2009 : 13 "Drunk As Fuck [Top Billin Remix]" by Tittsworth

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Way back when this blog was covering 2000, I wrote about the Queens of the Stone Age's track "Feel Good Hit of the Summer," noting that it describes "a lifestyle so hedonistic that it would kill the majority of its listeners very quickly were they to adopt it." I also wrote that the track "evokes a special type of vicarious pleasure in the listener's head," and that this process "is one of the reasons popular music even exists in the first place." Hip-hop, of course, excels at the creation of very dense constellations of incantations and images that trigger the vicarious-pleasure parts of listener's brains: this, in fact, forms a key part of its appeal. A great example might be Tittsworth's "Drunk As Fuck," which celebrates just about every taboo one can think of: from the reeling intoxication identified in the track's title to, uh, genital torture. Anti-social? Sure. Take it seriously and it's actually disturbing. But take it as an opportunity to temporarily put on the costume of someone irresponsible and dangerous—to become "the king of all sleazy things" without any risk to one's self—and it yields a very concentrated form of ridiculous delight. —Jeremy Bushnell Listen: Tittsworth >> "Drunk As Fuck [Top Billin Remix]"

2009 : 08-09 Two tracks by Doom

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I have said before that I would rather listen to Doom than Jay-Z. I know that says more about me than it does about Jay-Z. I think most of my friends would rather listen to Doom also. One of the reasons is because I can see no way Charles Bukowski would ever show up on a Jay-Z track. "Cellz" has such a good lyrical world. It really demands I pay attention. I love "Still Dope" because Doom finds a way to re-use a sample he used on an older song, "Passion Flowers," in a way that makes the sample more interesting, not less interesting. Using it for this song makes it feel even better. It sounds to me like how a composer uses a theme to invoke the same feeling later in a work. That is the kind of idea I don't hear in other hip hop songs. —Rich Thomas Listen: Doom >> "Cellz"| "Still Dope" (featuring Empress Stahhr Tha Femcee)

2008 : 06 "Oliver Square" by Cadence Weapon

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"What is there not to like about the Cadence Weapon album?" PJ asked Loud Mike. "He is a rapper from Edmonton Alberta Canada, and he raps about Edmonton. How rough it is to live there. I would think the hardest thing is putting up with the winters." "Come on, every city is tough. We have never been to Edmonton; maybe it is a really hard place." PJ and Loud Mike had to stand on BART because the Bay Bridge was closed again. "In that case, you get out in Oakland and tell the kids Edmonton is a hard place to live." "You have to admit that the samples are tight and Cadence Weapon has a great flow." "Yeah, he has a great flow and the samples are what keep me listening to the album. Listen, if you name a rap album Breaking Kayfabe, it better be about pro wrestling or about how how rap star are just working angles like pro wrestlers. I like the idea of rappers hiding behind a secret code. Too bad he does not do that." PJ knew that he had to be strong here. "I still love this album. He has a sound that carries the album. It is strong, even if you don't like the title." —Rich Thomas Listen: Candace Weapon >> "Oliver Square"

2007 : 17 "White Kids Aren't Hyphy" by MC Lars

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This song makes me laugh. Living in the Bay Area, I am not sure how many people in the rest of the world know what Hyphy is. I have the feeling that it never broke out like the way the kids in Oakland wish it did. This is MC Lars at his best. It counts a little too much on people already knowing what he is rapping about, but the sample of Skee-Lo's "I Wish" is truly inspired. —Rich Thomas Listen: Mc Lars >> "White Kids Aren't Hyphy"

2007 : 16 "Water Line" by Sage Francis

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Sage Francis is sometimes classified as "emo rap." I do not use this label myself, primarily because it is stupid. In a backhanded way, though, it does sort of tell you something about him; much of his stuff is not about straightforward narrative, but about psychology and, yes, emotion. If rap songs were novels, Sage Francis's would be short on plot and long on character development. This is not totally unique, or really all that new; think of the difference between NWA's "Straight Outta Compton" and the Geto Boys' "Mind Playing Tricks on Me." Sage's subject matter is very different, though, and his approach is to the material more abstract. He's also been one of the most exciting new discoveries for me in the last few years; had I been more on the ball, I would have posted songs from him for 2004 and 2006 as well. This is from his latest, and will accomplish more in two minutes than seems reasonable to expect. —John French Listen: Sage Francis >> "Water Line"

2007 : 09 "Harder Than You Think" by Public Enemy

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I waited fifteen years for another Public Enemy song that made me feel like this. I kept on listening know there had to be another great Public Enemy song some day. I hoped that they would find that thing that made them so great back in the day. It turned out that the album How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul? was the album I was waiting for. After a long period of Public Enemy missing the mark, this album made them seem just as important at they were in 1989. —Rich Thomas Listen: Public Enemy >> "Harder Than You Think"

2006 : 31 "Georgia...Bush" by DJ Drama and Lil Wayne

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I still have a difficult time writing or even thinking coherently about Hurricane Katrina and its impact. I remember spending hours online in 2005, reading the news reports, my sensation of horror growing wider and deeper as the disaster unfolded. I strained to get a mental handle on the full scope of it, but never quite managed, certainly not enough to develop anything meaningful to say. Fortunately, other people persevered where I quailed, and we now have our share of relevant statements on Katrina. If I were going to pick one song that "says something" lasting about the disaster, I'd choose Lil Wayne's "Georgia...Bush," a track that serves as quality evidence of Chuck D's famous assertion that hip-hop is the "CNN of Black America." In just under four minutes, Wayne discusses governmental incompetence at both the national and local levels, logistical difficulties for returning residents, conspiracy theories about the levees, and 1965’s Hurricane Benson. Wayne's political invective is satisfyingly inflammatory, but ultimately his verses provide no catharsis: he lingers on images of misery and death, leaving a lasting sensation only of irreperable harm, a thing that his anger—and ours—can't erase. —Jeremy Bushnell Listen: DJ Drama and Lil Wayne >> "Georgia...Bush"

2006 : 18 "E.N.Y. House" by Masta Killa

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I guess you can file this under: "I would rather listen to M.F. Doom than Jay-Z." I love the MC style of Masta Killa and the production of M.F. Doom. You got to love the backing track taken from a Marvel Comics cartoon. The whole Masta Killa album is good. I love the way he raps. It is relaxed and powerful at the same time. He does not have to say how great he is; it just comes through. This is the kind of rap album that keeps me coming back for more. —Rich Thomas Listen: Masta Killa >> "E.N.Y. House"

2006 : 14 "Walkin' on Nails" by Mac Lethal

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Here's a list of things that I love: I love Twix bars, credit cards, new socks, rainy days, cold beer, shootin' pool, Tupac tapes; I love little kids, givin' hugs, ladybugs, Tarantino films, Amelie, and The Boondock Saints. Readin' magazines backwards, wrinkle-free trousers, Takin' percocet and masturbatin' in the shower; I love my independence, my family, my life, And everyone that came here tonight. If I have to explain why I love this song, you have not been paying attention. Just listen to this song and you will know. You might not like rap, but give this one a chance. Just reading the lyrics should give you a good reason to like this song. So I wrote him down a list of things I hate: I hate Larry the Cable Guy, the way cucumbers taste, People actin' tough and girls that invade my space. I hate bill collectors, I hate bad news, And people askin' me to talk about my tattoos; I hate the person sittin' in your car talkin' shit about my songs, Don't fight the urge, sing along. I hate my songs, I hate Mac Lethal, I, hate, people. —Rich Thomas Listen: Mac Lethal >> "Walkin on Nails"

2006 : 10 "Agony" by AWOL One

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I don't want my radio without fresh batteries and all the other radios are tryin'a battle me But I throw on my pumas, and then I'm fine No radio gets louder than mine! I would not have heard this album without the SXSW BitTorrent. If you missed it, check it out. It is old-school hip-hop fun. —Rich Thomas Listen: Awol One >> "Agony"

2006 : 09 "Growin' Old" by Pigeon John

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Beastie Boys, Dana Dane and JJ Fad Oh it kinda make me sad Because oh we growin' old Oh we growin' old oh we growin' old Fats Boys, "Beat Street" and Kangol hats Oh it kinda makes me sad Because oh we growin' old Oh we growin' old oh we growin' old There are not many hip-hop songs that start with a violin solo. It is great when a song catches your attention from the first second. The laid-back beat and flow of this song make it very inviting. It feels like riding in a convertible with the top down, remembering days of summer long past. This is a great example a song where the music and the lyrics fit the same theme. There is a strong element of nostalgia in hip-hop. There is a lot more looking back than there is in the rock world. It might be because the musical landscape changes a lot faster than the rest of popular music. When this song came out the nostalgia was very comforting to me. I guess I was feeling old at the time. I once had the whole world And all the time in the land The mountains high and the valleys low I never planned That it would leak right through my hand And I guess it's too late to know —Rich Thomas Listen: Pigeon John >> "Growin' Old"

2005 : 57 "Feel Good Inc" by Gorillaz

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My track contribution for 2005 is "Feel Good Inc." by Gorillaz from the album Demon Days. Gorillaz is a virtual band originally created in 1998 by Damon Albarn (of the band Blur) and Jamie Hewlett (of the comic Tank Girl.) This song morphs and shifts excellently between three primary styles. Just when I start zoning out to the groove it alters in a way that snaps my brain back to attention. There is the primary bass-driven groove with fictional lead singer "2-D" (Damon Albarn) repeating "Feel Good" and semi-rapping the song's lyrics followed by a transition to an acoustic based, light and airy chorus. This chorus is then cut through by an excellent rap breakdown by members from De La Soul. The impact of this track is multiplied beyond the sum of its parts by this awesomely tasty lyrical bridge. The song revisits the three parts again before it ends and is quite a compelling ride throughout. The Gorillaz have only released two albums so far but there is apparently a third in progress. Both have been well received and are quite good. Their music videos are also very enjoyable to watch, since they were created by Tank Girl artist Jamie Hewlett and are rendered in a high quality anime style that continues the fictional story of the band throughout the songs. —Dave Evans Listen: Gorillaz >> "Feel Good Inc"

2005 : 26 "Vervain" by MF Doom

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I know I will lose a whole bunch of hip-hop cred when I write this, but I would rather listen to MF Doom than Jay-Z. I know that this is blasphemy to much of the world. Jay-Z is widely seen as the best of the best. To be honest, I don't care. It is not the raps that make MF Doom special. It is the beats and the samples. I first heard "Vervain" when I was sitting in a coffee house. At first I picked out some of the samples as the music from the old Spider-Man/Marvel Heroes cartoons. The sample was from the heroic theme from when the heroes needed to act to win the day. That moment of selfless action that turned them into heroes. Hearing this in a hip-hop sample made my ears just pop. I know that I can be accused of being nostalgic by getting excited by this. It is not just that he uses music from an old cartoon, but it is how he uses it. It is not just a stunt, but a sincere artistic expression. He loops the sample, adds beats, and effects, and makes it into something more. He creates something hip-hop out of this piece of music. —Rich Thomas Listen: MF Doom >> "Vervain"

2004 : 40 "America's Most Blunted" by Madvillain

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"They" say that every album has a particular drug that serves as the perfect accompaniment, accenting certain elements of the music in the same way that wine embellishes certain elements of a good meal. It's not hard to imagine examples: the twinkling polygons evoked in the mind when one listens to Aphex Twin probably look more vivid on Ecstasy, and I might understand the appeal of classic Rolling Stones more thoroughly if I were loaded on cheap beer. The quintessential example, of course, is marijuana, which has been involved in the production of so much music that one might reasonably feel the need to smoke up occasionally just to figure out what the hell is going on. Madvillainy, a 2004 album produced by the duo of hip hop producer Madlib and rapper MF Doom, is a prime example of an album that might benefit from the completion of this prerequisite: its cluttered yet warm production, lyrical obtuseness, unpredictable samples (including pontifications on time from Sun Ra), even its juvenile digressions and unfinished quality, all speak clearest to the mindset of somebody who is nicely toasted. So by the time we reach track six, "America's Most Blunted," the Madvillain dudes are pretty much double underscoring something that is dead obvious to begin with. But I'll be damned if every single second of it isn't pure delight. —Jeremy Bushnell Listen: Madvillain >> "America's Most Blunted"

2003 : 32 "Dying in Stereo" by Northern State

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There is something about this Northern State album. I listened to it over and over again. I got it right before a road trip I took. I just could not stop listening to it. It was like there was a code for me to break. It was a strange combo of lo-fi hip-hop, conscious rap, and post-riotgrrrl rock. I am not sure how many rap albums can I use the term feminist with a straight face. One of the things makes Dying In Stereo interesting is that lacks the overproduced sickness that is all over '00 hip-hop. The only disappointment is that their later albums lack what makes this album so special. —Rich Thomas Listen: Northern State >> "Dying In Stereo"

2003 : 24-25 Two songs by Atmosphere

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Track One: "Cats Van Bags" A world-weary but impassioned hip-hop song about being on tour; in spirit, it reminds me of Bob Seger's "Turn the Page" (I mean no disrespect to either song with that comparison). Lock eyes with a thousand people at the same time They minds believin' us, my style of graffiti is Squeezing just the Midwest sweat out of my shirt And leavin' with my life essence embedded in your dirt Plus the bass line is, as they say, sick. Track Two: "Reflections" This is, hands down, the most cleverly seductive hip-hop song I've ever heard. Yeah, it treads some familiar territory—famous rapper on tour, sleeping with lots of women--but without the misogyny and sense of entitlement which plague so much of the genre. I can't choose a single line to quote because they are all excellent. The best song Atmosphere has ever done, and one of my favorite songs, period. This is not by any means the only piece that Slug has ever written to warn women away from him; I can imagine that it is only effective as reverse psychology, since there are so many people for whom intelligent self-deprecation is like sexy, sexy catnip. —Angela Smith Listen: Atmosphere >> "Cats Van Bags" | "Reflections"

2003 : 05 "Hey Ya!" by Outkast

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Thank God for Mom and Dad For sticking two together 'Cause we don't know how (Uh!) I love songs that make me want to dance. I love songs that make me feel that dancing is the only good response. The beat of this song is just amazing. It is easy to see why this song was everywhere that year. I know that lots of people will discount this because it was so popular. In 2003 this song was everywhere. It was on TV, commercials, movie previews, stadiums, and just about anywhere else you might be. I know that turned many of my friends off to this song. What is even more amazing how the lyrics do not match the sound of the song. The lyrics are about how two people cannot keep their relationship together. It is so deep in the song it is easy to miss. I like that. You can even take the old Charlie Brown clips and put the music behind it. What else could I ask for? —Rich Thomas Listen: OutKast >> "Hey Ya!"

2002 : 43 "The Two" by Murs and Slug

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Just another tale of two rapping superheroes trying to make ends meet in a crappy economy. The Justice League said we had to pay dues and when we couldn't ante up, they kicked us out the crew. Nerdy references fly fast and thick. —Angela Smith Listen: Murs and Slug >> "The Two"

2002 : 36 "First in Flight" by Blackalicious

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Hip-hop is a genre that looks a little weird on this nerdy white gal. And I'll admit my listening criteria are restrictive: live instruments if possible, good hooks, and intelligent lyrics. This is by way of explaining why Blackalicious is one of my favorite hip-hop bands, and why I would argue Blazing Arrow is one of the best hip-hop albums of all time. Gift of Gab has a knack for throwing together surprising imagery in getting his message across. Take this line from "First in Flight": Rise! Like the sun up at the crack of the dawn Like a waking giant in the morning stretching and yawning... Makes me want to get off my ass and do something, anything that will leave a mark on this world. And that's what great music is all about. —Nancy Pokrywka Listen: Blackalicious >> "First In Flight"

2002 : 21 "Human Shield" by Anti-Pop Consortium

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One of the most enjoyable hip-hop acts to watch during the early part of the decade was the Anti-Pop Consortium. They only released two proper albums before splitting up but they managed to cram an incredible amount of disparate stuff into those albums: vintage analog synthesizers, robotic drum-machine programming, unusual lyrical inflections (dancehall and Nuyorican poetry-slam culture are both influences), gangsta fantasias, science-fiction imagery, affable clowning, sloganeering, skits, spaced-out marijuana-tinged studio fuckery… This cornucopia of pleasures doesn't attempt to fix what isn't broken—it's loaded with plenty of "classic" elements of hip-hop—but it also includes no shortage of oddball material, ultimately justifying its release on the Warp label (better known for releasing weird electronica like Autechre and Squarepusher). A representative track might be "Human Shield," from Arrythymia, structured around familiar hip-hop brags that then proceed to distort, skew, and push on towards more cyborg heights. —Jeremy Bushnell Listen: Anti-Pop Consortium >> "Human Shield"