Hip Hop Big Threes

Potent rap trios that have made their mark in the game.

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Beastie Boys - The success of Run DMC during the golden age of hip hop helped to open the door for this wild and crazy Brooklyn trio who captured the ears of listeners with their classic party hard anthems during the 1980s. Today [May 4] one-third of the group left us as Adam "MCA" Yauch passed away at the age of 47. In honor of MCA and the Beastie Boys' legacy we recognize some other impactful threesomes in hip hop.(Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)

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Lil Wayne/Nicki Minaj/Drake - Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh may be the NBA’s most deadly threesome, but hip hop has a proven track record of producing some awesome triple threats of its own. Look no further than the big collective of Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj and Drake for proof of star talent that has joined forces to be three times dope. While Weezy has set the bar high with his platinum-selling success, Nicki and Drizzy have been able to keep pace as they enjoy breakout success early in their careers.(Photo: Todd Williamson/WireImage)

Popular Demand - The Fugees' first album Blunted on Reality experienced moderate success, but their sophomore LP, The Score, was a multiplatinum success that won the group a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and another trophy for their single, "Killing Me Softly." REUTERS NEWS PICTURE SERVICE PHOTO BY JEFF CHRISTENSEN /Landov

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The Fugees - Over Wyclef’s infectious Caribbean-flavored hip hop beats, Lauryn Hill laced her lethal rhymes while Pras held his own as the energetic member of the collective. This super trio dominated hip hop during the mid- to late 1990s with their groundbreaking sound.. Bòn fѐt!

Dr. Dre/Eminem/50 Cent - When 50 Cent signed to Shady/Aftermath Records in 2002, it marked the beginning of a dominant run for the trio. Dre’s beats, Em’s mass appeal and Fif’s street brovado made for arguably the most powerful threesome in music history.(Photo: XXL Magazine)

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Dr. Dre/Eminem/50 Cent - When 50 Cent signed to Shady/Aftermath Records in 2002, it marked the beginning of a dominant run for the trio. Dre’s beats, Em’s mass appeal and Fif’s street brovado made for arguably the most powerful threesome in music history.(Photo: XXL Magazine)

50 Cent Vs. Young Buck - Crying on the phone is a big no-no in rap music. 50 Cent taught G-Unit member Young Buck a huge lesson about paying your debts as this drama played out on record and on the airwaves. The result? Young Buck removed from G-Unit. Word is, though, a G-Unit reunion is in the works.  The Winner: 50 Cent   (Photo: Scott Gries/Getty Images)

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50 Cent/Lloyd Banks/Tony Yayo - Before Get Rich or Die Tryin', 50 Cent and his Queens cohorts Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo ruled the streets of New York with a relentless mixtape game that helped them muscle their way into the industry.(Photo: Scott Gries/Getty Images)

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Run-DMC - Run-DMC(Photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)

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Run DMC - When the hip hop genre was just in its baby stages, the Hollis, Queens trio of Run, DMC and Jam Master Jay walked on the scene to help make the genre a mainstream force in music.(Photo: Frank Micelotta/ImageDirect/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images

"None of Your Business," Salt-N-Pepa  - Salt-N-Pepa's "None of Your Business" is one for the nosy folks with heavy opinions. The song hit the charts, making it to the Top 40, and comes straight off the group's fourth studio album, Very Necessary, which went five-times platinum!  (Photo: David Corio/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

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Salt-N-Pepa - These ladies were the first female supergroup in hip hop. Rappers Salt and Pepa teamed with DJ Spinderella to deliver Grammy Award-winning hits that would inspire generations of female rappers to follow.(Photo: David Corio/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Geto Boys - Pioneering Houston trio the Geto Boys were the first Southern rap group to break through nationally, and their gangster-funk blueprint still influences Dixie rappers today.  (Photo: Courtesy of WikiCommons)

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Geto Boys - The forefathers of Southern rap, Scarface, Willie D and Bushwick Bill punched their tickets to the annals of hip hop greatness by putting out timeless rap songs that influenced some of today’s top rap acts, including T.I., Jay-Z and Rick Ross — just to name a few.(Photo: Virgin Records)

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Naughty By Nature - Treach, Vinnie and Kay Gee were bankable hitmakers with immense commercial appeal in the 1990s. Few rap acts could match the fanfare the trio created thanks to their ubiquitous hits “O.P.P.” and “Hip Hop Hooray.” (Photo by Joe Kohen/Getty Images)

The LOX, New L.O.X. Order - Jadakiss and Styles P recently joked that the LOX reunion album was taking longer than Dre's Detox. Funny, but not funny. The album, which would mark the Yonkers trio's first since 1998, has supposedly been almost finished since 2007. The group blames "paperwork" and label politics.UPDATE: Jadakiss confirmed that the follow-up to We Are the Streets would be named We Are the Streets 2...three years ago. Thee are still no reports as of yet when the new album will be released.  (Photo: Matthew Peyton/Getty Images)

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Lox - Whether with Bad Boy or Ruff Ryders, Jadakiss, Styles P and Sheek Louch have stayed true to their winning formula of delivering lyrically potent rhymes over hard-edged beats, making them one the most respected groups in hip hop today.(Photo: Matthew Peyton/Getty Images)

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Snoop Dogg/Warren G/Nate Dogg - Long Beach natives Snoop Dogg, Warren G and the late, great Nate Dogg entered the game together in the early 1990s as members of the Death Row Records family. While Snoop did his solo thing, Warren and Nate worked in tandem, but the trio would often collaborate to create some unforgettable west coast classics. In 2004, they put out an album, The Hard Way, as the group 213.(Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

Westside Connection - When Ice Cube joined forces with fellow Cali rappers WC and Mack 10, the competition was forced to bow down. The gangster rap purveyors crashed the music charts with hits like “Bow Down." (Photo: REUTERS/Gary I. Rothstein/Landov)

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Westside Connection - When Ice Cube joined forces with fellow Cali rappers WC and Mack 10, the competition was forced to bow down. The gangster rap purveyors crashed the music charts with hits like “Bow Down." (Photo: REUTERS/Gary I. Rothstein/Landov)

Cypress Hill - Since the release of their seminal album Cypress Hill, the Southern California trio has attracted a fan base that stretches from Cali to Columbia thanks to their smoked out, no holds barred songs that bridge the rap and rock genres.

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Cypress Hill - Since the release of their seminal album Cypress Hill, the Southern California trio has attracted a fan base that stretches from Cali to Columbia thanks to their smoked out, no holds barred songs that bridge the rap and rock genres.

Fat Boys - Fat Boys(Photo by Paul Natkin/WireImage/Getty Images)

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Fat Boys - In the early 1980s, rotund rhyme slinger Prince Markie D, Kool Rock-Ski and Buff Love, aka The Human Beat Box, delivered fun-loving, radio-ready jams like "Fat Boys Are Back" and "All You Can Eat" that made them one of the top rap acts of the era. Their commercial appeal was never more evident than when they starred in the 1987 comedy Disorderlies.(Photo: Paul Natkin/WireImage)

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