Most of these rhymes have risen above the underground in the intervening decades. RealAudio clips include numbers by Schoolly-D and EPMD.

Human beatbox Doug E. Fresh and his mechanized competition go head to head. Listen to a clip from their battle, or call the winner in a review.

Glimpse the origins of hip-hop with samples from the Sugarhill Gang, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and more of New York's first MCs.