Halloween weekend 2026 is bringing costumes, parties and spooky celebrations, with hip-hop providing another soundtrack option for listeners looking beyond traditional Halloween classics. From horror-inspired storytelling to eerie production and references to frightening movie characters, several rap artists have created records that fit the atmosphere of the season.

A new Billboard feature published on October 30 highlights 25 Halloween-themed hip-hop songs, bringing together tracks from artists including DMX, Run-D.M.C., DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince, Ice Cube, Method Man and OutKast. The selection explores how hip-hop has incorporated horror films, supernatural imagery and unsettling stories into its music over several decades.

Among the featured songs is DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince’s “A Nightmare on My Street,” a 1988 track inspired by the A Nightmare on Elm Street horror franchise. The song follows a fictional encounter with Freddy Krueger, turning the film’s terrifying character into the subject of a playful rap narrative.

Busta Rhymes also features in the Halloween-themed conversation through his horror-inspired music and visuals. His work has frequently incorporated exaggerated characters, unsettling imagery and cinematic elements, including the influence of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho in the opening of “Gimme Some More.”

The playlist also draws attention to horrorcore, a hip-hop subgenre built around horror themes, graphic storytelling and dark imagery. Groups such as Brotha Lynch Hung and the Flatlinerz helped establish the style, using unsettling narratives and theatrical production to create music that draws from horror films and other frightening subjects.

The Geto Boys’ “Mind Playing Tricks on Me” is another notable selection. Released in 1991, the track explores paranoia, fear and psychological distress through the perspectives of its narrators. Although it is not specifically a Halloween song, its storytelling and haunting atmosphere have made it a regular choice for listeners seeking darker hip-hop records.

OutKast’s “Dracula’s Wedding,” featuring Kelis, brings a more direct supernatural theme into the mix. The track appeared on the duo’s 2003 double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, with André 3000 using the character of Dracula to explore romance and loneliness through an unconventional musical approach.

Other artists have approached Halloween themes through songs about monsters, demons, death and supernatural encounters. Ice Cube, Method Man, DMX and Run-D.M.C. have all contributed records that draw on dark imagery or horror-inspired storytelling, demonstrating the range of ways the genre has engaged with the subject.

The selection arrives as Halloween celebrations take place across the United States and other parts of the world on October 31. Hip-hop’s connection to horror has also received renewed attention in recent days, with music publications revisiting classic rap records that use disturbing narratives and eerie production to create a chilling atmosphere.

The 25-track feature highlights the genre’s longstanding relationship with horror culture, spanning playful interpretations of famous movie characters, psychologically dark storytelling and the more extreme sounds of horrorcore. The songs bring together different generations of hip-hop artists whose recordings have become part of the genre’s Halloween-season listening tradition.