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Hip hop trivia questions

Thirty hip hop questions, from a 1973 party in the Bronx to the artists who followed. They're sorted easy to hard, and every answer comes with a fun fact.

  • 30 questions
  • Easy to hard
  • Answers and fun facts

These come from the Hip Hop category in Trivia Battle, our trivia game for Apple TV.

Updated

Answers and fun facts are shown under each question. Turn on Quiz mode to hide them and reveal one at a time.

Easy hip hop trivia questions

  1. Question 1

    Which rapper won Best New Artist at the 2021 Grammys?

    1. ADoja Cat
    2. BPhoebe Bridgers
    3. CMegan Thee Stallion
    4. DChika

    Answer: Megan Thee Stallion

    Fun fact: She was studying health administration in college at the time.

  2. Question 2

    Which anniversary did hip-hop celebrate in 2023?

    1. AIts 50th
    2. BIts 60th
    3. CIts 25th
    4. DIts 40th

    Answer: Its 50th

    Fun fact: The date was counted from the 1973 Bronx party.

  3. Question 3

    What are the four traditional elements of hip-hop culture?

    1. ABeats, bars, battles and radio
    2. BRapping, singing, dancing and fashion
    3. CDJing, MCing, breaking and graffiti
    4. DSampling, scratching, styling and slang

    Answer: DJing, MCing, breaking and graffiti

    Fun fact: Some add knowledge as a fifth element.

  4. Question 4

    Which 1979 single is usually called hip-hop's first commercial hit?

    1. AThe Message
    2. BKing Tim III
    3. CPlanet Rock
    4. DRapper's Delight

    Answer: Rapper's Delight

    Fun fact: It borrowed its bassline from the disco group Chic.

  5. Question 5

    Which 2000 album became the fastest-selling rap release at the time?

    1. AThe Marshall Mathers LP
    2. BThe Eminem Show
    3. CThe Slim Shady LP
    4. DEncore

    Answer: The Marshall Mathers LP

    Fun fact: It sold nearly two million copies in its first week.

  6. Question 6

    Which 2012 album is set in Compton and told as a coming-of-age story?

    1. ADAMN.
    2. Bgood kid, m.A.A.d city
    3. CSection.80
    4. DTo Pimp a Butterfly

    Answer: good kid, m.A.A.d city

    Fun fact: Kendrick Lamar called it a short film on the cover.

  7. Question 7

    Which rapper founded the label Young Money?

    1. ABirdman
    2. BJeezy
    3. CLil Wayne
    4. DRick Ross

    Answer: Lil Wayne

    Fun fact: He signed Drake and Nicki Minaj to it.

  8. Question 8

    What is a diss track?

    1. AA song about money
    2. BAn instrumental
    3. CA remix with the vocals removed
    4. DA song attacking another artist

    Answer: A song attacking another artist

    Fun fact: Some of the most famous songs in rap history began as replies to rivals.

  9. Question 9

    What is a hype man's job on stage?

    1. ATo support and energize the lead performer
    2. BTo sell merchandise
    3. CTo write the lyrics
    4. DTo run the soundboard during the show

    Answer: To support and energize the lead performer

    Fun fact: Flavor Flav is often cited as the definitive example.

  10. Question 10

    Which 1992 album introduced G-funk to the mainstream?

    1. AThe Chronic
    2. BAll Eyez on Me
    3. CDoggystyle
    4. DRegulate

    Answer: The Chronic

    Fun fact: Dr. Dre built it around slow tempos, live bass and high synthesizer lines.

  11. Question 11

    Which 1998 album became the first hip-hop release to win Album of the Year?

    1. AThe Score
    2. BSpeakerboxxx/The Love Below
    3. CThe Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
    4. DLife After Death

    Answer: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

    Fun fact: It won five Grammys in one night.

Medium hip hop trivia questions

  1. Question 12

    Which independent label signed Kendrick Lamar early in his career?

    1. AQuality Control Music
    2. BTop Dawg Entertainment
    3. CInterscope
    4. DAftermath

    Answer: Top Dawg Entertainment

    Fun fact: It operated out of a small studio in Carson, California.

  2. Question 13

    Which series paired artists to play their catalogs against each other during 2020 lockdowns?

    1. AUnplugged
    2. BRap City
    3. CFreestyle Friday
    4. DVerzuz

    Answer: Verzuz

    Fun fact: Some episodes drew hundreds of thousands of live viewers.

  3. Question 14

    What does the term flow describe?

    1. AA record deal structure
    2. BA concert setlist
    3. CThe bass level in a finished mix
    4. DHow a rapper's rhythm fits the beat

    Answer: How a rapper's rhythm fits the beat

    Fun fact: Changing flows mid-verse is a common way to show technical skill.

  4. Question 15

    In which year did Kendrick Lamar headline the Super Bowl halftime show alone?

    1. A2019
    2. B2025
    3. C2024
    4. D2022

    Answer: 2025

    Fun fact: He performed weeks after sweeping the Grammys.

  5. Question 16

    Which two artists released We Don't Trust You in 2024?

    1. ADrake and 21 Savage
    2. BTravis Scott and Quavo
    3. CGunna and Young Thug
    4. DFuture and Metro Boomin

    Answer: Future and Metro Boomin

    Fun fact: It touched off one of the most public feuds in recent rap history.

  6. Question 17

    Which rapper released the 1994 album Resurrection in Chicago?

    1. ATwista
    2. BDo or Die
    3. CCommon
    4. DDa Brat

    Answer: Common

    Fun fact: He was performing as Common Sense at the time.

  7. Question 18

    Which label run by Sylvia Robinson released early rap classics?

    1. ATommy Boy
    2. BSugar Hill Records
    3. CProfile
    4. DEnjoy Records

    Answer: Sugar Hill Records

    Fun fact: Sylvia Robinson had scored a hit of her own as a singer with Pillow Talk in 1973.

  8. Question 19

    Which rapper hosted a long-running radio show and popularized freestyle battles on air?

    1. AFunkmaster Flex
    2. BAngie Martinez
    3. CSway Calloway
    4. DBig Tigger

    Answer: Funkmaster Flex

    Fun fact: His bomb sound effect became a signature.

  9. Question 20

    Which producer collective created the dense, layered sound of Public Enemy?

    1. AThe Dust Brothers
    2. BThe Bomb Squad
    3. CThe Neptunes
    4. DThe Ummah

    Answer: The Bomb Squad

    Fun fact: Their records stacked dozens of samples on top of one another.

  10. Question 21

    Which duo of producers made hits as The Neptunes?

    1. APharrell and Chad Hugo
    2. BTimbaland and Danja
    3. CCool and Dre
    4. DTrackmasters

    Answer: Pharrell and Chad Hugo

    Fun fact: They also recorded as the band N.E.R.D.

  11. Question 22

    Which rapper founded the label Grand Hustle in Atlanta?

    1. AYoung Jeezy
    2. BLudacris
    3. CGucci Mane
    4. DT.I.

    Answer: T.I.

    Fun fact: He called himself the King of the South early in his career.

Hard hip hop trivia questions

  1. Question 23

    Which producer is known for the tag announcing his name before a beat drops?

    1. AZaytoven
    2. BMurda Beatz
    3. CMustard
    4. DTay Keith

    Answer: Mustard

    Fun fact: He built the sparse, bouncy sound of West Coast radio in the 2010s.

  2. Question 24

    Which 2021 album won Tyler, the Creator a second Best Rap Album award?

    1. AChromakopia
    2. BFlower Boy
    3. CScum Alphabet Soup
    4. DCall Me If You Get Lost

    Answer: Call Me If You Get Lost

    Fun fact: A mixtape DJ narrates much of it.

  3. Question 25

    Which 1998 OutKast album takes its title from the members' astrological signs?

    1. AStankonia
    2. BATLiens
    3. CSouthernplayalistic
    4. DAquemini

    Answer: Aquemini

    Fun fact: It ran well over an hour and roamed across genres.

  4. Question 26

    Which rapper's 1987 album cover showed stacks of money and gold chains?

    1. ASlick Rick's
    2. BEric B. and Rakim's
    3. CBig Daddy Kane's
    4. DLL Cool J's

    Answer: Eric B. and Rakim's

    Fun fact: The image became one of the most imitated covers in rap.

  5. Question 27

    Which Philadelphia band became the house band on a late-night talk show?

    1. ASlum Village
    2. BThe Roots
    3. CDigable Planets
    4. DLittle Brother

    Answer: The Roots

    Fun fact: They had been touring as a live hip-hop band since the early 1990s.

  6. Question 28

    What is a tag in rap production?

    1. AA record label logo
    2. BA graffiti writer's painted signature
    3. CA producer's spoken signature on a beat
    4. DA studio watermark

    Answer: A producer's spoken signature on a beat

    Fun fact: The same word also refers to a graffiti writer's signature, which came first.

  7. Question 29

    Which rapper released five consecutive albums that debuted at number one starting in 1998?

    1. ADMX
    2. BFabolous
    3. CJadakiss
    4. DJa Rule

    Answer: DMX

    Fun fact: He was also a trained dog handler and animal lover.

  8. Question 30

    Who passed Snoop Dogg's demo tape to his future producer?

    1. ANate Dogg
    2. BDJ Quik
    3. CDaz Dillinger
    4. DWarren G

    Answer: Warren G

    Fun fact: Warren G is Dr. Dre's stepbrother.

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