Best of 2010 - Hip-Hop Music

Ok, time to throw on your favorite fitted and lace up your Adidas because here are 20 of my favorite hip-hop songs from 2011 (not in particular order). My apologies in advance if you were looking for more familiar artists--I hardly listen to any mainstream radio, so I'm quickly becoming pop-culture-ignorant!

1. Didn't Mean 2 Hurt You | Consequence ft. Spree Wilson | Movies On Demand. 'Quence delivers yet another solid album/"mixtape" with Movies on Demand. Like his first two albums, he is backed up by top-notch producers (e.g., Kanye) and guest appearances (e.g., Asher Roth, Q-Tip)--but for some reason, there is little to no fanfare (which means very few sales). What a shame. Hopefully his forthcoming Cons TV album (produced by Kanye and Q-Tip) will do better. Anyway, there are quite a few bangers on this album, but Didn't Mean 2 Hurt You's lyrics really hit home with every man who has been in a relationship that was in a "grey area".



2. Papermill | Madvillain | Adult Swim Singles Project. Cartoon Network's Adult Swim has always been a big supporter of "off brand" music, particularly MF Doom and Madlib. Last year, they released singles from a number of quirky artists, the first being an ill Madvillian (which is Doom and Madlib, flippin' back and forth on rhyming and production) tracklet called Papermill (from their forthcoming album--can't wait). This song doesn't have any purpose but to remind us how bizarre these guys are and I frickin' love it!



3. Luther | Capone-N-Noreaga ft. Raekwon. I get a lot of hip-hop joints from my man Schott Free's "Frozen Files" radio show. One of the many songs that he put me on last year was Luther, a laid back head-nodder from CNN, with classic rhymes by The Chef. Rest in peace, Luther Vandross.



4. Taxi | Ski Beatz ft. Mos Def & Whosane | 24 Hour Karate School. The Mighty Mos Def and Whosane absolutely murder this sick track by Ski Beatz! Please wear a neck brace before you listen to this--you've been warned! A song of the year candidate, fo' sho'...



5. Think Good Thoughts | Drake ft. Phonte & Elzhi | Comeback Season. As an old guy, I have a hard time believing that I can like most of today's rappers. But Think Good Thoughts made me realize that I better start paying attention to Drake. Now I have his other mixtapes and his album, but this is still my favorite Drake song! "Y'all don't really know me like you think you know me!"



6. Nighttime Maneuvers (Remix) | Little Brother | Chitlin Circuit. Last year, I was saddened to hear that Little Brother (LB) was breaking up and Phonte, one of the best lyricists of the last decade, was leaving hip-hop behind altogether (for now). After realizing that LB slipped the Chitlin Circuit pass me a few years ago and listening to 9th Wonder's remix of Nighttime Maneuvers, I was reminded how much hip-hop will miss them. "...Phonte--best kept secret since the AIDS cure..."



7. Hagler | Jay Electronica ft. Che Grand | Jay Electronica On The Come Up - Part 2. You won't be dancing to Hagler, but Jay Electronica's lyrics and delivery are so profound that I found myself playing this over and over again.



8. Long Life | Dela ft. Talib Kweli | Changes of Atmosphere. I've been digging through all of Parisian producer Dela's records and I was definitely impressed. On Long Life, Dela's stellar production is on full display and brought to life by the incomparable Talib Kweli.



9. Just Begun | Reflection Eternal: Talib Kweli & HiTek ft. Jay Electronica, J. Cole and Mos Def | Revolutions Per Minute. I was excited to see Reflection Eternal united again and when I heard Just Begun, that excitement went through the roof! While not a club banger, it's more a lyrical storm featuring some my favorite current and up-and-coming wordsmiths: Jay Electronica (top 5), J. Cole (potential top 5) and Mos.



10. Love It Then | Camp Lo | Another Heist. I don't think I've heard a Camp Lo album that I didn't like and Another Heist doesn't disappoint. I thought I would get tired of their "formula" (which has never changed), but Love It Then makes me feel like I did when I first heard Luchini!



11. Alleye Need | Tanya Morgan | Brooklynati. When I picked up Tanya Morgan's Brooklynati in 2009, I'm somehow completely missed the banger Alleye Need. After much airplay in 2010, this is now my favorite song on the album!



12. Fake Love (Yes Men) | Statik Selektah ft. Reks, Kali, Termanology & Good Brotha | 100 Proof (The Hangover). Super-producer Statik Selektah is now available for hire by the best in the game, but I still feel like he does his best work with his partner-in-crime Termanalogy. In Fake Love, Term and his boys teach you how to weed out "yes men" from your hip-hop entourage--which has been a problem I've had all of my life... ;-)



13. Hood Sentence | Guilty Simpson | OJ Simpson. Madlib (real name Otis Jackson) and Guilty Simpson once again joined forces for the OJ Simpson album (get it? Otis Jackson + Guilty Simpson?) Hood Sentence is both grimey and smooth--just how I like my hip-hop on Fridays!

Find more artists like Guilty Simpson at Myspace Music

14. Our Dreams | Method Man, Ghostface & Raekwon. Another classic joint from the Wu! Johnny Blaze, Tony Starks and The Chef set fire to this smooth track and make you feel like it's 1993!



15. Chittlins & Pepsi | Strong Arm Steady ft. Planet Asia | In Search Of Stoney Jackson. On Chittlins & Pepsi, Strong Arm Steady (Phil da Agony + Krondon) and Planet Asia pontificate on the relationship between men, women and... food? Yes, it sounds strange, but it's really amusing!



16. Asian Girl | Murs & 9th Wonder | Fornever. It's about damn time someone wrote a decent anthem for guys with an Asian girl fetish! Ni Hao!



17. You Should Go Home | 1982 ft. Bun B & Masspike Miles | Statik Selektah & Termanology are 1982. Statik and Term reunited once again last year to form 1982 and the results were ridiculous. Lots of burners on this album, but You Should Go Home was a nice radio-friendly song that I frequently put on repeat.



18. Classic | MED ft. Talib Kweli. I can't get enough of Karriem Riggins' production, so I jumped on Classic even before I realized that MED and Talib were torching the track. A Classic indeed...



19. Popular With The Ladies (Single Version) | Pittsburgh Slim ft. Dirt Nasty & Rare Formula. *** GUILTY PLEASURE ALERT *** Popular with the Ladies reps everything that I hate about popular music today: It has terrible lyrics over a contrived track using a beat stolen from a recently released song (Acceptable in the 80's by Calvin Harris). Of course, I got hooked! Damn you, Simon Rex (aka Dirt Nasty)! This ain't the first time you got me and it might not be the last...



20. Slow Down | Fat Joe ft. Young Jeezy | The Darkside. Joey Crack made his triumphant return to the game last year with Slow Down. I could do without Jeezy, but this one kept my head nodding every time my friends forced me to go to a nightclub. :-D



Next article, I'm going to take you back--way back--with my favorite throwback/vintage/classic (pre-2000) songs of 2011.

Best of 2010 - R&B/Soul Music

Now it's time to look at my R&B/Soul discoveries from 2010. Don't be surprised that you didn't hear most of these joints on mainstream radio-- you already know about those songs and I'm trying to give you something different! Let's check 'em out...

1. Windows Seat | Erykah Badu | New Amerykah Part Two: Return Of The Ankh. To be honest, I'm not sure if this song is on the list because of the song itself or the controversial video. You decide...



2. Feels Like The First Time | Corinne Bailey Rae | The Sea. I'm really ashamed to say that, despite her obvious talent, I'm super late to the Corinne Bailey Rae experience and The Sea was my first album. (I know! Shameful!) Feels Like The First Time was the first song of hers that hooked me, but I'll definitely be coming back for more...



3. Detroit Sunrise | Dwele (feat. Monica Blaire & Lloyd Dwayne) | Wants, World, Women. It was great to see Dwele release yet another solid, soulful album and I debated which song to include on this list. Detroit needs as much help as we can give them, so I felt that it was apropos to showcase Dwele's tribute to his home town. 313 stand up!



4. Celebrate | Eric Roberson (feat. Sy Smith) | Music Fan First. Eric Roberson's Left album was major turning point in his creative journey and Music Fan First was another step in the right direction. Lots of great songs on this album, but I was really moved by Celebrate, dedicated to the people that have passed away and influenced the makeup of Eric's musical DNA.



5. Can't Hardly Wait | N'dambi | Pink Elephant. Man, N'dambi really captured something that every woman can relate to with Can't Hardly Wait. And don't be fooled by the title--it's not that obvious! Be sure to check out the actual song vice the video--it comes a little stronger and makes a world of difference.



6. Right Where You Are | Amp Fiddler | Afro Strut. I know Amp is a Detroit legend, but I've rarely liked any music that he's produced for himself until Afro Strut. Right Where You Are is a great dance song that finally made me a fan!



7. It Makes a Difference (DK Edit) | Kim English | Lust - Art & Soul. A Personal Collection By Louie Vega. You probably have heard one or more of Kim English's house songs over the last decade, but when Louie Vega showcased It Makes a Difference on his 2006 "mixtape", I finally took notice. (Lust - Art & Soul has a phenomenal number of good songs and well worth the download on Amazon or iTunes.)



8. Shine | John Legend & The Roots | Wake Up! Please don't hate me when I say this, but I didn't exactly love Wake Up! It wasn't a bad album-- I just didn't seem to connect well with most of the songs. But then there was Shine, John Legend's uplifting song about educating our youth--definitely a candidate for song of the year.



9. Love Conversation | Jose James | Blackmagic. I waited anxiously for jazz impresario Jose James' second album and fortunately, he successfully avoided the sophomore jinx. Blackmagic is a R&B/Jazz/Electronica hybrid that effectively displays the depth and range of the most unique voice in all of music. (Yeah, you heard me right.) For couples looking to make a baby this week, I would recommend that you throw on Love Conversation and tell me--is this the song of the year?



10. The Sky Is Ours | Dam Funk | Toeachizown. Dam Funk continues to channel the 80's Funk Gods with The Sky Is Ours. It's still hard to believe that his songs weren't originally recorded Steve Arrington!



In my next posting, we will take an extensive look at my Hip-Hop picks of 2010.

Best of 2010 - Rock Music

Welcome back to my annual roundup of music findings for 2010! I'm honored and privileged that of all of the crap you could be reading on the Internet, you are taking the time to read MY crap. Muchas gracias.

This year, instead of a list of top 50 songs, I'm going to give you my picks from various genres of music. Why? Because I'm lazy and oversubscribed. I strive for efficiency and looking at each genre was alot easier and faster to do. Also, while I love most music genres, I'm clearly biased towards certain ones. This approach allows me to give fair "airtime" to multiple genres and makes me appear more worldly and diverse-- which is a great segue into the Rock category...

Note: These songs are not in preference order. Also, these songs are not necessarily new in 2010--some were released sometime in the last 5 years. I will have a separate posting for my favorite "old school" music that I discovered in 2010.

1. Kandi | One eskimO | One eskimO. Kandi is a pseudo-cover of Candi Stanton's cover of Patsy Cline's He Called Me Baby Baby. Got it? This is one of those rare songs that physically pulls and tugs at my heart every time I hear it and that makes me very uncomfortable. It also makes Kandi probably my favorite song of the year.



2. Diplomat's Son | Vampire Weekend | Contra. I'm somewhat loathe to put this song in the Rock category and anyone familiar with Vampire Weekend understands why. Unfortunately, I don't have an African-Indie-Pop category, so we'll have to keep it here. Like most Vampire Weekend songs, I don't exactly know what they are singing about and I don't care because Diplomat's Son makes me feel like I'm having a good day even when I'm not!



3. Bury Me In Smoke | Burnt Ones | Black Teeth & Golden Tongues. This grimy tune might be the only song in this list that could truly be called "rock and roll". I explored alot of glam and garage rock in 2010, but I found myself repeatedly banging my head on the steering wheel every time Bury Me In Smoke came on in my car. If I only had long hair to thrash to and fro...



4. Bonny Doon | Gamble House | Gamble House. I really love how Gamble House mixes multiple styles and melodies in this song. It's all over the place, yet still holds together well. Sure, its questionable to call this rock, but Bonny Doon is unquestionably superb.



5. Leo | Barb | Barb. Uhhh... errr... I don't know how to explain this song or this twisted video. My understanding is that it's a young fanboy's expression of admiration for Leonardo DiCaprio. The lyrics are so ridiculous, yet serious, so it's hard to tell if Barb is making fun of the boy, themselves and/or the talented Leo. Inexplicably, this quirky track got lots of play on my iPod and PC and will continue to do so...



Next, let's take a look at my R&B/Soul picks...