Best Hip Hop songs...All Time?

I'm not sure the question of best songs is really easy with how much hip hop has diversified post-2000. Before, when you had a few syndicated songs that everybody appreciated you could find a few particular songs that are universally poignant, but now you have smaller sectors of rap music that have songs that the relevant constituents will love, but go largely underappreciated by hip hop heads in general. These divisions also aren't really helped when there are tribal divisions between points of interest and styles of hip hop. Consider Atmosphere - they've got some songs that are perfect examples of that kind of hip hop (The Last to Say comes to mind), but choosing a song from them feels wrong compared to the universal approachability of older hip hop.

Here are some canonical shoe-ins:

CREAM - Wu Tang

Life's a ***** - Nas

Electric Relaxation - ATCQ

93 Til Infinity - Souls of Mischief

Looking At the Front Door - Main Source

Shook Ones Pt II - Mobb Deep

It Was a Good Day - Ice Cube

99 Problems - Jay-Z

Don't Sweat the Technique - Eric B. and Rakim

Time's Up - O.C.

I Seen a Man Die - Scarface

Here are ones which I strongly feel belong with them:

Dooinit - Common

Hip Hop - Mos Def

The Corner - Common

All Caps - Madvillain

Above the Clouds - Gang Starr

Skew it on the Bar-B - Outkast

Twinz - Big Pun

Runnin' - Pharcyde

I'm tired of thinking so this is all im putting

Yes. Can I Live by Jay Z HAS to be on this list. That is easily one of my most played tracks of all-time. Such an outstanding song from the beat to the incredible bars and flow that Jay dropped on this track. Definitely earns a spot on the list.

I don't have a list for best hip hop songs considering there are millions, but a handful that do deserve a mention in this category has to be:

- Memory Lane (Nas)

- Return of the G (OutKast)

- My Melody (Eric B. and Rakim)

- I Used to Love H.E.R. (Common)

- Through the Wire (Kanye West)

- C.R.E.A.M. (Wu-Tang Clan)

- Jesse James (Scarface)

- Diamonds & Wood (UGK)

- What They Do (The Roots)

- Hurt Me Soul (Lupe Fiasco)

- Ill Street Blues (Kool G Rap & DJ Polo)

- Ain't No Half Steppin' (Big Daddy Kane)

- My Philosophy (Boogie Down Productions)

- Once Upon A Time in the Projects (Ice Cube)

- Jazz, We've Got (A Tribe Called Quest)

- A Children's Story (Slick Rick)

- All Caps (Madvillainy)

- Cold Outside (Ludacris)

Not a real list but a handful of tracks that I feel are worth mentioning

In Da Club

Ghetto Bird

Can't C Me

Next Episode

I'm The Real 1

Drop It's Like It Hot

Started From The Bottom

Taylor Gang

...and further more

It Was A Good Day - Ice Cube.

Pour Out A Little Liquor - Thug Life

California Love - 2Pac.

Warning - Notorious B.I.G.

Represent - Nas.

Shook Ones, Pt. II - Mobb Deep.

Nas - Anything off Illmatic

Mobb Deep - Shook Ones Pt. II

The Pharcyde - Passing Me By

Notorious B.I.G. - Juicy, Hypnotize, Big Poppa

Kanye West - Through the Wire

OutKast - Elevators, Rosa Parks

Just a few off the top of my head.

This will be a patternized list of Southern and Eastcoast songs

Scarface - No Tearz.

Pharoahe Monch - Agent Orange.

Triple 6 Mafia - Nine To Ya Dome.

Gangstarr - Moment of Truth.

Phonte - Sendin' My Love.

GZA - Luminal.

SPM - Medicine.

Black Thought - You Got Me.

THE ROOTS - The next movement

REAKWON - Heaven & Hell

BLACK MOON - Who got the props

GANG STARR - Full clip

NAS - New York state of mind '

A TRIBE CALLED QUEST - God lives through

LITTLE BROTHER - Lovin it

KRS-ONE - Reality

CHANNEL LIVE - Mad izm '

BLACK MOON - I got cha open (REMIX)

AZ - Gimmie yours

GANG STARR - You know my steez

GURU - Keep your worries '

NAS - Street dreams (R KELLY Remix)

Da BUSH BABEES - The love song

GANG STARR - Royalty

EPMD -So watcha sayin

BIG DADDY KANE - Aint no half steppin

THE ROOTS - Respond react

COMMON - I used to love her

PETE ROCK & CL SMOOTH - Straighten it out

LL COOL J - The boomin system

EPMD - Rampage

NAS - Affirmative action

GOUP HOME - Suspended in time

GOTTA SHOW LOVE TO THE FEMALES TO : So heres a few

MC LYTE - Poor georgie

JEAN GRAE - My story

SALT N PEPPA - Do you want me

FOXY BROWN - Gotta get you home

QUEEN LATIFAH - Latifahs had it up to here

LIL KIM - Not tonight

MONIE LOVE - Its a shame (MY SISTER)

QUEEN LATIFAH - UNITY

'

Too many to even try to name...