More than ever, rappers are giving fans short, compact pieces of music, rather than full-lengths LPs. The format, formally known as an EP, or "extended play," isn't new. Hip-hop has utilized the quick fix strategy since the early 1980's. Thanks to the success of Drake's seven-track So Far Gone EP last year, though, a flood of artists, mostly newcomers (Freddie Gibbs, for example), are delivering sets that clock in at less than 30 minutes, with song tallies in the single digits.
EPs aren't limited to just rookies, however. Over the last three decades, both established and unproven artists have entered the short-form arena. Take a trip from the old to the new with XXL's list of the "100 Essential Rap EPs," presented in chronological order.