10 Hip Hop/Rap Songs I actually Like.

I haven't devoted any blog space for hip hop yet. It's not because I have anything against the genre. I went through that phase every (sub)urban white kid goes through were they think it's really cool to wear baggy pants and talk in fractured English. Though I've fortunately grown out of embarassing myself by calling girls "shawty", I still enjoy some Hip-Hop although it's not my first choice when I'm driving around listening to the radio. Still, it wouldn't be fair for me to ignore such a culturally relevant genre.
I also haven't done any lists yet, and people really love lists (judging by the popularity of blogs like 11Points and Topless Robot). So I now present the 10 hip-hop songs I actually like. (In order from least to most)

10. "Forever" by Drake featuring Li'l Wayne, Kanye West and Eminem.
See? You probably thought I would only go for older hip-hop songs (see www.stuffwhitepeoplelike.com)
But this is a favorite of mine from 2009. It's pretty much a standard bragging song. I don't know much about Drake, but apparently he's Canadian (Something else white people like) and he got on the radio without a record label. Whatever. Not important, because this song is all about the guest rappers. I HATE Li'l Wayne. I find his music grating and insipid. But when he's a guest rapper, confined to a single verse, and ACTUALLY RAPPING, NOT AUTO-TUNING, he's not so bad. From there it only gets better as Kanye West reminds us why we liked "College Dropout" in the first place. Then, of course Eminem caps it all off in a third verse at break-neck speed. I was starting to think Em had lost his edge, what with the Mariah Carey feud and all, but he's in top form here. Wait? Rappers actually rapping again? Did I travel back in time to 2002?

9."Izzo (HOVA)" by Jay Z
Sure, the hook is kind of ridiculous and these days you'd look like a huge jackass running around going "H to the Izz O". But it's still got a great beat and showcases Jay Z's pop sensibility and his lyrical brilliance. This song is still cool, even after being quoted by Good Charlotte.

8."Keep Their Heads Ringing" by Dr. Dre
This song scared the crap out of me when I was about 10. It has that element of danger that so much of modern hip-hop is missing. When you were 10 years old, hanging out in the heavily ethnic suburbs and a low-riding cadillac drove by, you about pissed yourself, especially if they were playing "Keep Their Heads Ringing".
Now that I'm older and realize not everyone who listens to Gangsta Rap is trying to bust a cap in my ass, I can really enjoy the song for what it is. A masterpiece.

7."The Next Episode" by Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Dogg
Dre will reappear again in the top 5, as he has become one of my favorite Hip-Hop artists. His production on this track is just beautiful. Everything flows so perfectly, and Snoop Dogg is the epitome of West-Coast cool. These guys really need to team up again, because D-O-Double-G has kind of fallen off the bad ass bandwagon.

6."Hypnotize" by Biggie Smalls
This beats out the previous two entries simply by having such an aggressively funky bass line. Biggie's marble-mouthed, yet rhythmically deft delivery has yet to be matched by modern rappers. If there's such a thing as classic hip-hop, this gets my vote as a golden oldie.

5."Let Me Blow Ya Mind" by Eve featuring Gwen Stefani.
When this funky, minimalist hit first surfaced, Rappers and pop-stars collaborating was practically unheard of. Especially if both were female, and especially when the girl singing the hook was formerly of new-wave/ska hitmakers No Doubt. Still, this was a hint of Stefani's future as a Top 40 staple. Eve is one of my favorite female rappers. She was less trashy than Li'l Kim or Foxxy Brown. But she had talent to beat the band. I don't know what she's up to these days, but hip-hop could use some strong female voices again (other than just Missy Elliot). Oh, and Dre produced it, so of course I love it.

4."The Real Slim Shady" by Eminem
This profane little diddy shot Eminem to superstar status. The hook is undeniable, even now that "all the other slim shady's" have packed up and gone back home. The lyrics are a bit dated now, but still hilariously offensive.

3."Clint Eastwood" by Gorillaz
Okay, this one leans more towards the alternative hip hop/indie side of things, but it's got enough rap verses to count. This was a truly bizarre hit song. Nothing about it suggests a top-40 hit. A burnt-out Brit-Pop star? Cartoon band avatars? A strange, almost off-key hook? An obscure rapper with an unusual name? How did this become such a big song? Oh yeah, it rocks. Del Tha Funky Homosapien's off-kilter verses managed to add an air of menace to the wonky, psychedelic vibe of this track. Without this song, there could never have been a "Hey Ya!" or a "Crazy". I'm not kidding.

2. "So Fresh, So Clean" by Outkast I had a tough time choosing my favorite Outkast song. There are plenty of good candidates, but this one still sticks out in my mind because it was the follow up single to their monumental hit "Miss Jackson". This song was more fun, and actually had a better hook, but was overshadowed by it's big brother track. Outkast would never be this united again, as the two artists who made up the group began to go in vastly different directions. Consider this a snapshot of the perfect moment in their meteoric career.

1."California Love" by 2Pac featuring Dr. Dre. I realize this is technically a 2Pac song, and no disrespect to his talent, but Dre made this a hit. The production, as always, is brilliant, and the near 8-minute running time of the album version is unheard of in hip-hop today. Dre's rapping is at it's laid-back, cocksure best, as he boasts about the joys of ruling the west coast like a king. 2Pac never sounded as fun-loving or as fierce as on this standout track. Add the talk-box hook, a "Thunderdome" inspired video and you've got yourself the greatest hip-hop song EVER.