Here's the second part of the Ego Trip series featuring the 40 greatest singles of every year from '88-'98. This is another year that features some extra tracks that just couldn't be denied a space on the list. This year was another great year that was dominated by many of the same artists that made an impact in '88. Artists like NWA, Slick Rick, Big Daddy Kane, and EPMD continued their stronghold on the competition while some new acts kicked in the door. It saw the introduction of De La Soul, a quirky group using samples from every genre imaginable and were quickly considered "the future of hip hop". '89 was also a landmark year because the Grammy awards finally added a Hip Hop category. And although many of the nominated acts staged a boycott when it was announced that the presentation would not be televised, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince were ultimately named the winners of the award. Another controversy that year arose when 2 Live Crew released "As Nasty As They Wanna Be" an album that was so explicit, it was banned from being sold in Florida. Foul language on records quickly became a hot topic which sparked national outrage and debate concerning freedom of speech. Eventually it was decided by courts that warnings be placed on labels featuring explicit lyrics, and that the 1st amendment ultimately protected whatever musicians say on record. And finally, '89 was the year that Yo! MTV Raps debuted on the channel featuring host Fab 5 Freddy. It was the first national platform available for artists to be interviewed, perform, and showcase their music videos.



Ego Trip's Greatest Singles Of 1989
01. 2 Live Crew - Me So Horny (4:36)
02. 3rd Bass - Steppin' To The A.M. (4:36)
03. 3rd Bass - The Gas Face (2:13)
04. Beastie Boys - Hey Ladies (3:47)
05. Beastie Boys - Shake Your Rump (3:19)
06. Big Daddy Kane - Smooth Operator (4:44)
07. Big Daddy Kane - Warm It Up, Kane (4:14)
08. Bizzie Boyz - Droppin' It (4:30)
09. Boogie Down Productions - Why Is That? (3:57)
10. Chill Rob G. - Court Is Now In Session (4:22)
11. Chubb Rock - Ya Bad Chubbs (3:21)
12. Cool C - Glamorous Life (3:59)
13. De La Soul - Buddy (4:54)
14. Digital Underground - Doowutchyalike (3:37)
15. Divine Styler - Ain't Sayin' Nothin' (4:17)
16. DOC - It's Funky Enough (4:29)
17. Eazy E. - Eazy-Er Said Than Dunn (3:41)
18. EPMD - So Wat Cha Sayin' (4:57)
19. Gang Starr - Word I Manifest (5:12)
20. Ice-T - You Played Yourself (4:14)
21. Kwame' - The Rhythm (3:51)
22. LL Cool J. - Big Ole Butt (4:37)
23. Low Profile - Pay Ya Dues (4:40)
24. Main Source - Atom (2:57)
25. Main Source - Think (3:33)
26. Mc Lyte - Cha Cha Cha (3:01)
27. NWA - A Bitch Iz a Bitch (3:15)
28. NWA - Express Yourself (4:25)
29. NWA - Straight Outta Compton (4:18)
30. Nice & Smooth - Early To Rise (2:36)
31. Nice & Smooth - More & More Hits (4:01)
32. Positive K - A Good Combination (3:51)
33. Public Enemy - Fight The Power (3:37)
34. Queen Latifah - Dance For Me (3:42)
35. Queen Latifah - Inside Out (4:12)
36. Slick Rick - Children's Story (4:02)
37. Slick Rick - Hey Young World (4:37)
38. Slick Rick - Mona Lisa (4:08)
39. Special Ed - I Got It Made (3:42)
40. Stezo - It's My Turn (3:42)
41. Stezo - To The Max (3:50)
42. Stop The Violence Movement - Self Destruction (5:55)
43. MC Sugar Ray & Stranger D - Knock Em Out (4:29)
44. Biz Markie - Just A Friend (4:06)
45. Three Times Dope - Funky Dividends (4:19)
46. Tone Loc - Wild Thing (4:27)
47. Young MC - Bust A Move (4:25)
48. YZ & G Rock - In Control Of Things (4:31)
49. YZ & G Rock - Thinking Of A Master Plan (4:01)

That's that...Stay tuned for 1990 within the next day or two.