[ezzieyguywuf]

So the other thread is blowing up (awesome!) but seems to be taking on a 'what's your favourite album(s)' kind of vibe. Thats great, but I thought I'd start another seperate thread for discussing particularly what some of your favourite hip-hop/rap SONGS are (namely cuz I got a few in my head that I'd like to mention).

I'm gong to establish a few sort of ground rules for this thread, but do not feel at all limited by them. They are meant more to keep the thread alive and not 'clunky' so to speak. So here what I'd like:

1) try to restrict yourself to strictly one song per post (I know it's tempting to say that Me Against the World is a great album overall, but the point of the thread is to pick just ONE song!!!)

2) if you have multiple songs that you'd like to mention from the same album, try to space them out a bit: in other words don't thread hog. I don't say this to be mean, but in order to allow some conversations to form surrounding people's posts.

3) Try to include why you enjoyed the song so much: was it a mighty dope beat that just gets you every time? Are the lyrics just on point, and despite the sub-par beat/production the track shines nonetheless? Is the combination of a so-so beat and lyrics so perfect that the synergy the create causes a metamorphic rap phenomonon of a track to be present? Did that last question even make sense?

Really what I want to happen is people to say a track they love, and then why. Maybe someone will have something to say, or someone will just have their own track to list. Like I said earlier, I'd like to keep the conversations flowin in this thread. My other thread (i'll provide a link at a later date) is great for finding overall albums to listen to. This is meant to be a more in depth thread. So here goes! i'll start...

 

[ezzieyguywuf]

The song that got me starting this whole thread is Four Women by Talib Kweli off his album Reflection Eternal.

I'm tellin you guys, I can listen to this track 7-8 times in a row (and I have) and cannot get tired of it. When I went and bought Greatest Hits of Nina Simone just to hear the original, it just made Talib's version that much better.

I'm gonna go ahead and say that the beat isn't phenomenal on this, but the production is on point. I think this is possible because by production I mean that the way the beat was used, as well as extra effects, fits in perfectly with Talib's overall vibe. And lemme tell you, his vibe and lyrics are what make this track.

I really feel his emotions on the last verse, and in the first verse the line where he talks about the ladies dreads sticken out like antenna 'to help her get a sense of where she was at'.... thats awesome. I also like the following line "she attracts all kinds of energy/ even negative, she gotta dead that/ the head rap is a remedy". Awesome articulation and all that other gooey poetry stuff in just those two lines.

I'd love to go one with other tracks, but i'm gonna try to stick by my own rules. If theres no responses by tomorrow i'll advance onto some of my other fav tracks. I realize my commentary was somewhat scattered, but thats just cuz the track makes me feel real giddy (lol!)

 

[sahwnfras]

Yay a not repeat the same albums over and over thread.

Who's been feeling the new Kanye Sound. I saw his Heartless video and it was cool, very different like most of his stuff.

 

[panda]

the one song that really got me into rap was keep their heads ringin'. i was barely out of elementary school at that point and pretty much FOB immigrant. it was so hardcore talking about kicking ass and taking names that it pumped me up every time i heard it and still love that song.

'i scare wear and tare, without a care' <--that was my slogan for the longest time.

 

[Bonta]

Triumph-Wu Tang Clan

I don't think theyve ever come as correct as they were on this song. Props to Inspectah Deck for havin the sickest verse (of all time) IMO of course. Combine a banging beat and 9 MCs at their prime and what you see is what you get.

 

[tru blu]

Sooooo many, but let's start with…

"Scenario" - A Tribe Called Quest

If you've ever been in a club when this comes on, you know its greatness isn't open to question. The beats, the bassline, the cameo that made Busta Rhymes' career…it probably gets folks as amped now as it did when it was new (1991).

 

[Ttvetjanu]

The roots - Criminal (featuring saigon & truck north)

This has been on my playlist a lot recently. I really like the mood of the song. Lyrics are not exactly typical either. I don't know how long my liking for this song will last, but this is my current favorite.

 

[Calexico]

This is hard...
I'd say the one most successful rap song in my iTunes library is If I May by Blackalicious.

 

[illkemist]

They Reminisce Over You - Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth

This song was single handedly responsible for getting me into jazz. It's instantly recognizable by hip hop fans and non hip hoppers alike. It opened up an entire genre of music to me from one 3 second sample. In addition, the song is incredibly emotional as it deals with the death of a loved one. I think most people can relate to that.

 

[CareyB]

Greatest Rap song ever = The Humpty Dance by Digital Underground

 

[choomanchoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CareyB /img/forum/go_quote.gif Greatest Rap song ever = The Humpty Dance by Digital Underground

Great song yes, but my vote for greatest rap song ever would be, "Rapper's Delight " by the Sugar Hill Gang

 

[JadeEast]

The Pete Rock track mentioned earlier send chills down my spine,
Here is another. Big-L "street struck"

+ YouTube Video​

ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.

*picking just one favorite track is way too hard

 

[crzystng]

Getting back on topic here
Quote:

Whats your fav song?

Too $hort - Life Is...Too $hort

 

[soMn]

Common - I Used to Love H.E.R.

Even though it's been done so many times since, when he gets to that last line, "cause who I'm talking bout yall is hip hop," I just smile every time because the whole track is so clever.

 

[ezzieyguywuf]

I gotta one up the Common track. Theres a lot of great tracks mentioned so far, and a bunch that I haven't even heard!

Keeping this thing going, another one of my all time fav hip-hop tracks is...aw shyt, now i'm trying to pick between two different tupac tracks. Ok i'll talk about one now, and one in my next post :-D

So, Outlaw of his Me Against the World Album. Its the last track on the album, and I dunno how much circulation it gets on people's playlists and surely I haven't heard it spoke on much, but let me tell you thats a phat track. The way the beat drops in with the keys is just so...smooth? Something like that. His lyrics aren't anything phenomenol, but his delivery is so on point and meshes so good with the beat that its not even funny. My favourite line? "High speeds and Thai weed on the freewayy/ when will they learn to take it eas-say..." . I love how on that second line his cuz Ra-Ra comes in in the background. It just makes really punch through. I think overall this is the perfect capstone for the album. Anytime I get to the track, and then it loops back to the intro, I feel like that was just such a complete album, specially cuz of the perfect last song.

On a bit of a side note, I'd love to hear some of your guys' comments as to why you enjoy these tracks, not simply that you like them. I'm not sayin write a book or nothin, but put down some words. Speak for your music, ya know? If its your favourite, theres gotta be a reason, and if there isn't maybe you should rethink your criteria for favourite music :-D

edit: i didn't know big l had a video for that track. phat