Album Review: Gangrene & Roc Marciano- "Greneberg EP"

Last year, producer slash rappers Alchemist and Oh No put out an album under "Gangrene" called Gutter Water. Though I'm normally a big fan of Alchemist's production, this album wasn't for me, possibly due to Oh No's offbeat, Stones Throw influence, or maybe because of the lack of good rapping. Well they're back, this time with the help of one of my personal favorite MCs, Roc Marciano, whose U.N. material with Pete Rock I've raved about extensively on this site. So did Roc Marcy's addition make Gangrene worthwhile or was this EP just more of the same?

1. New Shit

This is the first of two tracks that don't feature Roc Marciano, which is sort of a bummer. The beat on here is precisely the "offbeat, Stones Throw" type of shit that I was talking about. I mean this is interesting musically and would be cool on an Oh No instrumental album, but it doesn't sound right with people rapping over it what with the loudness and people yelling in the background.

2. Papercuts

Here's something more to my liking, a smoothed out Alc beat with a tight baseline and guitar sample. Both Alchemist and Oh No kinda go in on this too, but the New York rap stan in me is begging for a Prodigy verse at the end there.

3. Sewer Gravy (Feat. Roc Marciano)

Roc Marcy makes his intro on the EP over a beat that sounds like something straight out of a blaxploitation movie, in a good way of course. I have to wonder why the fascination with pollution and waste and shit, but this is cool.

4. Hoard 90

This Alchemist track with an electric guitar, or something, is weaker than the last two. Roc Marciano kills it even though he delivers his rhymes so nonchalantly it sounds like he's freestyling this whole thing.

5. Jaws

Straight filth. This sounds like Oh No sampled the piano from a horror film which compliments Marciano's dark lyrics perfectly. As for Roc, he just about had me at "Eat a dick bitch, this is money/This ain't Kid Cudi/This is G shit gully."

6. Jet Luggage

Roc Marciano and Gangrene go in on what could be the best beat yet, and one of Alchemist's dirtier sounding productions in a while. Blaring horns and a piano make up the loop, which is pretty basic, but what makes it is the didgeridoo sound in the background. My only complaint would have to be Marciano's Brian Pumper reference, which comes just months after Naledge dropped one on "Moments". I think one per year is just fine.

7. Momma Told Me

Roc Marciano flows over his own, extra soulful beat full of horns and organs and such. Not that this isn't good, but I can't help but think that Alchemist could've done something a little more inventive with this.

Comments:

A very solid EP to say the least. Nothing on here blew me away, but other than the first track this shit was consistently good both musically and lyrically. Definitely worth a listen.

Best Songs: "Sewer Gravy", "Jet Luggage"

The 10 Most Referenced Ballers In Rap

Since both were originated in the streets and subsequently dominated by black people, rap music and basketball tend to have a lot of overlap; like the Shaq-Fu album, or the time Master P hooped in the summer league. So it comes as no surprise that NBA players are often referenced in rap lyrics, some more than others. With that in mind, here are the ten basketball players that are most commonly referenced in hip-hop.

10. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Best Lyric: "I got a razor sharper than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's barber"- Saigon

Why he's mentioned in rap: Kareem is one of the all-time great centers, but between his short shorts and ridiculous Rec-Specs, nothing about him screams "hip-hop". Maybe it's because he has a funny name.

9. Ron Artest

Best Lyric: "Your boy got more techs than Ron Artest"- Termanology

Why he's mentioned in rap: He reps Queensbridge and has even made some (awful) rap music himself. Also his bad boy attitude resonates with gangsta rappers like, uh, Termanology.

8. Paul Pierce

Best Lyric: "They playin' the C's/But Paul Pierce throwin' up B's/That make the ref affiliated/Every time he hit a 3"- The Game

Why he's mentioned in rap: He's from Inglewood, famously got knifed outside of a night club, and apparently throws gang signs after making a basket.

7. Magic Johnson

Best Lyric: "One of the illest since Magic Johnson/No disrespect/But metaphors keep me out the projects"- Superb

Why he's mentioned in rap: Like his old sidekick Kareem, I assume this has to do with his status as one of the all-time greats, plus he was probably the childhood hero of many 90's era rappers.

6. Scottie Pippen

Best Lyric: "If we stay strong/We can get paper longer than Pippen's arms"- Jay-Z

Why he's mentioned in rap: There's nothing particularly hip-hop about Scottie Pippen either, who hails from Arkansas, the least hip-hop of all the continental United States. However, he was a great player on the most prominent team of the rap era, so I guess it makes sense in that regard.

5. Kobe Bryant

Best Lyric: "Kobe, tell me how my ass taste"- Shaq

Why he's mentioned in rap: Kobe is from a rich suburb of Philadelphia and made even worse rap music than his teammate, the aforementioned Artest. Still, he is admired by rappers for his superior skills on the court, and possibly for raping white bitches.

4. Shaquille O'Neal

Best Lyric: "She ordered the kobe beef like Shaquille O'Neal"- Kanye West

Why he's mentioned in rap: This one is more of a no-brainer. Shaq actually made some pretty legit rap music back in the day, including collabs with Wu-Tang and Erick Sermon, who were still relevant at the time. He reportedly could break dance too, that is before he outgrew every cardboard box ever manufactured.

3. Allen Iverson

Best Lyric: "Probably think I won't murder you, the way I smile/But I'ma take a lotta shots, AI style"- Jadakiss

Why he's mentioned in rap: Speaking of no-brainer, Allen Iverson is the embodiment of the fusion between rap and hoops. His shiny bling, doo rags, and tendency to roll with a posse are part of what brought hip-hop culture to the NBA, much to the disdain of white basketball fans everywhere.

2. LeBron James

Best Lyric: "Handlin' since a teen/Like LeBron or Sebastian/High school graduates"- Jay-Z

Why he's mentioned in rap: Hailed as "The Chosen One" as a fucking high schooler, Bron is one of the most talked about athletes of this generation, so it makes sense that he's #2 on this list. He's also known to "throw up the roc" in celebration of a great play and he may or may not acknowledge DJ Khaled when he sits front row at Heat games.

1. Michael Jordan

Best Lyric: "Freakin' n****s every way like MJ/I can't believe, today was a good day"- Ice Cube

Why he's mentioned in rap: Well this is no surprise, since Jordan is probably the best player ever and hit his prime right when hip-hop music was getting big. Not only does he top the list, but the number of times he's referenced in rap lyrics probably more than doubles anyone else. I'm sure this is Michael's proudest achievement.

It's Halftime

The year has hit its midway point and with that in mind I’m back to rank some rap songs. Thanks to my impeccably organized iTunes library, I know there have been 132 rap songs from the first half of 2011 that I liked enough to add to my hard drive. Damn! Compare this to last year, albeit a tragic year for hip-hop, when I added 124 songs for the entire year. Compiling the top 10 songs was especially difficult but I think these had to be my personal favorites.

10. “Amuse Bouche”- Action Bronson

This song was my introduction to Action Bronson and sounds like a Ghostface song from the nineties. Though this ended up being his strongest effort (in my opinion), I was a big fan of The Program EP as a whole and will continue to check out his shit. He’s white.

9. “Scottie Pippens”- Curren$y Featuring Freddie Gibbs

Spitta and Alchemist’s Covert Coup mixtape wasn’t amazing, but was a treat on 4/20. There were a few gems on it, but this one had to be my overall favorite. This Alc beat has a killer bass guitar and a buncha crazy noises that fits Curren$y like a glove. Still, my favorite part had to be Freddie Gibbs coming on rapping like ’97 Big Daddy Kane about a “turkey bacon sandwich”.

8. “I Miss You”- Jadakiss

Jada spits reminiscent hood raps over a flipped “This Can’t Be Life” sample. This is a beautiful two and a half minutes of hip-hop. If that description didn’t convince you of as much, don’t visit this site again.

7. “So Amazn’”- Kidz In the Hall

I think I’m the only person who still listens to Kidz In The Hall, though I’m not sure why. These hipster-y twenty-something’s can actually make great hip-hop music, yet they get the least buzz out of all of them. The way Double O chops this sample up is wild and Naledge spits a memorable verse in this another two and a half minute song. I highly recommend downloading the entire Semester Abroad Mixtape also.

6. “The Hood Gone Love It”- Jay Rock Featuring Kendrick Lamar

Jay Rock’s second single off of “Follow Me Home” that’s in the vein of “All My Life”, his other good song. This is my favorite J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League beat in forever and Jay Rock and Kendrick Lamar kinda kill it. I love the hook too, minus the part about watching someone “show his ass out in public”.

5. “Battle Cry”- Joell Ortiz

I like everything about this song. The Mohammed Ali intro, the beat that sounds like Just Blaze’s best work in years, and Joell’s on-fire rapping. This is just a great song. Produced by Audio Doctor by the way.

4. “Nasty”- Nas

I know I’m a stan, but this has to be the hottest Nas song since “Made You Look”. Nas kicks all sorts of crazy flows over Salaam Remi’s best beat since, well, “Made You Look”, that’s on some old school, Beastie Boys shit. Nas’ rapping is in top form, dropping one classic line after another in his hungriest, fastest delivery since forever. In particular, first few bars of the second verse, “Silent rage/pristine in my Venice shades/ I’m not in the winters of my life or the beginning stage/ I am the dragon/ Maserati/ Bumpin’ Biggie the great legend/Blastin’/I’m after the actress who played Faith Evans.” Holy shit. No one else raps like that.

3. “Anti Freeze”- Pac Div

I thought making the Nas song number one would have been a cop out on my part, so I’m giving credit to some new artists instead. I admittedly don’t know shit about Pac Div, other than accidentally streaming a song or two of theirs on Nah Right. That said, this shit is a banger and some of the verses are cool. Maybe times have dulled by tastes, but I’m beginning to embrace this ATL synth type of shit. I think we all should.

2. “Enemies”- Saigon

You know I had to show love to Saigon! No homo of course. Sai finally dropped that album I’ve been awaiting damn near since I started this blog, back before blogging was “in”. The album was solid and this was the standout to me. I really like this beat and Saigon rhymes about a fake friend that landed him in jail and made him kick a chick’s eye out, or something like that. But seriously, this is 2pac-esque.

1. "It Ain't Hard To Tell"- Elzhi

Speaking of a cop out, here’s a remake of an Illimatic song! I guess it’s unfair, rehashing one of the best songs evar, but Elzhi makes it his own in impressive fashion. From the opening lines, “Now let me start you from the genesis/ Far from where the finish is,” everything Elzhi spits is on point and on time. His rhyming on this may actually be the closest thing to the real ’94 Nas I’ve heard in a while. Go download the Elmatic Mixtape.

Here's Proof That Nas Is The Best Rapper Evar

This is Nas circa 1991

And this is Nas as of a few days ago

Twenty years in the game and he hasn't lost a step. Say that about any other rapper but you can't and won't. I rest my case.

Album Review: Big Sean- "Finally Famous"

I was first introduced to Big Sean in 2009 as Kanye's new artist who rapped like Asher Roth. He since had one of the best "Lemonade" freestyles and the song from the Derrick Rose commercial and some other pretty good shit. So is this guy really the next big thing or just another beta male mixtape rapper as I once assumed? Boiiiiii.

1. Intro

Big Sean sort of raps over the guy playing the piano at the Marriot. Not the worst intro I've ever heard.

2. I Do It

The aforementioned single from the D. Rose commercial that came out a while back. This beat is cool and Big Sean drops a clever line or two. My biggest gripe with this song is the fact that it's called "I Do It". Why does every new artist have to have a stupid ass catch phrase these days?

3. My Last (Feat. Chris Brown)

The radio single with Chris Breezy. This is actually pretty good for what it is in that I wouldn't listen to it on my own accord but it's one of the better song that gets heavy airplay.

4. Don't Tell Me You Love Me

This sounds like a Big Sean remake of a song that Kanye recorded for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy but wasn't good enough to make the album. And that album kinda fucking sucked.

5. Wait For Me (Feat. Lupe Fiasco)

This is more like it. The bouncy paino beat with the chopped up vocal sample are much to my liking and seem to be right in Big Sean's wheelhouse. Lupe flows pretty nice over this as well, even if his guest verse wasn't particularly impactful. Still, a very solid song.

6. Marvin & Charrdonnay (Feat. Kanye West & Roscoe Dash)

Given the name of the song and the violin intro I was anticipating a soulful Kanye track ala "Late" from the Late Registration album. Or even "Overnight Celebrity". Instead this sounds like every other Roscoe Dash song, complete with the tone-deaf hook. Kanye's verse is awful and the song becomes a real mess towards the end if it wasn't one already. I bet this still gets extensive radio play like "No Hands" did.

7. Dance (Ass)

Oh shit, it's an MC Hammer sample! And 808 drums! And there's a Pootie Tang reference! No, but seriously, this is one of the worst songs I've ever heard.

8. Get It (DT)

Between the Casio keyboard beat and uninspired R&B hook I think I'd rather listen to that last song over this. I'm not doubting Big Sean's lyrical skill at this point, just his ability to tell a good idea from a very, very bad one.

9. Memories (Pt. II) (Feat. John Legend)

The sequel to a song I've never heard of featuring label-mate John Legend. Musically this isn't bad especially compared to some of this other garbage, but Big Sean's flow is getting really stale at this point. John Legend comes correct as always.

10. High (Feat. Wiz Khalifa & Chiddy Bang)

Sean, Wiz, and Chiddy Bang sort of half rap, half sing over something extra avant garde sounding. Wiz Khalifa's 30 seconds of rapping blows everyone out on this and I don't even like the guy.

11. Live This Life (Feat. The-Dream)

This might as well have been called "Chris Brown Song Pt. II". If it wasn't bad enough already, The-Dream takes the mic and melodizes that "these bitches look like Bobby Bonilla". Holy shit I hate this album.

12. So Much More

I feel as though Big Sean can never decide if he's rapping or singing. It's like he adopted his flow from Drake's hook on "Over" or maybe one of those songs Fat Joe did with R. Kelly. No I.D's production sort of saves this one even if the choir in the background is a bit much.

13. What Goes Around

Ok, this is a pretty good song. This beat, also by No I.D., and the catchy hook make this a seemingly radio-friendly song that I would actually like to hear on the radio...

14. Celebrity (Feat. Dwele)

...and here he goes again rapping about girls over something decidedly mainstream sounding. I think it's because the Asher Roth album only sold like 40,000 copies.

15. My House

Sean re-hashes the flows from "I Do It" and other songs on the album over pianos and organs and such. At least this is a rap song.

16. 100 Keys (Feat. Rick Ross & Pusha T)

At long last, it's the finale to this god-forsaken album. Speaking of Pusha T, I pray he doesn't go out like this.

Best Songs: "I Do It", "Wait For Me", "What Goes Around"

Comments: This has to be the worst album I've ever reviewed for this site, and that says quite a lot. In fairness, the singles weren't half bad, but everything else was just about impossible to listen to. I no longer have any respect for this kid as an artist. Bring on the J. Cole album!

PropsOverHere Presents Best of 2010: Top 25 Songs

Since writing these year-end recaps was always my favorite part of this blog, I've come out of retirement to reflect on the hip-hop year that was. I didn't realize it until I began compiling these lists, but 2010 was a dreadful year for rap music, even compared to the past few. For what it's worth, here are 25 tracks from this past year that are at least worth checking out if you haven't already.

25. "My Time"-Freeway & Jake One

Free and Jake One made a great tandem in 2010, putting out a full-length album and a few other gems here and there. This song, off of the "Hip Hop Helps Haiti" mixtape was actually my favorite. The beat is great and Freeway compliments it with quite possibly the most intelligible raps of his career.

24. "I'm Ill"- Red Cafe Featuring Fabolous

Red Cafe, still the worst rap name evar, had a pretty big 2010 what with the Diddy co-sign. This is his biggest hit to date, and maybe his best work overall as far as I know. This shit hits hard plus I'm always down for a Fab guest verse.

23. "Start It Up"- Lloyd Banks Featuring Kanye West, Swizz Beatz, Fabolous, & Ryan Leslie

Banks' "Hunger For More 2" was a predictably shitty sequel to a shitty album. Still, the singles were pretty damn good including this. Fab makes another guest appearance as does Kanye West, who seems to bring it lyrically on other peoples shit. However, I certainly could have done without Swizz Beatz's contribution.

22. "Good Friday"- Kanye West Featuring Common, Pusha T, Big Sean, Kid Cudi, & Charlie Wilson

This was one (maybe the first) of those weekly Kanye West releases that featured damn near everyone on his record label. "Good Friday" remains my favorite because I'm kind of a sucker for piano beats plus the drums knock and verses are solid across the board.

21. "As We Enter"-Nas & Damian Marley

I really could have put any number of Nas/Jr. Gong songs in this spot but I chose this one kind of by default since it was a single and probably the most memorable intro of the year. This one's pretty crazy musically not to mention the way Nas and Marley go back and forth old school style.

20. "Thank Me Now"-Drake

I was blunt cruising the first time I listened to this album and I remember thinking that this was the best song I'd ever heard. I would commence to play the shit out of it until it sort of became just another song. I still think this is Timbo's best work in years.

19. "Our Dreams"- Method Man, Ghostface Killah, & Raekwon

A collaborative album by my three favorite members of Wu was a major disappointment but this song was legit. The soulful beat suits these guys pretty well and the Michael Jackson sample is flipped to perfection.

18. "Still My Ni**a"- Killer Mike Featuring Game & Ludacris

I'm not sure if Killer Mike has been making music all this time and I haven't been checking for it (likely), but this was the first song of his I'd heard in years and I love it. This one has a message everyone can relate to and Game and Luda are two of my favorite mainstream rappers so getting them both on a track was pretty cool to me.

17. "With You"- Lil Wayne Featuring Drake

I'm not the biggest Lil Wayne fan but I can fucks with this grown and sexy shit. I think the chilled out beat is the highlight of the song but Wayne is pretty good on this and I like the hook/Drake's part.

16. "Ha Ha"- Fat Joe Featuring Young Jeezy

I had heard the "Ha Ha" flipped before on that Juggaknots album but I like how they used it on this. It made for one of the most memorable beats of the year as evidenced by all the people who freestyled over it.

15. "9 AM In Dallas"- Drake

I think I read somewhere that Drake wanted this to be the intro to his album but it never materialized. I think this made me like Drake more than ever because this song is great and would have been fucking perfect as an album intro. The beat is pretty cool and Drake definitely goes in on this. Plus he throws in a Willie Beamen reference which would have been enough for me.

14. "I'm Gone"- Fat Joe

This was the best Premo beat of the year even though this one's got 9th Wonder drums on it. Fat Joe, kinda surprisingly, does justice to this track with some of his best rapping in ages. I think it's cool that Fat Joe still reaches out to Premier after all these years and all the gay crossover songs he's done. Jay-Z and Nas should follow suit and maybe they will make the top 15 next year. Well Nas is on here but it's not technically his song.

13. "Get Busy"- Saigon

I fucking love this song. I think the first time I heard it I listened to it like 70 times in a row. If you've read this blog before you probably know I'm about as big of a Saigon stan as there is (even on the internets), not to mention that Mario is easily my favorite video game ever. Truly a perfect storm.

12. "Before I'm Gone"- J.Cole

Last year I called J. Cole a low budget Lupe Fiasco and, while he's still not my favorite MC, he's beginning to grow on me. I didn't listen to the entire "Friday Night Lights" tape but I liked what I heard off of it. This one was easily my favorite though and definitely one of the best songs of the year.

11. "Victory"- DJ Khaled Featuring Nas & John Legend

This has to be DJ Khaled's least obnoxious beat to date, right? Plus, this alone is evidence that Nas can still rap at a legendary level, unlike most (if not all) of his contemporaries. John Legend on the hook is always good too.

10. "The Show Goes On"- Lupe Fiasco

The real Lupe Fiasco! Who knows when this album is gonna drop but this was a good one. The sped up sample of that Modest Mouse song is something I would expect more from one of those frat kids/hipster rappers but I actually like it. Lupe is nice as always.

9. "The Park"- Ghostface Killah Featuring Black Thought

The new Ghostface is nothing special in my book but this track is fuckin filthy. The guitar and bongo beat hits harder than anything else I heard in 2010 and you're not gonna get a much better rapping duo than Ghost and Black Thought. It's pretty sweet to hear these guys rap about their roots in hip hop music and Tariq goes bananas on this.

8. "Call Me"- Joell Ortiz

Joell Ortiz may very well be the best rapper in the game right now. This wasn't even my favorite Ortiz song of the year, the "Lemonade" freestyle was, but that doesn't really count. This is a perfectly executed hip hop love story and probably would have been big were it released on a major. Maybe one day.

7. "Aston Martin Music" (Drake Version)- Rick Ross Featuring Drake & Chrisette Michele

This year's installment of "Maybach Music" failed to live up to the first two, but this song made up for that. I'm not sure why they asked Drake to do the hook when Chrisette Michele already did a hook but it works I guess. For those who don't know, I wrote "Drake Version" because on the album version he doesn't do a verse. The album version may well have been ranked this high anyway but Drake's verse is tight so this one's a little better.

6. "Unforgettable"- Drake Featuring Young Jeezy

Of all the chill, somber beats on this album, this one was my favorite and both Drake and Jeezy kill it. The Aaliyah sample was definitely a great touch too. I think I'll be listening to this one for years.

5. "Black and Yellow"- Wiz Khalifa

2010 was very kind to Wiz Khalifa. I first heard of Wiz a few years back when he made "Pittsburgh Sound" or whatever it was called. My first roommate in college was from Pittsburgh and was convinced that he was the shit as did every other yinzer I met. I wasn't convinced he would never be more than a niche mixtape rapper until this year when he blew the fuck up. Everywhere I go I hear this song or "Kush & OJ" or something else of his. Good for him.

4. "Beamer, Benz, or Bentley"- Lloyd Banks Featuring Juelz Santana

This was the catchiest tune of 2010 and was rhymed over more than "Ha Ha" and "Black and Yellow" combined. The original still reigns supreme though. More importantly, this song single-handedly made Lloyd Banks relevant again. Gggggg-Unit!

3. "Shutterbugg"- Big Boi

This one took a while to grow on me but I bump this shit all the time now. It's nice to see Big Boi still making hits and doing fresh, experimental shit. This song has something for everyone and it's great to bump in the whip, at parties, etc. Plus it's played in the intro to the past season of "Entourage" which gives it a bunch of cool points.

2. "Over"- Drake

The first time I heard this song and Drake's singing/talking on the hook I thought it was the worst shit ever. Once I gave it a chance though I found it to be one of the best singles in years, both musically and lyrically. This shit is a banger and Drake compliments it with a couple nice verses in what was really his first big rap song. I knew he'd be one of the biggest artists this decade!

1. "Power" (Remix)- Kanye West Featuring Jay-Z and Swizz Beatz

The original version is good but the remix is downright genius. Jay-Z actually raps well on this which will make even a terrible song worth listening to and Kanye steps his game up on this from the original. However, the tipping point was Swizz Beatz's "I Got The Power" part. Yeah that's right, fucking Swizz Beatz is responsible for the best song of the year. Deal with it. He must have shat himself when he came up with this idea. Fuck, I think I shat myself the first time I heard that part of the song. Just brilliant.

PropsOverHere Investigates: Did 50 Cent Bang Ashanti?

Every relevent rap beef dating back to Biggie and 2pac has involved one of the parties having sex with their opponents' significant other. I'm sure it would have happened with KRS and Marley Marl, way back in the 80's, had either of them had girlfriends. If you recall, 2pac fucked Biggie's baby momma Faith Evans, inspiring Pac to write the infamous lyric, "That's why I fucked yo bitch you fat mothafucker". In the second greatest beef in rap history, Jay-Z vs. Nas, Jay-Z banged Nas' ex-wife Carmen, or something, who also slept with Allen Iverson. Most recently there were those videos of 50 Cent taking Rick Ross' baby momma on a shopping spree and I think some sort of sex tape involving the two, which I never watched for obvious reasons.

This brings me to my main point about the 50 Cent vs. Ja Rule beef. That was easily more of a beef than Fiddy and Rawse, and was at a period in time when Fiddy was much more popular and hence probably fucked a lot more women. This begs the question, did 50 Cent fuck Ashanti? The time of the beef was roughly the same period of time Ja Rule was putting out those duets with Ashanti, which 50 even used as evidence that Ja Rule had become sort of a fag. Ignoring the issue of whether or not Ja Rule and Ashanti were in a real life relationship, is it out of the question that Fiddy hit that? Like Game once said "Anything's possible, if 50 fucked Vivica". Or something like that.

Basketball Movie All-Star Team

If you look back in the archives in this site, you'll see that once upon a time I threw in a post every once in a while about basketball, (naturally) my other passion aside from hip-hop. In fact, my first post, the classic Fab 5 and Fab 5 comparison was likely the most perfect blend of hip hop and basketball culture in the history of blogging. Getting to the point, I not only have a passion for real basketball but also for some good, wholesome fictional basketball. I have basically seen every relevant basketball movie evar plus VHS classics like "Jordan's Playground" and those blooper tapes with Marv Albert and that other jackass. So, from my in-depth knowledge of the greatest players in the history of cinematic basketball, I give you the ultimate starting lineup.

PG- Sidney Deane, White Men Can't Jump

He only plays 2-on-2 in the movie so it's hard to assess Sydney as a point guard but with his playground-tested skills I'm sure he would do just fine if surrounded with enough talent. After all, this guy made Woody Harrelson look good.

SG- Jesus Shuttlesworth, He Got Game

Jesus may only be like 19 but his game is mature beyond his years. Every college coach in America is vying for Jesus' commitment and with good reason. He is athletic, has good size for a two guard, and his outside shot is Ray Allen status.

SF- Tom "Shep" Shepherd, Above The Rim

Shep may be old but holy fuck that guy is good. He hadn't played basketball (not with a ball at least) in years then he comes out and lights it the fuck up, in khakis no less. This is not to mention how he completely sons Kyle, a Georgetown commit, in one on one. He's tall, smooth (no homo), and has a disgusting mid-range game.

PF- Saleh, Air Up There

Raw, African 7-footers don't normally pan out but Saleh is actually pretty good. You wouldn't see Hasheem Thabeet, for example, pulling that fake right/through the legs move or whatever it was he did to win the game.

C- Neon Bordeaux, Blue Chips

Neon may have the highest potential of any movie player ever. He barely had any basketball experience and immediately dominated the best Division 1 competition. He not only owned the paint with his monster dunks and alley-oops, but showed the ability to lead the break every once in a while.

PropsOverHere Presents: The Best of the Millennium

In this installment of my Best of the Millennium series, I'll be counting down the top 25 albums of the 2000's. I've already done songs and artists too and it's only September, so I'm gonna have to get kind of creative with these. Anyway, there haven't been many truly great albums this millennium, and most of them came in the earlier part of the decade, before the '90s influence wore off completely. Without further ado, here are the 25 best albums of the 2000's.

25. Cunninlynguists- Southernunderground

There were a number of albums I was debating for this 25th spot, but I ultimately chose the Cunninlynguists album because it was particularly fresh and creative. "Will Rap For Food" was also pretty entertaining, but I'm partial to this album because of that Masta Ace song and some other shit.

24. De La Soul- The Grind Date

This album was sort of spotty, but the five or so good songs on this are better than most albums. This is especially true when we're dealing with post-2000 albums. Features from Common, MF Doom, and the classic Ghostface collab "He Comes" are enough to put this in the top 25.

23. Supastition- The Deadline EP

As I mentioned in my description of Supa in the artists ranking, this is one of the under-appreciated albums of the new millennium. The solid production from the likes of M-Phazes and Illmind compliment Supastition's rapping ability and subject matter for what I would consider a perfectly executed underground album.

22. Masta Killa- No Said Date

I'm not sure why it took so long for Masta Killa to put an album out. He obviously wasn't on RZA's short list of priorities in the mid '90's, but even U-God had a few albums out before 2004. Regardless, this turned out to be one of the best Wu solo albums of this decade. I guess that an album eleven years coming should have a certain amount of focus and quality that other albums don't.

21. Scarface- The Fix

This album proved that Scarface, old as he was, could still make shit that people wanted to hear. "My Block" was the hit off this album, but the terrific Jay-Z ("Guess Who's Back") and Nas ("In Between Us") collabs stood out to me.

20. Ludacris- Word of Mouf

This was, in my opinion, the height of Ludacris' genius. I had to put "Roll Out" on repeat when it came out, way the fuck back when mp3 players only held like 12 and a half songs. I also remember the album cover being the background on my desktop for a while.

19. Cormega- The True Meaning

Just an incredibly solid album. Every song is good, and some of them like "The Come Up" and "The Legacy" are fucking great. Even "Love In Love Out", a diss track of sorts, was well produced and whatnot.

18. Hi-Tek- Hi-Teknology

There have been a shit load of producer albums since 2000, when this came out, but this still stands as one of the best. The Reflection Eternal tracks are great, there are sleepers like "Breakin' Bread", and Common's "The Sun God" stands as one of the classic, defining songs of the Rawkus Records era.

17. Murs- Murs 3:16

This brief, incredibly enjoyable album has some of 9th Wonder's best work, which matches perfectly with Murs' rapping. Murs' charisma and storytelling keeps your interest while 9th Wonder provides the soulful background.

16. Little Brother- The Minstrel Show

This album's lack of commercial success got Little Brother dropped from Atlantic and basically fucked up their career, but this shit is like crack to me. The songs individually are good, mostly because of 9th Wonder's work on the boards, but this is an album best listened to all the way through. The concept and hilarious skits string the album together and make it one of the best of the millennium.

15. Sean Price- Monkey Barz

Ruck was overshadowed in his own duo, Heltah Skeltah, but when he dropped this album under his own name, Sean P emerged as the new face of the Boot Camp Clik. I've mentioned how a lot of these albums had a comedic element to them, perhaps none more than this one. Sean Price's signature, ignorant raps actually made me laugh out loud a few times and his "brokest rapper you know" persona make for some additional entertainment value.

14. Cormega- The Realness

A lot of rappers stress being "real", but no one does it better and with more authenticity than Cormega. On his aptly titled debut, Mega brings some of the hardest, East Coast street shit this side of 2000.

13. Non Phixion- The Future Is Now

I'm not usually a proponent for white people rapping, but this is a pretty great album. Ill Bill, Goretex, and Sabac Red do their part on the mic, but the obvious highlight of this this album is the production, which is some of the millennium's best. Pete Rock's "If You Got Love" and Premier's "Rock Stars" are bangers and Large Professor contributes a few gems including the unbelievable "We Are The Future".

12. Clipse- Lord Willin'

The internets will probably put this somewhere in the top 5, but it only makes #12 on my list. This album did have some of the best singles in recent memory with "Grindin'", "Cot Damn", and "When The Last Time", but the rest of the album doesn't blow you away.

11. Ghostface Killah- The Pretty Toney Album

The graphic skits; the songs where he raps over soul tracks, vocals and all; the wallabee references. This was a Def Jam album but is still fucking classic classic Ghostface.

10. Jay-Z- The Black Album

Sure Jay-Z's retirement hoax had a hand in bolstering the popularity of this album, but most of the attention was deserved. This album had questionable moments and requisite club singles, but also boasted classics such as "99 Problems", "Allure", and "P.S.A.". It's starting to look clear that this is the last great Jay-Z album.

9. Kanye West- College Dropout

Like I mentioned in my last piece, this album was huge. What I didn't mention was, outside of the five (!) hit singles, there were only more good songs. "Spaceship", "Never Let Me Down", and "School Spirit", just to name a few, were better songs than most of the singles.

8. Nas- The Lost Tapes

I don't even know if this should be considered an album, since it was probably put together by some A&R or something. Whatever it is, it's better than most anything dropped in the 2000's. The Kanye ghost-produced "Poppa Was a Playa", "Purple", and "Fetus" stand out from a collection of what are not only some of Nas' best songs this millennium, but since Illmatic.

7. Masta Ace- Disposable Arts

In my opinion, this is the best of Masta Ace's story albums. The way the songs fit the storyline, not to mention how great they are, make this a masterpeice. Or mastapeice. See what I did there?

6. Reflection Eternal- Train of Thought

It's not often that there are albums that are are excellent both lyrically and musically but this is definitely one of them. Hi-Tek's smooth, boom bap production perfectly matches Talib Kweli's gritty, east coast delivery for what is the millennium's best producer/rapper duo.

5. The Game- The Documentary

This is like (cringe) this millennium's Illmatic; with some of the games best producers backing an up and coming rapper. Except instead of Nas' impeccable street poetry, this album is a collage of dead rapper, chuck taylors, and Chevy Impala references. Still, given the unheard of quality of production and Game's talents (riding the beat, maybe a good line or two), this album shits on most post-2000 releases.

4. 50 Cent- Get Rich or Die Tryin'

If The Documentary was this generation's Illmatic then this is this generation's Doggystyle, with Dr. Dre unleashing his new artist on the hip hop world and changing the game. Unlike the Game/Nas analogy, this album may have actually matched Doggystyle in terms of influence. It went diamond for fuck's sake. 50 Cent will never be confused for a great rapper, but his charisma and ability to write songs that people like made this album the most popular and one of the best of the new millennium.

3. Nas- Stillmatic

This album may be more notable for its impact than for the music itself. The feud with Jay-Z, the classic diss track "Ether", and then the release of this album made Nas relevant again and brought life to New York hip hop. This album has plenty of weak spots but also has some classics. "You're The Man" and "2nd Childhood" are two of the best Nas songs evar, and the "Intro" has to be one of the best album intros of all-time.

2. Ghostface Killah- Supreme Clientele

This is the pinnacle of Ghostface's career and his genius as a rapper. His lyricism on this album is just mind blowing shit and is a prime example of what makes him one of the best ever. Aside from Ghost, all of the beats knock, and of course there is the classic Wu-Tang posse appearence "Wu Banga 101" to cap off the album.

1. Jay-Z- The Blueprint

Before Jay-Z made albums for hipsters and Kanye West made a douche of himself at award shows, they created the modern day hip hop masterpiece. In '01 Jay-Z was on top of his game and Kanye, along with another up and comer, Just Blaze, backed him with incredible, groundbreaking production. The result was "The Blueprint"; an album with ubiquitous radio hits (Izzo (H.O.V.A.), "Girls, Girls, Girls"), street anthems ("The Takeover", "Heart of the City"), heartfelt tracks ("Song Cry", "Never Change"), and lyrical genius ("Renegade", "Breathe Easy"). In many ways, this album was truly a hip hop blueprint, one that's easily followed but is damn near impossible to match.

PropsOverHere Presents: The Best of the Millennium

With the decade winding down, a lot of sites/blogs are compiling lists of the best hip hop of the 2000s. As you may recall, I already did this, further cementing my status as an internet pioneer. For this list, I will be counting down the top 25 new artists of this millennium. The qualifications for this list were that a) The artist released his/her debut album in the 2000s and b) Wasn't prominent in the '90s (for example, Percee P doesn't qualify).

25. Rick Ross

RAWSE! In 2006 this guy came out of nowhere with the LCD rap anthem "Hustlin'" and has stayed relevant ever since. With the help of J.U.S.T.I.C.E. league, Rick Ross has made some of the most listenable mainstream (not to mention southern) rap in the last decade, highlighted by the awesome "Maybach Music" series.

24. Blu

I held out on checking the Blu and Exile album because the album cover was so fruity, but that was a great album. Blu has since made a bunch of other collaborations, none of which I liked as much, but which showed his versatility as far as styles and subject matter. He is without a major label release, but has potential to make noise in the near future.

23. Kidz In The Hall

This group got lucky when Just Blaze used their beat for Jay-Z's big comeback flop "Show Me What You Got", giving them some much needed publicity. That was literally the only reason I downloaded the "School Was a Hustle" album, which actually turned out to be good. Next thing you know, they're signed with Duckdown, "Drivin' Down The Block" is on MTV, and "The Blackout" is on Madden 09. Naledge and Double-O's next album drops in 2010.

22. Jay Electronica

Perhaps no rapper has had as much hype and publicity with such little material to his name. Having a baby by Erykah Badu certainly has something to do with it, as does the cosign from one Justin Blaze. Jay Electronica is a talented rapper, and this sort of half rapper and half myth status makes him all the more intriguing. 

21. Drake

I know, this guy just came out, but he is one of the most hyped newcomers this millennium (he got a bigger deal than 50 Cent), and has actually kind of lived up to it. His verse on "Forever" is great, his new song "Fear" is really good, and even "Best I Ever Had" started to grow on me a little. He's a good rapper, a good singer, and is big time even without an album. He could be the biggest artist of the '10s.

20. Black Milk

The Detroit producer/rapper is not the next J Dilla, but he is a definite talent who seems to improve with every song he puts out. He is becoming a go-to producer for underground artists and showed on his last album that he is more than a competent rapper.

19. One Be Lo

The better half of Binary Star, One Be Lo put out one of the lyrical masterpeices of this millennium with the "S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M." album. He has the raw rapping skills of legends, but is inhibited by beats from guys like Decompoze. 

18. Supastition

Sort of the same deal here as with One Be Lo. Supastition is a hell of a rapper who has trouble getting decent beats because of whatever low budget label he's on. "The Deadline EP", which had beats by M-Phazes and Illmind, might be the most underrated peice of hip hop music in the 2000s.

17. Beanie Sigel

The Broad Street Bully was the best out of the Roc-A-Fella fam and proved it with the hood classic "The B. Coming". He even managed to put out a decent album just recently without Jay-Z's backing and dropped a great guest verse on "Cuban Linx 2".

16. Saigon

Saigon still hasn't managed to put out that fucking Just Blaze album, but he's done enough to earn a spot on the list. Think not? Listen to "The Belly of the Beast" mixtape and "The Moral of the Story" street album then talk shit.

15. Murs

Murs lacks the lyrical talent of most of the rappers listed behind him, but what he does have are those two great albums with 9th Wonder. "Murs 3:16", in his own words, "was genius", and the follow-up "Murray's Revenge", was criminally underrated.

14. Bishop Lamont

Like Saigon, Bishop can't manage to get a real album out there. He's on Aftermath, after all. Still, this guy shows enough talent and charisma to make it this high on the list. His "Ni**** Noize" and "Pope Mobile" mixtapes were gold and his newest Dre track "Hallelujah" is fucking amazing.

13. Little Brother

Little Brother made a name for themselves with "The Listening", but it's "The Minstrel Show", their devastating, commercial failure of an album, that stands out to me as their best work. It's rare that a song from that album comes on and I skip over it. The lyrics are sound, the beats are great, and the skits are funny and amusing and actually add to the album. 

12. Elzhi

Speaking of "The Minstrel Show", #12 is the guy that murdered Little Brother on their own shit. Elzhi dropped the best verse on that album and on everything else he's ever been on. He even bested Royce 5'9" on "Glow", the best song of 2008. What he doesn't have is a defining solo album or even song, despite a Black Milk collab last year that fell short of expectations.

11. Joell Ortiz

Try getting on a track with Royce 5'9", Joe Budden, and Crooked I and out-doing all of them. Now do that for an entire album, and you have what Joell Ortiz did this year on Slaughterhouse. Joell has yet to make a big splash because he isn't marketable (at least that's what he'd like you to believe), but he is one of, if not the, best MCs in the game

10. Lupe Fiasco

Lupe Fiasco is one of the few rappers in the 2000s that brought a new, unique style and was able to gain mainstream popularity. The way he raps is distinct, and at times downright strange. In an era when many rappers were re-making children's songs, Lupe was flipping double-time flows, wordplay, and trippy imagery and still managed to keep listeners' interest. Not only did he offer a new style of rap, but he also had a hand in ushering in the hipster rap era. 

9. Fabolous

Unlike Lupe Fiasco, Fabolous brought almost nothing new to the table. He is your cookie cutter, New York mixtape rapper who uses Ne-Yo hooks to earn some radio play. While not creative, Fab has been effective. "Breathe" is one of the landmark moments in hip hop this millennium, and he's had his share of radio hits to go along with some hood classics. 

8. Cormega

Though Nas wrote to an incarcerated Mega on Illmatic's "One Love", he didn't make his own debut on the mic until 2000. His first two albums "The Realness" and "The True Meaning" are borderline classics, and being kicked out of The Firm may have been a good career move after all.

7. T.I.

This is the part of the list when the artists' popularity tends to eclipse his talent. T.I. isn't a great rapper, but what he is is immensely popular. Though he isn't an Elzhi or Ortiz in the lyrical arena, he isn't garbage on the mic either, as evidenced by having the best flow on posse cuts "We Takin' Over" and "Swagga Like Us". A (sort of) real MC with legions of fans just has to be this high on the list.

6. Royce Da 5'9"

The only rapper to challenge Ortiz on "Slaughterhouse", Royce has been the most prolific lyricist this millennium. He still lacks a classic album, but Premo collaborations "Hip Hop" and "Boom" are easily two of the best songs of the 2000s. Throw in the "Bar Exam" mixtapes and the Slaughterhouse project and it's easy to see why underground heads hail him as the best doing it. 

5. Clipse

"Grindin'" was one of the most groundbreaking tracks of the 2000s (how the fuck did I miss that?). The crazy Neptunes production and VA cocaine raps prevalent in that song made their debut album "Lord Willin'" a defining album of the 2000s. Their second album didn't live up to the debut, but Clipse seemed primed for a comeback with "Til The Casket Drops".

4. The Game

This may be a controversial pick, but if you've read this site before you know I'm a bit of a Game stan. Still, looking at it objectively, there are arguments to be made for Game being one of the top new artists. First of all, he makes good hip hop music. He isn't the most inventive rapper but he's pretty good and he knows a good beat from a bad one. This has allowed him to make three very solid albums, including "The Documentary", which may well be the best album of the 2000s. Secondly, he is both popular and talented, which isn't as common as it should be. 

3. 50 Cent

50 Cent makes it this high on the list simply for being enormous. "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" is considered by many the best rap album of the 2000s, and it was undeniably the most ubiquitous. Every other song on the radio was by 50 Cent or G-Unit. I doubt any rap song will eclipse "In Da Club" in popularity, or any rapper will put "the game in a chokehold" like 50 Cent did between 2003-2005 or so. 

2. Ludacris

Ludacris made a name for himself in the beginning of the millennium of the with the vulgar "What's Your Fantasy", and he utilized that charisma and sense of humor to make quality mainstream hip hop. "Roll Out" and "Southern Hospitality" are two of the best singles of the 2000s. "Area Codes" and "Saturday" are two of the most hilarious and entertaining. He is not only talented but also prolific, dropping seven albums in the last decade, including last years stellar "Theater of the Mind". 

1. Kanye West

This was a tough selection but I think it's got to be Kanye. It seems like all of the rappers on this list had a fatal flaw. Some haven't made a real impact on hip hop (Royce) or even made any noise (Joell, Saigon, etc.). Others aren't all that talented as rappers (T.I., 50). Kanye far from strikes a balance, but he may come the closest, and that's good enough to top the list. As far as impact, it's irrefutable. Although this isn't a producers list, it should be noted that Kanye's work on The Blueprint changed the game. Also, if you look at my Best Songs of the Millennium list, like half of it was produced by Ye. His emergence as a rapper, though, came when he dropped "Through The Wire". Those who didn't know of him as a producer were introduced to his soul beats and chipmunk vocal samples, and those who were were introduced to a talented and refreshingly clever rapper. From the immensely popular debut College Dropout to his third album Graduation and it's commercial pwnage of 50 Cent's Curtis, Kanye West has proven to be biggest and most widely accepted artist in hip hop. The high musical quality and entertaining lyricism of radio hits like "Jesus Walks", "Gold Digger", and "Touch the Sky", made them downright impossible to dislike. His last album, the controversial crossover 808's and Heartbreak may have alienated his more traditional fans, but he has shown on Clipse's "Kinda Like a Big Deal" and Jay's "Run This Town", that he can still rap when he wants to. Kanye is big, he's good, and he's #1.