, crunk, West Coast hip-hop, G-funk, dirty rap, old-school hip-hop, golden age hip-hop, hyphy
25 wikis
Arabian Prince
United States · Person · born 1965
funk, hip-hop, electro, gangsta rap, West Coast hip-hop, political hip-hop, G-funk, old-school hip-hop
22 wikis
Kool G Rap
United States · Person · born 1968
horrorcore, hardcore hip-hop, East Coast hip-hop, mafioso rap, gangsta rap, old-school hip-hop, golden age hip-hop, underground hip-hop
22 wikis
Pete Rock
United States · Person · born 1970
East Coast hip-hop, alternative hip-hop, jazz rap, old-school hip-hop, golden age hip-hop, experimental hip-hop, turntablism, instrumental hip-hop
19 wikis
Bogdan Titomir
Russia · Person · born 1967
pop music, rhythm and blues, hip-hop, synth-pop, electropop, house music, techno, old-school hip-hop
7 wikis
More old-school hip-hop artists
Showing 1–1 of 1 artists