There are a lot of things that are hard to believe about “Hip-Hop” when retrospectively looking back on the song. It’s hard to believe that its undeniably sharp beat once became the intro to a sketch show on Comedy Central (one of the best of all time, mind you). It’s hard to believe that over the years it has become a standard sample amongst mainstream remixes and mashups. It’s also hard to believe that the song has become a party anthem despite its aggressive lyrics aimed at anti-authoritative, violent themes and the over-commercialization of art (though who can resist bouncing to it, honestly). But what’s even harder to believe for me is that the song is damn near 10 years old.

I can recall having a classmate use “Hip-Hop” in an English assignment in high school, and while I was sitting there I thought to myself, “is this guy serious?” Not that I doubted him, thought the teacher would be offended, or that I was some kind of hater… but we were all white, and (shhhh…) Dead Prez use the word “nigga” in the song (see: Chris Rock’s “Dr. Dre Rules” bit [1:25]). Then again I think I used a track from Rollins Band for the same project, so maybe I was hating… call it a revisionist’s history, if you will. Regardless, the song’s themes are still vital and relevant and “Hip-Hop” remains as strong both lyrically and musically today as it did then. Also, throw out race, shape, or form for a moment: the video ends with the album’s title, which is something I think we can all get behind: Let’s Get Free.

Dead Prez “Hip-Hop” (mp3)

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Also: More from Culture Bully’s Best of the Decade