We continue our celebration of hip-hop’s 50th with a deep dive on MCs—telling the story of their evolution through a series of audio specials, DJ mixes, and, of course, a handpicked collection of classic records and must-hear playlists.

In the beginning, the MC was just the guy in front of the DJ at the party. You’d make announcements, shout out your friends, tell a joke or two—the kind of stuff people do at parties whether they have a mic or not. Coke La Rock, the Bronx native often considered the pioneer of rapping, said he used to call out guys for having their cars double-parked so the girls at the party thought they had cars in the first place. (They didn’t.) We’ve come a long way. The classic boast-and-battle raps of artists like Roxanne Shanté and Kool Moe Dee evolved into the outsized personas of Biggie and JAY-Z. The consciousness-raising of rap precursors like The Last Poets became the righteous anger of KRS-One and, later, Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole. “Yes, yes, y’all” became the acrobatics of Rakim and verbal labyrinths of Nas. The rebels came, sometimes in mellow confidence (De La Soul), sometimes in mystic toughness (Wu-Tang Clan), each turn deepening our sense of what the music could convey. In the late ’80s, Public Enemy’s Chuck D famously called it Black America’s TV station. Less famous was the amendment he made about 10 years later: Hip-hop was the worldwide religion of people under 25. It’s a bold statement, but for an art form that started out as a Black subculture in New York City and has since become the dominant style in global pop, he might have a point. These are its preachers. Have a listen to Hip-Hop DNA, then explore a selection of playlists, albums, and more.

Have a listen to our original audio series on hip-hop’s foundational figures and storylines, hosted by Ebro.

• Origins

• Producers

• DJs