The Most Influential Hip Hop Pioneers By Beau Iverson [16 more lists]

The hip hop music industry has seen many influential acts and businessman over the years. Some have had more of an impact than others, making them the most influential hip hop pioneers. This list includes both past and present names that have helped mold the genre into what it is today.

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1

Grandmaster Flash

Grandmaster Flash of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five is probably the most influential hip hop name on this list. He has the distinction of being the first hip hop/rap artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and he was also the mastermind behind three DJing techniques that are still widely used today: the backspin technique, punch phrasing and scratching.

Grandmaster Flash's albums include Super Rappin, The Message, They Said It Couldn't Be Done and The Bridge: Concept of a Culture.
2

Run-D.M.C.

After Grandmaster Flash, the most influential hip hop pioneers are Run-D.M.C., which included members Joseph "Run" Simmons, Daryl "D.M.C." McDaniels and Jason "Jam-Master Jay" Mizell. Run-D.M.C. was the second group to ever be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They were also the first group in hip hop to get a Gold record and be nominated for Grammy.

Run-D.M.C.'s biggest hits include "Walk This Way", "It's Tricky", "Down with the King" and "My Adidas".
3

Public Enemy

Public Enemy is a hip hop group that formed in 1982 and is still active today. It's past and current members include Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Professor Griff, the S1W, DJ Lord, Daniel Mcgowan, Khari Wynn, Terminator X, The Bomb Squad and Brian Hardgrove. Like Run-D.M.C., Billboard Magazine lists Public Enemy as one of the great artists of all time. They are also a Long Island Music Hall of Fame inductee.

Public Enemy's biggest hits include "Fight the Power", "911 is a Joke", "Can't Truss 'Em" and "Shut 'Em Down".
4

N.W.A.

N.W.A, or N***az Wit Attitudes, was a hip hop group that was active from 1986 until 1991. It's members included Arabian Prince, DJ Yella, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube and MC Ben. Both Dr. Dre and Ice Cube went on to have highly successful careers as solo artists in the hip hop genre. Ice Cube even made it big in the film industry.

N.W.A. was ranked #83 on Rolling Stones' 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. They're hit songs include ""Straight Outta Compton"", ""Gangsta Gangsta"", ""Always Into Somethin"" and ""Chin Check"".
5

Beastie Boys

The Beastie Boys released their first hip hop album, Cooky Puss, in 1983, but didn't make their official transition into the hip hop until 1984. They are one of the longest living hip hop acts in the world. In addition, Rolling Stone included them on two separate lists. Their song "Sabotage" clocks in at #475 on the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, while the group, as a whole, clocks in at #77 of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

Their other hit songs include "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)", "Intergalatic" and "Brass Monkey", to name a few.
6

Sean Combs

When you think of hip hop moguls, or most influential hip hop pioneers, a name that instantly comes to mind is Sean Combs, aka Puff Daddy, P Diddy and Diddy. Over the course of his career, Combs has worked with a multitude of famous names, including The Notorious B.I.G., Faith Evans, 112, Danity Kane, Mase and Christina Aguilera.

In addition, Combs is the founder of Bad Boy Records, and he has two clothing lines. He also owns a movie company and two restaurants. Lets not forget he was also the producer for several seasons of the Making the Band. To say this mean is a rip roaring success in the hip hop world would be an understatement.

His hit songs include "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down", "I'll Be Missing You", "It's All About the Benjamins" and "Tell Me".
7

Jay Z

Shawn Corey Carter, or Jay-Z, as he's more commonly known as, is another heavy hitter in the hip hop world. Like Sean Combs, he's worked with numerous musical acts over the course of his career, including his wife Beyonce, Linkin Park, Fort Minor, Lenny Kravitz, Ne-Yo, Akon, Kanye West and Diddy.

In addition to his hip hop career, both as a performer and producer, Jay-Z is also the founder of clothing company Rocawear, part owner of the New Jersey Nets and co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records. He's also the co-owner of the 40/40 Club. Is there anything this man doesn't have his hand in?

Jay-Z's biggest hits include "Hard Knock Life", "I Just Wanna Love You (Give it to Me)", "Big Pimpin", "03 Bonnie & Clyde", "Excuse Me Miss" and "Empire State of Mind".
8

Russell Simmons

Russell Simmons is another huge name in the hip hop industry. He is the co-founder of Def Jam, which is one of the biggest record companies in the hip hop world. They've signed some of the biggest names around, including LL Cool J, the Beastie Boys, Foxy Brown, Dru Hill, Sisqo and many, many more.

In addition to his work with Def Jam, Simmons is also involved in a multitude of other ventures, just like Sean Combs and Jay-Z. His other endeavors include a management company, a movie production house, various television shows, the Phat Farm clothing company, a magazine and the Globalgrind.com hip hop website.

Showing items 1 - 5 of 8

Grandmaster Flash

Run-D.M.C.

Public Enemy

N.W.A.

Beastie Boys

Sean Combs

Jay Z

Russell Simmons