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About This Quiz
Once the Disco era came to an end, Hip-Hop and R&B came soaring in! Take this quiz to see how well you remember some of the greatest hip-hop and R&B songs of the 1980s!
The title track of a 1984 album, "Purple Rain" was recorded by ______.
Prince
Prince was born Prince Rogers Nelson on June 7, 1958. He passed away from an accidental opioid overdose on April 21, 2016.
Michael Jackson
Babyface
Keith Sweat
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"Billie Jean" was not his lover!
Bobby Brown
MC Hammer
Michael Jackson
Released in 1982, Jackson sang, "Billie Jean is not my lover, she's just a girl who claims that I am the one, but the kid is not my son."
Heavy D
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Which 80s artist released "Control" in 1986 - also the name of the album?
Luther Vandross
Whitney Houston
Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson released "Control" on October 21, 1986. The song was written by Jackson, James Harris III, and Terry Lewis.
Lionel Richie
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They wanted you to "Get Down On It" in 1981...
New Edition
Jungle Brothers
Kool & the Gang
Kool & the Gang, also popular in the 70s, released "Get Down on It" on November 24, 1981. It hit the Billboard Top 10 in the US Pop and R&B charts in early 1982.
Bell Biv DeVoe
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This group wanted you to "Push It" good in 1986.
Tony! Toni! Tone!
Boyz II Men
Salt-N-Pepa
Salt-N-Pepa received a Grammy nomination for best rap performance for "Push It." It has since been recorded several times and featured in present-day television commercials.
The Sugarhill Gang
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In 1982, "The Message" and its unabashed commentaries on life and society was released by...
Public Enemy
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
"The Message" is revered by many as one of the best hip-hop songs of the 80s. Grandmaster Flash took a party-jam genre and gave it a new dimension with this song.
Mantronix
Run DMC
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"Planet Rock" by ________ was a song that should be felt, not heard.
Biz Markie
Afrika Bambaataa
AFrika Bambaataa was born on April 17, 1957. He is a Jamaican-American from the South Bronx, New York.
Big Daddy Kane
De La Soul
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"Paid in Full" by this duo is one of the most motivational anthems in hip-hop history...
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo
Eric B & Rakim
Eric B & Rakim are from Long Island, New York. They were active from 1986 - 1993 and reunited in 2016 for more performances.
Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
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This singer had a lot of soul in her hit "Lovergirl"...
MC Lyte
Whitney Houston
Aretha Franklin
Teena Marie
Born Mary Christine Brockert, Teena Marie was born in 1956 and passed away at the age of 54 in 2010.
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This group believed that "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party)"...
Mantronix
Beastie Boys
Comprised of Michael Diamond, Adam Yauch and Adam Horovitz, the Beastie Boys were active from 1981 - 2012.
De La Soul
Tuff Crew
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In 1985, "I Wonder If I Take You Home" by ______ validated the thoughts in every woman's mind.
TLC
Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam
Released on May 10, 1985, this song reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart just one month later. Six different people are credited with writing it.
Go-Go's
Destiny's Child
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This group was "Straight Outta Compton" in 1988.
Kool Moe Dee
N.W.A.
N.W.A. consisted of Arabian Prince, MC Ren, Ice Cube, Eazy-E, DJ Yella and Dr. Dre.
Public Enemy
EPMD
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"King of Rock" was the title track from this group's second studio album of the same name...
Jungle Brothers
MC Lyte
Geto Boys
Run-DMC
Run-DMC was a hip hop trio from Hollis, Queens, New York. They were founded in 1981 and consisted of Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels and Jason Mizell.
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He proclaimed, "I Need Love" in 1987.
LL Cool J
From the album Bigger and Deffer came this 1987 hit of the year. It begins, "When I'm alone in my room, sometimes I stare at the wall..."
Keith Sweat
Stevie Wonder
Bobby Brown
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He could do whatever he wanted in 1988 with "My Prerogative"...
Marvin Gaye
Kris Kross
Bobby Brown
"My Prerogative" was released on October 11, 1988. It came from Bobby Brown's second album entitled "Don't Be Cruel."
Doug E. Fresh
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Public Enemy was like a "Rebel Without A ________" in 1987.
Clue
Pause
This song comes from their album "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back." It was a reference to the 1955 film, "Rebel Without a Cause."
Home
Cause
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It was "Never Too Much" for this artist in 1981...
Dionne Warwick
Luther Vandross
Released on July 21, 1981, "Never Too Much" peaked at #33 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Ronnie DeVoe
Teena Marie
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La Di Da Di, this artist recorded "The Show" in the mid 80s...
Biz Markie
Sir Mix-a-Lot
Doug E Fresh
Featuring Slick Rick, "The Show" was released on August 13, 1985. The song features samples from the animated show, "Inspector Gadget."
MC Lyte
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It was "Back to Life" and back to ________ with Soul II Soul in 1989.
The drawing board
School
Reality
Soul II Soul was a British R&B band. This song was released on May 29, 1989.
The grind
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As a plea to the hip hop community to stop the violence, "Self-Destruction" was released by this group...
Cameo
Color Me Bad
KRS-One & Stop the Violence Movement
This song debuted at #1 on the first week of Billboard's Hot Rap Songs existence and held the spot for five consecutive weeks.
N.W.A.
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According to him, everybody says, "Word Up!"
Beastie Boys
Cameo
Considered a funk and R&B song, Cameo's "Word Up!" was released on May 27, 1986.
Ice-T
Prince
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Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock believe "It Takes _______" to make a thing go right.
Hard work
Two
Released on August 2, 1988, "It Takes Two" became a top 40 single and was later certified platinum by the RIAA.
Love
Effort
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Don't just stand there..."Bust A Move"!
Big Daddy Kane
The Sugarhill Gang
Slick Rick
Young MC
"Bust a Move" was recorded in 1989 by British-American rapper, Young MC. It won the 1990 Grammy for Best Rap Performance.
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From her album, Rapture, "Caught Up in the Rapture" was a 1986 R&B ballad by this artist...
Anita Baker
After the success of "Sweet Love," Anita Baker released this song, which peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart in 1976.
Whitney Houston
Mariah Carey
Janet Jackson
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He wanted you to know that if you wanted it, "It’s Yours" in 1984...
Keith Sweat
T La Rock
T La Rock was born Clarence Ronnie Keaton on September 16, 1961. He began his career in 1984 with this hit.
MC Hammer
Slick Rick
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Not to be confused with Elvis, this 80s artist had a single called "Don't Be Cruel" as well!
Babyface
Bobby Brown
Bobby Brown's "Don't Be Cruel" was released on May 16, 1988. It was the title track to his second and most successful album of his career.
Michael Jackson
Lionel Richie
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Anita Baker was "Giving You The ______ That I Got" in 1988.
Money
Best
Anita Baker won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song in 1989 for this track. It came from the same-titled album.
Love
Tears
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If it's a dream, please don't wake this artist up because..."I Want Her".
Michael Jackson
Keith Sweat
From the album, "Make It Last Forever," Keith Sweat released "I Want Her" in 1987. It received a Soul Train Music Award Nomination for Best Song of the Year.
Prince
New Edition
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You really turned this artist on in 1987 with "The Way You Make Me Feel"...
Babyface
Michael Jackson
This song was released on November 9, 1987. It was written and composed by Michael Jackson.
Chaka Khan
Bobby Brown
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Funk group, Cameo, released this delicious-titled song in 1986...
"Candy"
"Candy" was the second single released from the album "Word Up!" The song was written by Larry Blackmon and Tomi Jenkins and released on October 21, 1986.
"Cake"
"Chocolate"
"Apple Pie"
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I said a hip hop hippy to the hippy was the "Rapper's Delight" of this group...
Geto Boys
Sugarhill Gang
"Rapper's Delight" is said to be one of the original rap songs to hit the genre. In January 1980, it peaked at #36 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
De La Soul
New Edition
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Not many people would say, "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off," but this artist did in 1986...
Stevie Wonder
Keith Sweat
Jermaine Stewart
This song was released on May 27, 1986. It was released in the UK as simply, "We Don't Have To..."
Patti La Belle
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Award-winning song entitled "Da Butt" was released by this group in 1988...
Bell Biv DeVoe
E.U.
This oddly-titled song won the Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Single - Group, Band or Duo in 1988.
Boys II Men
Boogie Down Productions
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She was adamant about this in 1989..."Don't Make Me Over"!
Mariah Carey
Whitney Houston
Sybil
Sybil Lynch was born on June 2, 1966 in Paterson, New Jersey. She is the cousin of former En Vogue singer, Maxine Jones.
Chaka Khan
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There's only one person in "Me Myself and I"!
Tony! Toni! Tone!
New Edition
De La Soul
This song received a Grammy Award Nomination for Best Rap Performance after being released in 1989. De La Soul was a trio from Long Island, New York.
Bell Biv DeVoe
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You Got:
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