Friday, December 9, 2011 at 2:57AM #49-25
49.Theophilus London ft Dev Hynes- Century Girl
Theophilus has the type of lyrical content that Big Sean specializes in, which is about 80% nonsense. But when it clicks like this, it works. Don't know why he didn't put this on his album? It could have easily have been another single for sure.
48.Tiron & Ayomari-Back 2 U
For the foreign situation where you don't know if you are going to see that someone again, send them this song.
47.Phonte ft Elzhi-Not Here Anymore
New Tigallo-Tigallo-Tigallo! When it was announced that 9th Wonder would be working with Phonte again I really didn't know what to expect. I had at this point grown accustomed to that non-9th collaboration point of Te's career, and to be honest there wasn't too much that I had heard in the recent memory that had me begging for more 9th Wonder. Well, when I heard this jawn, you pretty much consider all those former thoughts invalid. The beat is beautiful, Phonte delivers two hip-hop quotable worthy verses, and then Elzhi takes us home with a fierce verse as well making this one hell of a trailer to one of this years best albums.
46.Tyler The Creator ft Frank Ocean-She
Two of the more well-known members of OFWGKTA link up for on one of the weirdest songs available to public this year. Yet, everything that makes this song abnormal, makes it that much more enjoyable. The off-time drums, weird lead synths, creeper like verses from Tyler, and another golden hook sung by Frank, all work together to create a strange, yet still wonderful jawn.
45.Beastie Boys-Make Some Noise
These dudes still can rock it. It's on some skateboarder type youthful music though despite their age. This one will set the crowd into a frenzy for sure.
44.Frank Ocean-songs for women
What goes around comes around is the theme for this song about an R&B singer who sings songs to get at a girl, then finds out that the very girl who he was singing about is singing a new song. Kind of has a post-modern Mowtown sound to it.
43.Tanya Morgan ft Napoleon & Che Grand-Gotta Get Over It
I actually came back from a Friday evening walk downtown and this has been playing on repeat since shuffle brought it to my attention. The perfect song for a day like such. All the obligations for the week are done, everybody in a good mood outside, Christmas lights are up everywhere you look, great scene. The music is perfect for this in environment. Also I would include family get-together's, and summer barbecues as well. Tanya has supplied a jam for anywhere good spirits are present.
42.Pusha T-My God
Easily the first track this year that had folks on that screw face. Pusha is at home over these type of eerie sounding productions. My God!
41.The Roots Ft Dice Raw & Phonte-One Time
Glad to see that Phonte making another cameo with the The Roots crew. He sounds right at home here on this beat, and This kind picks up where How I Got Over Left off production-wise, left off. I can't wait to get back home and get the LP so I can read more up on this album.
40.Lupe Fiasco-WWJD He'd Prolly LOL like WTF!
Best song title this year. Beyond that though, Lupe does what he didn't do enough of on LASERS and spits more of the complex introspective raps that originally turned heads on. This introspective look at consumerism is worth every replay.
39.Blu- Amnesia(Remind)
The song is only clocks in at a little under a minute and a ½, but a song's length only matters if you're aiming for Clear Channel(radio) now days, besides since when did size matter? Anyways, this short jam on catching feelings is perfect for those afternoon hangout's and such. Doesn't hurt either that it's written by composed by Blu either.
38.Big Sean-So Much More
This beat is so nice that it doesn't matter that only 60% of Big Sean says on here is semi-interesting. NO I.D really did his thing this year on the beats. It's so soulful, I actually appreciate the part more when Sean is just talking at the end where he sheds the artificial and actually just gets real.
37.Lykee Li-Follow Rivers
Homegirl is so fresh! Songs like this continue to make my case. I hate using this term as it is something that the new school is more familiar with; swag. What I like about this is it has a swing to it than most indie music which allows you to groove a lot more than usual do to the hip-hop/r&b influence.
36.Beyonce- Rather Die Young
From the opening lines of this one, you know that B' is about to bring it. She sings with so much of the passion that I thought was lacking on a lot of the last two releases of hers. This is her track, it's not like I can sit here and think;oh _______would've killed this track.
35.Cee-Lo-Bridges
This cut right here was vintage. A Neptune's produced song that was left off the cutting room floor of The Lady Killers(why?). The two had collaborated before back on Cee-Lo's second solo venture ...Is The Soul Machine and had me thinking Al Green back then. Now, my thoughts are further cemented by this one. Casual fans of Crazy, and F*&K You might not have flocked to, but for fans of soulful music, this is a cut that will bring goodness to your ears.
34.Jay-Z & Kanye West-Murder to Excellence
One of the few moments on the album were the two take a look outside their window finally. The production on this one is dope. Can't believe I am actually saying this two years in a row now about something featuring co-production by Swizz Beatz. What is this world coming too?
33.Kendrick Lamar-Ho'd Up
Kendrick Lamar is definitely a talented artist. The problem for me is sometimes his beats aren't the most creative for someone with such a fluid style. Though everyone might of went crazy over ADHD, or HiiPower!!! This song is the one that showcases all his talents the best.
32.Pharohe Monch ft Styles P & Phonte-Black Hand Side
This is on the real song. Nothing flashy, a hard look on the reality of the modern African-American struggle, and critique on artist who neglect to tell this story in their music. Accompanied by Phonte's beautifully sung hook, Pharohe Monch and Styles P trade reality rhymes.
31.The Cool Kids ft Mayer Hawthorne-Swimsuits
Summer Jam! Fresh to def, radio formatted, and ready to lock and load. This was the song that would of had folks dancing for sure. I don't know if the clubs were playing this cause I wasn't in a place where hip-hop music was getting burn. I do know that this is some feel good, have fun music none-the-less and Mayer on the hook is gold!
30.The Roots Ft Big K.R.I.T-Make My
The Roots and K.R.I.T??? Yeah, never would've seen this collabo coming in a million years. This is a kind of blues-based track though and you don't have the Blues with out the South. KRIT, makes the most of his opportunity and delivers a great performance on the mic, next to one of the best in the game. A beautiful track, that was the first peak to the instant classic album Undun.
29.DJ Quik ft Dwelle- Time Stands Still
Grown folks music right here. What can't Quik do at this point? This might be one of the best songs that Dwelle has ever appeared on. He really should enlist some more production services from him. On that smooth tip, grown man tip for sure.
28.The Dream-Body Work/F#*! My Brains Out
The first half of this song isn't all that different from his normal sigle aimed music. But when we get a little pass the half-point, the song gets really interesting. From a slowed down bridge the speed almost instantly picks up to something that owes a lot to Prince, but also get's reaaaal nasty in here. Almost ten minutes of music that you shouldn't be listening to around kids.
27.Tyler The Creator-Yonkers
My first intro to the universe known as OFWGKTA(Odd Future for short, not writing that all the way out again). I don't want to get into the video since what I am doing here is talking about actual songs. So let's start with the amazing production. The jazz chords, are what gets to me the most, and then you have Tyler whose flow on here is crazy. It's dark, it's raw, it's explicit, in your face, and everything that you wouldn't want your young kids to listen to. In other words it's just what rap needed this year... A walking paradox
26.Nas-Nasty
Nas does these type of songs in his sleep now. He is JUST THAT GOOD. I don't know how people could even try to compare him and Hov? Besides making Ether the bar which all battle rap responses had to measure up to from that point forward, he has recently been over this year been seen commiting genocide on tracks left and right. Nas is the Chuck Norris of rap(in terms of bad ass, not ridiculousness).
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