HIP-HOP AT 50: DISCOGS BREAKS IT DOWN

For a genre that's still relatively young, hip-hop has an intricately layered history stretching back to the 1970s. As the hip-hop at 50 celebrations continue, Discogs, an online database and marketplace of music releases, has defined 10 different eras with 50 essential listens. So get out your Kangols and shell toes—we're going on a deep dive.

The Old School (1979-1983) category consists of the usual suspects: The Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight," Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five's "The Message," Kurtis Blow's "The Breaks," Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew's "The Show/La Di Da Di" and Afrika Bambaataa & the Soulsonic Force's "Planet Rock."

The Golden Age (1983-1997)—often heralded as the genre's best and most creative era—features records by A Tribe Called Quest, Black Sheep, KRS-One, De La Soul and Eric B. & Rakim, while The Conscious Wave (1983-2000) encompasses Nas, Black Star, Common, Public Enemy and Jay-Z. Gangsta rap defines The East vs. West category, with Dr. Dre, 2Pac, Snoop Dogg, Wu-Tang Clan and The Notorious B.I.G. leading the pack.

Remaining designations include The Rise of Southern Rap (Geto Boys, Outkast), The Bling Era (Ja Rule, Missy Elliott), The Conscious Resurgence (Kendrick Lamar, Lupe Fiasco), The Blog Era (Drake, Nicki Minaj), The Alternative Revival (Childish Gambino, Tyler, The Creator) and The Rise of Trap (Migos, Travis Scott). Click here for the full list while we scrounge up our couch change in hopes of copping at least one of those essential releases.