From its humble origins in Bronx block parties, hip-hop music has risen to become a global phenomenon. While it still might not get much respect from major music institutions--fun fact, the Grammys have never given Album of the Year to a hip-hop artist’s album unless at least half of the album was primarily outside the genre--it’s undeniably become a part of American culture. If you think you don’t like hip-hop, you just haven’t found the right flavor of it yet--and let’s be real, you can only listen to “Panda” so many times before you get tired of it. So let’s step away from the charts for a minute and take a tour through the world of hip-hop. If you’re a serious hip-hop head, you probably know all these songs already, but if you aren’t, you might be about to find your new favorite song.
“Twinz (Deep Cover ‘98)” // Big Pun ft. Fat Joe
The original “Deep Cover” from 1992 is pretty notable by itself. It was Dr. Dre’s first solo release after he left NWA, and it featured the recording debut of one Snoop Doggy Dogg. But once Big Pun got his hands on this six years later, the original just couldn’t compare. Instead of taking a similarly laidback approach to Dre and Snoop’s take, Pun goes in right out of the gate with his signature wordplay. The song’s iconic line comes up early the first verse--trust me, you’ll know exactly which one it is when you hear it--but the two shine throughout, with Pun delivering raw technical prowess like few before or since him have ever been able to accomplish and Fat Joe keeping the momentum going with some bars of his own. Sadly, Big Pun died of a heart attack a couple years after this song came out, but despite how brief his career was, tracks like these cemented his status as one of the all-time greatest rappers in history.
“Damage” // Krizz Kaliko ft. Snow tha Product
“Damage” is a perfect example of two versatile underground talents coming together and tearing a beat to shreds. Krizz Kaliko opens and closes the song with fast-paced rhymes and memorable flows, as well as singing the song’s chorus, but it’s Snow tha Product’s verse that really makes this track special. Snow draws her fair share of comparisons to Big Pun--being a skilled, lightning-quick Latino MC will do that--but make no mistake, this girl is a lyrical beast in her own right. Let me put it this way: how many other rappers do you know who can start a verse in English, then switch to Spanish on a dime and keep all the speed and precision going? Yeah. Exactly.
“Through the Wire” // Kanye West
If you think Kanye West is an egomaniac, you’re right. If you think he has no talent, you’re way off the mark. Love him or hate him, Kanye is the most influential hip-hop artist in this millennium thus far, both as a rapper and as a producer, and I’ll admit, I was on the “hate him” side of the fence for years. That changed when I heard “Through the Wire.” If Kanye doesn’t sound like himself on this one, there’s a reason for that. In October 2002, he got into a car accident that could very well have killed him if he hadn’t been wearing his safety belt. The damage was so severe that he needed reconstructive surgery on his face. Two weeks later, he went into the studio with a beat he’d made using a sample from Chaka Khan’s “Through the Fire” and, with his jaw still wired shut, recorded a song about the accident and his recovery process. He took one of the worst things that had ever happened to him up to that point and turned into his breakthrough hit, which in turn paved the way for him to release The College Dropout, perhaps the single most influential hip-hop album to be released in this millennium. Even if you think he’s a jackass--hell, even if you somehow don’t like this song--you have to respect him for making something positive out of a bad situation.
“Lie, Cheat, Steal” // Run the Jewels
Run the Jewels is the kind of project that’s born to make underground hip-hop fans drool with anticipation. Killer Mike--yeah, the guy who’s always giving stump speeches for Bernie Sanders--had already established himself as a skilled, outspoken MC, and El-P was well-known for his lyricism and experimental production. So when the two came together under the Run the Jewels name, fire was guaranteed to follow. On “Lie, Cheat, Steal,” they show exactly why, with dextrous flows and chemistry on par with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. The beat is just as great, with dense composition and a layered, energetic sound. If you want something to turn up to, but don’t want to listen to trap music, this is definitely the track for you.
“Nosetalgia” // Pusha T ft. Kendrick Lamar
What makes “Nosetalgia” so interesting is the way it presents two sides of the same coin. There’s no real hook to this song, just some electric guitar strums and a KRS-One vocal sample separating Pusha T’s verse from Kendrick’s. Both verses are about crack cocaine in the inner city, informed by the two’s real pasts. Pusha tells the story of a dealer who gets into the game as a teenager and very much lives the gangster lifestyle, cooking up clever wordplay and multi-layered imagery. Kendrick, meanwhile, tells the story of a kid growing up around addicts and dealers, and while he doesn’t have as many instances of wordplay as Pusha does, the ones Kendrick does put in are masterful. Unlike some of the other songs on this list, you don’t hear too much of the duo tag-teaming the beat, but that works to this song’s advantage. Each man gets to tell his story and contribute to the larger picture.
“Ante Up (Remix)” // M.O.P. ft. Busta Rhymes, Tephlon, Remy Martin
Sometimes you just need something loud and aggressive to get you hyped up to do something, and in the world of hip-hop, few artists can satisfy that need quite like the Mash Out Posse. The original “Ante Up” is a classic ode to robbery, with a beat that, unless you have no pulse, is guaranteed to get you excited, but the remix takes things to another level, with Busta Rhymes, Remy Martin, & Tephlon all holding their own and bringing their unique styles into play. Some rap music fills dancefloors, but this flattens them.
“Guerrilla Radio” // Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine is, sonically speaking, set up like a metal band, but make no mistake, this music as much a product of Public Enemy as it is of Slayer. Many bands that followed would try to imitate RATM’s formula, but none quite succeeded, and for good reason. For one, Zach de la Rocha can actually rap, and while he doesn’t go for super-lyrical wordplay, he flows perfectly with the track and makes you feel everything he’s saying. And then there’s the guitar wizardry of Tom Morello, who, with the right effects pedals and a deep knowledge of his instrument, consistently pushes the boundaries of what sounds an electric guitar can make. At its core, hip-hop is about asserting yourself in the face of any and all social pressures to conform, and on “Guerrilla Radio,” Rage embodies that spirit like few before or since.
“300 Bars & Runnin’” // The Game
https://soundcloud.com/orionmuzikandmore/the-game-... <--YouTube always mutes this one, so here's a SoundCloud link
Let me tell you a little story. Back in 2005, 50 Cent was on top of the music industry. He’d made a name for himself by destroying Ja Rule’s career so thoroughly that no one would ever win a beef that decisively until Drake bodied Meek Mill. So naturally, having found a strategy that worked, Fiddy started a bunch of other beefs and expected the rest of G-Unit to back him up. But one member of G-Unit, The Game, didn’t want to get involved, and for that transgression, Game got booted from the crew. Thankfully, Game wasn’t going down without a fight, and the result was “300 Bars & Runnin’,” an epic 15-minute-long tear where he takes shots at 50 Cent from every angle, from making fun of G-Unit’s Reebok deal to questioning 50’s street cred to mockingly impersonating the other members of G-Unit. The occasional use of homophobic and transphobic insults definitely dates this track--those lines would never fly if Game made this now--but everything else about this track is on point. The Game goes in with clever punchlines from start to finish--again, while freestyling for 15 minutes straight in one take--over Nu Jerzey Devil and DJ Skee’s whirlwind tour of classic hip-hop beats, including sampling “In da Club,” 50’s signature hit, while Game accuses 50 of trying to stop Game from getting some buzz of his own. Now that’s what I call savage.
“BasedGod (“Jumpman” Freestyle)” // Lil B
If you aren’t from the Bay Area, you most likely know Lil B--aka the BasedGod--for the time he put a curse on James Harden during last year’s NBA playoffs that may or may not have resulted in Harden making 13 turnovers in one game and the Houston Rockets getting eliminated from the playoffs. (Spoiler alert: it did. It was all thanks to Lil B.) But what you might not realize is that Lil B is one of the greatest geniuses in the rap game. See, Lil B takes the habits of bad rappers and either elevates them to ridiculous extremes or just straight-up turns them upside down. Some rappers wear the latest Jordans and Yeezys and try to look as macho as possible. Lil B wears worn-out Vans and pink bandanas. Some rappers try to force rhymes that aren’t there. Lil B just says what he wants and doesn’t care if it rhymes. If you don’t know what he’s doing, his music will most likely confuse you, but once you figure it out, it’s brilliant. In fact, I take the title of this entry back. “BasedGod” isn’t Lil B’s freestyle over “Jumpman.” “Jumpman” is Drake and Future’s freestyle over “BasedGod.” Lil B is the rawest rapper alive. Lil B is my friend and he helped me achieve my dreams. I owe all of my accomplishments in life to him. Thank You BasedGod for blessing us with this music.
