This is liable to change given that we still have 29 days of the december to go, but tonight feels like an appropriate oppurtunity to get the obligatory "these are my favourite rap singles of the year, fellas!!" self-indulgent list post outta the way since other blogs have already started dropping theirs. I originally intended on ranking these into some sort of hierarchy but there were so many great singles this year that it's impossible to collate them into order of preferance yet, and Im not sure I'll ever bother since it just seems a futile exercise to assess whether you like Hard In Da Point more than Canal Street and Top To The Bottom, or Earl more than Teach Me How To Dougie and Ric Flair when they're all equally brilliant but just happen to serve different purposes.
The criteria : in an age when the actual physical format of the single is obsolete I'm defining the term ‘single’ as songs which were afforded promo videos, and there's a one-single-per-artist rule, which I haven't flaunted by including something by Curren$y AND something by Curren$y & Fiend since the latter's entry on the list comes from the forthcoming mixtape they're doing as a duo, so it counts as a seperate entity to my Curren$y solo single choice.
No Ready, Set, Go by Killer Mike & T.I because it only came out the other day, nothing by French Montana because I'm not listening to thug-talk by a dude who looks like a cartoon lesbian version of Psycho Les, no B.M.F because Rawse reminds me more of Ahmed Johnson than Albert Johnson, zilch by Freddie Gibbs because he has the personality of Ahmed Johnson's two-by-four, no Power because it just inspires me to listen to King Crimson's 21st Century Schizoid Man instead, nada by blog darlings like Big K.R.I.T, and Roach Gigz because I've yet to really investigate them beyond cursory listenings, no Pretty Boy Swag 'cause I prefer the remix with Gucci Mane which isn't a proper single, and no My Middle Name Is Crime because there simply isn't enough room.
Please believe there's ample space for Code Name by White, though, since it spoke directly to my saltine-soul like no other song this year, and although I'm not a fan of Vado as anything other than a preferable post-Dipset weed carrier alternative to that Penz kid who stunk up Glitter, I really like the Polo remix. What can I say? I'm shallow and easily swayed so I appreciate the fact he's gone from being the dude who looks like Shyne to resembling a young Grand Puba in the remix's video for maximum Polo points, and Dro's presence on the song obviously doesn't hurt, either.
So, without further ado...
Lil B - Good Morning
Raekwon - Canal Street
Lil' Boosie - Top To The Bottom
E-40 - Undastandz Me
Cousin Fik ft. E-40 - Bay Area 51
Cam'Ron & Vado - Ric Flair
Vado ft. Young Dro - Polo remix
Max B - Where Do I Go?
A-Mafia - 1000 Grams
Yelawolf - Pop The Trunk
CNN ft. Imam Thug & MussoliNY - Planet Thug
Gucci Mane - Normal
Waka Flocka Flame - Hard In Da Paint
AZ - Feel My Pain
Earl Sweatshirt - EARL
Big Boi ft. Cutty - Shutterbugg
NhT Boyz - Slidin'
N.O.R.E - Nutcracker
B.o.B ft. T.I & Playboy Tre - Bet I Bust
Elzhi - Deep
Danny Brown - Re-Up
Eddi Projex & Beeda Weeda - Gettin' G's
White - Code Name
Lil' Blood ft. J-Stalin - Sell My Coke
Sean Price - Figure Four
Curren$y - Life Under The Scope
Curren$y & Fiend - Flying Iron
Max Minelli - Louisiana Sky
Red Cafe ft. Pete Rock - Heart And Soul
Fabolous - I'm Raw
Treal Lee & Prince Rick - Throwed Off (Fuck Everybody)
$tarlito - What Was I Thinking?
L.E.P Bogus Boyz - Goin' In For The Kill
Zed Zilla - I'm Da Boss
Yo Gotti - Look In The Mirror
Young Jeezy ft. Yo Gotti - All White Everything remix
Cali Swag District - Teach Me How To Dougie
Ah, but it ain't over, mawfucker : because a list of singles doesn't even begin to do justice to the story of rap in 2010 given how fractured and chaotic the game is nowadays, here's another 30-something of my favourite rap songs from this year which weren't singles :
J-Stalin ft. The Jacka - Red And Blue Lights
Roc Marciano - Ridin' Around
$tarlito - Alright
KanYe West ft. Kid Cudi & Raekwon - Gorgeous
Killa Kyleon ft. Z-Ro - Swang Real Wide
Big Boi - Daddy Fat Sax
NhT Boyz ft. The Jacka - Big Money
Big Noyd - Queens Chronicle intro
E-40 ft. Marty James - Rick Rock Horns
Cousin Fik - No Gravity
Lil' Boosie ft. Webbie & Big Head - Bank Roll 2
Webbie ft. Lil' Phat & Birdman - Do It Bigger
Max B - Lonely
Cam'Ron ft. Vado - Fuck A Freestyle
DB Tha General - Murda
Waka Flocka Flame ft. Kebo Gotti - Grove St. Party
AZ - The Calm
DJ Kayslay ft. AZ, Raekwon & Ghostface - See The Light
Yelawolf - F.U
Gunplay - Mike Tyson
Beeda Weeda - Baserock Babies
Freeway ft. Peedi Crakk - Snappa Pow
Z-Ro - Blast Myself
Suga Free - Nobody
Young L - Martian Clap
The Pack - Hella Bass remix III
Mic Terror - Going
Thug Lordz ft. Tha Realest - Mean Muggin'
Curren$y - Airborne Aquarium
Curren$y & Fiend - Executive Brass
Soulja Boy ft. Gucci Mane - Pretty Boy Swag remix
Young Dro - Freeze Me
Danny Brown - Guitar Solo
Ski Beatz ft. Camp Lo - Back Uptown
Yo' Gotti ft. Gucci Mane & Zed Zilla - Bang Bang
Black Rob - Up North
Keak Da Sneak - Maxi Pads
Styles P ft. Sheek Louch - Double Trouble
Husalah - You Neva Knew
The Jacka & Ampachino ft. T-Nutty & Husalah - Hustle In The Rain
All in all, a very enjoyable year in rap, and since it really is a Daily Operation (R.I.P Guru - why couldn't one of your Baldhead Slick & Da Click weed carriers like Mendoughza or Don Parmazhane have died instead??) to stay on top of everything coming out you can't help but find yourself totally immersed in the music.
Is there even a remote chance we'll see a .zip file with all of these songs?
ReplyDeletegreat list man,givin me some stuff to hunt down
ReplyDeletei was startin too think i was the only one who thinks freddie gibbs is boring. and i thought nobody was a single? its a top 5 song of the year for me along with swang real wide, teach you how to sell dope and of course code name.
snow and jungle fever>> ridin around
you should give roach gigz mixtape a listen, hes definitly an aqquired taste but hes really good
"Nothing by French Montana because I'm not listening to thug-talk by a dude who looks like a cartoon lesbian version of Psycho Les..."
ReplyDelete^^^^^^
LMAO Never saw that connection, but you're right though. Psycho Les was talking about a solo release a good while back. Wonder whatever happened to that? Also, cosign on Freddie Gibbs. A few people whose opinion I respect greatly think he's the best thing since sliced bread, but I don't see it.
Any thoughts on that upcoming Vado/Dro collaboration project.
i was sorta startled by how much your taste is overlapping with mine. I just started reading this blog & feel like ive been missing out. but yeah kudos.
ReplyDeletehaaaah @ white making it
ReplyDeletequality post
Thun, probably not as they're a nuisance to do. Any songs you want, just holla and I'll up 'em, though.
ReplyDeleteDone, did Nobody really have a video? Pop was my 2nd favourite choice on Marcberg. Gonna check Roach Gigz properly over xmas.
HL, Dro doing a project with Vado would have to be a better move than him working with Yung L.A and it appears we've got a "what do any of these people see in Freddie Gibbs?" confessional going on here.
David, does that mean you're a White fan too? But, seriously, teh Shrimp was the only blog I saw this year that shaowed love for Baserock Babies and, if I remember right, you guys are the only other people on the planet who recognise the greatness of the NYGz.
Brad, e'rybody in this comment section use a code name.
@david: yeh this blog has that effect me too, its weird. nah nobody didnt have a video, i forgot your singles criteria there. im think quik said it was a single somewheres tho.
ReplyDeletegibbs reminds me of when i kept hearin good things bout skillz but every time i tried to give him a chance i end up falling asleep. also mad skillz might be the worst name ever. in a genre that has someone called titty boi.
yeh i fuk with nygz too, their album was really patchy tho way too many weed carriers. i surscribe to the theory that rappers who have to wait in the wings for years being slept on/not releasing much material usually outshine the next big hype and have more consistency, jay-z over nas being an example.
@david: ha speak of the devil i just looked at your blog and saw tity boi. luv it mayne
ReplyDeleteTight post. Good list.
ReplyDeleteim more into 'lemme smang it' than the white track for my raplolz although i do appreciate codenames. its not even so much our taste in individual traxx (i take 'the 4th quarter' over 'sell my coke' & 'cop heavy' over 'maxi pads' etc), but the constellation of artists in general -- AZ/jacka/hus/jstalin/currensy/maxb/e-40/waka + hating on freddie gibbs (i lump pill & basically any other straightlaced uninteresting 'lyricist' in that group too) etc ... ill post a list soon on somanyshrimp, youll see what i mean
ReplyDeletedid you write the piece hating on gucci for fat lace though? 'everybody lookin' >>> 'normal'
whats it gonna be is fire too
& yeah that NYG'z record was great somehow.
ReplyDeleteIm a big roach gigz dude though, at least as far as the roachy balboa tape goes -- with krit if yr anything like me youll find 'country shit' boring, in that it makes the nappy roots seem groundbreaking (candy painted cars, huh? you dont say) but i do dig the more reflective/introspective shit that dominates the last half of krit wuz here
ReplyDeleteMy bad that was JuJu that was supposed to come out with a solo album. Psycho Les already dropped one.
ReplyDeleteHL, a Juju solo album could be interesting, but he kinda lost his ig'nant mojo when he became a Muslim in the early 2000s because his lyrics became a lot less funny.
ReplyDeleteDone, pretty much agree with all that. Nobody really should've been a single.
David, I wrote the first 2 paragraphs of that Gucci piece for FL as an exercise in trolling, but the last paragraph which was about how Jeezy reminded the FL crew of hittin' up ATL stripclubs in '05 and how it was difficult to now dissassociate Gucci with anything other than Doc Zeus complaining about him in the CB comment section got cut and replaced with a final paragraph by Dan which didn't work with the rest of the piece so I've kinda Allen Smithee-ed it.
Fully concur about Pill too. Lookin' foward to the list.
Thomas, I hope you're gonna do a best Bay shit of 2010 post?
Also Cop Heavy was my least favourite of the Keak + DJ Fresh tracks, because I thought Favorite Rappa was incredibly slept on.
ReplyDeleteHa knew that was you on that Gucci piece.
ReplyDeleteAwesome post - you probably need to get out more though...
never snappin under pressure from the hoodstarz albums my dj fresh and keak tune if you can edit out hoodstars cos they suck arse. same goes for the san quinn feature which was great.
ReplyDeletedoes doc zeus have a blog? i always getb him mixed up with dart adams. cos im sure i cant stand one of em, just not which one.
"straightlaced uninteresting 'lyricist" - does wale fit that description ? cos hes a snoozer too
@Mo' Codenames
ReplyDeleteYeah for sure. It's coming in the next couple weeks.
Normally I would bow to a somanyshrimper's Gucci Mane expertise but I really believe that Normal >>> Everybody Lookin. Indeed, there are several songs that I prefer on Burrprint 2 alone. Although tastes in Gucci vary and I guess yours may run to the more shambolic, so I can understand.
ReplyDeleteDrop racks, get it back, call the shit karma.
ReplyDeleteDone, not sure if Zeus has a blog but every big blog comment section needs one "real hip hop" curmudgeon and he filled the role on CB. I really like 2 Wale songs, but one is over the Seinfeld theme and the other is with State Property.
Bozack, following and bloggin' about the rap doesn't hinder one's trips to the pub/cinema/bowling alley/Nando's/shopping.
always thought the seinfeld theme was beggin to be sampled and turned into a banger, such a shame it was whale tho. yeh the song with peedis the only one i remember off the 9th wonder mixtape.
ReplyDeleteis there a gucci compilation somewhere that could point me in the right direction? i keep getting put off by the sheer volume of shit out, and unlike lil b his bad stuffs unlistenable.
Re : Gucci compilations, I dunno. Someone's probably one/some.
ReplyDeletedont fuck with compilations, hes done a few tapes that work fine as albums. The 1st & 3rd movie tapes are two of the best, and my mindgarden classic comp of his '07-08 stuff is bigga rankin's 'zone 6 to duval' -- rankin just has a great ear for sequencing / momentum
ReplyDeletecheers man appreciate it il check em out.
ReplyDeleteive noticed the labels been leanin on datpiff though, it seems like a lot of mixtapes are just disappearing off the internet. my fault for missing the boat first time round i suppose
dipped into your archives cos on a whim i thought i'd compile a list of 2010 rap choons so you KNOW i had to plagiarise
ReplyDelete1) funny thing was seeing you posting the dissensus link, that was me i think lol
2) the number of tunes you've got here compared to your more recent end of year lists— what's up with that do you think? is rap not as good as it was in 2010, or have you just lost interest (or both)?
Rap got worse as a whole, but I definitely got pickier too.
ReplyDelete