It’s hard to come up with a more relatable anthem over the past year than GloRilla’s “F.N.F.”, and if you really think about it, it’s not just a song for the ladies. Moving on from anyone who’s done you wrong feels undeniably good, and it’s a huge reason why the Memphis rapper’s breakout hit did as well as it did.

Made as the celebratory song for the Pittsburgh Steelers after they won the Super Bowl in 2009, "Black And Yellow" is one of the preeminent anthems when it comes to sports and hip-hop mixing – and it's hard to name another that has topped it since.

Eve was one of the IT girls of the early 2000s, and much of that had to do with her ability to put together really good hits. While many remember her for "Let Me Blow Ya Mind," her anthem for all the girlies was "Who's That Girl?" and it's timeless.

The late 2000s was the era of the catchy anthems. Whether it was Shawty Lo's "Dey Know" or Yung Joc's "It's Goin Down," the  long tees and Girbaud jeans were the proper attire to hit the party to dance to these in. F.L.Y.'s "Swag Surfin'" was another anthem that rocked any function and perhaps one with a little more staying power these days, which is why it made our list.

The breakout solo single from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, “Doo Wop (That Thing)” hit no. 1 on the Billboard charts and earned Lauryn two Grammys for Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. It's also perhaps the closest song the hip-hop legend had to an anthem and is still widely played to this day.

Named after Orlando Magic and former Texas Longhorn center Mohamed Bamba, "Mo Bamba" pays tribute to the baller he grew up playing alongside and compares the experiences of being an up-and-coming rapper being targeted by labels with Bamba’s experience being recruited by perspective colleges.

In 2016, "OOOUUU" took over New York, and in turn, the rest of the country and put Young M.A on the map. For as simple as the refrain is, it's both a hit and an anthem that is undeniable.

A precursor to Brooklyn drill, Bobby Shmurda's "Hot N***a" came at a time of relative lull in New York hip-hop. The songs catchy and simple nature with a heavy bass proved that something was bubbling in New York during the mid-2010s.

Similar to her fellow YMCMB labelmate Drake, Nicki Minaj has tons of hits, but when it comes to selecting an anthem it's not as easy. For us, "Anaconda" is the one that fits the mould. It's a monster smash, but also easy to rap along to. 

When it comes to representing a state through an anthem, Petey Pablo's "Raise Up" went hard for North Carolina. It's similar to Jermaine Dupri's "Welcome To Atlanta," but plays a bit more succinct.

For those who need the confidence to do anything in life, run Bone Crusher's "Never Scared" a few times and you'll be ready to take on anything.

While "Crossroads" may not come to mind instantly when it comes to hip-hop anthems, it really does break down as one. It's easy to sing along to, but also a go-to for anyone reflecting on someone they lost.

House of Pain's "Jump Around" was an extremely popular hit and has enjoyed a long life ever since its release in 1992. That's particularly thanks to syncing and licensing over the years. Unfortunately, the group was never able to follow the success of their first single from their first album, ‘though group leader Everlast later scored big as a solo artist.

The song that put New York drill music on the map, "Welcome To The Party" came out of nowhere, but unleashed a whole genre that changed the Big Apple sound forever. It's Canarsie, it's Brooklyn, it's New York, and it's swaggy.

Over his career, Kanye West has gone through perhaps more sound phases than any other artist in hip-hop history. While many of his hits could vie for his best anthem, "POWER" is the one that checks the most boxes, particularly (and for lack of a better term) it's the most empowering. 

When it comes to New York anthems, "Lean Back" is one of those classics that can go off anytime, anywhere and get the party rockin'. It's really a timeless cheat code for DJs in a way.

When it came to Drake, it was hard to decide which of his hits would make this list. Sure, the Toronto rapper is prolific when it comes to translating to all kinds of rap fans, however many of his biggest songs aren't necessarily anthems. That's why we landed on "Worst Behavior." It's Drizzy bravado at its best.

As great as Nas is he isn't necessarily the anthem-creating type. That said, he was (and still is) excellent in relaying a succinct message through music. He did it with "I Can" during the early 2000s, but perhaps his most impactful was "The World Is Yours." It's an anthem of confidence and limitless hope for anyone willing to take the sentiment at face value.

When you think the crunk era, you may immediately think Lil Jon. But when it comes to getting crunk, getting buck, that dread-shaking music, "Knuck If You Buck" is that one. It still makes the club go up to this day.

A traditional style hip-hop anthem? No. Think this shouldn't make the list? Play this at any function and see what happens. Exactly.

"O.P.P." or "other people's property" (or p***y depending on who you ask) can set off any old school function, but was a contemporary anthem during the early '90s. During a recent interview with BET, Naughty described where the inspiration for the song's title came from: "So basically like I'm stepping on people's toes so I'm down with other people's money or whatever. I'll take you guys' money, I'll take whoever's money or whatever," said KayGee. "And we just started joking around with it one day, just like you O.P.M.: other people's money,  we O.P.P.: other people’s property."

"We are, yeah, I said it: we are" got Hov's verse off to an iconic start and the song never slows down at point beyond that. Whether it's Jay assisting Rihanna on the hook or Kanye's excellent final verse, "Run This Town" goes up every time.

One of the anthems of the 1980s, Eric B & Rakim's "Paid In Full" set the standard for lyricism at the time, but it also became an anthem on how to stack funds – a notion that inspired future generations of great emcees.

Missy Elliott has the hits, however when it comes to anthems, the one has everyone singing along to is "Get Ur Freak On." “From here on, everybody’s gonna be dancing a little f****d up… make some noise, make some noise!” That's what you hear in Japanese to start the certified hit.

One of the greatest southern hip-hop anthems of all time, "International Players Anthem" brought together three of the dirty south's best groups as OutKast and UGK came together over Three 6 Mafia production. This one definitely goes off at weddings, but it's a timeless classic that can make any party go up.

11 years ago, MTV declared 2012 as "The Year We All Got Ratchet," and it was Chief Keef's "I Don't Like" that set it all off. The song was so infectious, so influential and so important at the moment that Kanye West and G.O.O.D. Music swooped in to hop on the remix.

The Luniz's "I Got 5 On It" is catchy, the beat is infectious and been the preeminent stoner anthem since its release during the mid-'90s.

Speaking of making the club go up, Juvenile's "Back That Azz Up" is a cheat code and one of those anthems that will always get any function popping. It also helped launch Cash Money's empire during the late '90s, so it pretty much covers all the bases.

Anthems in hip-hop represent so many things, and one of them is solidarity. That's what Queen Latifah did during the early '90s with "U.N.I.T.Y." and it's still as timeless as ever as society remains fragmented as ever.

As Get Rich or Die Tryin' turns 20 this year, it's just another reminder of how 50 Cent's official major label debut was simply full of anthems. "Many Men" was one that not only everyone knows all the words to, but personified Fif's me against the world persona.

The fourth and final single off of Run-DMC's classic album Raising Hell, "It's Tricky" is both one of the most memorable anthems the legendary Queens hip-hop trio ever released, and one of their best. As far as it making this list, it's (not) tricky.

During the onset of the East/West Coast rap beef of the 1990s, some of the best anthems dropped proclaiming their side’s dominance. That’s certainly what happened with “California Love.” Two of the West Coast’s greatest to ever do it coming up with one of the greatest hip-hop songs ever. This was Death Row Records.

Perhaps a retaliation to “California Love” of some sort – even if it was just a great song, “Hypnotize” is one of those classics that still goes hard to this day. It’s booming, full sound with some of Biggie’s best-ever bars make it one of the preeminent tracks in the history of Bad Boy Records.

The song that blew 50 Cent up to the masses, "In Da Club" is both iconic and the quintessential anthem when celebrating a birthday. During a February interview with BET, Fif detailed how he didn't think the song would stick as much as it did: “I didn't realize it would stay relevant that long but we worded it that way but it's just what came out when I heard the production. The beauty of music when you’re conditioned for it feels like magic because it's not hard work.”

It's hard to find a hip-hop anthem as charged up as M.O.P.'s "Ante Up." It's M.O.P.'s biggest song to-date and translated from the streets of Brownsville, Brooklyn to the world in a way that still resonates to this day.

When you can run two simple words back-to-back as the hook of your song you know you have not only a hit, but an anthem. This also came out during peak Wayne days, so... yeah.

The fact that Hov and 'Ye played "N****s In Paris" 12 times straight in Paris back in 2012 to absolute fanfare is proof alone that this hit deserves to make the list.

When you think of the greatest gangsta rap anthems of all time, "Gangsta's Paradise" may not come to mind instantly – and that's because it transcended not only the rap subgenre, but hip-hop itself. Any anthem list without the Coolio classic is not valid, full stop.

One of the greatest hip-hop songs of all time, Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five's “The Message” is also influential by how many times the lyrics and beat have been quoted and used in subsequent hip-hop hits. It also relayed much of the political and social strife happening in New York during the early 1980s.

Is there a song DMX has ever released that gets you more hype than “Rough Riders’ Anthem”? Go ahead, think about it. Yeah, it’s a tough choice, but those opening few seconds could get a nursing home turnt. The track also helped establish the dominance of Ruff Ryders in general at the turn of the millennium.

From the project stove clicking to the numerous quotables and grimy, dark backdrop laid by Havoc, “Shook Ones Pt. II” was the launching pad for Mobb Deep back in ‘95. The track separates those really down for some dirt from wannabe stick-up kids. It’s the Queensbridge duo’s magnum opus and remains a preeminent example of what hardcore hip-hop is supposed to sound like when executed to perfection.

"Cash Rules Everything Around Me." So simple. So Iconic.

The Juice Crew was one of hip-hop’s greatest gatekeeping groups and they represented their native Queensbridge with a passion. 1987’s “The Bridge” was their stake at claiming that QB was the founding neighborhood of hip-hop, which would later be rebutted by Boogie Down Productions and “South Bronx.”

When the claim of where hip-hop started began bubbling up during the mid-1980s, two camps raised their hand for their perspective neighborhoods. For Boogie Down Productions (and the general cultural consensus), it was the South Bronx, so they made an anthem backing up the claim. The song is also a response to MC Shan and The Juice Crew’s claim that Queensbridge was hip-hop ground zero.

Like many of the anthems on this list, “F**k The Police” was way ahead of its time. It may be a much more common sentiment these days, considering the visibility of police violence cameraphones and social media has given us, but in the late ‘80s, the song had many perspective record labels trying to sign N.W.A. running for the hills. They didn’t care, and that’s revolutionary.

There's not much that needs to be said about this one. Put "Lose Yourself" on before any instance of competition and you'll be good to go, it's that powerful.

Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” came during a perfect storm. It dropped at arguably the peak of his career, which came during a time of relative unrest in America. And while To Pimp A Butterfly came as a wide-ranging critique of the United States and its past, “Alright” provided the hope everyone strives for once we get past much of the b******t. We’re certainly still waiting for that moment.

Part of the reason we’ve celebrated hip-hop so heavily in 2023 is because of what it means simply beyond the music, and that’s what dead prez was getting at in their 1999 anthem. Those riffy synths that begin the timeless track still give rap fans goosebumps to this day.

It’s hard to think of anthems more specifically hip-hop than Naughty By Nature’s “Hip-Hip Hooray.” During a May interview with BET, KayGee pretty much summed up what his group was going for when they recorded the hit single. “Thinking about the title and what the song was really about,” he said. “It was basically giving props to hip-hop for everything that it has done for the culture, for us, for everybody.” It’s classic, simply put.

Originally from the soundtrack to Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing, “Fight The Power” is arguably Public Enemy’s most famous song and their anthem for fighting back against oppressors. The timing of the song’s release is also key as it became a rallying cry for protests of unjust drug policies, police brutality, and contemporary issues of the late 1980s, which still plague society today.