DOWN TO THE WIRE: #10-1

Well, it is here...my top ten songs of the year.

Now keep in mind, this portion was REALLY difficult in deciding, as each song affected me in a different way and perspective this year, but in the end, I'm confident about this. Maybe controversial...but so am I....so here we go.

10. THE ROOTS F/DICE RAW & PEEDI PEEDI- GET BUSY

Much like a lot of the Roots songs on Rising Down, it depicted Black Thought being more visceral and commanding as ever, even feature alumni, Dice Raw and Peedi Peedi couldn't keep up wit the Thought's lyrical assault, and not to mention a bumping backdrop to keep the energy going courtesy of the best hip hop band in the business.

9. YOUNG JEEZY F/KANYE WEST- PUT ON

It is safe to say that this was the hood anthem of the year, and this is when Kanye's Auto-tuned madness began. Yet Ye's emotion and heartfelt verse kept up wit Jeezy's new outlook on the streets and everything around him. Even so much that The Recession was one of my favorite albums of the year, and that had to be the first time that I put aside Jeezy's shortcomings as a lyricist, for the fact that he put together a wide variety of quality material this time around.

8. NAS- HERO

Regardless of what Nasir Jones' motives were on his new album Untitled (Nigger)...or recently Soulja Boy's perplexed outlook on the emcees' career, this was probably the first time in recent memory, that Nas' first single...is actually memorable. The third verse lays it all out on the table.

"This universal apartheid/I'm hogtied/The corporate side/Blocking yall from going to stores and buying it/"....."So Untitled it is/I never changed nothin/But people remember this/If Nas can't say it/Think about these talented kids with new ideas being told/What they can't or can't spit/I can't sit and watch it/So shit I'ma drop it/Like it or not/You ain't gotta cop it/"

7. T-PAIN F/LIL' WAYNE- CAN'T BELIEVE IT

This is one of those songs, where you don't wanna like it, but you can't help but consider it a guilty pleasure. Despite the fact, that you can hardly understand what the hell Lil' Wayne is saying on his feature, T-Pain proves once again, why he AND HE ONLY should use Auto-tune.

6. NE-YO- MISS INDEPENDENT

This is for every hard-working woman in America...Lawyers, Doctors, Teachers...strippers, prostitutes, burlesque dancers....If you made your own money, this was for you...and Ne-Yo did what Webbie and Boosie couldn't do earlier in the year.

5. LIL' WAYNE F/STATIC MAJOR- LOLLIPOP

I am not going to discuss Auto-tune again. So instead, I'll direct my attention to the fact that this is true....if rock bands are covering your songs...months after you put it out...YOU MADE IT!!!!



4. KANYE WEST- LOVE LOCKDOWN

If I liked "Heartless" more than this, why is this higher than "Heartless"? Well, simply for the fact, that although it took how many versions to make it right, when Kanye finally hit gold...it was easy to feel the pain this man presented to all of us. Like I said, I may not have liked 808s and Heartbreaks like some emo kids may have...but I understand the means.

3. T.I. F/JAY-Z, KANYE WEST, AND LIL' WAYNE- SWAGGA LIKE US

"No one on the corner had swagga like us", you know, you wouldn't even known Kanye made some of these beats this year, being caught up in his Love Lockdown-ness...but although, I feel they shoulda came way harder than they did, Tip put them to rest, and spit the best verse on the track.

2. M.I.A.- PAPER PLANES

And then comes the aforementioned song Mr. West sampled. Although, this song has been around for about a year, from the critically acclaimed album Kala, it took a movie (Pineapple Express) to breathe new life into this song, and let me just say this, as many times as this song came on at Silk Exotic, when it came on, I was worked as hard than ever to give up money. But yes, others spit to it (like me), others made a dance to it, but given its subliminal messages, this had to be No. 2 as song of the year...meanwhile, one song took its claim and made history, and made it fun to rap again....


AND MY NUMBER 1 SONG OF THE YEAR IS.....






1. LIL' WAYNE- A MILLI

I don't think there needs to be any words for this, but what I will say...is that not only did it refreshen the game in regards to lyrical competition, but the fact that this song had remotely no hook, it makes no sense, and the beat is simple, Weezy's mentally perplexed lyrics and delivery took a simple song to overwhelming popularity. So much I did THREE versions of the song myself. Logical Thought did a version, Lil Ole P did a version, I'm waiting for Amanda to do a version, fuck a crackhead on a street corner will spit to "A Milli", it goes to show, that one song, can make a difference, and change the rap game as we know it, and goddammit, this was the song. If you don't like it, suck it!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8uf-Wri2q8