The best rap singles of the noughties ('99 - '09)
Since it's been doin' Toy Story 3 DVD sales numbers over the last week thanks to someone linking it on one of the Somethingawful.com forums, I thought I'd give my Ego Trip Book Of Rap Lists singles style noughties post an overhaul by increasing the 15 singles per calendar annum into a more rounded 20 choices per year, switching a few singles I was off on date wise to their correct years of residence, adding a few songs I either didn't realise were singles or had slept on back in 2009, generally just moving songs up and down lists, and starting anew with my favourite 20 singles of 2010 now enough time has passed for me to be able to make sense of the year. I always used to hate the way Sight & Sound magazine would let their contributors list their favourite movies in alphabetical order rather than any kind of hierarchical structure of preferance come poll times, but, oh man, after putting together a list like this I can see why it's such a critically sound strategy because I can't look at this list without spluttering in disgust that I've ranked Grindin' higher than Lovely, The Essence and It's All Gravity; a matter this recent edit has put right.
Also mentioned some of the notable absences in the '79 - '98 lists in the Ego Trip book in the post, which is great timing because in the new Fat Lace spodcast Drew points out the sheer injustice at the Ego Trip crew deciding that Down The Line deserved a spot in ..The Bad.. section of their posse cut Clans, Posses, Crews & Cliques chapter alongside such communal duds as Ladies In Da House and No Hook.
Nice & Smooth ft. Preacher Earl, Melo T, Bas Basta, Asu & Guru - Down The Line (1991)
Ah man you improved on perfection, nice one. Never heard 5 Deuce 4 Tray, its great and Traffickin shouldve been in everyones list, its fucking majestic. Dredio was always kinda anticlimatic imo though, Cali Iz Active and that old Snoop freestyle make it even harder for me to enjoy it too.
ReplyDeleteThat "woodchuck would chuck wood" dudes class, been meaning to grab that album. Ha is Greg taunting Premo at the end like theyv made the better song?
Ah wait ignore that, I just listened again. Dredios flames.
ReplyDeleteDunno what the fuck i was thinkin back then. (as in whenever i heard it cos in 04 I was listening to Blackstar.)
Gonna have to dl that album again. Dunno where to look for Dre now Pills gone though.
Greg says that because Primo did the scratches on it. Dwyck didn't come out until a year later in '92.
ReplyDeleteOh I was thinkin of Manifest, how they used the Charlie Parker sample and Guru's verse. Guru in 91 was the shit.
ReplyDeleteAh, of course.
ReplyDeletei thought the red cafe / pete rock was '09? or maybe it just leaked then
ReplyDeletethe closer to 2000, the more we overlap in taste ... i miss when rap used to chart, it made it easier to agree
The song leaked in '09, but the video didn't come until last year which it when it became a legit single under my criteria.
ReplyDeleteEven better than the dozer and immortal technique post haha
ReplyDeleteRed Cafe is one of those dudes I can't believe had a career, like Jerry Beeks (as I comment to Dan Large every single fucking time I see him, when I'm not pointing out to him that his people killed Jesus)
ReplyDeleteIndeed. The fact he even has 2 or 3 good songs to his name is a testament to the theory that any old hack is capable of the odd jam every now and then.
ReplyDelete