Never Gone Bonus Tracks
While this transition isn’t necessarily complete – Pitbull is unfortunately still referred to as a rapper – it is responsible for most of these genuine hip hop tracks below. You may not recognize all of the tracks below, and you definitely will not see many Top 40 hits in here – sorry Drake, Lil Wayne, and the current sold out version of Lupe Fiasco – because that’s never what hip hop was set out to achieve. Instead, I’ve concocted a healthy list of gems found on the b-side of albums, bonus tracks, and mixtapes by artists who aren’t on MTV, judging each track by its quality alone.
Here are the top ten hip hop tracks of this past year:
10. Uh Oh -Talib Kweli Feat. Jean Grae - Gutter Rainbows
“Jean’s a Rock Star, minus the Pharrell and all the cop cars”
Of all that can be said about alternative hip hop legend Talib Kweli, one of the few slights that actually has weight is his lack of a compelling image. While the Brooklyn emcee is on par with the greats in terms of rhyme skill, his crime-free history and seemingly rational thought and behavior sadly – but truly – limits his artistic potential over a 15-song album. Gutter Rainbows is a product of this artistic irony, consisting mostly of lukewarm tracks that are initially listenable but soon forgotten. The exception- along with ‘Tater Tot’ and ‘Palookas’ featuring Sean Price – is ‘Uh Oh’, a collaboration with good friend and arguably the best female emcee ever, Jean Grae. Benefiting Kweli, the track doesn’t have – or need – a plot beyond from “Watch out, were back (and awesome.)” leaving a blank slate for the two lyrically dominating rappers to create their own collage of ideas on. It’s hard to say whose verse is better, but the booming choral beat and fantastic, Dark Knight-esque music video help make this song an instant classic that – unlike some of Kweli’s other recent releases – will remain relevant for many years to come.
9. Journey to Forever – Zion I & The Grouch Feat. Mystic – Heroes in The Healing of the Nation
“Elevate yourself to the next plateau, just go, just go”
Ever since Zion I released ‘Coastin‘ in 2009, I have been long awaiting a follow up track that even comes close to the positive vibes, West Coast feel, and flawless composition that emanated from the Bay Area duo’s opus. ‘Journey To Forever’, though completely different in structure and with added group member The Grouch from the Living Legends‘, is as close as it gets: an airy feel-good track with ginormous scope and deeper meaning. Consisting of uniquely textured sections spanning a lengthy seven and a half minutes, the track includes spoken word, rapped lyrics, beautifully sung choruses, and a myriad of sampled sounds which Amp Live blends with his usual expertise. The song is a product of Zion I and The Grouch’s sophomore collaboration album that, as usual, blurs the lines of hip hop with an all-over-the-place feel and noticeable West Coast free-mindedness that sounds like nothing else in the genre. Whether or not their contrasting sounds benefit the group – I prefer Zion I’s more consistent productions like Mind Over Matter - they do manage to highlight each track with a clarity that begs the listener’s full appreciation and focus.
8. BDE Bonus – Mac Miller – Best Day Ever
“Rock like Aesop, light the weed and take off. So high cannot see Adolf”
Despite being the complete opposite of the what the term “rap star” represents in your mind, Mac Miller sort of took over the game this past year. Starting out for most as “hey man check this out this song, dude”, then becoming the “next Asher Roth”, the 19 year old Pittsburgh native became one of only a handful of rap artists to have their debut album – which was released independently – peak at #1 on the Billboard Chart. Without street cred, a rap image, or featured R&B singers to help popularize his music, Miller’s fame is the perfect example of why real hip hop is coming back. At its purest definition, he represents an artist who made it solely on his ability, similarly to Nas, Jay-Z, and other legends from the Golden Age of Hip Hop. ‘BDE Bonus’ is a great example of this, a experimental remix of his mixtape’s title track ‘Best Day Ever’ that has the feel of Mac and his production team ID Labs just playing around in the studio. Miller’s lyrics are catchier than they are talented, but that works perfect with the stoner-friendly beat that builds over the 4 minute track that is as close to the heart of hip hop as any song this year.
7. Oh Yeah (Our Babies) - Saigon – The Greatest Story Never Told
“I’m filled with this realness, rappers happen to lack it
I’m flabbergasted you got a platinum plaque for that wack shit”
Saigon’s long awaited debut The Greatest Story Never Told was a success no matter how you look it at: critics and consumers alike adored this mainstream/conscious crossover entirely produced by Just Blaze, and it was able to accomplish the very difficult combination of being both universally listenable and profound in its content. ‘Oh Yeah (Our Babies)’ isn’t supposed to be the album’s best track – it appears near the end and is overshadowed by booming singles like ‘Believe It‘, but after a few listens it becomes apparent that Saigon is at his best when addressing cultural issues and emphasizing the ongoing struggle in America’s ghettos. This track digs deep right away with a recording of two black children talking about a shooting they witnessed from the window of their room, and its sinister piano laid beat and Saigon’s unavoidable honesty about the dystopian state children today grow up in doesn’t let you go. The song fittingly ends with 16 bars spit acapella by Saigon that contain some of the dopest lines of the year (i.e. above).
6. Lost Ones – J. Cole – Cole World: The Sideline Story
“See I knew that this is how you act, so typical
Said you love me oh but now you flipping like reciprocals”
J. Cole has a strange thing for complicating situations with women. Last year, his single ‘Lights Please’ - which took the number 10 spot on my Top Ten List – dealt with Cole trying to educate these girls who just wanted to bone, and was only the first of four tracks on his impressive debut Cole World: The Sideline Story to cover his problems with women. Calling Cole out as a wimp or soft is wrong, however, as he delivers pinpoint analysis with a undeniable rationality and dope delivery accustomed to the North Carolina raised rapper’s fans. See ‘Lost Ones’, an unusually deep yet appealing track – named after Jay-Z’s 2006 track – that cleverly plays both sides of a couple getting pregnant and deciding whether to have an abortion. If the plot doesn’t grab you – abortion isn’t really as cool of a topic as, say, drug dealing – it’s J. Cole’s complete ownership over the song that makes it so good. The catchy beat, the slick lyrics (obviously), and even the surprisingly well sung chorus is Cole, allowing him full creative control to deliver his message, which ironically is one that hits much closer to home than selling cocaine or killing people.
5. Writer’s Block – Royce da 5’9″ Feat. Eminem – Single
“Since I decided to start Class this
All black, all glass, panoramic roof been gettin’ marked absent”
It’s really a shame that it took until 2011 for 34-year old Detroit rapper Royce Da 5’9″ started getting hyped and recognized as dope emcee. His notable career has spanned two decades and included work with Dr. Dre, DJ Premier, and Eminem – with whom the original recording of ‘Renegades’ was recorded, but it has been the bumps in the road that have defined this bright rapper’s career. Verses he originally wrote for The Chronic 2001 were later removed, the aforementioned ‘Renegade’ collaboration was overshadowed by Jay-Z under whom it became a classic, and a highly publicized beef with Eminem and D12 – guess who won that – all kept Royce just out of mainstream hip hop’s landscape until Bad Meets Evil, a joint album with recently re-acclimated buddy Marshall Mathers. Surfing the inertia from this newly found notoriety, Royce released ‘Writer’s Block’, a uniquely rational take on a topic most rappers run from with a hell of a beat and hook from Shady. Royce is brave to point out that, in the realm of money, cash, hoes hip hop, “ya’ll already said that”, making it more and more difficult to come up with new, hot rhymes around the stagnant topics of… well, money, cash, and hoes. In the end, Em speaks for Royce by blurting “sike!” to insinuate that even this competitive landscape is no match for the tried and true rapper. The original version is nice, but a remixed version with DJ Premier providing a classic jazz-heavy beat for the second verse is the one which qualifies for this list.
4. Kool On – The Roots – Undun
“Who needs a chain when every thoughts a jewel,
God bless the weirdo when everyone’s a fool.”
No artists in hip hop, not even Jay-Z, has stayed as consistently dope for as long and as across such a myriad of sounds as Philadelphia’s finest, The Roots. So, it was a no-brainer among heads that their newest work, the concept album Undun, would stay the trends of phenomenal, expansive production, hardcore and intelligent lyrics, and the feeling that the blood of hip hop flows directly through the groups’ veins. In all honesty, there really isn’t a standout track on the short but sweet project – they’re all that good – but while each takes on a different chapter in the life of Redford Stevens (the album’s fictional main character), none grabs you with its positive vibes and “kool” flows like ‘Kool On’. Backed with one of the best vocal samples I’ve ever heard topping off an infectious beat, Greg Porn, Black Thought, and Truck North spit about the higher times in Stevens life. While the rest of the album leans toward dark, ambiguous themes, ‘Kool On’ is warm and sunny while still maintaining street legitimacy; a deadly combination perfectly detailed by the song’s hook “Go get your kool on, stars are meant to shine!“. The true measure of a song like ‘Kool On’ – or an album like Undun – can’t be measured in just a few listens; this is a track that will be bumping on your iPod – or whatever the newest invention will be – for years to come.
3. Toast To The Dead – Immortal Technique – The Martyr
“The only thing worse than giving freedom to the guilty
Is killing the innocent and leaving your soul filthy”
Ok, so maybe it wasn’t as bad as Dr. Dre’s Detox, but the wait for Revolutionary Vol. 3: The Middle Passage - which supposedly has been in the works since 2006 – has been nearly palpable among Immortal Technique’s devoted fanbase. Alas, 2011 has come and gone without a full-length project from one of the greatest lyricists of all-time (no jokes here), but heads like me were blessed with his highly impressive mixtape The Martyr. Containing his usual abrasive and controversial politically charged lyrics – although noticeably more refined now than in 2001 – The Martyr is rock-solid all around, featuring epic tracks: ‘The Martyr’, dream collaborations: ‘Angels & Demons feat. Dead Prez’, and even feel good tracks: ‘Natural Beauty‘. The standout, however, is the mixtape’s lead single ‘Toast to the Dead’, featuring a J Dilla – yes, that J Dilla – produced track which Tech had to gain permission from the posthumous producer’s mother, and lyrics that aren’t as staggering complex as usual but equal in significance. When Tech comes up in discussion, I feel that too many hip hop fans dismiss him as a genre-limited political radical. Hopefully, tracks like ‘Toast to the Dead’ will help change those fans’ minds.
2. Enemies With Benefits – Cunninlynguists Feat. Tonedeff – Oneirology
“Callin the love doctor cause I need a fix of this chick and it’s sickening
Wish I could quit, but my dick is mixing the signals and shit”
Wait. Before judging the song’s title – or the group name’s title at that – please give this track a chance. Yes, the lead track on Cunninlynguist’s instant classic album Oneirology is about relationship issues, but – like J. Cole – this trio from Kentucky knows how to transcribe the raw emotions of love and hate into a poetic and melodic masterpiece. ‘Enemies with Benefits’ features a powerfully chilling beat – a product of acclaimed beat maker and group member Kno – that plays background to Deacon the Villian’s, and Kno himself’s respectively superb 16s. Tonedeff’s final verse steals the show – which isn’t much of a surprise to those who know his lightning quick yet rhythmical delivery – with lines like above and “My judgement Impaired like I was drunk on kamakazi’s riding a busted Kawasaki” that blur the lines between romanticism and Busta Rhymes-esque head-spinning verbal assault. ‘Enemies with Benefits’ evokes the memory of other Cunninlyguists classic tracks like ‘Love Ain’t‘ – also featuring Tonedeff – and ‘Beautiful Girl‘, and provides more justification to the argument that this group is one of the best in hip hop’s underground.
1. Primetime – Jay-Z & Kanye West – Watch the Throne
“At 42 be better than 24, I carried the 4-5, mastered 48 laws
Still wearing my 23’s they can’t fuck with the boy”
If you’ve read my blog, by this point you can probably denote two things: I think Watch the Throne makes all other albums from 2011 pale in comparison, and unlike the general hip hop population – judging on the comments I’ve received – I think Kanye West is a genius and easily the best producer of our age. In that regard, it was pretty much predetermined that my Top Ten Tracks of 2011 list would feature a WTT song at its pinnacle. But ‘Primetime’? Why not the cult hit ‘Niggas in Paris’, the beautifully composed intro ‘No Church in the Wild’, or the smash hit ‘Otis’? While all of those hits are great – if this list was more honest you would probably see four Watch the Throne songs on it, but I’m a fair guy – track #15: ‘Primetime’ rules as the album’s best because of its subtleties. No ID, Kanye’s mentor and fellow Chicagoan, lays down an incredible beat with an extended piano sample that makes you feel like you’re in a 3-piece suit sipping Ace of Spades Champagne. Meanwhile, from Jay-Z’s play on numbers (seen above) which spans 8 bars and gives us a peek of what the greatest rapper ever used to be capable of, to Kanye’s using a double vocal to emphasize “Prime time!”, the self-proclaimed kings of hip hop show why, at least for now, they’re making hip hop like no else can.
Honorable Mentions:
Niggas In Paris – Jay-Z & Kanye West
Blue Sky – Common
Black Diamonds – Wu Tang Clan
That’s Hard – Smif N Wessun feat. Styles P & Sean Price
All Black Everything – Lupe Fiasco
Consider Yourself Peeped!
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