🎤 Hip-Hop & Street Revolution Chronological History Timeline
Poetic street journalism, groundbreaking breaks, and the culture-defining flow of lyrical titans who built a global movement.
Chronological Timeline (161 Entries)
- [1939] Woody Guthrie — He worked at the Los Angeles radio station KFVD, achieving some fame from playing hillbilly music, befriended Will Geer and John Steinbeck, and wrote a column for the communist newspaper People's World from May 1939 to January 1940.
- [1954] Ahmed Rushdi — In 1954, he recorded the official National Anthem of Pakistan with several other singers.
- [1975] Walker Percy — He also wrote nonfiction on semiotics and existentialism, including The Message in the Bottle (1975) and Lost in the Cosmos (1983).
- [1985] A Tribe Called Quest — A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip-hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985, originally composed of rapper and main producer Q-Tip, rapper Phife Dawg, DJ and co-producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and rapper Jarobi White.
- [1985] Will Smith — The duo released five studio albums between 1985 to 1994, which contained five US Billboard Hot 100 top 20 singles—"Parents Just Don't Understand", "A Nightmare on My Street", "Summertime", "Ring My Bell", and "Boom!
- [1986] Beastie Boys — In 1986, they released their debut album, Licensed to Ill.
- [1986] Chaka Khan — More of Khan's hits include "Through the Fire" and a 1986 collaboration with Steve Winwood that produced a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100, "Higher Love".
- [1986] Eric B. & Rakim — & Rakim were an American hip-hop duo formed on Long Island, New York, in 1986, composed of DJ Eric B.
- [1987] Buju Banton — Banton released several dancehall singles as early as 1987 but came to prominence in 1992 with two albums, Stamina Daddy and Mr.
- [1988] MC Hammer — After signing a contract with Capitol Records, Hammer released his second album Let's Get It Started in 1988, which became his first multi-platinum hit.
- [1988] MF Doom — His musical journey began in 1988 as a member of the hip-hop trio KMD, where he performed under the name Zev Love X.
- [1988] Shin Hae-chul — Shin and his band Muhangwedo debuted at the 1988 MBC Campus Music Festival, where the band won first place for the song "To You.
- [1989] DC Talk — They released several foundational albums, beginning with the self-titled debut in 1989.
- [1989] Ice Cube — , where he co-wrote the seminal album Straight Outta Compton in 1989.
- [1989] Nas — The son of jazz musician Olu Dara, Nas began his musical career in 1989 under the moniker "Nasty Nas", and recorded demos under the wing of fellow East Coast rapper Large Professor.
- [1990] Mark Wahlberg — He gained fame as a member of the hip hop group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch in the 1990s, with whom he released the albums Music for the People (1991) and You Gotta Believe (1992).
- [1991] Eazy-E — A released its final studio effort, *Niggaz4Life*, in 1991, leading to the group's eventual dissolution.
- [1992] Black Eyed Peas — Black Eyed Peas are an American musical group formed in Los Angeles in 1992, composed of rappers will.
- [1992] Body Count (band) — Body Count's self-titled debut album was released on Sire Records in 1992, and garnered much attention due to a controversy around the song "Cop Killer".
- [1992] Rage Against the Machine — Rage Against the Machine released their self-titled debut album in 1992 to acclaim; in 2020, Rolling Stone ranked it number 221 on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
- [1992] Ryuichi Sakamoto — Sakamoto composed music for the opening ceremony of the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympic Games, and his composition "Energy Flow" (1999) was the first instrumental number-one single in Japan's Oricon charts history.
- [1993] Coachella — The origins of the festival trace back to a 1993 concert that Pearl Jam performed at the Empire Polo Club while boycotting venues controlled by Ticketmaster.
- [1994] Outkast — They released their debut studio album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik in 1994, which gained popularity after its single "Player's Ball" peaked atop the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart.
- [1995] Daddy Yankee — In 1995, he independently released his debut studio album No Mercy.
- [1995] Tiger JK — In 1995, Tiger JK's first solo album, Enter The Tiger, was released in Korea by Oasis Records, a connection Tiger JK had made because his father was friends with the company's CEO.
- [1996] Jang Woo-hyuk — He debuted in 1996 as a member of the best-selling K-pop boy band H.
- [1997] Aaron Carter — He released his self-titled debut album in 1997 at age nine, selling one million copies worldwide.
- [1997] Boom (entertainer) — He debuted in 1997 with the group Key with the first album Key.
- [1997] Erykah Badu — Her debut album, Baduizm, released in 1997, immediately positioned her at the vanguard of the neo soul genre.
- [1997] Eun Ji-won — Eun Jiwon debuted under Sechs Kies on April 15, 1997 with their first single, "School Anthem" on the program KMTV Show!
- [1997] Lee Jai-jin (musician, born 1979) — Lee debuted as a member of Sechs Kies, signed under Daesung Entertainment, in 1997.
- [1997] Lil Wayne — then formed the Southern hip-hop group Hot Boys with labelmates Juvenile and Turk in 1997, and released their debut album, Get It How U Live!
- [1997] Yoo Seung-jun — He debuted in South Korea in 1997 with the song "Gawi" and became one of the country's most popular K-pop stars at the time.
- [1998] Eric Mun — On March 24, 1998, with the stage name Eric, he debuted as leader and main rapper of group Shinhwa with their single "해결사" (The Solver) on KM Music Tank.
- [1998] Jun Jin — He debuted as a dancer and rapper in Shinhwa in 1998 but started singing small parts in 2002; the release of Shinhwa's fifth album.
- [1998] Lauryn Hill — Her debut solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998), debuted atop the Billboard 200 with the highest first-week sales for a female artist at the time and became the first recording by a female rapper to be certified diamond.
- [1998] MC Mong — MC Mong debuted in 1998 as a member of hip hop group People Crew.
- [1998] Yuichi Nakamaru — He joined the talent agency Johnny & Associates in 1998 and then officially debuted as part of KAT-TUN in 2006, group to which he belonged until its disbandment in April 2025.
- [1999] Destiny's Child — They then released their best-selling album, The Writing's on the Wall (1999), which spawned the US Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles "Bills, Bills, Bills" and "Say My Name".
- [1999] Missy Elliott — Her second album, Da Real World (1999), produced the singles "She's a Bitch", "All n My Grill" (featuring Big Boi and Nicole Wray), and "Hot Boyz" (remixed...
- [1999] Slick Rick — " Following legal troubles, he released albums such as The Ruler's Back and Behind Bars before achieving a notable comeback with The Art of Storytelling in 1999.
- [2000] Bilal (American singer) — Starting out at a major label, Bilal debuted with his popular R&B single "Soul Sista" in 2000, but turned to playing jazz venues and recording more progressive soul music in subsequent years.
- [2000] Bow Wow (rapper) — As Lil' Bow Wow, his debut studio album, Beware of Dog (2000), was released at the age of 13, and followed by his second album, Doggy Bag (2001).
- [2000] Jang Hyuk — Using the stage name "TJ", he had a brief career as a rapper and acted in several music videos from his rap album TJ Project, which was released in 2000.
- [2000] Kim Jae-duck — However they suddenly disbanded in 2000 and performed for the final time at the Dream Concert that May at the Seoul Olympic Stadium.
- [2000] Lil Jon — Having been credited on most crunk releases throughout the 2000s, Lil Jon produced several of the genre's Billboard Hot 100 hits including "Salt Shaker" by Ying Yang Twins, "Cyclone" by Baby Bash, "Damn!
- [2001] Haha (entertainer) — He signed to Seoul Records and debuted as a singer and rapper in 2001 with the hip-hop group, Z-kiri.
- [2001] Jay-Z — His 11 subsequent albums, including The Blueprint (2001), The Black Album (2003), American Gangster (2007), and 4:44 (2017), have each debuted atop the Billboard 200.
- [2001] Kim Ji-seok (actor) — Kim Bo-seok debuted in 2001 as a rapper in the five-member Eurodance boyband LEO (리오), formed to capitalize on the success of then-popular boyband g.
- [2001] Ryohei Chiba — W-inds released their debut single, "Forever Memories", in 2001.
- [2002] Sean Paul — Sean Paul achieved significant global recognition with his second album, Dutty Rock, released in 2002.
- [2003] Kraftwerk — Kraftwerk released Tour de France Soundtracks, its most recent studio and concept album, in 2003.
- [2003] Lee Chae-young — She debuted in a music video called "Come On" by the Hip-hop group Turtles in 2003.
- [2003] Lee Min-woo — Lee was the first Shinhwa member to debut as a solo artist in 2003, and has since released three studio albums.
- [2004] John Legend — He was the first artist to sign with rapper Kanye West's GOOD Music, through which he released his debut studio album, Get Lifted (2004).
- [2005] Calle 13 (band) — In 2005, Calle 13 released its eponymously titled debut album, which included the singles "Se Vale Tó-Tó" and "¡Atrévete-te-te!
- [2005] Kim Hyung-jun — Kim Hyung-jun debuted as a youngest member of SS501 on June 8, 2005, along with their debut album entitled Warning.
- [2005] Kim Ki-bum — Kim debuted in 2005 as a member of Super Junior and after the release of Super Junior's third studio album Sorry, Sorry in 2009, Kim halted his activities with the group due to his acting career.
- [2005] Kim Kyu-jong — Kim Kyu Jong debuted as a member of SS501 on June 8, 2005, along with their debut album entitled Warning.
- [2005] Lee Jae-won (singer) — In 2005, Lee released his first solo album, No Pain, No Gain.
- [2005] Nam Hyun-joon — Nam released a song titled 'Lion's Roar' in 2005 which lyrically describes his hardship and determination for dance.
- [2005] Park Jeong-min (actor) — In 2005, Park enrolled in Liberal Arts at the prestigious Korea University and subsequently dropped out with the intention to become a filmmaker.
- [2006] Bae Seul-ki — With the success of "Tomboy," her record company quickly released her second digital single in December 2006.
- [2006] Birdman (rapper) — Apart from his solo work and five releases as part of Big Tymers, Birdman is best known for his discovery and mentorship of fellow New Orleans rapper Lil Wayne, with whom he released the collaborative album, Like Father, Like Son (2006).
- [2006] Gims — In 2006, he released an extended play, titled Ceux qui dorment les yeux ouverts.
- [2006] May J. — Released July 12, 2006, under Neosite Discs, the hip-hop division of Sony's Ki/oon Records, the music of her debut mini-album All My Girls was billed by her label as "Jennifer Lopez/Beyoncé style music which has never before existed in Japan.
- [2007] Han Seung-yeon — After returning to South Korea, she debuted as a member of girl group Kara on March 29, 2007.
- [2007] Park Sung-kwang — Park debuted on Gag Concert in the skit, "Concentrate on Debate" (집중토론) as the objector, in 2007.
- [2007] Skepta — Skepta released his debut studio albums, Greatest Hits in 2007 and Microphone Champion in 2009, independently before releasing Doin' It Again in 2011.
- [2008] Choi Min-ho — In May 2008, he debuted as a member of South Korean boy band Shinee which later became one of the best-selling Korean artists.
- [2008] David Foster Wallace — In 2008, David Ulin wrote in the Los Angeles Times that Wallace was "one of the most influential and innovative writers of the last twenty years".
- [2008] Hiromi Go — Go featured Japanese hip hop musician Dohzi-T in his R&B-style song "Kimi Dake o," released on May 14, 2008.
- [2008] Jurina Matsui — Matsui debuted with SKE48 in 2008 and was soon appointed as the center position for AKB48's single "Ōgoe Diamond", making her the first sister group member to participate and serve as the choreography center in the group's main single lineup.
- [2008] Lee Min-hyuk (rapper, born 1990) — In 2008–2009, alongside other underground artists Block B's Zico (then Nacseo) and Park Kyung (then Holke), they released a mixtape track "Nar.
- [2008] Ok Taec-yeon — In 2008, he debuted as the rapper of the South Korean boy band 2PM.
- [2009] G.O (singer) — The group debuted on 9 October 2009 at Rain's Legend of Rainism concert where they performed various songs from their then-unreleased single album Just BLAQ.
- [2009] Go Woo-ri — On November 12, 2009, Woori debuted as the main rapper of the girl group Rainbow with the release of extended play Gossip Girl.
- [2009] Kim Jung-ah — In the beginning on 2009, After School released debut single album New Schoolgirl, with the lead single "AH!
- [2009] Lee Gi-kwang — He originally debuted as solo singer with the stage name AJ (Ace Junior), releasing his first mini album First Episode: A New Hero on April 4, 2009.
- [2009] Park Kyung — Park debuted in 2009 with the digital single "The Letter" as duo with Zico.
- [2009] Raina (singer) — Raina debuted with the group in November 2009 following the release of the group's third single, "Because of You".
- [2009] Yoon Doo-joon — Yoon debuted as a leader of Beast in 2009.
- [2010] Drake (musician) — Drake's debut album, Thank Me Later (2010), debuted atop the Billboard 200 and included his breakthrough hit "Best I Ever Had".
- [2010] Gil Scott-Heron — " Scott-Heron remained active until his death and in 2010 released his first new album in 16 years, titled I'm New Here.
- [2010] Gorillaz — Their fourth album, The Fall, was recorded on the road (mainly on Damon Albarn's iPad) during the Escape to Plastic Beach Tour and released on 25 December 2010.
- [2010] Hoya (singer) — Hoya debuted as rapper, vocal and main dancer of South Korean boyband Infinite in 2010.
- [2010] Jang Dong-woo — Dongwoo debuted as a member of South Korean boy group Infinite in 2010.
- [2010] Lee Jung-shin — He is the bassist of South Korean rock band CNBLUE, which debuted in January 2010 in South Korea.
- [2010] Miliyah Kato — Her fifth studio album Heaven (2010) debuted atop on the Oricon chart and has yielded two platinum singles, "Why" and "Last Love".
- [2010] Ryu Hyo-young — The group debuted on September 30, 2010.
- [2010] Tony An — In September 2010, An completed his 2-year army duty and released a new song, "Going To Meet You Now".
- [2011] Baro (entertainer) — On April 20, 2011, B1A4 released their debut Track "OK" and mini album "Let's Fly", making their debut on April 23, 2011 on MBC's Show!
- [2011] Kangnam (singer) — His solo song, "Say My Name", was released on 17 October 2011, as part of a spin-off promotion to prove that each member was capable of standing alone.
- [2011] Kim Jong-hyeon — In December 2011, Kim and the other Pledis trainees dubbed as After School Boys performed together with After School on SBS Gayo Daejeon.
- [2012] Anda (singer) — In 2012, Anda debuted as Andamiro under Trophy Entertainment with the dance single "Don't Ask" featuring Yang Dong-geun.
- [2012] Azealia Banks — Banks has released three mixtapes (Fantasea in 2012, Slay-Z in 2016, and Yung Rapunxel Pt.
- [2012] Bang Yong-guk — P released their first single in January 2012.
- [2012] Chun Myung-hoon — He released his single, Welcome To The Jungle on October 19, 2012.
- [2012] Jay B — After starring in the drama series Dream High 2 in 2012, he debuted as a singer first in South Korean duo JJ Project, then, two years later, in boy band Got7, for which he serves as the leader.
- [2012] Jung Il-hoon — Jung debuted as the main rapper of the boy group BtoB in 2012.
- [2012] Lee Hong-bin — He debuted as a member of the South Korean boy group VIXX in May 2012, and began his acting career in 2014 in SBS' romantic drama Glorious Day as Yoo Ji-ho.
- [2012] N (singer) — He debuted as a member of the South Korean boy band VIXX in May 2012.
- [2012] Nicki Minaj — She explored dance-pop on her second US number-one album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012), which produced the top-five single, "Starships".
- [2012] Yoon Bo-ra — As part of Mystic White, Bora released the charity song "Mermaid Princess" on December 26, 2012.
- [2013] Eminem — Each of his subsequent releases—The Marshall Mathers LP 2 (2013), Revival (2017), Kamikaze (2018), Music to Be Murdered By (2020), and The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) (2024)—has debuted atop the US Billboard 200 chart.
- [2013] Kwon Mina — In 2013, Kwon debuted as an actress with the KBS2 drama special Adolescence Medley, where she played Yoon Jin-yeong.
- [2013] Lee Don-ku (director) — He wrote and directed Fatal (2013) and Entangled (2014).
- [2013] Pharrell Williams — Williams's 2013 single, "Happy"—released for the soundtrack to Despicable Me 2—became his second song to peak atop the chart that same year.
- [2013] Travis Scott — Scott self-released his first full-length project, a mixtape titled Owl Pharaoh in 2013, which was followed by his second mixtape, Days Before Rodeo (2014).
- [2013] Yong Jun-hyung — As a solo artist, he released one extended play, Flower (2013), and one full-length album, Goodbye 20's (2018).
- [2014] BTS — BTS released their first Korean and Japanese-language studio albums, Dark & Wild and Wake Up respectively, in 2014.
- [2014] Joji (musician) — As Pink Guy, he released two comedy studio albums, Pink Guy and Pink Season, as well as an extended play, between 2014 and 2017.
- [2014] Kim Jin-woo (musician) — The band debuted on August 12, 2014, with the full-length album entitled 2014 S/S.
- [2014] Kim Min-jae (actor, born 1996) — Kim debuted as an actor in 2014 in a joint South Korean-Vietnamese drama Forever Young.
- [2014] Lee Jun-young — Lee Jun-young (Korean: 이준영; born January 22, 1997), also known as Jun, is a South Korean singer, rapper and actor who debuted as a member of the boy band U-KISS in 2014.
- [2014] Lee Seung-hoon (rapper) — Lee debuted with Winner on August 17, 2014, after the band competed and were titled as the victors of WIN: Who is Next (2013), and as a soloist on July 15, 2024.
- [2014] Red Velvet (group) — They originally debuted on August 1, 2014, with the single "Happiness" with the four-member line-up of Irene, Seulgi, Wendy, and Joy.
- [2014] Zizo (rapper) — He released his first EP, Nice Service 1/2, on July 1, 2014.
- [2015] Big Sean — " Furthermore, his 2015 release, Dark Sky Paradise, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, supported by the hit "I Don't Fuck with You.
- [2015] Lee Jin-hyuk — He debuted as a member of South Korean boy band UP10TION in 2015.
- [2015] Niel (singer) — Niel released his first solo EP titled oNiely on February 16, 2015.
- [2015] One (rapper) — He debuted in 2015 as a member of the former hip-hop duo 1Punch with Kim Samuel.
- [2015] Samuel (singer) — In 2015, Samuel debuted as a part of hip-hop duo named 1Punch (with rapper One) under a collaboration between Brave Entertainment and D-Business Entertainment, taking "Punch" as his stage name.
- [2016] Jeno (singer) — Jeno officially debuted in August 2016 as a member of South Korean boy band NCT through the sub-units NCT Dream and NCT JNJM.
- [2016] Jeon Ji-yoon — She debuted as a solo artist on November 2, 2016, under the stage name Jenyer, with the release of her debut digital single, "I Do".
- [2016] Kim Youngbin — He debuted with group SF9 on October 5, 2016, with their debut album Feeling Sensation, featuring their first single "Fanfare".
- [2016] Nancy (singer) — The group also performed at the 2016 SBS Gayo Daejeon on December 26.
- [2016] Yeo One — He debuted as a vocalist in a South Korean boy group Pentagon in October 2016.
- [2017] Alexander Lee (entertainer) — In 2017, he debuted in the Philippines as the main character in the 105-episode television series My Korean Jagiya.
- [2017] Bebe Rexha — Rexha released two additional EPs in 2017: All Your Fault: Pt.
- [2017] BM (rapper) — The group unveiled the first part of its debut project on December 13 with the release of their first single "Oh NaNa", and officially debuted on July 19, 2017, with their first EP Hola Hola.
- [2017] Brent Faiyaz — The following year, Faiyaz released his debut studio album, Sonder Son (2017).
- [2017] Bryson Tiller — His second studio album, True to Self (2017), debuted atop the Billboard 200, while his third album, Anniversary (2020) peaked at number five.
- [2017] Choi Yoo-jung (singer) — Following disbandment, she returned to her respective agency and eventually debuted with Weki Meki in August 2017.
- [2017] Jeong Se-woon — He debuted as solo artist with released the first part of his debut EP Ever on August 31, 2017.
- [2017] Kang Mi-na — They debuted with the single "Ice Chu" on August 10, 2017.
- [2017] Kwon Hyun-bin — In October 2017, JBJ debuted with their first extended play Fantasy.
- [2017] Lee Tae-vin — He was a member of the boy group Myteen debuted in 2017, he is known for his best acting in The Penthouse: War in Life, 365: Repeat the Year, and Love for Loves Sake.
- [2017] Shin Jun-seop — He was a member of the boy group Myteen debuted in 2017.
- [2017] Tom Hardy — He also created, co-produced, and starred in the series Taboo (2017).
- [2018] ASAP Rocky — His third album, Testing (2018), debuted within the Billboard 200's top five, while his fourth album, Don't Be Dumb (2026), debuted atop the chart.
- [2018] Bang Jae-min — He debuted as an actor on Top Management (2018).
- [2018] Benny Blanco — In July 2018, Blanco released his debut single as a lead artist, "Eastside" (with Halsey and Khalid).
- [2019] Ani DiFranco — DiFranco released a memoir, No Walls and the Recurring Dream, on May 7, 2019, via Viking Books and made The New York Times Best Seller list.
- [2019] DaBaby — His second studio album, Kirk (2019), debuted atop the Billboard 200 and spawned the hit singles "Intro" and "Bop".
- [2019] Donald Glover — He provided the voice of adult Simba in The Lion King (2019), and produced the short film Guava Island (2019), in which he starred.
- [2019] Kim Hee-chul — Heechul debuted as a solo singer in 2019 with the digital single "Old Movie".
- [2019] Kim Se-yong — He released his first mini-album Connection independent from Myname in Japan in May 2019.
- [2019] Park Jae-chan — Jaechan officially debuted as a member of Dongkiz with the release of their single album, Dongkiz on the Block, on April 24, 2019.
- [2019] Yoon Hyun-suk — He is a former member of the boy group CIX debuted in 2019.
- [2020] 6ix9ine — In April 2020, he was put on house arrest for the remainder of his sentence and was released that August.
- [2020] Bobby Sessions — A major career highlight came in 2020 when he co-wrote the Grammy-winning single, "Savage," featuring Beyoncé.
- [2020] Choi Hyun-suk — As a member of boy band Treasure, Choi debuted on August 7, 2020, with the single album entitled The First Step: Chapter One.
- [2020] Kai (entertainer, born 1994) — He debuted as a soloist on November 30, 2020, with his first extended play (EP) Kai and has since released three more EPs, Peaches, Rover and Wait On Me.
- [2021] Yung Miami — She guest performed alongside Latto on the remix of Lola Brooke's 2021 single, "Don't Play with It", which peaked at number 69 on the chart.
- [2022] Fetty Wap — In 2022, he was sentenced to six years in prison for trafficking illegal substances, and was released in 2026.
- [2022] Jini (singer) — She debuted as a member of the South Korean girl group Nmixx in February 2022.
- [2022] Park Seo-ham — On March 4, 2022, Sports Chosun released an interview with Park where they revealed that he would fulfill his mandatory military service as a social worker on March 10.
- [2023] Rocky (singer) — In 2023, he established and became the CEO of his own agency, Wonijin Entertainment, and debuted as a solo artist with the extended play (EP) Rockyst.
- [2025] De La Soul — " The group has released 10 studio albums and one live album between 1989 and 2025.
- [2026] Yuna (singer, born 2003) — Yuna released her solo debut extended play (EP), Ice Cream, in March 2026.