Monday 5 December 2011

The token best rap songs of 2011 list post

You know what, let's just get this post out of the way so I can get back to posting about Rappers who've sampled Big Time by Peter Gabriel, and expressing my horror at the suggestion in the latest issue of Sight & Sound that The Tree Of Life received so many votes this year that it might plausibly bumrush S&S's poll of the Best Films of All Time in 2012; SAY IT AIN'T SO!

There was simply far too much Rap this year, but I tempered the problem by reaching saturation points with Curren$y, Lil B and Jacka, and having little-to-no interest in such critical darlings as Kendrick Lamar, Main Attrakionz, Big K.R.I.T and Roach Gigz. Factor in that N.Y had an annus horribilis, that I'd rather watch Chad Hugo singing scat to scat-porn than listen to Pusha-T as a solo artist, that I loathe Freddie Gibbs, Spaceghostpurrp, French Montana and all of those nu-ATRappers like 2 Chainz, Future, Trouble and Alley Boy, that I couldn't even bring myself to listen to the Trae and Yelawolf albums, and that I had to give up on Livewire because I couldn't keep track of them, and what remained was just about digestible.

There are other songs I like, but these are the joints that I'll ride for, collide for, and won't even write snide comments for. There isn't any order of preference in the lists and they're broken down into 3 categories but there's rules, got codes and lines we obey : singles are signified by the song receiving a video, which means there are a handful of 2010 tracks included, and it's one-song-per-artist, unless the artist formed a duo with somebody else. O let's get to it :

2011's best Rap singles :

DB Tha General - Upgrade 'Em 2
Gunplay ft. Waka Flocka Flame - Rollin'
Meek Mill ft. Rick Ross - Tupac Back
AZ - The Calm
Treal Lee & Prince Rick - 501 Levi's
DJ Quik ft. Gift Reynolds - Luv Of My Life
E-40 - Concrete
Bo Deal ft. Mellow G. Blanca - Safe Sex
A-Mafia ft. 2 Chainz Real Live Pro
Max B - South Wave
Jackie Chain ft. Bun B - Parked Outside
Young Bleed - Holla At Uh Dog
Webbie ft. Lil' Phat - What's Happenin'
Foxx - Gold Mouth Dawg
Mouse On Tha Track - Swagga Fresh Freddie
Troy Ave ft. Prodigy - Dirty Martini
King Louie - Man Up Band Up remix (Get Money)
Juicy J ft. VABP - Smoke That Bitch
Lady - Yankin'
Yo Gotti ft. Zed Zilla - Bang Bang (video version)
$tarlito ft. Yo Gotti - I Shake Life
$tarlito & Don Trip - Life
Kirko Bangz - What Yo' Name Iz?
A$AP Rocky - Peso
Waka Flocka Flame ft. Kebo Gotti - Grove St. Party
Waka Flocka Flame & Slim Dunkin - Twin Towers 2 Intro
Slim Dunkin - I Gotta Eat
N.O.R.E - Nore Shot Somebody
Soulja Boy - Zan With That Lean Part 2
Riff Raff SODMG & TKO Capone - Cocky Bastard

2011's best Rap songs which weren't singles :

Danny Brown - Lincoln Continental
Husalah - Da Mob
Mob Figaz - Loyal To The Mob
Gunplay - No Arm And Hammer
Black Rob - Up North, This Is What It Is
The Bounce Squad ft. Black Rob - Live In The Building
E-40 ft. B-Legit - 43
Fat Trel - Rolling
Treal Lee & Prince Rick - Shoes Up
Z-Ro - Never Had Love
Roc Marciano - My Persona
Young Bleed - Stamp On It
B.G. & Lil' Boosie - 187
Webbie - Crazy
Lil' Phat ft. Mannie Fresh - Talk Some Mo' Shit
Action Bronson - East Bound And Down
DB Tha General - O.G Music
Yo Gotti ft. Stuey Rock - Single
Zed Zilla - No Chorus
$tarlito - #UW
$tarlito & Don Trip - The Realest
Don Trip ft. $tarlito & Yo Gotti - So Slow
King Louie - We Like To Party
Trick-Trick & Parlae - Fuck 'Em
A-Mafia - Ted Dibiase
T-Bo & Romeo - Fed Up
Lady - Pussy
Ghostface, AZ & M.O.P - Legendary Weapons
Juicy J - Who Da Neighbors
Fam-Lay ft. Project Pat - Money Makin' Trick
TKO Capone - Obviously
G-Side ft. Bentley - No Radio
Rittz ft. Yelawolf & Big K.R.I.T - Fulla Shit
Ying Yang Twins - You Know You Like That Shit
Frenchie ft. Slim Dunkin - Scream My Adlibs
Wooh Da Kid - I Prefer
Waka Flocka Flame & Slim Dunkin ft. YG Hootie & Kebo Gotti - Koolin' It

2011's best jackin' 4 beats Rap songs :

King Louie - Louie Montana
Turf Talk - N.W.A
$tarlito - Lil' Boosie Out
$tarlito & Don Trip - Karate In The Garage
Yo Gotti - Pussy Ass Rappers
Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire - Huzzah
A-Mafia - Road To The Riches
Peedi Crakk & Young Chris - N*ggas In North
DB Tha General - King Of Oakland
Prodigy ft. Boogz Boogetz - It's A Body

This post is sure to be subject to rigorous editing over the next 26 days, so I'll be happy to accept a new solo track by AZ, a freestyle over Tik Hoe by Gunplay, and a song apiece from the upcoming touted collaborations between Suga Free & DJ Quik and Mystikal & Mannie Fresh before the year ends. I also wouldn't say no to one good Jacka song, but it has to be either Murder Somebody-levels of good or the Slap Tremendo from the Husalah & Paul Wall studio session video.

23 comments:

step one said...

nice list. this should keep me busy for a while

James said...

This French Montana hate needs to stop. I'm going to send you a compilation (or send you a bunch of youtube links)

done said...

Aw man, this shits so on point its made my important list seem a little unnecessary.

One question: Luv Of My Life >>> Nobody - really though??

Thank you for letting me know theres a South Wave video (however sub-Treal TV it is), thats probably my 2nd favourite off Vigilante Season. How his team deigned to give Money Make Me Feel Better a vid and not the top 10 Biggavell joint off the same album is baffling though.

Cosign the Livewire avalanche, its really hard to find the jewels in amongst the sea of just-competent-enough shit.

Surprised to see Action Bronson in there, he's alright in small doses but hes kinda ruining rapping bout food imo.

David said...

really the first coke boys tape was pretty great imo give that a 'spin'

David said...

the first coke wave was dope to me. the new one is alright, i'm not as into it.

most of the other rappers you mentioned hating on, i'm with it, although i thought Trouble's first record had some joints, but I think the Meek Mill tape was awesome. if you didnt crank "i'm a boss" in the ride at least once this year ...

Thomas said...

Great post! Good to see "43" on there, I love that song. I just listened to that "Pussy" song and I think my ears started bleeding though. I'll be sure and check out some more of these songs when I get a chance.
Here is my suggestion for the one Jacka song to include, easily his best song this year.

sisilafami said...

great list, top notch e-40 choice, lol @ the king louie band nation link

Mister Jay said...

i guess you havent checked out joe blows new mixtape "international blow" yet. "couldnt be a better player" slaps and has a great jacka verse, "walkin lick" slaps even harder, and "timeless" is a great song too.

Kelvin Mack10zie said...

Done - I preferred Nobody when it was a Suga Free solo track and I fuck with some of Bon Appetit... Bitch!! as far as Bronson goes.

James - if you must, but I'm not changing my mind that he sounds like Frank B from EPMD's You Had Too Much To Drink.

David - I have 2 main problems when I hear Meek's voice/delivery - he sounds like a meek version of late 90s Silkk and it just makes me wish Gunplay had gotten tracks like House Party, 2pac Back etc instead, which he probably would have if he hadn't picked a moniker no major label will ever release a CD by and then gotten tangled up with Def Jam. Did Rappers not learn anything from Peedi Crakk?

Will check it, Thomas.

Misterjay - I haven't, no, but I do like that Couldn't Be A Better Player cut and I've heard good things about the album, so I'll give it a whirl.

done said...

Thomas that Jacka tune is great, I miss him rapping like that, think I'll finally dl those albums now.

"I preferred Nobody when it was a Suga Free solo track" - can't say I disagree with this, I'm glad he axed the breakdown at the end though.

Was so happy when I copped that recent Peedi comp with a No-DJ More Towels.

David said...

oh shit i forgot this belongs in your '11 beat jack list imo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXXVEoX92_Q

Kelvin Mack10zie said...

I can fuck with that.

brad said...

what about that fat cat pauly joint with the zombienation sample you posted?

Kelvin Mack10zie said...

By rights, yes, since I ‘discovered’ that song (Fred Flak from MobStyle actually put me onto it because Fat Cat Pauly is his boy), but it's more of a song that I like than love.

Added a Juicy J cut into the singles list after sorting through which tracks of his from Rubba Band Business 2 got videos.

Mr Bozack said...

Can you be assed to up these ishes in dL'able format (or have you already somewhere down the line)?

Kelvin Mack10zie said...

Google the artist/song title + Hulkshare and you should be able to find downloadable links to most of them

Anonymous said...

I could be going crazy, but I swear that dope King Louie remix is sampled from awful John Nash - Russell Crowe biopic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr18I1PCECg

Alternatively, I'm not going crazy but just have a weak google steez...

Andre Hicks said...

dont give up on Livewire, or at least check out Shady Nate's Front Cover and Stevie Joe's Go Back (matter of fact his whole 21 Grams tape bangs) if u havent...

those are two of my fav jams of '11... the mechanix killing it as usual...

Syl said...

This is my favorite year-end list so far. I love your picks, and love your pet peeves even more. Just curious: what makes you hate (and group together) rookie Atlantans Future, 2Chainz, Alley Boy? Also, you hate critical darlings like Main Attraktionz and Roach Gigz but you give ASAP Rocky a pass? Your bullshit detector seems well-tuned--surprised to see something that flimsy slip past.

Kelvin Mack10zie said...

My thing about Alley Boy, Future et al is that their whole style of generic Trap shit now sounds so passe when Brick Squad exist and Yo Gotti has been doing it better than Jeezy since C.M 4.5 onwards.

Peso is the only A$AP Rocky I like and I've been critical of his other songs on here, particularly Purple Swag. Never bothered to check his mixtape.

I don't think I've ever actually heard a full song by Main Attrakionz, but the few snippets I've listened to have been a chore to sit through. Roach Gigz I just found a tad too everyman-ish for my tastes.

David said...

In addition to the Sly Polaroid version of "hustle hard" you should include Max B's jail cell freestyle over 'findem fuckem and flee', called 'block to the yard'

Kelvin Mack10zie said...

I saw the Fader post about that. Surprisingly wavy for an over-the-phone acapella.

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