The 102 Best Hip-Hop Party Songs

Our party playlist of the best hip-hop songs for a decent celebration includes 102 tracks guaranteed to get the crowd partying. Party hits from all decades of the still relatively young hip-hop history ensure the right song for everyone.

(At the end of the article, we have created a Spotify playlist for you with all the songs listed here.)

The best hip-hop party songs:

1. 2Pac feat. Dr. Dre, Roger Troutman – California Love (1995)

“California Love” is a song that is probably known to every hip-hop fan. The song was 2Pac’s comeback after his time in prison. It was also at this time that he moved to Death Row Records, Dr. Der’s Label.

The song is a declaration of love to her home state of California. Much like the track says, “California knows how to party,” the song is a party favorite with danceable beats and catchy rhymes. It was also one of 2Pac’s most successful songs and held the top position on the Billboard charts for two weeks.

2. Snoop Dogg feat. Pharrell – Drop It Like It’s Hot (2004)

Snoop Dogg landed his first number-one single on the charts with this track. U.S. magazine Billboard named “Drop it like it’s hot,” the most popular rap song of the decade in December 2009. The call to the famous dance move, which has been seen in various hip-hop videos since the 90s, is a real Earworm.

To loosen up a party, the rather unusual beat by Pharrell is a good choice.

3. Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz feat. Ying Yang Twins – Get Low (2002)

While the song didn’t make it past Beyoncé and Sean Paul in 2002, “Get Low” is nonetheless recognized as a Party hit a real success. Like a lot of party songs, it’s all about the freak on Dance.

Get Low is the request while dancing to dance down as far as possible. The voice of Lil Jon has an important influence on the popularity of the song, as well as the beat.

4. Missy Elliot – Get Your Freak On (2001)

“Get Your Freak On” was written and produced by Timbaland. Particularly noteworthy is the base. Here Timbaland has used an Indian music style from Punjab, which is called Banghra. Banghra is popular music and dance genre in India; the baseline consisting of six notes is also well received here.

The song is about letting the freak out and partying wildly. Is there a better party call?

5. House of Pain – Jump Around (1992)

It’s hard to believe that nobody wanted the beat of “Jump Around” at first. DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill originally composed it for his crew. They weren’t interested; Ice Cube also declined the offer.

That’s how it ended up being House of Pain’s lucky break. For VH1 it counts to the 100 greatest hip-hop hits of all time. Particularly distinctive is the squeaky sound that can be heard at the onset of almost every bar, for a total of 66 times! Some love it, some hate it, but it has recognition value.

The track’s content can be summed up quite well with the hook: stand up, jump around, and party!

6. Nelly – Hot In Herre (2002)

“Hot in Herre” is the song that comes to everyone’s mind first when asked spontaneously about a Nelly song. It was Nelly’s first number one hit on the Billboard charts and was produced by The Neptunes. Nelly won a Grammy in 2003 in the Best Male Rap Solo Performance category. The song was also voted #36 on VH1’s Greatest Hip-Hop Songs in 2008.

Hopefully, there comes the point (hopefully) when things get heated up. Nelly’s hit is a perfect introduction to this phase.

7. 50 Cent – In da Club (2003)

“In da Club” was the lead single from 50 Cent’s debut album “Get Rich or Die Tryin’.” The track was a huge success, earning 50 his first #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Rolling Stone ranked it number 13 of the best songs of the decade. As a party starter and to get into the groove, In da Club is excellent.

The song is about partying in the club and always a reason to party somewhere.

8. Notorious BIG – Hypnotize (1997)

“Hypnotize” was the first single from the album Life After Death by Notorious BIG. Ironically, the rapper died one week later at a Drive-by shooting died. The rapper became the 5. artist ever to posthumously make it to #1 on the Top 100 US charts. Rapper Sean Combs, then known as Puff Daddy, produced the track.

He used the beat from Herb Alpert’s 1979 hit Rise, among others, one of the most popular party songs of the year. Today, “Hypnotize” is also a popular party classic that people love to listen to.

9. Terror Squad – Lean Back (2004)

It’s almost impossible not to at least nod your head to “Lean Back.” The crew around Fat Joe delivered an uptempo hip-hop track in 2004, which is perfect for a party. In the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, the track could hold the number 1 position for three weeks in a row.

In the R&B charts, even for a whole month. The song is about the well-known picture observed in many clubs: Rappers don’t just dance; instead, Fat Joe and colleagues deliver rapper-worthy dance moves: the Rock-Away.

10. Outkast – Hey Ya! (2003)

The song “Hey Ya!” is the work of Andre3000, one of the two rappers from Outcast. One of the two lead singles of the double album “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.”

The song is atypical for a hip-hop track and takes many musical influences from rock, electro, soul, funk, and pop. Therein lies perhaps the charm of the song. It made it to the top of the charts in almost every country it was played in. Andre3000 describes his relationship in the piece, which satisfies him but does not conform to social norms.

It became a party hit because of the funky sound and the famous saying, “shake it like a polaroid picture.”

11. Run D.M.C., Jason Nevins – It’s Like That (1983)

A highlight for old-school hip-hop fans is Run D.M.C.’s debut single. The song takes up a rather difficult topic: life in the hood and people’s problems.

Yet it has stood the test of time as a party rap song and is one of the best-selling singles of all time. Many breakdancers danced to this song then and now, practicing their moves and celebrating.

12. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton – Can’t Hold Us (2011)

The song came out back in 2011 but took off in 2012. “Can’t Hold Us” was the second release from the debut album “The Heist.” A special strength is a beat and the piano line, which you can hardly escape. It’s strong, rousing, and high energy.

Worldwide, the track was very successful and made it into the top 10 charts in over 30 countries.

13. Azealia Banks ft. Lazy Jay – 212 (2011)

The debut single of the American rapper Azealia Banks is based on the song of the Belgian DJ Jef Martens and Lazy Jay. Lazy Jay re-produced the song for Azealia. The title is derived from the zip code of Manhattan, the home of Azealia.

In the song, hip-hop and house meet, a strong combo with many party potential. Although the song could only really show significant success in the U.K. area, the song is well worth considering.

14. N.E.R.D. – Everyone Nose (All The Girls Standing In The Line For The Bathroom) (2008)

In this song have joined N.E.R.D. Heavily influenced by Baltimore club music. This music movement originated in Baltimore in the ’80s and mixed various elements of hip-hop and house.

Chart-wise, “Everyone Nose” was not a notable success and stayed under the radar except for Japan and U.K. In the song, it is suggested that women powder their noses in the toilets of the clubs, not only with make-up. Contentwise and musically something different and therefore a consideration worth for the next party.

15. Timbaland ft. Keri Hilson – The Way I Are (2007)

As in some previously presented hits, “The Way I Are” mixed hip-hop and electro elements. The song is about loving someone for who they are, regardless of what they look like or their status.

The song was very successful worldwide, and it made it to the top spots in numerous countries from Oceania to Europe to North and South America. The danceable beat is probably one of its greatest strengths.

At the same time, this was also one of the criticisms of the song, as many felt reminded of Timbaland’s earlier works and missed the originality in the sound.

16. Eve – Tambourine (2007)

The song was Eve’s first single as a solo artist to chart in many years. In the Billboard Hot Rap Songs, the track landed at number 10. This was the best ranking Eve could achieve with the song.

In Germany, it only made number 78. “Tambourine” is a sample of “Blow Your Whistle” by The Soul Searchers from the ’70s, and Swiss Beatz produced it. The term “Tambourine” is, in this case, another euphemism for the butt.

So the call is: shake everything that the rear end can give!

17. Jay-Z feat. Kanye West – Ni***az in Paris (2011)

“Ni***az in Paris” is a song by Jay-Z and Kanye West from their joint album “Watch the Throne.” Although critics, especially Kanye’s part, highly praised the track, the song landed more in the upper-middle of the charts outside the U.S. and English-speaking regions. This is surprising because the single received a Grammy in Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song in 2013. Kanye West explained that his travels inspired the track to Paris.

As he explained in an interview, it’s about the contrast between the hood and Hollywood when art meets commerce. In addition to the excellent rap performance by both artists, it is once again the sound that convinces. Hit-Boy, who participated in the song’s production, previously beat rapper Pusha T.

However, he turned it down because it reminded him too much of the sound of a video game. As it turned out in the end, probably a big mistake of him.

18. Black Eyed Peas – I Gotta Feeling (2009)

“I Gotta Feeling” was the world’s most successful song of the 21. Century, until it was replaced by Pharrell Williams “Happy” in 2014. The track took the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for 14 weeks in a row. It was the second single from the studio album “The E.N.D.” from 2009.

All the Black Eyed Peas members participated in the song, and David Guetta and Frederick Riesterer as producers. The song is an absolute party anthem and a good warm-up to get the party rolling. The content is about a night you feel will be a great party night.

If you start the night with this feeling, the party can only be good, right?

19. DMX – X Gon’ Give It to Ya! (2003)

DMX provided “X Gon’ Give It to Ya” as the lead single for the soundtrack to the feature film “Born 2 Die”. It was also his most successful track worldwide.

It reached #13 in the U.S. rap charts, #6 in the U.K., and #23 in the German charts. After being quiet for a long time and probably only die-hard hip-hop fans remembered the track, the song gained popularity again in 2016. This year saw the release of the film “Deadpool,” and D.M.X.’s hit was used in the movie and was also featured in the trailer and T.V. commercials.

So the song was able to top its performance of 2003, and the sales figures increased. The track went platinum 14 years after its first release. For a party, the song is suitable because of the speed and the catchy beats with real headbanging potential.

20. M.O.P. – Ante Up (2000)

Although M.O.P. had been in the business for so many years, the song “Ante Up” from their fourth studio album Warriorz is considered their breakthrough single The phrase Ante Up is colloquial and means to go one better. With this track, M.O.P. points out their problem just described.

Despite their achievements, they never received the recognition they deserved until then. The music for the track is based on a sample from Soul Sister, Brown Sugar by Sam & Dave. This song is a party hit because of the rhythmic beats with solid recognition and the easy-to-song-along hook.

The remix version is highly recommended with Busta Rhymes, Tephlon, and Remy Martin.

The ranks 21-102 of the most popular hip-hop party songs:

Each song is linked to its music video via the title.

Hip-Hop Party Spotify playlist:

A party stands and falls with its music; this is also true for a hip-hop party. Essential ingredients for a successful hit are an excellent and danceable beat and vital rap parts. The presented songs meet these criteria and belong to the best of their genre.

Nothing stands in the way of the next hip-hop party!