The Hip-Hop Thread

[hunt]

ig...are you a jay z fan?  if so, what are some of his tracks that you like? 

i feel like i'm missing something...he's supposedly a highly respected mc but i can't stand any of the jay z songs i've heard.  i've heard mostly his radio friendly stuff so i'm guessing that's why.

[ice grillin you]

when hes good hes amazing but most of his albums are incredibly uneven

reasonable doubt and the black album are excellent records just about all the way thru...many people think the blueprint is his best album and while i think its overrated i think its worthy of owning


the rest of his albums range from barely listenable to wack...a few of the songs i like


one and a million ?'s
hand it down
hard knock life
streets is talkin
rap game crack game
friend or foe
where im from

[Magical_Retard]

the black album made me a huge JAY Z fan.

from start to finish great songs, great lyrics, and great production. no filler.

[GeneralZOD]

should've mixed in some la dream team.

LOL, "Turn Off the Lights"   

   Ultimate Slow Jam House Party Song of the 80's!

[hunt]

good news for sirius/xm subscribers....backspin returns on jan 15.

[rjs246]

Any chance we'll get to see the rest of Mr. Grillin You's list any time soon?

[ice grillin you]

its comin

[reese125]

thank god..hurry up

[BigEd76]

Soulja Boy ........... I just don't get it.  Apparently his last album wasn't annoying enough so he did a new one that sounds exactly the same. 

[Seabiscuit36]

thank god..hurry up

double time IGY, im planning on rocking these on my flight

[hunt]

buy krs-one's "adventures in emceein'" today.  it's ridiculously good.

[ice grillin you]

should have the link to upload these some time tomorrow

103.    The Most Beautifullest Thing In This World – Keith Murray
   Production By: Erick Sermon
   1994
Keith Murray turned heads in 1993 with his incredible debut verse on Erick Sermons "Hostile" (in fact he had a line in that song "most beautifullest thing in this word" that was sampled for this track) so the anticipation for his solo debut album was huge.  This the first single did  not disappoint.  Grimy, hardcore, braggadocios and yet still silky smooth over the track Keith Murray displayed it all and did it over some killer Detroit Emerald drums and a smooth organ both laid down E double.

102.    Grown Man Sport - INI    
   Production By: Pete Rock
   1995
Not one of the best THE best piano loop I have ever heard.  I think the instrumental of this song would still crack this list.  Not hating on the emceeing but the beat is that good.



101.   Winter Warz – Ghostface Killah
   Production By: RZA
   1996
Cappadonna, Cappadonna, Cappadonna.  Just listen to his verse and be in awe.


100.    Warning – Biggie Smalls
   Production By: Easy Moe Bee
   1994
Off what could be the best 12" record ever put out Big Poppa/Who Shot Ya?/Warning (are you kidding me?) Warning encompasses Biggie better than any song he ever did.  Paranoia, story telling, flow, imagery, darkness are all at their highest levels and take place over Easy Moe Bee in his prime lacing the classic Issac Hayes "Walk On By" sample.  Music and lyrics don't get much better than this.

99.    Call Me D Nice – D Nice
   Production By: D Nice
   1990
Originally written and recorded with a different beat in 1987 D-Nice three years later re did what would become a Boogie Down Bronx classic.   What made the new version so insanely dope was a Puff Daddy like beat jack of the Turtles "Buzzsaw"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZm96qtzePY of course this blows anything Puff ever did out of the water.  Of note: not many people know that D-Nice produced the legendary anti-violence track "Self Destruction".

98.    Buck Em Down Remix – Black Moon
   Production By: Da Beatminerz
   1994
"On the streets he was tough locked up he was sweet stuff", what makes this line so real is what immediately precedes it "Ask my man Ruff".  Incredible, Buckshot is actually rapping first hand information about one of his boys getting raped in prison.  And so goes one of the street toughest songs ever written.  What really makes it special is its rhymed over a beautifully smoothed out Roy Ayers "Wind Parade" sample.  No ones ever been so rough and so smooth on a record.

97.   Youthful Expression – A Tribe Called Quest
   Production By: A Tribe Called Quest
   1990
When you have as many classic tracks as A Tribe Called Quest youre bound to have some great ones slide under the radar.  Well this may be the most criminally slept on of them all (along with "Busta's Lament" off of "The Love Movement") and it is also the best example of Q-Tips laid back style.  Tip doesn't so much as rap here as he does talk.  Almost like he's having a conversation with someone.  The effortlessness of his rhymes is truly amazing.

96.    How Nice I Am – World Renown
   Production By: K-Def
   1995
K-Def crafted his trade in Marley Marls house of hit's and it paid off well on tracks like Lords of the Undergrounds "Funky Child" and the underrated Real Live album.  But he out did himself on this song which blew up underground shows in the summer of 95 and contains one of the better piano loops you'll hear.   

95.    Fanatic Word Of The B – De La Soul
   Production By: Prince Paul
   1991
Great example of how something so simple (a beautiful guitar loop over some Lee Dorsey drums) can give birth to something so dope.  Add in a couple classic De La verses and an other worldly verse by Dres in his first ever on record appearance and you got a tremendous song.

94.    Dynamite Soul Remix – Artifacts
   Production By: EZ Elpee
   1995
The song that put EZ Elpee on the map.  Kid came out of nowhere with an incredibly fierce bassline that will nod your head to sleep.  On top of that are three sick verses led by Madd Skillz who destroys the track and in the process outshines Tame One and El Da Sensai and that's no small feat.

93.    Worlds Famous - Beatnuts
   Production By: Beatnuts
   1993
If you paid attention the world was first introduced to The Beatnuts when Q-Tip gave them a shout out on Tribes "Verses From The Abstract".  Two years after that they made their on wax debut with "Worlds Famous" and just blew everyone away.  The Beatnuts grew up in the studio learning from the Jungle Brothers and the incredibly smooth jazzy horn used here is clearly of Native Tongue influence.  In fact the background voices on this record are many of the Native Tongue members who were in and out of the studio for most of the Beatnuts studio sessions.  Also of note a verse by VIC on this record subbing for a still jailed Fashion.


92.   Memory Lane - Nas
   Production By: DJ Premier
   1994
It's hard to say this since this is one of Premiers best beats ever but this track is all about the rhymes.  Lyrically Nas' best written song ever it is just loaded with unbelieveable quotables - "i reminisce on park jams...my man was shot for his sheep coat...chocolate blunts make me see him drop in my weed smoke" – being my favorite.

91.   Soul By The Pound Remix – Common Sense
   Production By: Immenslope
   1994
For whatever reason the video version of this single off Commons first album was actually different than the album version.  Anyway it's the "Thump Remix" we are citing her.  Common has his squealy high pitched voice that disappeared between his first and second records but the rhymes he spits are full of the incredibly wordplay that he would become known for.  And the track might have the best vocal interpolated chorus of all-time includes cuts from Q-Tip, Redman and Grand Puba, "boomin and ya boomin and ya boomin in ya jeep, type a shtein that hits when ya pump it in ya truck, ba bump ba bump make ya speakers pop".  Brilliance

90.   D'evils – Jay Z
   Production By: DJ Premier
   1996
Song about what money power and the drug game can do to ones soul and ones lifetime friendships.  Primo brings a haunting piano loop that perfectly matches both the darkness and sadness of the song.  This is Jay's best song and its not really close.

89.    5one6 – Mystic Microfon
   Production By: Erik Romero
   1994
One of the all-time one hit wonders.  And really it wasn't a hit, "Mystic Microfon blew up college and underground radio but nothing more.  That's a shame because this song is bangin with a crazy smooth guitar sample and 5one6 riding the beat perfectly.  This is one of those songs you can play on a loop and never get sick of it, its perfection.

88.   Award Tour – A Tribe Called Quest
   Production By: A Tribe Called Quest
   1993
Anyone who went out in 1993 knows the bedlam that the club was sent into when Milt Jacksons xylophone came on the system.  It meant the Award Tour drums were about to blow the roof off the place.  Much like Memory Lane is Nas' own little rhyme writing clinic Award Tour is Tribes beat digging clinic.  No doubt coming from Q-Tips legendary record collection this song is made up of three obscure samples put together in an incredible way to make a masterpiece.  Anyone that thinks that hip-hop isn't music or that its easy to sample ("steal") other peoples record to create your own song has never tried it and should check the originals and then listen to Award Tour and see if you think you could have done it.

[ice grillin you]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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[Rome]

Biggie's biopic is coming out next week.  Looks, well, okay I guess.

[ice grillin you]

i think it will be lol good