The Infamous, 1995

Dedicating their signature track to "all the killers . . . for-real niggas who ain't got no feelings," this New York duo cooked gangsta rap down to its inkiest, most nihilistic essence. A snippet from a Quincy Jones soundtrack infuses the song with a sinister hiss. Prodigy promises that his "gunshots will make you levitate," taking time to remind you that he's "only 19," too. All these years later, you still ache for that kid.