So far in the our chronology, we’ve posted a list of ‘Notable Releases’ for each year from 1979 through to 1983, which has been as complete a record of the releases for that year as we have been able to compile. As we hit the mid 80s the number of hip hop releases in any given year has grown to a size that makes that impractical so we’re going slim the annual list down to a “best of” and borrow from a reliable source, Ego Trip’s good old Book of Rap Lists. Here’s their top 40 rap singles of 1984:
1. T La Rock & Jazzy Jay - It’s Yours
2. LL Cool J - I Need A Beat
3. Run DMC - Rock Box
4. UTFO - Rock Box
5. Whodini - Friends / Five Minutes Of Funk
6. Roxanne Shante - Roxanne’s Revenge
7. Kurtis Blow - 8 Million Stories / AJ Skratch
8. Davy DMX - One For The Treble (Fresh)
9. Cold Crush Brothers - Fresh, Fly, Wild & Bold
10. The World Famous Supreme Team - Hey DJ
11. Whodini - Freaks Come Out At Night
12. Disco 3 - Fat Boys / Human Beat Box
13. Divine Sounds - What People Do For Money
14. Afrika Bambaataa & James Brown - Unity
15. Freddy B & The Mighty Mic Masters - The Main Event
16. Fat Boys - Jailhouse Rap
17. Newcleus - Jam On It
18. Grandmaster Melle Mel - Beat Street Breakdown
19. The Furious Five feat Cowboy, Grandmaster Melle Mel & Scorpio - Step Off
20. Kurtis Blow - Basketball
21. Grandmixer DST - Megamix II (Why Is It Fresh?)
22. Chuck Chillout - Hip Hop On Wax Volume 1
23. Kool DJ Red Alert - Hip Hop On Wax Volume 2
24. Fat Boys - Can You Feel It?
25. Donald D - Don’s Groove
26. Pumpkin & The Profile All-Stars - Here Comes The Beat!
27. Doug E Fresh featuring DJs Chill Will & Barry Bee - Just Having Fun
28. Doug E Fresh - Original Human Beat Box
29. Trecherous Three - Turning You On
30. Master OC & Krazy Eddie featuring Peso & Tito of the Fearless Four & Main Attraction - Masters of the Scratch
31. Dr Jeckyll & Mr Hyde - Fast Life / A.M P.M
32. Cutmaster DC - That’s Life
33. Captain Rock - Cosmic Blast
34. DJ Hollywood - Hollywood’s Message
35. Lovebug Starski - Starski Live at the Fever Pt II
36. Ultimate 3 MCs - What Are We Gonna Do?
37. Awesome Foursome - Funky Breakdown
38. Just Four - Games Of Life
39. Frederick “MC Count” Linton - I’m Somebody Else’s Guy
40. Masterdon Committee - Paid The Cost To Be The Boss