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The frontrunner was probably the authoritative Jadakiss, who hit the ground running with “We Gonna Make It,” the first single from his debut solo album. It wasn’t long before she rose to the forefront of a new generation of rap stars that included Drake, who joined her — alongside the veteran Lil Wayne and the singer Chris Brown — for this icy 2014 single.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, we asked the poet and author Mahogany L. Browne to write a love letter to the genre, composed entirely of lyrics both beloved and obscure. Read more