GENRE

Hip hop drum patterns.

From breakbeats looped on two turntables to sampled drums, programmed 808s and drill's sliding hats, hip hop rebuilt the beat around the loop.

772 grooves
5 styles
1979–2019
22 landmarks

Landmark records

22 of 22 grooves

1979
Hip hop
Rapper's Delight Open Rapper's Delight in a new tab
The Sugarhill Gang
First rap hit, cut in one take over a live-band replay of Chic's Good Times; disco-band drums under early recorded rap
1982
Hip hop
Planet Rock Open Planet Rock in a new tab
Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force
Swapped disco grooves for Roland TR-808 programming; founded electro and made the 808 a hip hop drum sound
1983
Hip hop
Sucker M.C.'s Open Sucker M.C.'s in a new tab
Run-DMC
Nothing but a loud Oberheim DMX pattern and scratches; the bare drum-machine beat that launched new-school rap
1986
Boom bap
The Bridge Open The Bridge in a new tab
MC Shan
Marley Marl samples and rearranges the Impeach the President break; cited as the first reconfigured drum-break sample
1992
Hip hop
Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang Open Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang in a new tab
Dr. Dre
G-funk: laid-back, mid-tempo drums under a Leon Haywood sample and synth lines; defined 90s West Coast rap
1992
Boom bap
They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)Open They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.) in a new tab
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth
Pete Rock's sax-led Tom Scott loop over a swung break; regularly ranked among hip hop's greatest beats
1993
Boom bap
C.R.E.A.M.Open C.R.E.A.M. in a new tab
Wu-Tang Clan
RZA's soul loop over hard, bass-heavy, unpolished drums; set the gritty mid-90s New York drum sound
1995
Boom bap
Shook Ones, Pt. II Open Shook Ones, Pt. II in a new tab
Mobb Deep
Havoc sequenced Daly-Wilson Big Band drums on an MPC60 under a slowed Herbie Hancock sample; peak hardcore boom bap
1997
Trap
Tear da Club Up '97 Open Tear da Club Up '97 in a new tab
Three 6 Mafia
Memphis blueprint: DJ Paul and Juicy J's dark, lo-fi 808 production and chanted hooks, a sound Atlanta trap later drew on
2001
Hip hop
Get Ur Freak On Open Get Ur Freak On in a new tab
Missy Elliott
Timbaland's syncopated tabla-and-drum pattern with bhangra elements; landmark of off-kilter late-90s/2000s programming
2002
Grime
Pulse X Open Pulse X in a new tab
Musical Mob (Youngstar)
ReBirth-sequenced 16-bar loop with no intro that drops to bare kick and snare; widely called grime's first beat
2002
Grime
Eskimo Open Eskimo in a new tab
Wiley
Archetype of Wiley's eskibeat: icy synths over awkward, off-kilter drums, first sold on white-label 12-inch
2003
Trap
24's Open 24's in a new tab
T.I.
DJ Toomp's lead single from Trap Muzik, the album T.I. says named the genre; hard 808 hits under a melodic loop
2003
Grime
I Luv U Open I Luv U in a new tab
Dizzee Rascal
Made at 16; a stuttering intro drops into a jerky, bass-heavy rhythm he linked to crunk and Three 6 Mafia
2010
Trap
Hard in da Paint Open Hard in da Paint in a new tab
Waka Flocka Flame
Lex Luger's breakout: brassy synths, rolling hi-hats and snare rolls over booming 808s, the template for 2010s trap
2012
Drill
I Don't Like Open I Don't Like in a new tab
Chief Keef ft. Lil Reese
Young Chop's debut-single beat: ominous synths, heavy 808s and busy, rattling snares that fixed the Chicago drill sound
2012
Drill
Love Sosa Open Love Sosa in a new tab
Chief Keef
Young Chop's synth-brass and bell beat with crashes and busy snares, the classic Chicago kit; often called Keef's signature
2013
Trap
Versace Open Versace in a new tab
Migos
Zaytoven-produced debut single credited with taking the triplet 'Versace flow' mainstream over a spare 808-and-hat grid
2014
Drill
Live Corn Open Live Corn in a new tab
67 (LD)
LD's first track under that name; 67 are credited as UK drill's founders, steering the sound toward a homegrown style
2014
Grime
That's Not Me Open That's Not Me in a new tab
Skepta ft. JME
Skepta's deliberate throwback to early grime with an 80-pound video; Complex's most impactful grime song of the 2010s
2017
Drill
Kennington Where It Started Open Kennington Where It Started in a new tab
Harlem Spartans
Kennington anthem fans credit with taking UK drill mainstream in early 2017
2019
Drill
Welcome to the Party Open Welcome to the Party in a new tab
Pop Smoke
British producer 808Melo's UK-style drill beat under a Brooklyn voice; credited with bringing drill to the US mainstream