Top five tunes of the decade !!!!!!!

Yezzzir!!

so, the page on another decade is about to be turned, and wow what a ten years we've been musically graced with. After writing my fave tunes of the year, it was only right that i put some effort into selecting my favouritest (?!) hip hop bangers of the noughties right?

Let's not forget the the decade has also given birth to some of my fave dance tunes ever (Roger Sanchez 'Another Chance' , Daft Punk 'Face To Face' , Twisted Individual 'Camel Bite' , High Contrast 'Return Of Forever) but i'm gonna nestle myself into thye hip hop pigeonhole for this one.

Have fun, enjoy, work hard, party harder !!

Number 1 hip hop tune of the decade . . . . Kanye West 'Last Call'

Okay, i'm not even gonna dwell on the Kanye of 2009, i'm gonna try to think how i felt when i first heard this rekkid ! Firstly, i'm a sucker for a pitched up vocal when it's used right, secondly the time was just sooo right for Kanye to come in and ... well, Kanye the game!

This track is serves as an outro on 'College Dropout' but it also serves as being one of the greatest hip hop tunes of all time. I'm pretty sure he ofered it to Jigga for the Black Album, but i'm glad Hova turnd it down as Kanyeezy cmes with some of his best lines evererer. Infact, for knocking on five years i've had this line stuck in my head . . .

"Killin ya'll niggas on that lyrical shit / mayonaisse colour Benz, i push miracle whips!"

I'm not 100% sure what he means but it just sounds fuckin great ! Infact i had a really embarassing experience when listening to this tune, my Mum and Dad caught me rapping at the baubles on a Christmas tree as i thought i looked like i was in a Hype Williams video haha! What an idiot. Anyway, please enjoy the tune as much as I still do. Go Kanye!



Number 2: Jay-Z 'Takeover'

This has gotta be the most lethal diss tune of all time right? This shit is just relentless. I absolutely LOVE Jigga when he's angry (note: check the M.O.P tune '4 Alarm Blaze' it's Jay-Z at his grimiest!) and some of the lines in this killed me . . .

"You little fuck , i got moneystacks bigger than you"

"Rocafella is the army, better yet the Navy, nigga we kindnap ya baby, spit at ya lady!"

It just seems so far detached from the loved-by-mums Jay-Z we see on chat shows these days hah! The beat was just sooo right too, Kanye's the best who ever done did it when he gets it right, and the Doors sample is incredible. i remember listening aghast when Westwood first played it on his Friday night show and it pretty much set New York and the hip hop world alight. I still check it every so often just to remind myself how fucking brutal this tracks is and a new line often jumps out of me. To be honest, I'm finding it hard to write about, as it's simply a 'hit play and enjoy' kinda track.

Go go go !



Number 3: Big Tymers "Number 1 Stunna'

Right, wipe the smile of your face!! i know this isn't a renowned hip hop "classic" but fuck it, that's not what this list is about! I absolutely LOVE the Ca$h Money Millionaires and this is them doing what they do, in the way that only they can do it! Straight up and down.

This was probably Mannie Fresh's best beat before he left CMR (or before he had enough of Birdman not paying him!) , the mandolin bit kills me everything, and the bass just rocks! Plus, it features Juvenile and Lil Wayne with some magic adlibs, but not forgetting some of Birdman's greatest lyrical moments

"When the light hit the ice, it twinkle an' glisten!"

"With the platinum pieces and the platinum chain, the platinum watch and the platinum chain!"

Lil Wayne's come a long way since but what a foundation to get his career on the get-go!



Number 4: 50 Cent 'In Da Club'

Okay, some are personal classics (see above!) and some are just classics. First time i heard this i just knew it was gonna be a certified hip hop banger. It was the prefect intro for 50 to be introduced to the general masses and let's be honest . . . . .has he ever bettered it?!? I don't think he has y'know!

One thing about this track that really gives me a semi is the the snare! Damn, that shit should be stored on the top shelf between copies of Razzle and Knave it's so hot, and for me makes the tune. Anyway, i don't feel on the greatest writing form today, you know the tune, know the deal and how it rolls out . . . but just for the fuck of it, slap play and remind yourself what a masterpiece it is. Infact i agree with the comment on the Youtube page where someone writes . .

"This song makes my dick hard!"

Excellent



Number 5: Nelly 'Country Grammar (Hot ....'

Found myself staring into space for this last one considering the following for selection . .

* Snoop Dogg - 'Signs'
* M.O.P - 'Ante Up'
* Lil Wayne 'Dr.Carter'
* Soulja Slim - 'Slow Motion'

BUT, i simply had to include a tune that still excites me when i hear it in a club, or anywhere infact. First time i heard this tune was on some show on MTV Base presented by two guys called T Maxx and Fusion, literally as soon as it finished, my sneakers were on and i was on a bus into town to buy the album (damn, remember doing that shit?!) , came straight home and caned fuck out of it.

Three things that instantly grabbed me about this track:

* Nelly's flow is so underrated . . . slap bang between Juvenile and Bone Thugs, which is a combo i'm always down with

* Even though the flow is based on an old nursery rhyme, the content is quite gangsta "Street sweeper baby, cocked ready to let it go!"

* How fucking cool i felt when i nailed the line " Say Hi, To My Niggaz Left In The Slamma / from St. Louis To Memphis, from Texas Back Up To Indiana, Chi-Town / K.C. Motown To Alabama / L-A, New York Yankee Niggaz To Hotlanta / Louisiana, all My Niggaz Wit "Country Grammar" , smokin Blunts In Savannah, blow Thirty Mill' Like I'm Hammer!"

Learn it and enjoy it in the same way that i do! I must admit, when this came out thought Nelly was gonna drift off into obscurity, sitting in his mansion in St.Louis a very sad and lonely man :( But hey! all worked out well for the big man and if my knowledge serves me correctly, he's still bangin' Ashanti ! haha. So on that note, i bid you all a nice New Year, and here's to another decade of bangers and anthems!

Holla back

My top five hip hop tunes of 2009!!

I do love a good end of year list, and what better subject to go in on than my love of charty American hip hop? Took me a while to decide upon these five but im pretty sure i'm happy with it. Been a great year and loadsaaa tunes that didn't quite get there (Turn My Swag On, Bedrock) but hey! Im sure those who missed out will still sleep tight. Sooo, without further ado, let's roll!!

Number 1 - Drake 'Best I Ever Had' (Cash Money)

Fave tune of the year . . . .no question gotta be my man Drake (im convinced her wrote The Carter 3 ya know!) 'Best I Ever Had.' First heard it at SXSW it's been on heavy rotation in my internal jukebox ever since. So cant wait for the full album . .. .but surely he's run outta hot punchlines by now?!?

Talking of which, so many killer lines in this tune. My fave being

"Sweat pants, hair tied, chillin' with no make-up on /
That's when you're the prettiest, I hope that you don't take it wrong."

Oh yes!! Lets not forget the video. I'm not one for music vids, but this has gotta be the greatest opening twenty seconds of a rap vid ever right? Enjoy!



Number 2 - Yung La feat. Young Dro & T.I 'Ain't I' (Grand Hustle)

On a March evening earlier this year, my friends Sebastian, George and I were driving from New Orleans to Houston. I'd had enough of soft rock bangers, religious propaganda and channel flipping so settled for Hot 93.3 and heard this little puppy!! Everything seemed right about it, the mood fitted what I was seeing (bit thuggy, damp air, creepy plinky plonky synths) and it all just 'clicked' , so much so im still banging it nine months later.

Even though it's not T.I's tune he totally owns it. However I do love Young Dro's nonsensical line:

"You got to know we gwoppy, pockets extra sloppy / Don't I love my vegetables extra cheese and broccoli!" I have no idea what he's talking about but it's cool! Ha.




Number 3 - The Dream feat. Juelz Santana, Fabolous, Ludacis 'Rockin That Thing (Remix)' (Def Jam)

Right, I think Rick Ross is a total pecker so let's pretend he's not even on this track yeah (someone do an edit - quick and DJ Khaled take a hike too), and im not gonna let his appearance on this track spoil it for me. As mentioned before I'm a sucker for a hot R&B possee cut and maaaaan, there hasn’t been better than this bitch right hurrr all year. Those synths kill me, the lazy drums excite me and Juelz verse pretty much gives me a semi ("whoooaaa, look at shawty rooool!"). Anyway, enough excitement . . .check it out . . . ..



Number 4 - Wale feat. Lady Gaga - 'Chillin' (Atlantic)

Okay, this guy is fast drifting into Shade Sheist, Mims and J-Kwon territory (the where are they now file, standard!), but it doesn’t mean he cant write a (singular!) hit tune. I was a Lady Gaga doubter until I heard this but this was the turning point.

Things I like about this song

* Wale has the most brilliantly shit line of the year "Let's talk about the cars ya'll got / you say you gotta lotta whips but I gotta lot!"

* Gaga's delivery on the line "Across that pond, they all know us international... Whoaaaa!" . . .amazing!!



Number 5 - Jay-Z feat, Swizz Beatz 'On The The Next One' (Roc Nation)

This is my fave tune from my fave album of 2009, which must surely make it the best song of the yar right? Wrong! 'Cos it's rolled in at #5 doofus! This beat killed me from the word go flipping a Justice sample, the cascading drums before the drop are brill and has some of Jigga's hottest lines of the whole album. Case in point

* "fuck that autotune cos we oooooon" (with autone fx - genius!)

* "I don’t get dropped - I drop the label!"

Classic Jigga, simple lines that say more than most rappers say in an entire fucking album. Go Hova!