We've spoken about the best albums of the 2000s, but let's talk about the best rap songs of the 2000s. We've got some classics to cover.

Sheldon Pearce writes on Elias Williams’s “Straight Loops, Light & Soul,” about the underground beat-maker scene in Queens, evoking Roy DeCarava and the music of J Dilla.

SUMMERS: Rwandan rap music didn't really exist. People loved the American hip-hop sounds of the '90s. Pro Zed and Kenny K-Shot paired new beats with ancient songs.