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.
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