Album Review: Wu-Tang Clan- "Legendary Weapons"

This is the newest Wu-Tang compilation album with a who's who of guest appearances in the same vein as that Wu-Tang Chamber Music album that dropped a few years back. I've already heard a few of these songs, but I'm still interested to see how it is as a whole. Will this be the next great Wu-Tang release or a weak, 2011 version of Wu-Tang Collective?

1. Start The Show (Feat. Raekwon & RZA)

A great way to kick off the album. Street Radio lends his only beat on here that features a live guitar and bass that sounds pretty tight. I was never a fan of RZA the rapper but he and Rae come correct on this.

2. Laced Cheeba (Feat. Ghostface Killah, Sean Price, & Trife)

This beat has a heavy bassline and hard drums that give it a grimy feel that isn't all that different from the first track or every great Wu-Tang song ever, come to think of it. You can't go wrong with a lineup like Ghost, P, and Trife, either. Two for two so far.

3. Diesel Fluid (Feat. Method Man, Trife, & Cappadonna)

It's clear that the producers on this album (Fizzy Womack and some weed carriers according to Discogs), were shooting for this dark, dirty production style for this album. This one has a sick bass but is a little more boring than the first two. Nothing special lyrically on here either, especially from Cappadonna who hasn't dropped a good rap since "Independence Day".

4. The Black Diamonds (Feat. Ghostface, Roc Marciano, & Killa Sin)

This beat is aight, nothing special, but Ghostface, Roc Marci, and Killa Sin on the same shit? Sign me the fuck up!

5. Played By The Game (Interlude)

Nothing to review here.

6. Legendary Weapons (Feat. Ghostface, AZ, & M.O.P.)

This is fucking nails and I'm not just saying that because I'm a stan for just about everyone involved. This beat is one of the best yet, Ghostface and AZ kill it, and you can always count on M.O.P. to add some excitement to a song. Definitely worthy of the title track.

7. Never Feel This Pain (Feat. Inspectah Deck, U-God, & Tre Williams)

This isn't terrible, but it's pretty underwhelming compared to the rest of this which is appropriate since U-God and Tre Williams are on it. Even Deck, formerly a masterful verse writer, has basically lost his edge at this point.

8. Drunk Tongue (Feat. Killa Sin)

Every Wu-Tang album from here out should be produced by Fizzy Womack and executive produced by RZA. These are the dirtiest, most Wu-sounding collection of tracks I've heard in years and this in particular has some of that Asian music influence. This one is a Killa Sin solo which is cool to hear since he's a great MC who's always a part of a group or a guest rapper or something.

9. The Business (Interlude)

10. 225 Rounds (Feat. U-God, Cappadonna, Bronze Nazareth, & RZA)

I kinda like this beat and the intro is cool but I'm not a fan of any of these guys as rappers. At least they consolidated them all onto the same track rather than letting U-God or Cappadonna drag down some of the better shit.

11. Meteor Hammer (Feat. Ghostface Killah, Action Bronson, & Termanology)

This is one of the tracks I had heard previously, and it's definitely tight. They should scrap the Ghostface/DOOM project for one with Action Bronson since he's basically the white Ghostface and it's sick hearing them rhyme on the same track. Termanology lends the third verse and sounds very weak by comparison.

12. Live Through Death (Interlude)

13. Only The Rugged Survive (Feat. RZA)

Another grimy beat with live instrumentation to cap off the album, but this doesn't change my opinion on RZA as a rapper.

14. Outro

At least those interludes had beats and movie samples and shit...

Comments:

Nails from start to finish. I think had they replaced U-God and Cappadonna with GZA and Masta Killa, who were entirely absent from this album (maybe the hung it up), this could have been the best album this year. I sort of have the feeling that this is the kind of shit that sounds great on the first listen but lacks replay value. I guess I'll find out in the coming weeks. Still, I encourage you to check it out and cop it when it drops 7/26.

Best Songs: "Legendary Weapons", "Meteor Hammer", "Laced Cheeba"

PropsOverHere Presents: The Top 20 Rap Duos of All Time

As Rob Base once famously said, "It takes two to make a thing go right". Not much would "go right" for him and DJ EZ Rock after that record, except maybe for "I wanna rock right now" royalty money, but the saying is still applicable to a number of other hip-hop duos. With that in mind, I've counted down my top 20 MC twosomes in the history of rap. Just to make it clear, these were my parameters for a "duo":

1. The group has to consist of two rappers only, unless the third member is a DJ or something that no one really knows about. This leaves out Gang Starr, Reflection Eternal, etc.

2. The duo has to either release at least one album under a joint, group name or release two or more albums otherwise. This leaves out Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg and the like.

The list can now be found on this page. Of course, feel free to recklessly insult me on the rankings.

PropsOverHere Investigates: Are Wiz, Curren$y, & Big Sean Making An Album?

Why the fuck not? Wiz Khalifa has mysteriously leaked two tracks in as many days featuring Sean and Spitta that just happen to be produced by the same guy (Big Jerm). While I was never big on Wiz and I just recently pronounced Big Sean as a complete failure, I must admit that if these two songs are any indication, this album would be legit. Since there haven't been any rumblings about these guys teaming up I have my doubts, but I also doubt that they would record two great songs together just for the fuck of it. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. If nothing else, it gave me an excuse to get back on my Photoshop game, get it "High And Rising"? Because they smoke pot!

Update:

Big Sean claims in a radio interview that he's "working on a secret project with two other guys that are killin' it in hip hop right now." Apparently it's gonna be a mixtape and not an album, but still should be tight.

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.